module 3: sensation and perception

sensation

transforming energy from outside stimuli into neural energy

perception

taking neural energy and creating an image of outside world

psychophysics

levels of intensity we can detect stimuli

psychophysics

how sensitive we are to changes in stimulation

psychophysics

how psychological factors influence our ability to sense stimuli

signal detection theory

psychological factors such as motivation, past experience, and expectation impact

selective attention

our ideas about reality are chosen, organized, and interpreted

perception

constructing meaning out of sensation

somesthesis

body’s sense of touch

somesthesis

skin, kinesthetic, vestibular senses

skin sense

keep bodily fluids in and germs out

kinesthetic sense

knowing how your body is moving without visually observing it

vestibular sense

keeps the body balanced

olfaction

body’s sense of smell

olfactory bulb

first place chemical compounds of smell are processed

olfactory bulb

direct connections to amygdala, hippocampus

amygdala, hippocampus

strongly implicated in emotion and memory

gustation

body’s sense of taste

bitter, sweet, salty, sour, unami

five main types of taste

vestibular system

sensory information pertaining to motion, equilibrium, spatial orientation

utricle, saccule, three semicircular canals

pieces of vestibular system located in each ear

utricle, saccule

detect gravity and linear movement

vestibular system

keeps eyes on target when head moves

ecological (nature)

some abilities are present at birth and fine-tuning of perceptual processes occurs throughout the lifespan

constructivism (nurture)

construction of perception through learning and reliant on specific experiences

depth perception

allows us to estimate distances between ourselves and the objects we see

binocular cues

both eyes

retinal disparity

binocular cue

linear perspective

monocular cue

monocular cues

one eye

motion parallax

refers to the apparent movement of stable objects when we are moving

interposition

when one object partially blocks out another

motion parallax

relative motion

sensory restriction

only has an effect in childhood when systems are forming

sensory restriction

suggest a critical period for certain perceptions to be developed

bottom-up

simple sensory receptors to complex neural networks

top-down

expectations, motives, and contextual cues to raw sensory data

vision

detects and interprets information from visual light to build representation of the surrounding environment

audition

process of taking in sound through the ear and having it travel to the brain

audition

taken to language center of brain to be interpreted