Sensation and Perception

Sensation

The process where our sensory receptors and brain interpret the stimulus energies around us from our environments.

Bottom-up Processing

Processing that starts at the sensory receptors and works up to the brain, involving the five senses.

Top-down Processing

Processing that constructs perception by organizing sensory information based on experiences and expectations.

Sensory Adaptation

Decreasing responses to a stimulus due to constant stimulation.

Sensory Habituation

Perception of sensation depending on how much you focus on them.

Vestibular Sense

Sense that helps determine body position in relation to space.

Kinesthetic Sense

Sense that tells us the position and orientation of our body parts.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum stimulation necessary to detect a stimulus 50% of the time.

Signal Detection Theory

Theory that explains how we detect faint stimuli among background noise.

Difference Threshold (Just Noticeable Difference)

The minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time.

Weber's Law

To perceive a difference, two stimuli must differ by a constant amount.

Figure-Ground Relationship

The ability to distinguish a subject from its background.

Gestalt Principles

Principles that explain how we organize sensory information into a whole.

Selective Attention

Focusing on a particular stimulus among others.

Inattentional Blindness

Failure to see visible objects when attention is focused elsewhere.

Depth Perception

The ability to perceive distance and three-dimensionality.

Monocular Cues

Depth cues available with only one eye.

Binocular Cues

Depth cues that depend on the use of both eyes.

Perceptual Constancy

The perception of objects as unchanging despite changes in sensory input.

Cultural Influence on Perception

Beliefs, expectations, and behavior that affect how we perceive things based on culture.

Principle of Closure

The tendency to fill in gaps to create a complete object.

Principle of Similarity

The tendency to group similar objects together.

Principle of Continuity

The tendency to perceive intersected objects as a whole.

Principle of Proximity

The tendency to group nearby objects together.

Principle of Good Figure

The tendency to see grouped objects as one whole.

Principle of Symmetry

The perception of objects as being symmetric around a center.