Introduction

to
Psychology

2023
Learning outcome 1

Distinguish between the

various basic concepts in
discussing sensation and
perception: Sensation,
perception,
transduction, thresholds,
signal detection theory.
Sensation
and
perception
Sensation - the process of
detecting environmental stimuli or
stimuli arising from the body.

Transduction - the translation of

incoming sensory information
into neural signals.

Perception - the process of

interpreting sensory
information.
How does sensation lead
to perception?
01 Sensory information travels 02 The brain constructs
to the brain perceptions from
Sensation begins with the sensory infornation
interaction between a physical Once information from the sensory
stimulus and our biological sensory systems has been transduced into
systems. neural signals and sent to the brain,
Before you can use information from
the process of perception, or the
your senses, it must be translated
interpretation of sensory
into a form the nervous system can
information begins.
understand - transduction.
attention
sensory adaptation
Thresholds
A threshold is a point at which
a stimulus triggers a response.
Stimulus intensity refers to how
intense (strong) a stimulus has to
be in order for it to be detected.
The weakest detectable stimulus
is a concept known as the
absolute threshold.
Signal
detection
theory
This theory replaces
Fechner's sharp threshold
with the concept of
detectability. It proposes
that various factors and
influences, besides the
intensity of a stimulus,
can affect the detection of
stimuli.
Perception without awareness

Subliminal
perception
occcurs when
sensations from
a stimuli can
be perceived,
but not cause a
reaction.
Learning
outcome
2
Identify the different
structures and functions
of the human eye.
What do you
notice about
these people?
The process of
vision
01
Light enters the eye
through the cornea. This is
the clear, dome-shaped
surface that covers the
front of the eye.
02
From the cornea, the
light passes through the
pupil.
The pupil regulates the
amount of light passing into
the rear chamber of the
eye. The iris is the coloured
part of your eye.
03
From there, it then hits the
lens. This is the clear
structure inside the eye that
adjusts its curvature to
focus the images.
The process of
vision
04
Next, light passes through
the vitreous humour. This is
the clear, jelly-like
substance that fills the
centre of the eye. It helps
to keep the eye round in
shape.
05
Finally, the light reaches the
retina. This is the neural
tissue lining the inside back
surface of the eye. It
absorbs light, processes
images and sends visual
information to the brain.
06
The optic nerve is then
responsible for carrying the
signals to the visual cortex
of the brain. The visual
cortex turns the signals into
images.
Eye problems
Nearsightedness
The focus of light from distant objects
falls a little short of the retina. Close
objects are seen clearly but distant
objects appear blurry.
Farsightedness
The focus of light from close objects falls
behind the retina. Distant objects are
seen clearly but close objects appear
blurry.
Astigmatism
With astigmatism, the front surface of
the eye or the lens inside the eye is
curved differently in one direction than
the other.
A common symptom is blurry vision.
Learning
outcome
3
Briefly discuss the
overview of the
visual pathway through the
brain (up to p.150).
Vision and
the brain
•Axons leaving the back of
each eye form the optic nerves,
which travel to the optic chiasm.
•Optic chiasm is the point at
which the axons from the inside
half of each eye cross over and
then project to the opposite half of
the brain.
•This ensures that signals from
both eyes go to both
hemispheres of the brain.
Learning
outcome
4
Identify the structures
and function of the
human ear.
/l
..
Learning
outcome
5
Briefly discuss sound as a
stimulus, human hearing
capacities, sensory
processing in the ear (up
 1 2 3

The pinna acts Sound waves This causes the

as a funnel to collide with the auditory ossicles
concentrate tympanic (the hammer,
How sounds and
guide them into
membrane
(eardrum),
anvil and
stirrup) to
we the auditory
canal
setting it in
motion
vibrate

hear
4 5 6

The ossicles Inside the Waves in the

connect the cochlea is the fluid stimulate
eardrum to the basilar the hair cells. As
cochlea, a fluid- membrane, the hair cells
filled, coiled which holds the bend, they send
tunnel that auditory nerve impulses
contains the receptors, called to the brain via
receptors for hair cells the auditory
Learning
outcome
6
Distinguish between the
Gustatory and
Olfactory system.
Taste and
smell

The gustatory system The olfactory

The stimuli for the sense of taste
system
are soluble chemicals that trigger
The nose responds to chemical
the sense of taste.
stimuli in gaseous form in order
to experience the sense of smell.
GUSTATIO
N