Kurt Leo G.

Teodoro BAP - 1

Sensation and Perception:

1. define the following terms:

a. Sensation
the stimulation of sensory receptors and the transmission of
sensory information to the central nervous system.

b. Perception
the process by which sensations are organized into an
inner representation of the world.

c. Absolute threshold
the minimal amount of energy that can produce a sensation
which 50% only.

d. Pitch
the highness or lowness of a sound, as determined by the
frequency of the sound waves.

e. Subliminal stimulation
sensory stimulation below a person’s absolute threshold for
conscious perception (sight,hear,smell,taste,touch).

f. Difference threshold
the minimal difference in intensity required between two
sources of energy so that they will be perceived
as being different.

g. Weber’s constant the fraction

the intensity by which a source of physical energy must be
increased or decreased so that a difference in
intensity will be perceived.
h. Just noticeable difference (jnd)
the minimal amount by which a source of energy must be
increased or decreased so that a difference in intensity will
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be perceived.

2.) Describe the different absolute thresholds of the

human senses:

The absolute threshold for vision involves the smallest level

of photons that a person can detect at least 50% of the time.

For hearing, the absolute threshold refers to the smallest

level of a tone that can be detected by normal hearing when
there are no other interfering sounds present. An example of
this might be measured at what levels participants can
detect the ticking sound of a clock.

For smell, the absolute threshold involves the smallest

concentration that a participant is able to smell. An example
of this would be to measure the smallest amount of perfume
that a subject is able to smell in a large room.

The absolute threshold of taste is the smallest amount of

flavor (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami) that can be
detected. Taste: 1 teaspoon of sugar dissolved in 2 gallons

of water.

The absolute threshold for touch is a bee's wing dropping

onto a person's cheek from one centimeter
(. 5 inches) away. Different parts of the body are more
sensitive to touch, so this varies from one body part to the
next.

3) Signal detection theory

The view that the perception of sensory stimuli involves the

interaction of physical, biological,
and psychological factors. According to signal detection
theory, the relationship between a physical stimulus and a
sensory response is not fully mechanical.People’s ability to
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detect stimuli such as blips on a radar screen depends not
only on the intensity of the blips but also on their training
(learning), motivation (desire to perceive blips), and
psychological states such as fatigue or alertness. Where the
intensity of the signal is one factor that determines whether
people will perceive sensory stimuli (signals) or a
difference between signals. Another is the degree to which
the signal can be distinguished from background noise. It is
easier to hear a friend speaking in a quiet room than in a
room in which people are singing and clinking glasses. The
sharpness of a person’s biological sensory system is still
another factor.

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