Ap Psych Sensation and Perception

Sensation

Sensory systems and the nervous system receive stimuli from the environment and convert them into neural signals

Perception

Process of organizing and interpreting incoming sensory information

Transduction

The sensory process that converts items like sound waves or light waves into the form of neural messages.

Why does the brain not have direct communication with our senses and the world?

The brain sense the world indirectly so the sense organs (Nose, eye, tongue, ear, skin) convert stimulation into the language of the nervous system: neural messages

When the stimuli reaches the sense organ what does it do?

sensory receptors detect it and convert it to neutral signals, which neurons carry to the brain for processing

Sensory adaptation

diminishing responsiveness of our sensory systems to prolonged stimulation

The absolute threshold

the minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be present for the stimulus to be detected 50% of the time.

The threshold shows a point at which you can not detect a stimulus, to the point where it is detectable and applies to all senses

Difference threshold

minimum amount of differences needed to detect that two stimuli are not the same

-based on INTENSITY of stimulus

example: the smallest amount of salt you can add to your pasta for you to taste the change in saltiness

Signal detection theory

the ability to identify a stimulus when it is embedded into a distracting background

ex: driving in traffic and all the other cars are making noise, but you can distinguish a fire truck honking its horn out of all the noises so you can move out of the way

Subliminal persuasion

Trying to influence someone’s thought, feelings, or behavior using messages that are presented below their conscious awareness.

What is vision?

sense that gathers light, focusses it, converts its to a neural signal and sends these signals onto neutral processing

What is the pathway of light through the eye

Through the pupil, which is controlled by the iris, to the retina for transduction

Cornea

clear membrane that covers the surface of the eye, protects the eye and is the structure that focuses most of the light coming into the eye

Aqueous humor

Visual layer under cornea, clear, watery fluid that is continually replenished and supplies nourishment to the eye

Pupil

hole through which light from the visual image enters the interior of the eye

Iris

round muscle where the pupil is located, can change size of the pupil, letting more or less light in: helps focus image

Lens

Clear structure behind iris, suspended by muscles, finished the focus processing begin by the cornea

Visual accommodation

change in thickness of the eye as the lens focuses on objects that are far away and close

close: thinner and flatter

far: thicker and rounder

Vitreous humor

jelly-like fluid that also nourishes the and giver it shape

between the lens and retina