CH. 6: Sensation and Perception Flashcards
Sensation and perception are distinct
Sensation = input
Perception = interpretation of the input
Transduction
What takes place when sensors in the body convert physical signals from the environment into encoded neural signals sent to the central nervous system
Physical signals from environment –> encoded neural signals sent to the central nervous system
Translation of sensation to brain
- Occurs in rods and cones
Psychophysics (and signal detection theory)
Psychophysics: Methods that measure the strength of a stimulus and the observer’s sensitivity to that stimulus
- Developed by Gustav Fechner (1801–1887)
- Perceptions differ between people
- Absolute Threshold
- Just Noticeable Difference (JND)
Absolute threshold
Minimal intensity needed to just barely detect a stimulus (usually identification on 50% of trials)
Just noticeable difference (JND):
Minimal change in a stimulus that can just barely be detected
Sensory signals that are perceived among environmental “noise.”
Signal detection theory:
Response to a stimulus depends both on the person’s sensitivity to the stimulus in the presence of noise and on a person’s response criterion; takes into account individual perceptual sensitivity
- Used in military applications such as picking up a signal on a radar screen.
Multitasking
- Perception is active, and resources are limited.
- We use selective attention to focus in on chosen stimuli in our environment (and fail to perceive other stimuli)
- Multitasking involves paying attention to more than one stimulus at the same time.
- Experiments show that using a cell phone while driving increases the likelihood of an accident by four times.
- Hands-free phone operation is no exception.
- fMRI studies show decreases in brain areas during multitasking.
- People who frequently multitask often may have trouble focusing on one task.
Sensory adaptation
Sensitivity to prolonged stimulation tends to decline over time as an organism adapts to current conditions. This is a decreased response of the sensory receptors which reduce or stop sending impulses. Reduction in action potentials. Occurs in the brain.
- Adaptation is a useful process for most organisms.
- Our sensory systems respond more strongly to changes in stimulation than to constant stimulation.
- A changing stimulus warrants a response.
Habituation
A perceptual sensitivity decrease with repeated exposure
- This is a CNS response in the brain. The receptors are sending impulses but the CNS is tuning them out. No change in number of action potentials
Do we see reality as it is?
The brain as prediction source that fills the time gap involved in sensory processing
Visual Acuity: Ability to See Fine Detail
- Vision 20/20 refers to a measurement associated with a Snellen chart.
- It is the smallest line of letters that a typical person can read from a distance of 20 feet.
- Humans have receptors in their eyes that respond to wavelengths of light energy.
Light passing through the eyes
Light passes through the cornea, to the pupil, to the lens, and then to the retina.
Accommodation
Process by which the eye maintains a clear image on the retina
- If accommodation occurs improperly, myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness) may occur.
Retina
Light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eyeball
Photoreceptor cells in the retina
Two types of photoreceptor cells in the retina contain light-sensitive pigments that transduce light into neural impulses.
- Cones and Rods
- Transduction occurs in rods and cones
