Sensa&on(and(Percep&on

Ch.(3(Py(110
 Sensa&on(and(Percep&on
• Sensa&on(–(The(process(through(which(our
senses(pick(up(auditory,(visual,(and(other
sensory(s&muli(and(transmit(them(to(the
brain.
• Percep&on(–(the(process(by(which(the(brain
ac&vely(organizes(and(interprets(sensory
informa&on
What’s'the'difference'between'the
Absolute'and'Difference'Threshold?
• What'is'the'so9est'sound'you'can'hear,'the
dimmest'light'you'can'see,'or'the'most'diluted
substance'you'can'taste?
• A'substan>al'amount'of'research'has'been
performed'to'answer'these'ques>ons.
• Absolute'Threshold
– The'minimum'amount'of'sensory's>mula>on'that
can'be'detected'50%'of'the'>me
– Marks'the'difference'between'not'being'able'to
perceive'a's>mulus'and'just'barely'being'able'to
perceive'it.
 Absolute)Thresholds
• Vision
– A)candle)flame)30)miles)away)on)a)clear)night
• Hearing
– A)watch)=cking)20)feet)away
• Taste
– 1)tsp.)of)sugar)dissolved)in)2)gallons)of)water
• Smell
– A)single)drop)of)perfume)in)a)threeF)room)house
• Touch
– A)bee’s)wing)falling)a)distance)of)1)cen=meter
onto)the)cheek
 Difference(Threshold
• The(smallest(increase(or(decrease(in(a(physical
s5mulus(required(to(produce(a(difference(in
sensa5on(that(is(no5ceable(50%(of(the(5me.
– EX:(Can(1(apple(make(a(difference(in(the(bag(of
groceries(your(carrying(in(making(it(appear
heaving(to(you?((If(not(one(apple(how(many
apples?
• Just(No5ceable(Difference
– Smallest(change(in(sensa5on(that(a(person(is(able
to(detect(50%(of(the(5me
 Weber’s'Law
• JND'for'all'senses'depends'on'propor5on'or
percentage'of'change'in'a's5mulus'rather'than
on'a'fixed'amount'of'change
• He'proposed'the'greater'the's5mulus'to'start
with'the'more'it'must'be'increased'or
decreased'for'the'difference'to'be'no5ceable.
• The'law'best'applies'to'people'with'average
sensi5vi5es'and'to's5muli'that'are'not'very
strong'(loud'thunder)'or'very'weak'(faint
whisper).
 What%is%Sensory%Adapta1on?
• The%process%in%which%sensory%receptors%grow
accustomed%to%constant,%unchanging%levels%of
s1muli%over%1me.
– EX:%Smokers%of%many%years%may%no1ce%less%and
less%or%not%at%all%the%odor%of%smoke%on%their
clothing,%in%their%hair,%in%their%home,%etc.%%Whereas
someone%who%doesn’t%smoke%will%no1ce%it%right
away.
• Very%Strong%s1muli%(like%smell%of%ammonia%or%a
horrible%taste)%are%not%likely%to%apply%to
sensory%adapta1on%principle.
 Vision
• Our*eyes*respond*to*light*in*the*visible
spectrum
– The*narrow*band*of*electromagne<c*waves*that
are*visible*to*the*human*eye
• Electromagne<c*waves*are*measured*in
wavelengths
– A*measure*of*distance*from*the*peak*of*a*light
wave*to*the*peak*of*the*next*wave
• Shortest*we*can*see*appear*violet
• Longest*we*can*see*appear*red
 The$Eye
• Cornea$–$tough,$transparent$layer$covering$the
front$of$the$eye.
– Bends$light$rays$inward
– Directs$light$rays$through$pupil
• Pupil$–$the$small$dark$opening$in$the$center$of$the$iris
• Iris$–$colored$part$of$the$eye$that$dilates$and$contracts
the$pupil$to$regulate$the$amount$of$light$entering$the
eye
• Just$behind$pupil$is$lensD$composed$of$many$thin$layers
and$looks$like$a$transparent$disk.
– Focuses$on$viewed$objects
 The$Eye
• Lens$cont.
– Fla3ens$as$it$focuses$on$objects$at$a$distance$and
becomes$more$spherical,$bulging$at$center$as$it
focuses$on$close$objects.
• Above$process$known$as$accommodaCon.
• Ability$decreases$with$age
• Why$people$over$40$may$hold$a$newspaper$at$arm’s
length$or$use$reading$glasses$to$magnify$the$print.
 The$Eye
• Re)na$–$a$layer$of$)ssue$about$the$size$of$a
small$postage$stamp$and$as$thin$as$onion$skin
– Image$that$is$projected$to$re)na$is$upside$down
and$reversed$from$leA$to$right
• Nearsightedness$(myopia)
– Lens$focuses$images$of$distant$object$in$front$of,$rather$than
on,$the$re)na.
– Person$can$see$objects$that$are$near$very$clearly,$but$objects
that$are$far$away$will$be$blurred
• Farsightedness$(hyperopia)
– Focuses$images$of$close$objects$behind,$rather$than$on,$the
re)na.
– Able$to$see$objects$far$away$clearly,$but$near$objects$are
blurred.
$
 Vision&and&the&Brain
• Nerve&fibers&from&the&right&half&of&each&re8na
go&to&the&right&hemisphere,&and&those&from
the&le;&half&go&to&the&le;&hemisphere.&&
• The&cross&over&is&important&in&that&visual
percep8on&from&a&single&eye&can&be
represented&in&the&visual&cortex&on&both&sides
of&the&hemisphere.
 Color%Vision
• We%detect%thousands%of%color%shadings%per
day.%%What%produces%the%color%dis8nc8ons?
• Hue%–%refers%to%the%specific%color%perceived
• Satura8on%–%purity%of%the%color
• Brightness%–%dimension%of%visual%sensa8on
that%is%dependent%on%intensity%of%light
reflected
 Theories(of(Color(Vision
• Trichroma2c(Theory
• Three(cones(present(and(each(cone(is
par2cularly(sensi2ve(to(1(of(3(colors((blue,
green,(or(red)
• Opponent(–(Process
– ADerimage(–(a(visual(sensa2on(that(remains(aDer
the(images(is(gone
– ADer(you(have(stared(at(one(pair(of(colors
(red/green,(yellow/blue/,(white/black),(the
aDerimage(gives(you(the(exact(opposite(of(those
colors.
– Look(at(p.(83(in(book(and(do(exp.(At(boLom(of
page
 Color%Vision
• Color%Blindness
– Do%color%blind%people%see%world%in%black%or%white?
– Color%Blindness%refers%to%an%inability%to%dis;nguish
certain%colors%from%one%another.
– 7%%males%experience%this%and%fewer%than%1%%of
females
– Most%common%colors%confused%are%red%and%green
– Has%varying%levels%of%severity
– Like%who%has%trouble%deciphering%if%things%are%navy
and%black?
 Hearing
• Sound-cannot-travel-through-space,-it-must
have-some-sort-of-medium,-such-as-air,-water,
or-a-solid-object-through-which-to-move.
• Frequency-–-determines-the-pitch-of-the
sound
– PitchA-how-high-or-low-a-sound-is
– The-more-cycles-a-sound-completes-in-a-second
the-higher-the-pitch
– Loudness-of-sound-is-determined-by-amplitude
(expressed-in-decibels).
– What-differenIates-sound-quality-is-Imbre.
• Why-same-musical-note-sounds-different-on-a-piano
than-on-a-guitar.
 The$Ear
• Auda,on$–$sensa,on$and$process$of$hearing
• Outer$ear$–$the$part$of$the$ear$that$is$visible
• Middle$ear$–$connects$eardrum$to$oval
window$and$amplifies$sound$waves.
• Inner$ear$–$innermost$part$of$the$ear
• Unless$sound$is$directly$above,$below,$in$front
of,$or$behind$you,$sound$reaches$one$ear
slightly$before$it$reaches$the$other.
 Smell%and%Taste
• Olfac0on%–%sense%of%smell
• Aids%in%survival
– Ex:%%If%I%smell%smoke%I%know%I%need%to%get%out%of%the
house.%%OR%Smell%aided%by%taste%prevents%you%from
puEng%spoiled%food%into%body
– Interes0ng%fact:%%Due%to%different%body%chemicals
every%person%gives%off%their%own%unique%scent.
 Taste
• Taste'buds'–'the'life'span'of'each'taste'bud'is
only'about'10'days,'and'therefore'they'are
constantly'being'replaced.
• Individuals'vary'widely'in'their'capacity'for
experiencing'taste'sensa?ons.
– Nontasters'–'unable'to'taste'sweet'and'biAer
compounds,'but'they'do'taste'other'substances
with'just'maybe'a'liAle'bit'less'sensi?vity.
– Supertasters'–'taste'sweet'and'biAer'compounds
with'far'stronger'intensity'than'other'people.
– Do'you'think'supertasters'are'more'overweight
than'medium'or'nontasters?
• NO'the'opposite'is'true.
 Touch
• Tac(le+–+one’s+sense+of+touch
• Pain+–+What+causes+it?
– Gate+Control+Theory
• Area+in+spinal+cord+is+blocked+and+acts+like+a+“gate”,+and
it+either+blocks+pain+messages+or+transmits+them+to+the
brain.++
• Only+so+many+messages+can+go+through+pain+at+one
(me.
• You+feel+pain+when+message+goes+through+the+gate+in+a
small,+slowH+conduc(ng+nerve
• Pain+is+blocked+when+large,+fastHconduc(ng+nerve+reach
gate,+cause+it+to+open,+but+blocks++the+message
– Example:++AMer+you+stub+toe,+you+apply+pressure+to+it+to
decrease+pain,+this+is+actually+s(mula(ng+the+large,+fastH
conduc(ng+nerve
 Touch&Cont.
• Gate/Control&Theory&Cont.
– Also&accounts&for&psychological&factors&that&can
influence&percep;on&of&pain
– Contends&that&messages&from&the&brain&to&the
spinal&cord&inhibit&the&transmission&of&pain,
thereby&affec;ng&the&percep;on&of&pain.
– EX:&Why&athletes&can&be&really&injured&but&be&so
distracted&during&the&game&they&don’t&even&no;ce
un;l&much&later.
 Touch&Cont.
• Endorphins&–&Body’s&naturally&produced
painkillers
• Block&pain&and&produce&a&feeling&of&well=being
• Endorphins&are&released&when&you’re&injured,
when&you&experience&stress,&and&when&you
laugh,&cry,&and&exercise.
• Some&people&release&endorphins&even&when
they&think&they&are&receiving&pain&meds.
(Remember&the&placebo&effect,&this&is&it.)
 Influences(on(Percep-on
• A0en-on(–(sor-ng(through(sensa-ons(and
selec-ng(some(of(them(for(further(processing.
– EX:((We(effortlessly(know(when(we(see(a(car,(but
a0en-on(allows(us(to(know(which(cars(to(pay
special(a0en-on(to((like(ones(in(the(lane(right
beside(us,(ones(that(are(a0emp-ng(to(pass(us,
etc.)
– Because(we(can(pay(a0en-on(to(everything
around(us,(some-mes(we(shiJ(our(a0n.(several
-mes(and(fail(to(no-ce(changes(in(the(things
we’re(not(directly(paying(a0en-on(to.(This(is
known(as(Ina0en-onal(Blindness.
– “Where(did(that(car(come(from?”(We(are
 Influences(on(Percep-on(Cont.
• Cocktail(Party(Phenomenon
• When(you(hear(name(you(assume(whatever
follows(will(be(meaningful(to(you
• However,(if(you(hear(someone(say(your(name,
and(you(aBend(to(their(conversa-on,(and
ignore(the(conversa-on(that(is(more
important(you(miss(out(on(info.
– EX:((Hear(your(name(in(class,(listen(to(that
conversa-on,(while(ignoring(lecture.((Lecture(info
influences(grade(while(side(conversa-on(most
likely(influences(nothing.
 Influences(on(Percep-on
• Prior(Knowledge(–(using(past(experiences(to
determine(what(your(a<en-on(needs(to(be
focused(on.
• Bo<om(–(Up(Processing
• Look(at(Example(on(page(97
• TopHDown(Processing
• Expand(on(example
 Influences(on(Percep-on
• Cross0Modal(Percep-on
• Example:(When(actors(lip(movements(don’t
match(the(words(they’re(saying.
• It’s(a(process(whereby(the(brain(integrates
info(from(more(than(one(sense.
• Or(when(a(person(looks(happy(but(sounds
angry,(we(usually(rely(more(on(what’s(being
said.
 Perceptual*Organiza0on*and
Constancy
• Figure8Ground
– Object*stands*out*from*background
• Similarity
• Objects*that*have*similar*characteris0cs
perceived*as*unit
– Proximity
• Objects*that*are*close*together*are*usually
perceived*as*belonging*together*rather*than
individual.
– Con0nuity
• Percep0on*that*objects*belong*together*if
they*appear*to*form*a*con0nuous*paEern
 Perceptual*Organiza0on*and
Constancy
• Perceptual*Constancy
• Allows*us*to*perceive*objects*as*maintaining
stable*proper0es,*such*as*size,*shape,*and
brightness,*despite*differences*in*distance,
viewing*angle,*and*ligh0ng.
• EX:*When*someone*walks*away*we*know*that
they*are*not*shrinking*just*because*they*are
farther*away*and*look*smaller.*(Size*constancy)
• Depth*Percep0on
• Ability*to*view*world*as*three*dimensional
• Illusion