PSYCHOLOGY • Sensation & Perception (Week 1)

Sensation

The process that allows our brain to take in information via our five senses, which can then be experienced and interpreted by the brain.

The 4 Stages of Sensation

1. Stimulus energy.

2. Reception: Sensory receptors detect and respond to external stimuli within the surrounding environment.

3. Transduction: Sensory receptors translate/convert stimulus energy into impulses of electrochemical energy.

4. Transmission: Impulses are then sent to specific areas in the brain specialised to process them. Signals are transferred to the brain for processing or the spinal cord for immediate reflex action. Messages are relayed to the CNS.

Perception

Refers to the way sensory information is sorted and given meaning in the brain.

The 3 Stages of Perception

*Happens AFTER the process of sensation.

1. Selection: During transmission, feature detector cells filter the impulses by selecting some for further processing and ignoring the others.

2. Organisation: The brain assembles the selected impulses into a pattern or form that can be recognised.

3. Interpretation: The brain gives meaning to the reassembled pattern or whole so we know what we’ve sensed.

What is the main difference between sensation and perception?

• Sensation involves detection.

• Perception involves interpretation.