Sensation and Perception

Definitions

 The topics deal with the way we receive information

from our environment (sensation) and the way we
interpret that information (perception).
 Sensation: The activation of the sense organs by a
source of Physical energy. There is an awareness of the
stimuli (smell, taste, pictures, heat, pressure, pain etc).
 Perception: The processes of sorting out, interpretation,
analysis and integration of the sensed stimuli. By the
sense organs and the brain.
 Perception is interpreting and making sense out of
the information that we receive through our
senses.

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 Sensation and Perception
Definitions:
Concepts related to sensation

 Psychophysics: The study of relationship between the

physical aspects of stimuli and psychological experience
of them.
 Absolute threshold: The smallest amount of stimulus that
must be present for it to be detected.
 Difference threshold: (just noticeable difference) the
smallest level of change (added or reduced) stimulus
required to sense the occurrence of change in
stimulation.
 Weber’s Law: says that the just noticeable differene is a
constant proportion of the intensity of an initial stimulus.
 Adaptation: adjustment in sensory capacity. It happen
when we become familiar to a stimulus. You become
less sensitive to sensory stimuli.

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 Sensation and Perception
?How do see

 Different senses receive information in certain ways.

However, they interact with one another (read textbook p 114)
 Seeing: see things (features) and colors
 Feature detection: certain neurons detect visual stimuli
of specific shape or patterns. (we have different systems
for various stimuli). The brain combines those pieces of
information.
 Color: Two processes:
 Trichomatic-theory: three cones. Each responds to a
specific range of wavelengths.
 Opponent Process: receptor cells are pairs working in
opposition to each other. (e.g. blue yellow; red-green;
black-white).

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 http://www.medterms.com/script/main/
art.asp?articlekey=7248

http://www.macula.org/anatomy/anatomy_mov.html

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 Sensation and Perception
?How do we Hear

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 Sensation and Perception
?How do Hear

 Hearing, balance and speed of body.

 Two theories of hearing:
 1- Place theory different areas of the basilar membranes
respond to different frequencies.
 2- Frequency Theory: the entire basila membrane
vibrate as whole in response to a sound (like a
microphone).
 Balance is felt through Semicircular canals. When head
moves signal is given to the brain about rotation angle of
the head movement.
 Body Speed: is felt through Otoliths (crystals within the
Semicircular canals)

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 Sensation and Perception How do Smell?
http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/documents/1890_01.pdf http://uk.ask.com/web?
qsrc=999&l=dis&siteid=41627708&c=1&o=41627708&q=nose+anatomy&ifr=1

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 Sensation and Perception
?How do Smell and taste

Wee smell through what is known as

olfactory cells. Different (specialized) cells
react to particular odors.
Taste:Taste bads are receptors cells
responsible for smell. They are replace
regularly (every ten days).
Tats and smell are related. Our taste is very
much influenced by smell.

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 Sensation and Perception
?How do we feel pressure, heat, pain

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 Sensation and Perception
How do we feel (touch) pressure, heat, pain?

The skin is essential for body security it warns of

any danger.
Nerve receptors cells, at different levels and areas
of the skin, relay information to the brain
Pain has been the focus of studies: many factors
play a role especially psychological factors. How
can women surmount the terrible apin of child
birth. Worriers surmount terrible pains of wounds
etc..
See Gate Theory of Pain: Certain nerves are
responsible and open or close the gate for the
pain is to be felt (Read textbook p111 an 113)
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 ?What do you see

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 Gestalt Laws of perception
Remember: Perception is interpreting and making sense
.out of the information that we receive through our senses
 1- Gestalt Laws of perception
 The Gestalt psychologists (Wertheimer, Koffka, and Kohler)
discovered many other ways in which what we perceive is
already organized.
 We organize bits and pieces of information into meaningful
wholes. we often experience things that are not a part of our
simple sensations
 e.g. The phi phenomenon is the basic principle of motion
pictures and television! Wertheimer explained that We are built
to experience the structured whole as well as the individual
sensations. 
 We even add structure to events which do not have gestalt
structural qualities.
 Insight learning. This usually happens as a result of the
recognition of a gestalt or organizing principle
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General Psychology Ahmed Bendania
Perception

How Can Perception be explained?: The process of

Perceiving
1-1Figure /Ground

Things are seen as standing out

from their background (Edgar Rubin )
we perceive:
- one aspect of an event as the figure
-and the other as the ground

Roubin Vase
-

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General Psychology Ahmed Bendania
Perception
How Can Perception be explained?: The process of
Perceiving

Gestalt laws: These represent 1-2

the organizing principles that
.form the structure of perception
The most general is called the law
.of pragnanz
Pragnanz is fulness of meaning. It
appears in things like regularity,
orderliness, simplicity, and
.symmetry

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General Psychology Ahmed Bendania
Perception
Laws of Perception
1- The law of closure
says that, if
something is missing
in an otherwise
complete figure, we
will tend to add it

OXXXXXX
2-The law of similarity XOXXXXX
says that we will tend XXOXXXX
to group similar XXXOXXX
items together, XXXXOXX
XXXXXOX
XXXXXXO
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General Psychology Ahmed Bendania
Perception
Laws of Perception

3- proximity. Things that

are close together as **************
seen as belonging **************
together. **************

4- symmetry. Take a look at

this example to group ][ ][ ][
the brackets nearest
each other together

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 General Psychology Ahmed Bendania
Perception
Laws of Perception
5- continuity. When we can
see a line, for example, as
continuing through
another
e.g. the opposite picture as
composed of two lines, not
as a combination of two
angles...:
6-common path is
immediately perceive a
duck and elephant walking
in one direction as a
connection between them.

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General Psychology Ahmed Bendania
Perception
Two theories: processing information

Ca- Yo- re-d t-is –en-en-e, w-ic- ha- ev-ry –

hi-d l-tt-r m-ss-ng
Can You read this sentence, which has
every third letter missing.
How did you read it. How did you recognize the missing letter to make
sense of the sentence?
Two theories of processing are advanced:
1- Top down : Perception is guided by higher level knowledge,
experience, expectations, and motivations.
2- Bottom-up: the progression of recognizing and processing
information from individual components of a stimuli and moving to
the perception of the whole.

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 Perception
Related concepts

Perceptual Constancy: the perception of thing as unvarying despite the

change of appearance. How do you a plane at high altitude?
Depth of Perception:
How do you see this picture?
Ability to view the world in three dimensions.
Binocular disparity, seeing differently
because of the distance. (Read page 121)
Motion perception: perceived because of movement ofpicture in retina
and the movement of the head.
Perceptual illusions: (Deception of perception) Physical stimuli that
consistently produce errors in perception.

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 Visual Illusions

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 Visual Illusions

THE PENROSE ILLUSION

ISOMETRIC DRAWINGS

The Thiery
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2022 21
 Visual Illusions

THE ENDLESS STAIRCASE

                                                                                                                   

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 Interpret Pictures

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 Interpret Pictures ‫تأويل الصور‬

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