Scribd
Upload
3 views

Lecture 4

This lecture on perception and sensation explores the remarkable capabilities of human sensory systems, including the detection of faint stimuli and the complexities of color perception. It discusses psychophysics, subliminal stimuli, and the role of various senses in shaping our experiences, emphasizing the interplay between sensory input and perceptual processes. The lecture also covers illusions and the influence of expectations on perception, highlighting the practical applications of psychological knowledge in various fields.

Uploaded by

Chinar Dawod
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
3 views

Lecture 4

This lecture on perception and sensation explores the remarkable capabilities of human sensory systems, including the detection of faint stimuli and the complexities of color perception. It discusses psychophysics, subliminal stimuli, and the role of various senses in shaping our experiences, emphasizing the interplay between sensory input and perceptual processes. The lecture also covers illusions and the influence of expectations on perception, highlighting the practical applications of psychological knowledge in various fields.

Uploaded by

Chinar Dawod
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 44

Introduction to Psychology

Lecture 4: Perception and Sensation


January 29, 2025
Yelena Sardaryan, MA, MPH
Perceptual Abilities
• Detect a candle, 30 miles away, on a dark, clear night
• Detect cochlear displacement equal to the width of a hydrogen
atom
• Taste one teaspoon of sugar even when it is mixed into two
gallons of water
• Smell a drop of perfume diffused into the space of a three
bedroom apartment
Usage of the knowledge

Mechanical engineers Knowledge about


Industrial psychologists sensation and
sports psychologists perception to create and
improve everyday
video game designers
objects and behaviors.
Each species is adapted to sensing the things that are most important
to them while being blissfully unaware of the things that don’t matter.
Measuring Sensation
Psychophysics is the branch of
psychology that studies the effects
of physical stimuli on sensory
perceptions and mental states.

The absolute threshold of a


sensation is defined as the
intensity of a stimulus that allows
an organism to just barely detect
it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=9hBfnXACsOI
Outside our awareness
Subliminal stimuli (events that occur
below the absolute threshold and of
which we are not conscious) influence
our behavior?
Blindsight - certain areas of the visual
cortex are damaged: a condition in which
people are unable to consciously report
on visual stimuli but are able to
accurately answer questions about what
they are seeing
Blind Spot
The Necker Cube

Which cube we see varies


depending on the
momentary outcome of
perceptual processes in
the visual cortex.
Perceiving Color
7 million color variations created by the
combination of three colors: green, blue and
red.

The shade is dependent on wavelength of the


light that enters the eye.

We detect brightness from the intensity or


height of the wave.

Light waves with shorter frequencies are


perceived as more blue than red; light waves
with higher intensity are seen as brighter.

Color blindness the inability to detect either


green and/or red colors.
Color blind cannot see the numbers at all
Perceiving the form

Figure
and
ground
Perceiving the form

Figure
and
ground
Perceiving the form

Figure
and
ground
Perceiving the form

Similarity
Perceiving the form

Proximity
Perceiving the form

Continuity
Perceiving the form

Closure
Depth perception
Is the ability to perceive three-dimensional space and to accurately
judge distance.
Other senses
HEARING - Sound waves that are collected by our ears are converted
into neural impulses, which are sent to the brain
TASTING - The tongue detects six different taste sensations, known
respectively as sweet, salty, sour, bitter, spicy, and savory – 5K to 10K
bulbs
SMELL - chemical molecules, which are detected by the 10 million to 20
million receptor cells – 10-20 million recepter
Other senses
Touching - The sense of touch is essential to human development. Infants thrive
when they are cuddled and attended to, but not if they are deprived of human
contact.
Touch communicates warmth, caring, and support, and is an essential part of the
enjoyment we gain from our social interactions with close others.
The skin, the largest organ in the body, is the sensory organ for touch.
Four basic sensations: Pressure, hot, cold, and pain
• The experience of a tickle is caused by the stimulation of neighboring pressure
receptors.
• The experience of heat is caused by the stimulation of hot and cold receptors.
• The experience of itching is caused by repeated stimulation of pain receptors.
• The experience of wetness is caused by repeated stimulation of cold and pressure
receptors.
Experiencing Pain
Body informs us that we are in danger.
The gate control theory of pain proposes that pain is determined by
the operation of two types of nerve fibers in the spinal cord.
• nerve fibers carries pain from the body to the brain
• set of larger fibers is designed to stop or start
Pain is also a matter of perception – humor and being busy
ACCURACY AND INACCURACY IN PERCEPTION
The eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin sense the world around us.
Yet, we experience the outcome of perception—the total package.
And the brain creates for us the experience.

How the Perceptual System Interprets the Environment?


The meaning-making involves the automatic operation of a variety of
essential perceptual processes.
ACCURACY AND INACCURACY IN PERCEPTION

a. Sensory interaction—the working together of different senses to


create an experience.
http://www.youtube.com/v/jtsfidRq2tw
b. Synesthesia—an experience in which one sensation (e.g., hearing a
sound) creates experiences in another (e.g., vision).
c. Selective attention—the ability to focus on some sensory inputs
while tuning out others.
ACCURACY AND INACCURACY IN PERCEPTION
d. Sensory adaptation - A decreased sensitivity to a stimulus after
prolonged and constant exposure.
E. Perceptual constancy - The ability to perceive a stimulus as constant
despite changes in sensation
Illusions
Illusions occur when the perceptual processes that normally help us
correctly perceive the world around us are fooled by a particular situation
so that we see something that does not exist or that is incorrect.

Optical Illusions - Optical Illusions as a Result of Brightness Constancy


(Left) and Color Constancy (Right)
Optical Illusion
Mueller-Lyer illusion
Mueller-Lyer illusion
The Ponzo Illusion
Cornsweet illusion
Edge is a powerful source of information

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3-enT3h-lI
The perceptual importance of luminance
ratios at edges
Fraser Spiral
Café Wall Illusion
Illusionary Motion
Role of Expectations in Perception
Our emotions, mindsets, expectations, and the contexts in which our
sensations occur all have a profound influence on perception.

Our perceptions are also influenced by our desires and motivations


hungry vs full
Usage of Psychology in Everyday life

You might also like