Chapter 4:

Notes

Chapter 4: Sensation and Perception Sensation vs. Perception Sensation- process of receiving stimulus energies from the external environment Perception- process of organizing and interpreting sensory information Bottom-up vs. Top-Down Processing Bottom up- using the sensations in our world to put it together. Taking something in for the first time Top down- process based on expectations, looking for them in the environment Sensory perceptors - Photo reception- (vision) detection of light Mechanoreception- (touch, hearing) detection of pressure, vibration, and movement Chemoreception- (smell and taste) detection of chemical stimuli Absolute threshold- the minimum amount of energy an organism can detect 50% of the time ● Ex. Imagine you are sitting in a room that is completely dark. On the far wall, I display a dim light. Although you may not be able to perceive the light when it is at its lowest level, if I gradually make the light brighter, you will eventually see it. The point where you will see the light is known as the absolute threshold Difference Threshold- the proportion that matters ● small amount of weight you can’t detect ● Where big amount of weight matter ● Ex- high beam...