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psychology
sensation and perception
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Sensation | activation of sense organs by physical energy. |
| Perception | interpretation, analysis, and integration of sensory information |
| Stimulus | any physical energy that activates a sense organ. |
| Sensation and perception | work together to create psychological reality. |
| Psychophysics | Psychophysics studies how physical stimuli relate to psychological experience. Stimuli vary in type and intensity. |
| Noise | background stimulation that interferes with perception. |
| Absolute threshold | smallest detectable level of a stimulus. |
| Difference threshold (JND) | smallest detectable change in a stimulus. |
| Sensory adaptation | reduced sensitivity after prolonged exposure. Happens because receptors cannot fire indefinitely. Example: getting used to strong smells or loud music. |
| Texting & Driving (Cognitive Load) | total mental activity the brain can handle at once. Texting reduces cognitive load available for driving. |
| Vision | Vision begins with light stimulating the eye. |
| Colour Vision Trichromatic Theory: Three cone types: | red, green, blue |
| Colour perception | depends on cone activation strength. |
| Colour blindness | one or more cone systems malfunction |
| Opponent Process Theory: Colour receptors work in opposing pairs: | Blue–yellow Red–green Black–white More of one colour suppresses the opposite. |
| Sound | movement of air molecules caused by vibration. Sound travels in waves. Outer ear collects sound and helps with sound localization. |
| Smell (Olfaction) | Humans detect 10,000+ smells. Smells can trigger memories. |
| Taste (Gustation) | Four basic taste receptors: sweet, sour, salty, bitter. |
| All other tastes | combinations of sweet, sour, salty, bitter.. |
| Skin Senses | Touch, pressure, temperature, pain. |
| Gate-Control Theory of Pain | Pain signals travel through spinal cord “gates.” |
| Gates open | pain experienced |
| Gates can close through: | Other impulses (e.g., rubbing an injury). Psychological factors (emotion, experience, interpretation). |
| Gestalt Laws of Organization We organize sensations into meaningful wholes. Principles include: | Closure: we fill in gaps to see complete figures. Proximity: close elements are grouped together. Similarity: similar items are grouped. Continuity: we prefer smooth, continuous patterns. Simplicity: we choose the simplest interpretation. |
| Perceptual Bottom‑Up Processing | Perception based on individual components of stimuli. |
| Perceptual Processing Top‑Down Processing | Perception guided by experience, expectations, knowledge. Example: reading words even when letters are scrambled. |
| Perceptual Constancy | Objects are perceived as constant despite changes in appearance. Example: moon illusion (looks larger on horizon). |
| Depth Perception | Ability to see in 3D. |
| Binocular disparity | two eyes create two images combined into one Pencil test shows closer objects appear differently than distant ones. |
| Perceptual Illusions | Physical stimuli that consistently produce perceptual errors. Can be influenced by culture. |
| Subliminal Perception | Perceiving messages without conscious awareness. Stimulus activates senses but not strongly enough to be consciously noticed. Can influence behaviour slightly. |
| Summary | Sensation and perception are different but both essential. Understanding them helps in education, training, and treating disorders. |
Created by:
oliviavanwort
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