Module 20: Basics of Sensations and Perception

Sensation

Sensation

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment.

sensory receptors

sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli.

perception

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.

bottom-up processing

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information.

top-down processing

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations.

selective attention

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus.

cocktail party effect

explains one's ability to focus one's attention on one particular sound (an auditory stimulus) while simultaneously filtering out others.

inattentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere.

transduction

conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brain can interpret

Psychophysics

the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them.

absolute threshold

the minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time

signal detection theory

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person’s experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.

subliminal

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness.

difference threshold

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference (or jnd).

Weber’s Law

the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount).

priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response.

persuasion

Strategies or methods used to influence someone's attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, or decisions.

sensory adaptation

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.