Sensation and Perception

• Absolute Threshold:

  • Minimum stimulus level required to detect a stimulus.

• Difference Threshold:

  • Smallest detectable difference between two stimuli.

• Sensory Adaptation:

  • Diminishing sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus over time.

• Processing Methods:

  • Top-down Processing: Use of prior knowledge to interpret sensory information.

  • Bottom-up Processing: Analysis that begins with the sensory input itself.

• Gestalt Principles:

  • Guidelines for organizing visual information into wholes.