(1) 1.10 Sensation and Perception

Sensation

How sensory receptors receive info from the environment.

Perception

How our brain organizes and interprets sensory input.

Bottom-up processing

Begins with sensory receptors and works up to higher levels of processing without prior info or knowledge.

Top-down processing

Creates perceptions based on our experience and expectations.

Transduction

Transforming physical energy (sight, sounds, & smells) into neural impulses that the brain can interpret.

Subliminal

Below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness.

Priming

Activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations.

Difference Threshold

The minimum amount needed to tell a difference a person can detect between any 2 stimuli half the time.

Weber’s Law

2 stimuli must differ by a minimum percentage rather than a constant amount.

Sensory Adaptation

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum level of stimulus intensity needed for a person to detect a stimulus.