Sensation and Perception
Preassement to Sensation and
Perception
Question 1
You can see color in your peripheral vision
FALSE
Question 2
Receptor cells allow you interpret what is going on your world
TRUE
Question 3
Sensation refers to the process of getting information from the world to our brain.
TRUE
Question 4
If you stay in a hot tub it will seem as hot as it did when you first got in it. Sensory adaptation refers to the decline in sensitivity to a constant stimuli.
FALSE
Question 5
Our interpretations of the world are due to our personal sensations.
FALSE
Question 6
The colored part of the eye, which is actually a ring of muscles that controls the size of the pupil, is called the iris
TRUE
Question 7
The eardrum is interprets sound waves for the brain so that we can hear.
FALSE
Question 8
People judge people based on what groups they belong
TRUE
Question 9
On a clear, dark night we can see a candle flame 30 miles away.
TRUE
Question 10
Advertisers are able to shape our buying habits through subliminal messages
FALSE
Question 11
If we stare at a green square for a while and then look at a white sheet of paper, we can see red
TRUE
Question 12
If we close our eyes and hold our nose, we cannot taste the difference between an apple and a raw potato.
TRUE
Question 13
If required to look through a pair of glasses that turns the world upside down, we soon adapt and coordinate our movements without difficulty.
TRUE
Question 14
If people are told that an infant is “David”, they are likely to see “him” as bigger and stronger that if the same infant is called “Diana.”
TRUE
Question 15
Laboratory evidence clearly indicates that some people do have ESP
FALSE
Our Essential Questions!
How do sensations and perceptions differ? How do the senses transform information
into brain messages? What is the nature of attention?
Grab a scrap sheet of paper
Write down your definition of sensationperception
Let’s brainstorm…
Sensation Perception
Sensation
The process by which our sensory systems (eyes, ears, and other sensory organs) and nervous system receive stimuli from the environment
A person’s awareness of the world
Perception
The process of integrating, organizing and interpreting sensations.
Bottom-Up Processing
Information processing that focuses on the raw material entering through the eyes, ears, and other organs of sensation
Top-Down Processing
Top-Down Processing: expectations and experiences influence how
we interpret incoming sensory information
Sensation v Perception
Complete the worksheet
The Major Senses
7 major senses Vision (most studied) Hearing Touch Smell Taste Vestibular Kinesthetic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuYrPB2i-_8
The Riddle of Separate Sensations
Sense receptors specialized cells
unique to each sense organ that respond to a particular form of sensory stimulation
Sensory Receptors – An Example
When you bite into a crisp apple, you hear the crunch, you taste the sweetness, you feel the smooth skin, you see the red, and you smell the aroma.
Receptor Cells
Each of the seven senses is specifically coded to only take in one type of stimulus, whether it be light waves, sound waves, smell, taste, or touch.
What Does That Mean?
Turn to your neighbor and tell them what sensation means.
What is with those blasted receptor cells as well… explain what they do
Principles of Sensation
TransductionAbsolute thresholdDifference thresholdSensory adaptation
TransductionThe process by
which a form of physical energy is converted into a coded neural signal that can be processed by the nervous system.
What is a Threshold?
Threshold
An edge or a boundaryWalking into the room – on one side
you are in the room on the other you are outside of the room
Absolute Threshold
The smallest possible strength of a stimulus that can be detected half the time.
Absolute Threshold Example (1)
Taste: 1 gram of table salt in 500 liters of water – the minimum needed to taste something
Absolute Threshold (2)
Vision: A candle flame on a clear night, 30 miles away – the minimum needed to see it. Doesn’t mean that you can make out what it is
Just Noticeable Difference Threshold
The minimum difference that a person can detect between two stimuli 50% of the time.
Examples
When you can detect the difference in volume of music
When you can detect the difference in pressure on your arm
Weber’s Law
The greater the magnitude of the stimulus, the larger the difference must be in order to be noticed
Weber’s Law Example If you are carrying 20 lbs. and add 5
lbs., it’s noticeable. If you are carrying 100 pounds and add 5 pounds, it may not be noticeable. You need to add 10 lbs. to 100
pounds to make it noticeable.
Weber’s Law Lab
In groups of 3, follow the directions and complete the lab
Sensory AdaptationWhen exposed to a stimuli over
a period of time there will be a diminished sensitivity to it
If a stimulus is constant and unchanging, eventually a person may fail to respond to it
Example of Sensory Adaptation
A hot tub – after a certain period of time no longer seems as hot
The Nature of Attention
Where does attention come into play here?
Hypothetical Situation
What would happen if we had no filter between sensation and perception?”
Hallway example
Sensory Overload
Overstimulation of the senses
Selective hearing
Do you think it exists?
Selective AttentionFocusing conscious awareness on a
particular stimulus (sense) to the exclusion of others
Selective Attention Examples
Walking down the hallway – all 5 senses are firing. What grabs your attention?
Let’s write!
How do sensations and perceptions differ? How do the senses transform information
into brain messages? What is attention? How much control do
we have over our attention?
Time to get creative!
With your partner, create a poster depicting 3 the following: Sensation Perception Attention Absolute sensory thresholds Sensory overload
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN4m0t4hkBg
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