Understanding Sensation and Perception in Psychology

 
Sensation and
 
Perception
 
 
 
      
Sensation: 
your window to the world
 
 
      
Perception: 
interpreting what comes
  
       
in your window.
 
What is
 
Sensation?
 
 
A 
stimulus 
 is any object or event that elicits a
sensory or behavioral response in an organism.
A 
Sensation 
occurs anytime
 
a  
stimulus activates
one 
of 
your  receptors.
The 
sense organs then detect  
any change in
energy, 
such  as light, heat, sound, and  physical
pressure.
 
 
 
What 
is
 
Sensation?
 
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.
All 
senses involve something called 
receptor
cells
.
 
Their job 
is to transduce (transform 
or
even “translate”) physical stimulation/physical
energy from 
the 
environment 
into
electrochemical messages that can be
understood by the brain.
 
 
 
Psychophysics
 
This 
explains how sensation 
and
perception 
are
 related
Psychophysics
:
 
The study of the
relationships 
between sensory
experiences and 
the 
physical 
stimuli 
that
cause
 
them!
 
So
 
whe
r
e
 
do
 
v
i
s
i
o
n
 
a
nd
 
hea
r
i
n
g
(&
 
the
 
other 
senses)
 
happen?
 
The
 
Brain!
The 
physical energy in
the environment is
detected 
by 
the eyes,
ears, etc. 
but 
we can’t
see, 
hear, 
etc. until the
brain interprets them—
i.e., makes sense of
them.
 
So 
in 
a 
way, 
we
see, 
hear, 
smell, 
etc. 
in
our
 
brains!
 
T
hreshold
 
A
b
s
o
l
u
t
e
T
h
r
e
s
h
o
l
d
 
The 
Absolute Threshold 
is 
the level of
stimulus 
that produces a positive response
of detection 50% of the
 
time.
the 
lowest level of 
stimulation 
that a
person can consciously detect 50 percent
of the 
time the stimulation is 
present.
 
 
 
Weber’s 
law 
of 
just 
noticeable
differences (jnd, 
or 
the
 
difference
threshold
).
 
The difference 
threshold 
is 
the amount 
of
change 
needed for 
us 
to 
recognize 
that 
a
change has
 
occurred.
It’s 
the smallest difference between two
stimuli that is detectable 
50 
percent 
of the
time
Weber's 
Law states that “
The larger or
stronger the stimulus, 
the larger the
change required 
for 
a 
person 
to notice that
anything has happened 
to
 
it.”
 
E
xa
m
p
l
e
 
Imagine 
holding 
a 
five pound 
weight and
one pound
 
was added.
  
Most 
of us would
notice 
this
 
difference.
 
But what 
if we
 
were
holding 
a 
fifty
 
pound 
weight?
 
Would 
we
notice 
if 
another pound
 
were
 
added?
 
The
reason 
many 
of 
us would not 
is 
because
the 
change required 
to detect 
a 
difference
has 
to 
represent
 
a 
percentage.
 
In the first
scenario, 
one pound 
would 
increase 
the
weight 
by 
20%, 
in 
the 
second, 
that same
weight 
would 
add only 
an 
additional
 
2%.
 
S
e
n
s
o
r
y
 
A
d
a
p
t
a
t
i
o
n
 
 
Adaptation 
(sometimes called 
habituation
) is 
a part
of everyday experience. 
It’s 
a decreased
responsiveness 
to 
stimuli 
due 
to 
constant
stimulation.
We 
are able 
to 
respond 
to the 
changes 
in 
our
environment because 
our senses 
have 
the ability to
adapt, or adjust themselves, 
to 
a constant level 
of
stimulation.
Once your 
senses get 
used 
to 
a 
new 
level of a
stimulation, they respond only 
to 
deviations 
from
 
it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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.
 
            
As radars become more sensitive (capable
of detecting weaker and weaker signals), they are
increasingly able to correctly detect when signals
are present; these events are called hits, and their
probability of occurrence is the hit rate.
 
       
However, radars may also mistake noise for
signals; these events are false alarms, and the
corresponding probability is the false alarm rate.
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Explore the fascinating world of sensation and perception in psychology, where we delve into how our senses interact with stimuli to create our conscious experiences. Sensation involves the activation of our sense organs by external stimuli, while perception refers to the interpretation of those stimuli by the brain. Through transduction, sensory information is transformed into neural signals for processing in the brain. Psychophysics elucidates the intricate relationship between sensory experiences and the physical stimuli that evoke them. Ultimately, our sensory experiences are processed and interpreted in the brain, highlighting the complex mechanisms behind vision, hearing, and the other senses. Learn about thresholds, including the absolute threshold, which is the minimum stimulus level required for detection.


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  1. Sensation and Perception

  2. Sensation: your window to the world Perception: interpreting what comes in your window.

  3. What is Sensation? A stimulus sensory or behavioral response in an organism. is any object or event that elicits a A Sensation occurs anytime a one of your receptors. The sense organs then detect any change in energy, such as light, heat, sound, and physical pressure. stimulus activates

  4. What is Sensation? Sensation occurs when special receptors in the sense organs the eyes, ears, nose, skin, and taste buds are activated, allowing various forms of outside stimuli to become neural signals in the brain. (This process of converting outside stimuli, such as light, into neural activity is called transduction.)

  5. Sensory systems Transduction - Communication between the brain & the rest of the body occurs via neuron. Information goes from the senses to the thalamus , then to the various areas in the brain. All senses involve something called receptor cells. Their job is to transduce (transform or even translate ) physical stimulation/physical energy from the environment into electrochemical messages that can be understood by the brain.

  6. Psychophysics This explains how sensation and perception are related Psychophysics: The study of the relationships between sensory experiences and the physical stimuli that cause them!

  7. So where do vision and hearing (& the other senses) happen? The Brain! The physical energy in the environment is detected by the eyes, ears, etc. but we can t see, hear, etc. until the brain interprets them i.e., makes sense of them. So in a way, we see, hear, smell, etc. in our brains!

  8. Threshold

  9. Absolute Threshold The Absolute Threshold is the level of stimulus that produces a positive response of detection 50% of the time. the lowest level of stimulation that a person can consciously detect 50 percent of the time the stimulation is present.

  10. Webers law of just noticeable differences (jnd, or the difference threshold). The difference threshold is the amount of change needed for us to recognize that a change has occurred. It s the smallest difference between two stimuli that is detectable 50 percent of the time Weber's Law states that The larger or stronger the stimulus, the larger the change required for a person to notice that anything has happened to it.

  11. Example Imagine holding a five pound weight and one pound was added. Most of us would notice this difference. But what if we were holding a fifty pound weight? Would we notice if another pound were added? The reason many of us would not is because the change required to detect a difference has to represent a percentage. In the first scenario, one pound would increase the weight by 20%, in the second, that same weight would add only an additional 2%.

  12. Sensory Adaptation Adaptation (sometimes called habituation) is a part of everyday experience. It s a decreased responsiveness to stimuli due to constant stimulation. We are able to respond to the changes in our environment because our senses have the ability to adapt, or adjust themselves, to a constant level of stimulation. Once your senses get used to a new level of a stimulation, they respond only to deviations from it.

  13. Signal detection theory (SDT) was originally developed to describe the performance of radars, which must detect signals against a background of noise. As radars become more sensitive (capable of detecting weaker and weaker signals), they are increasingly able to correctly detect when signals are present; these events are called hits, and their probability of occurrence is the hit rate. However, radars may also mistake noise for signals; these events are false alarms, and the corresponding probability is the false alarm rate.

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