Introduction to Psychology

Sensation and Perception

Sensation

• Sensory information
• Includes vision, hearing, smell,
taste, touch balance, body position,
movement, pain, and temperature
• Absolute threshold 
• Messages that are presented below
the threshold for conscious awareness
are called subliminal messages.
• Difference threshold
Perception

• How sensory information is interpreted and consciously

experienced
• Sensation is a physical process, whereas perception is
psychological
• Attention and motivation determine what is sensed versus
what is perceived 
• Sensory adaptation
Anatomy of Vision
Photoreceptors in the Fovia Detect Light
From Eye to Brain

Note the optic nerve, optic chiasm and the pathways to the occipital lobe, where
visual sensations are processed into perceptions
Visual Information in the Brain

Visual information is processed in parallel pathways which can generally be

described as the “what pathway” (the ventral pathway) and the
“where/how” pathway (the dorsal pathway) 
Light Waves and the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Light enters the eye as a wave

The Visible Spectrum

Different wavelengths of light are associated with our perception of

different colors
Two Theories of How We See Color
Trichromatic
• The cones respond to three
wavelengths that represent red,
blue, and green.
• All colors can be produced by
combining red, blue, and green.
• colors and inhibited by the other.
Applies to visual processing on
the retina
Opponent Process
• Color is coded in opponent pairs:
black-white, yellow-blue, and
green-red.
• Cells of the visual system are
excited by one of the opponent
 
• Explains why we can’t see
greenish-red and why there are
afterimages.
• Applies once the signal moves
past the retina on its way to the
brain
Depth Perception

• Depth perception: ability to perceive spatial relationships in

(3-D) space 
• Binocular cues
• Monocular cues
Anatomy of the Auditory System
Sound Waves

• Sound waves travel

into our ears at various
speeds and amplitudes
• Higher amplitudes are
associated with louder
sounds
• High-frequency sound
waves are perceived as
high-pitched sounds
Two Theories of Pitch Perception

Temporal Place
• Frequency is coded by the • Different portions of the basilar
activity level of a sensory membrane are sensitive to
neuron. sounds of different frequencies
• Place contributes to pitch
• Applies to frequencies of perception for frequencies under
up to 4000 Hz 4000 Hz.
• Much higher frequency sounds
can only be encoded using place
cues.
Sound Localization

Monaural (one-eared) Each pinna

interacts with incoming sound
waves differently, depending on
the sound’s source relative to our
bodies.
Binaural (two-eared) cues:
1. Interaural level difference 
2. Interaural timing difference 
Types of Hearing Loss

• Deafness 
• Congenital deafness
• Conductive hearing loss 
• Sensorineural hearing loss  
Taste

Molecules from the food and beverages we consume dissolve in our saliva
and interact with taste receptors on our tongue (below) and in our mouth
and throat
Smell

Olfactory receptors are proteins with pockets that identify molecules of

chemicals in the air. This information is transmitted from the olfactory bulb
to the brain
Touch

Specific receptors in the skin convert stimulation to electrical nerve impulses, a

process called transduction
• Mechanoreceptors (below) respond to mechanical stimuli, such as stroking,
stretching, or vibration of the skin
• Thermoreceptors respond to cold or hot temperatures
• Chemoreceptors respond to certain types of chemicals either applied externally or
released within the skin
Pain

Pain is adaptive because it makes us aware of an injury, and it motivates us

to remove ourselves from the cause of that injury
• Neuropathic pain
• Inflammatory pain
• Nociceptors are subtypes of chemoreceptors or mechanoreceptors that
fire specifically to potentially tissue-damaging stimuli
Expectations and context shape how we experience pain
Pain and the Somatosensory Cortex

Pain is signaled via fast-

conducting A-fibers, which
project to the somatosensory
cortex
This part of the cortex is
somatotopically organized
—that is, the sensory signals
are represented according to
where in the body they stem
from
Pain Processing Pathways
The Vestibular System

The major sensory organs

of the vestibular system are
located next to the cochlea
in the inner ear
Proprioception and Kinesthesia
Example
Definition

Sensory system that contributes to balance You have an ear infection

Vestibular Sense
and the sense of spatial orientation. and feel dizzy.

You step off a curb and know

where to put your foot. You
push an elevator button and
Propioception Perception of body position.
control how hard you have to
press down with your
fingers.

Perception of the body’s movement You are aware of your arm

Kinesthesia Key component in muscle m emory and movement while swinging a
hand-eye coordination. golf club.
Gestalt Principles of Perception

The brain creates a perception that is more than simply the sum
of available sensory inputs
Figure-Ground Relationship

The concept of figure-

ground relationship explains
why this image can be
perceived either as a vase or
as a pair of faces
Proximity

The Gestalt principle of proximity suggests that you see (a) one
block of dots on the left side and (b) three columns on the right
side
Similarity

When looking at this array

of dots, we likely perceive
alternating rows of colors

We are grouping these dots

according to the principle of
similarity
Continuation

Continuation would suggest that we

are more likely to perceive this as
two overlapping lines, rather than
four lines meeting in the center
Closure

Closure suggests that we will perceive a complete circle and

rectangle rather than a series of segments
Multimodal Perception

Multimodal perception is the effect stimulation of multiple

senses has on perception.
• Multimodal phenomena
• McGurk Effect
• Rubber Hand Illusion

• Crossmodal phenomena
• Double flash illusion
• Ventriloquism effect
Why Do Psychologists Use Illusions?

Perception scientists create illusions to explore perception, what parts of the brain
are involved in interpretation of the illusion, and what variables increase or diminish
the strength of the illusion. 
Practice Question

Based on what you have learned about pain, how might we

treat pain other than pharmaceuticals?
Quick Review

• What is the difference between sensation and perception?

• How does vision work?
• How do people see color and depth?
• How does hearing work?
• What are the basic anatomy and functions of taste, smell,
touch, pain, and the vestibular sense?
• What is perception?
• What are some examples of gestalt principles and
multimodal perception?