UNIT 3: PERCEPTION
Learning Outcomes:
1. Examine how perception influences behavior and reality;
2. Discuss the different approaches to perception; and
3. Describe how objects and forms are perceived.
1. SENSATION TO REPRESENTATION
1.1 THE SENSORY AND PERCEPTUAL PROCESS
SENSATION
It is a bottom-up process by which our senses, like vision, hearing and smelling receive and relay outside stimuli .
Sensation is your window to the world. It consists of two stages:
o physical stage – action of some physical stimulus on a sense organ, and
o physiological stage – physiological processes that start with the action of the stimulus on a receptor, which then
triggers a flow of nerve impulses from the receptors to some terminal point in the nervous system
PERCEPTION
It is a top-down way our brains recognize and interpret that information and put it into context. It is the interpretation
of the sensation, which means that we interpret what comes into our window. It consists only of the psychological
stage – the arousal into consciousness of sensation. In addition, perception is also the set of processes by which we
recognize, organize, and make sense of the sensations we receive from environmental stimuli
1.2 THE PHYSICAL STAGE OF THE SENSATION is the action of some physical stimulus on an organ. Meaning
for each type of sensation, there is a specific stimulus that is naturally ordained to activate a particular receptor (e.g.
light – eyes, sound – ears, etc.)
a.) PSYCHOPHYSICS studies the relationship between the physical nature of stimuli and a person’s
sensory responses to them.
It bridges the physical world outside and the psychological world within a person. Moreover, it is also the
study of the relationship between the physical properties of stimuli and a person’s experience of them.
b.) ABSOLUTE TRESHOLD (OF SENSATION) this refers to the minimum stimulation needed to register a particular
stimulus fifty percent of the time.
* fifty percent because there are times when you sense it and times that you do not
c.) TERMINAL THRESHOLD this refers to the maximum physical energy, which can still be detected by a sense organ,
and beyond which there will be no more sensation or a sensation of a different modality.
d.) DIFFERENTIAL THRESHOLD this refers to the minimum amount of stimulus energy necessary to recognize the
difference between two stimuli. It is also the point in which an individual can tell a difference.
e.) SENSORY ADAPTATION if you are experiencing constant stimulation, your senses will adjust in a process called
sensory adaptation. There is a decreased responsiveness to stimuli due to constant stimulation For example, do you
feel your underwear all day? Can you smell your body all the time?
1.3 THE PHYSIOLOGICAL STAGE OF THE SENSATION
MODALITY of a sensation (Sensory Modality / Stimulus Modality) it refers to the different categories of a sensation.
Sensory modalities include: light, sound, temperature, taste, pressure, smell
QUALITY of a sensation
There are different experiences within the same modality. For example, blue and black is different from white and gold,
etc.
INTENSITY of a sensation refers to the distinction in degree within the same quality
DURATION of a sensation it indicates the length or period of time a sensation lasts in the consciousness
REACTION TIME of a sensation is the time interval between the application of a sensory stimulus on a sensory
receptor and the recognition of this sensory experience as manifested in a reaction by the subject. This is also the
interval between the application of a sensory stimulus and the subsequent behavioral response or an index of speed
processing.
1.4 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STAGE OF THE SENSATION
It is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and
understand the environment. This occurs when we make sense of what we receive through our senses. Therefore, the
psychological stage of sensation is PERCEPTION and this what shapes our reality.
1.4.1 PERCEPTUAL CONTINUUM
MODALITY DISTAL OBJECT INFORMATIONAL MEDIUM PROXIMAL PERCEPTUAL
STIMULATION OBJECT
Vision— Grandma’s Reflected light from Photon absorption in the Grandma’s face
Sight Face Grandma’s rod
face (visible and cone cells of the retina,
electromagnetic waves) the
receptor surface in the back
of
the eye
Audition— A falling Sound waves generated by Sound-wave conduction to A falling tree
Sound Tree the tree’s fall the
basilar membrane, the
receptor
surface within the
cochlea of the inner
ear
Olfaction— Smell Bacon being Molecules released by frying Molecular absorption in the Bacon
Fried bacon cells of the olfactory
epithelium,
the receptor surface in the
nasal
cavity
Gustation— Taste Ice cream Molecules of ice cream Molecular contact with taste Ice cream
both buds, the receptor cells on
released into the air and the
dissolved tongue and soft palate,
in water combined
with olfactory
stimulation
Touch A computer Mechanical pressure and Stimulation of various Computer keys
Keyboard vibration receptor
at the point of contact cells within the dermis, the
between the surface of the innermost
skin and the keyboard layer of skin
NOTE: Perception occurs when the informational medium carries information about a distal object to a person. When the
person’s sense receptors pick up on the information, proximal stimulation occurs, which results in the person’s
perceiving an object.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SENSATION AND PERCEPTION
SOURCE: [Link]
2. APPROACHES TO PERCEPTION AND PERCEPTION OF OBJECTS
AND FORMS
2.1 APPROACHES TO PERCEPTION:
A. Bottom-up theories -perception starts with the stimuli whose appearance you take in through your eye. You
look out onto the cityscape, and perception happens when the light information is transported to your brain.
Therefore, they are data driven (i.e., stimulus-driven) theories. Bottom up processing begins with the retrieval
of sensory information from our external environment to build perceptions based on the current input of
sensory information.
-four main bottom-up theories of form and pattern perception are direct perception, template
theories, feature theories, and recognition-by-components theory.
Gibson’s Theory of Direct Perception- the information in our sensory receptors, including the
sensory context, is all we need to perceive anything. According to Gibson’s theory of direct
perception, the information in our sensory receptors, including the sensory context, is all we need to
perceive anything.
Template theories- suggest that we have stored in our minds myriad sets of templates. Templates
are highly detailed models for patterns we potentially recognize. We recognize a pattern by comparing it
with our set of templates. We then choose the exact template that perfectly matches what we
observe.
Feature-Matching Theories- we attempt to match features of a pattern to features stored
in
memory, rather than to match a whole pattern to a template or a prototype. According to
Oliver Selfridge’s
feature-matching model, we recognize patterns by matching observed features to features already
stored in
memory. We recognize the patterns for which we have found the greatest number of matches.
The Recognition by- Components- this theory explains our ability to perceive 3-D objects with the
help of simple geometric shapes. According to Biederman’s recognition-by- components (RBC)
theory, we quickly recognize objects by observing the edges of them and then decomposing the
objects into geons.
B. Top-down theories- perception is driven by high-level cognitive processes, existing knowledge, and the prior
expectations that influence perception (Clark, 2003). These theories then work their way down to considering
the sensory data, such as the perceptual stimulus.
Top-down processing is the interpretation of incoming information based on prior knowledge,
experiences and expectations.
Constructive Perception- the perceiver builds (constructs) a cognitive understanding (perception)
of a stimulus. The concepts of the perceiver and his or her cognitive processes influence what he or
she sees The theory of perception in which the perceiver uses sensory information and other sources
of information to construct a cognitive understanding of a stimulus.
2.2 PERCEPTION OF OBJECTS AND FORMS:
A. Viewer-Centered Representation- the individual stores the way the object looks to him or her. Thus, what
matters is the appearance of the object to the viewer. The shape of the object changes, depending on the
angle from which we look at it.
B. Object-Centered Representation- the individual stores a representation of the object, independent of its
appearance to the viewer. In this case, the shape of the object will stay stable across different orientations
C. Landmark-Centered Representation - information is characterized by its relation to a well-known or prominent
item.
2.3 PERCEPTION OF GROUPS- Gestalt Laws are rules that describe how the human eye perceives visual
elements. These principles aim to show how complex scenes can be reduced to more simple shapes.
Proximity- When we perceive an assortment of objects, we tend to see objects that are close to each other as
forming a group.
Similarity- We tend to group objects on the basis of their similarity.
Continuity- We tend to perceive smoothly flowing or continuous forms rather than disrupted or
discontinuous ones.
Closure- We tend to perceptually close up, or complete, objects that are not, in fact, complete.
Symmetry- We tend to perceive objects as forming mirror images about their center.
Figure-ground - When perceiving a visual field, some objects (figures) seem prominent, and other aspects of
the field recede into the background (ground).
UNIT QUIZ
SOURCES:
Goldstein, E.B. (2015). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience (4th
edition). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
Sternberg, R.J. & Sternberg, K. (2012). Cognitive psychology 6th ed. Wadsworth Cengage Learning
