Lecture Sensation and Perception

Sensation

The stimulation of sense organs.

Perception

The selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input.

Optical illusions

Demonstrations that perception can differ from reality.

Rods

Retinal cells that enable black and white vision in low light.

Cones

Retinal cells responsible for color and daylight vision; concentrated in the fovea.

Ventral Pathway

Processes 'what' an object is (form, color, texture).

Dorsal Pathway

Processes 'where' an object is located (motion, distance).

Trichromatic Theory

Proposes three types of receptors (red, green, blue) that mix to form other colors.

Opponent Process Theory

Proposes three pairs of antagonistic colors (red-green, blue-yellow, black-white).

Amplitude (in sound)

Determines loudness of a sound.

Wavelength (in sound)

Determines pitch, measured in Hz.

Taste Buds

Receptors that help translate the primary tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.

Olfactory Receptors

Located on olfactory cilia; respond to airborne substances.

Mechanoreceptors

Touch receptors that respond to mechanical stimuli.

Thermoreceptors

Touch receptors that respond to temperature changes.

Neuropathic Pain

Pain not adaptive; associated with nerve damage.

Somatosensory Cortex

Region of the brain that processes pain, organized somatotopically for spatial representation.

Kinesthetic Sense

Awareness of body positions via receptors in joints and muscles.

Vestibular Sense

Equilibrium and balance, managed by semicircular canals in the inner ear.