Sensation

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Sensation
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Sensation

• The process by which our sensory receptors and
  nervous system receive stimulus from the
  environment.

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Perception

• The process of organizing and interpreting
  sensory information, enabling us to recognize
  meaningful objects and events.

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Bottom-Up v. Top-DownProcessing
NUMBER 70
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What if we could sense everything?
Life would hurt. So we can only take in a window
of what is out there. This is the study of
psychophysics relationship between physical
stimuli and our psychological experiences to them.
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Absolute Threshold

• The minimum stimulation needed to detect a
  stimulus 50 of the time.

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Difference Threshold

• The minimum difference that a person can detect
  between two stimuli.
• Also known as Just Noticeable Difference

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Can you tell the difference?
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Webers Law

• The idea that, to perceive a difference between
  two stimuli, they must differ by a constant
  percentage not a constant amount.

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Signal Detection Theory

• Predicts how we detect a stimulus amid other
  stimuli.
• Assumes that we do not have an absolute
  threshold.
• We detect stuff based on our experiences,
  motivations and fatigue level.

Signal Detection Theory
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Subliminal Stimulation

• Below ones absolute threshold for conscious
  awareness.
• Show clip

Does this work?

• Yes and No
• Slide studies showed some emotional reactivity
  (called priming a response).
• The effects are subtle and fleeting.

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Sensory Adaptation

• Diminished sensitivity as a result of constant
  stimulation.

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The concept of sensory adaptation applies to all
of our senses.
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We do not perceive the world how it really is,
but as it is useful for us to perceive it.
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Selective Attention

• The focusing of conscious awareness on a
  particular stimulus.

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An example of selective attention is
Cocktail Part Effect ability to listen to one
voice among many.