Psychology Ch 5: Sensation and Perception

Define psychophysics

The scientific study between physical stimuli & the psychological experiences they produce in an organism

What does the term sensation mean?

Occurs when sensory receptors detect sensory stimuli

What are the sensory systems?

• Vision - Balance (vestibular sense)

• Hearing (audition) - Body position (proprioception)

• Smell (olfaction) - Movement (kinesthesia)

• Taste (gustation) - Pain (nociception)

• Touch (somatosensation) - Temperature (thermoception)

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

Absolute Threshold

The minimum difference in stimuli required to detect a change or a difference between stimuli.

Difference Threshold/ Just noticeable difference (JND)

Define perception

Way that sensory information is interpreted, organized, and consciously experienced

Not perceiving stimuli that remain relatively constant over prolonged periods of time.

Sensory adaptation

Failure to notice something that is completely visible because of a lack of attention

Inattentional blindness

Haley is waiting on an important phone call for a job offer, she thinks she heard her phone ringing but it actually didn’t. What factor of perception did Haley experience

Motivation

Change in stimulus detection as a function of current mental state.

Signal detection theory

Label the figure

A: wavelength, B: Crest, C: Amplitude, D: Trough

Frequency

The number of waves that pass a given point in a given time period, expressed has hertz (Hz)

What is the range of wavelengths that humans can see

380-740nm

Define cones

Phototopic (daytime) vision, Bright light vision, color, good acuity, mostly center of eye (only in fovea, almost none in extreme periphery)

Define rods

scotopic (nighttime vision), low light vision, monochromatic, poor acuity, mostly in periphery of retina

Describe and list characteristics from the optic chiasm

The X-shaped structure just below the cerebral cortex, info sent from the right visual field is sent to the left hemisphere and information from the left visual field is sent to the right hemisphere, then information is sent to the occipital lobe for processing

Define the trichromatic theory of color vision

All colors can be produced by combing red, green, and blue, applies to the retina where color vision is controlled by 3 types of cones.

Define opponent process theory

Color is coded in opponent pairs black-white, yellow-blue, green-red,