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Perception
28 January 03
Day 03
Two Psychophysical Phenomena
Minds, Bodies, & Fechner
Measurement: 4 scales
Anisomorphism: Hayek and 4 cases
1. BrocaSulzer effect
2. Detection thresholds
teleology
absolute vs. relative
Just noticeable differences JNDs
3 methods: limits, adjustment, constant stimuli
means, distributions, & “cheating”
States of the nervous system
spontaneous neural activity
Gustaf
Fechner 18011887
Elements of Psychophysics
1860
beginnings of
empirical
psychology &
psychophysics
a way to measure (in dealing
with the) mindbody problem
How do we measure?
in all of science, 4 ways (S.S. Stevens, 1951)
nominal: classifies gender
“this is different than that”
“this is the same as that”
nested nominality = hierarchies,
taxonomies
kingdom, family, order, genus, phyla, class, species
nominal: classifies gender
nested nominality = hierarchies, taxonomies
“this is more than that”
nominal: classifies gender
nested nominality = hierarchies, taxonomies
interval: classifies, °C, °F
orders, &
shows “measured” differences
“This difference is equal to
that difference”
“This difference is twice that
difference”
nominal: classifies gender
nested nominality = hierarchies, taxonomies
interval: classifies, °C, °F
orders, &
shows measured differences
psychophysics
abscissa
ordinate > psycho usually ordinal scale
abscissa > physics usually ratio scale
anisomorphism
an not
iso same
morph structure
ism practice, theory
φ : ψ
F.A. Hayek (18991992)
The sensory order
(1952), pp. 78
" ... psychology must take the
physical world as represented by
modern physics as given, and try
to reconstruct the process by
which the organism classifies the
physical events in the manner
which is familiar to us as the
order of sensory qualities...
… In other words, psychology must start from
stimuli defined in physical terms and proceed
to show why and how the senses classify
similar physical stimuli sometimes as alike and
sometimes as different, and why different
physical stimuli will sometimes appear as
similar and sometimes as different.”
> 4 cases
similar physical stimuli
perceived
sometimes similar > Case 1
and
sometimes different > Case 2
different physical stimuli
perceived
sometimes similar > Case 4
and
sometimes different > Case 3
other examples of anisomorphism
in psychophysics:
1. BrocaSulzer effect
2. Detection thresholds
Broca-Sulzer
anisomorphism (of order) between
psychological scale and physical
scale
Explanation:
2 types of cells in optic nerve
transient (on or off) and sustained cells
temporal summation (time window of “now”)
crude model: transient = 75 spikes
sustained = 1 spike/ms
Explanation:
crude model: transient = 75 spikes
sustained = 1 spike/ms
50 ms stimulus: on (75) + duration (50) + off (75) = 200 spikes
100 ms stimulus: on (75) + duration (100) + off (75) = 250
150 ms stimulus: on (75) + duration (150) + off (75) = 300
200 ms stimulus: on (75) + duration (200) or
duration (200) + off (75) = 275
averaging window: >150 ms & <200 ms
apparent brightness is the sum of what’s in the “window”
additive model, but actually some inhibition (subtraction)
is going on
Anisomorphism
2. detection thresholds in senses
absolute threshold
Explanation:
When there is not enough physical energy in
the stimuli the receptors will not respond. All
insufficient stimuli are alike.
more on detection thresholds in senses
the idea of an absolute threshold
and the remarkable sensitivity of
the senses
teleology: doctrine of final causes
“why things are the way they are”
detection thresholds in senses
vision = a candle flame seen @ 30 mi
on a clear, dark night
~80 quanta entering eye ( w/in ~150 ms)
~8 quanta absorbed by receptors
any more sensitive in the infrared we would see
body heat at night
detection thresholds in senses
audition = tick of a watch @ 20 ft under
extremely quiet conditions
vibrations on ear drum of
~1/10 width of hydrogen atom
any more sensitive we would hear joint
movement,
and hear Brownian motion of air in ear canal
detection thresholds in senses
smell = one drop of perfume diffused
into the entire volume of a 3rm apt
~540 molecules, 1 per receptor cell;
1 molecule of bombykol for the
silkworm moth
detection thresholds in senses
smell = one drop of perfume diffused
into the entire volume of a 3rm apt
~540 molecules, 1 per receptor cell;
1 molecule of bombykol for the
silkworm moth
taste = .5 tsp sugar in 1 gallon water
detection thresholds in senses
smell = one drop of perfume diffused
into the entire volume of a 3rm apt
~540 molecules, 1 per receptor cell;
1 molecule of bombykol for the
silkworm moth
taste = .5 tsp sugar in 1 gallon water
touch = the wing of a bee falling on your
back from a distance of 1 cm
problem
statements of the absolute
perception doesn’t work that way
because the nervous system doesn’t work
that way
Assumption:
as in text
as in text
:Reality
psychophysical
function,
more later
From detection thresholds to difference thresholds
Just Noticeable Differences (JNDs)
increments (or changes) to a suprathreshold stimulus
that are sufficient to make it appear different in a
direct comparison of the two
e.g.
Stimulus B just detectably louder, brighter, different than
Stimulus A
relevant to signal detection theory
next time
Fechnerian psychophysical methods
Elements of Psychophysics, 1860
1. Method of Limits
2. Method of Adjustment
3. Method of Constant Stimuli
1. Method of
Limits
threshold
value
2. Method of
Adjustment
threshold
value
rapid; good in clinic settings
3. Method of
Constant
Stimuli
threshold
value
&
distribution
3. Method of
Constant
Stimuli
same
threshold
value
&
different
distribution
knowing means is important, but you can’t tell
if there is a reliable difference between means
without knowing the distributions of responses
method of constant stimuli is by far the most
commonly used of the Fechnerian methods
in psychophysics today
but there is a problem
“cheating”
observer says “yes” or “no” whether or not he
or she sees/hears/etc. a stimulus.
With the method of constant stimuli there is always a
stimulus present. Thus, the observer could rightfully
say “yes, there is a stimulus present” even if it were
not perceived.
Signal Detection Theory, Thursday
Fechernian Methods (Method of Constant Stimuli)
Response
Yes No
Stimulus Present
Signal Detection Methods
Response
__Yes No__
Yes | | |
Stimulus |_______|_______|
No | | |
|_______|_______|
A final relevant issue:
States of the Nervous System
hidden
assumption
of Fechnerian
Methods:
all-or-none
neural spikes
States of the Nervous System
Reality:
spontaneous
neural
activity
A peripheral neuron without spontaneous
neural activity is (soon to be) a dead neuron.
Spontaneous neural activity is how the neuron
maintains its readiness
> Signal Detection Theory
Two Psychophysical Phenomena
Minds, Bodies, & Fechner
Measurement: 4 scales > ψ:φ :: ordinal:ratio
Anisomorphism: Hayek and 4 cases
1. BrocaSulzer effect > ψ:φ mappings can be
2. Detection thresholds unruly
teleology
absolute vs. relative
Just noticeable differences JNDs > TSD
3 methods: limits, adjustment, constant stimuli
means, distributions, & “cheating” > TSD
States of the nervous system
spontaneous neural activity > TSD