St.

Joseph College of Bulacan

San Jose Patag, Sta. Maria Bulacan
Psychology Department

PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY

MIDTERM PERIOD
October 22, 2020

SENSATION AND PERCEPTION

Sensation - the process by which sensory receptors and nervous system receive stimulus energies from the
environment

Perception - the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize
meaningful objects and events

Basic Senses of the Body

1. Vision/ Sight - The Eyes Translate Light into Image Signals for the Brain to Process
2. Hearing/ Sound - The Ear Uses Bones and Fluid to Transform Sound Waves into Sound Signals
3. Tactile Perception/ Touch - Specialized Receptors in the Skin Send Touch Signals to the Brain
4. Olfaction/ Smell - Chemicals in the Air Stimulate Signals the Brain Interprets as Smells
5. Gustation/ Taste - The Tongue Is the Principal Organ of Gustation

VISION (The Eye)

Sclera - the white part of the eye that surrounds the iris and pupil
Cornea – layer of transparent tissue where light passes through, protects the eye
Iris – colored ring around the pupil, its pigments result in different eye colors
Pupil – adjustable opening in the center of the eye through
which the light enters
Lens - the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes
shape to help focus images on the retina
Retina - the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing
the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the
processing of visual information
Rods: retinal receptors that detect black, white and gray
Cones: retinal receptors that detect fine details and give
rise to color sensations
Fovea - the central focal point in the retina, around which the
eye’s cones cluster
Optic Nerve - the nerve that carries neural impulses from the
eye to the brain
Visual Information System

The optic nerve from each eye merges just below the brain at a point called the optic chiasm. The optic
chiasm is an X-shaped structure that sits just below the cerebral cortex at the front of the brain. At the point of
the optic chiasm, information from the right visual field is sent to the left side of the brain, and information from
the left visual field is sent to the right side of the brain.

Once inside the brain, visual information is sent via a number of structures to the occipital lobe at the
back of the brain for processing. Visual information might be processed in parallel pathways which can generally
be described as the ventral and dorsal pathways.

Color Vision

Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory

- Implies that the cones do their color magic in teams of three
- the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors—one most sensitive to red, one to
green, one to blue—which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color

Hering’s Opponent-Process Theory

- the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision

Visual Organization (Gestalt Psychology)

Figure – Ground Law - states that we can distinguish an object (the figure)
from background (the ground)

Grouping – organizing the figure into a meaningful form

Law of Proximity – grouping nearby groups together
Law of Continuity – perceiving smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones
Law of Closure – fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object