To represent the world, we must detect physical energy (a stimulus) from the environment and convert it into neural signals. This is a process

called__________________.

When we select, organize, and interpret our sensations, the process is called _____________.

Sensation _________________________that perception_______________________________.

________________________

Weakest amount of a stimulus that can be sensed

We only sense __________________________

Vision: A candle flame viewed ________________________________________________________

Hearing: Ticking watch _____________________________________________________________

Sensory Adaptation

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.

Vision

Light is ___________________________

Described in _______________________

Parts of the eye

__________: Muscle that expands and contracts to change the size of the opening (pupil) for light.

___________: changing thickness projects an image onto the retina

_____________: Contains sensory receptors that process visual information and sends it to the brain (includes photoreceptors)

Optic nerves connect to the thalamus in the middle of the brain, and the thalamus connects to the visual cortex.

Visual Acuity ______________________________

Nearsighted: need to be ___________________________________________________________

Farsighted: need to be ____________________________________________________________

Color Blindness: Genetic disorder in which people are blind to green or red colors. Partially or totally unable to see colors

Sound sound waves are vibrations

Frequency or Wavelength (pitch)Amplitude or Intensity (loudness)

_____________: high or low a sound is. Depends on the frequency of sound waves

_____________: determined by the height of sound waves. Measured in decibels

Intensity (loudness) --->

← Frequency (pitch)

Deafness

Causes: Inherited, disease, injury, old age

Conductive Deafness: ______________________________________________________________

Sensorineural Deafness: ____________________

________________________________________

Cochlear implants are electronic devices that enable the brain to hear sounds

Touch

The sense of touch is a mix of four distinct skin senses— _________________, _____________,_________________, and __________________.

Pain tells the body that something has gone wrong. Usually pain results from damage to the skin and other tissues. A rare disease exists in which the afflicted person feels no pain.

Taste Traditionally, taste sensations consisted of sweet, salty, sour, and bitter tastes. Recently, receptors for a fifth taste have been discovered called umami

sensory interaction

When one sense affects another sense, sensory interaction takes place. So, the taste of strawberry interacts with its smell and its texture on the tongue to produce flavor.

SMELL AND MEMORIES

The brain region for smell (in red) is closely connected with the brain regions involved with memory (limbic system). That is why strong memories are made through the sense of smell.

The sense of our body parts’ position and movement is called ______________. The ____________________________ monitors the head (and body’s) position.

Perceptual Organization

When vision competes with our others senses, our vision usually wins – a phenomenon called _________________________.

Gestalt psychologists showed that the brain creates a coherent perceptual experience that is more than simply a sum of the available sensory information, and it does this in predictable ways.

Gestalt psychology examines a person’s total experience because the way we experience the world is more than just an accumulation of various perceptual experiences.

Perceptual organization

Figure-Ground: seeing figures against a background** __________________________________________________________________________

(see the book p.116for example sketch)

Perceptual Organization

_______________: we see the whole picture, even if there are gaps

Grouping

Perceptual Organization

_________________: we group things by closeness

_________________: We group similar (like) objects together

_________________: We prefer to see smooth continuous patterns

_________________/_____________: things move together, belong together

Movement

The perception of movement is________________________________________________________: illusion of movement by the quick progression of still images

Depth Perception

Depth perception enables us to judge distances. Gibson and Walk (1960) suggested that human infants (crawling age) have depth perception. Even newborn animals show depth perception.

Binocular Cues

Retinal disparity: image on BOTH eyes seen at dif angles (____________________________)

___________________: Tension in our eyes as we focus on an object getting closer to us

Monocular cues

clearer an object, the nearer it seems

Relative Size: If two objects are similar in size, we perceive the one that casts a smaller retinal image to be farther away.

Monocular CuesNearer objects block further objects Shadows and

highlights give depth perception

Perceptual Constancies_______________: Perceive an object as being 1 size no matter how far away

_______________: Color stays the same even in different light

Visual Illusions

________________: we are reminded of building structure: We perceive in-facing arrowsas longer

Visual Illusions

● Ponzo Illusion: Size constancy makes us think the top line is longer + further away

● Linear Perspective: Parallel lines, such as railroad tracks, appear to converge in the distance. The more the lines converge, the greater their perceived distance.