Sensation

1
Sensation Perception
2
Sensory Processes

• Sensation- receiving information from the
  environment.
• Perception- assembling organizing sensory
  information to make it meaningful.
• Absolute threshold- level of sensory stimulation
  necessary for sensation to occur.
• Adaptation- gradual loss of attention to unneeded
  or unwanted sensory stimulation.

3

Vision

• Light
• White light- lights as it originates from the sun
  or a bulb before being broken into frequencies.
• Cornea Iris
• Cornea- clear outer covering of the eye.
• Iris- colored muscle that opens and closes
  controlling the amount of light entering the eye.
• Lens
• Part of the eye that focuses an image on the
  retina.
• Pupil
• Opening in the eye shrinks or expands as a
  result of the iris.
• Retina
• Back of the eye which contains millions of
  receptors for light

4
Vision

• Rods Cones
• Rods- receptors that see only black white.
  (night vision)
• Cones- receptors that see color. (respond during
  daylight)
• Binocular Fusion- 2 images of each eye coming
  together to form one
• Retinal Disparity- differences between the two
  images of each eye
• Color Defects
• Color blindness- inability to perceive certain
  colors.
• Afterimages
• Afterimage- image that remains after stimulation
  of the retina has ended. (unused cones bring the
  system back in balance)

5
Hearing

• Audition
• Characteristics of sound
• Pitch- how high or low
• Intensity- loudness (measured in decibels)
• Structure of ear
• Eardrum- piece of skin over entrance (vibrates)
• Ossicles- tiny bones (hammer, anvil, stirrup)
• Cochlea- snail-shaped filled with fluid and
  small hairs that vibrate
• Cilia- small hair cells
• Auditory nerve- bundle of nerves carrying sound
  to the brain.

6
Touch

• Cutaneous Receptors- nerve receptors in skin that
  respond to pressure, temperature, and pain.

7
Taste

• 4 Types of Taste Receptors
• Salt
• Sweet
• Sour
• Bitter

8
Smell

• Olfactory nerves- units that receive odor
  molecules and communicate their nature to the
  brain.

9
Perception

• Gestalt- an organized whole
• Ex. Grouping
• Depth Perception- ability to see objects in
  space.
• Retinal Disparity- difference in images provided
  by two retinas.
• -Monocular cues- images from one retina
• Ex. Texture Gradient

10

• Perceptual Constancies- things remain constant
  although they may change size, color, or shape
• Illusions- inaccurate perceptions
• Muller-Lyer
• Reversible Figure