CHAPTER FOUR

SENSATION AND PERCEPTION

Sensation and Perception

Sensation Sensation is the activation of sense organs by a source of physical energy. Perception Perception is the sorting out, interpretation, analysis, and integration of stimuli involving the sense organs and brain. Stimulus

Any energy that produces a response in a sense organ.

Stimuli vary in both type and intensity.
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Perception is a constructive process by which we go beyond the stimuli that are presented to us and attempt to construct a meaningful situation.

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Absolute threshold
The smallest intensity of a stimulus that must be present for a stimulus to be detected. Noise as the background and unwanted stimulation interferes with the senses (e.g., auditory, visual, etc.) to perceive stimuli.

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Difference threshold The smallest level of added or reduces stimulation required to sense that a change in stimulation has occurred.

It is also called just noticeable difference because it denotes to the minimum change in stimulation required to detect the difference between two stimuli.
Adaptation Adaptation is an adjustment in sensory capacity after prolonged exposure to unchanging stimuli.

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Perceptual Organization
We perceive figure against a ground.

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The fact that we can look at the same figure in more than one way indicates that we do not passively respond to visual stimuli that happen to fall on our retina. Instead, we actively try to organize and make sense of what we see.

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The Gestalt Laws of Organization A series of principles that describe how we organize bits and pieces of information into meaningful wholes.

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Laws/Principles of Organization

1.Closure

We usually group elements to form enclosed or complete figures rather than open ones.
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2. Proximity

We perceive elements that are closer together as grouped together.

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3. Similarity

Elements that are similar in appearance we perceived as grouped together.

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4. Simplicity

When we observe a pattern, we perceive it in the most basic, straightforward, Sensation manner that we can. and Perception

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Top-Down and Bottom-Up Processing

Two types of processing may occur in perception:
1. Top-down processing 2. Bottom-up processing

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Top-down processing
In top-down processing, perception is guided by higherlevel knowledge, experience, expectations, and motivations. Top-down processing allows us to fill in the gaps in ambiguous and out-of-context stimuli. Top-down processing cannot occur on its own. To perceive the meaning of an stimuli bottomup processing is required.

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Bottom-up processing
Bottom-up processing consists of recognizing and processing information about the individual components of the stimuli. Top-down and bottom-up processing occur simultaneously, and interact with each other.

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Depth Perception: Translating 2-D to 3-D

Definition
The ability to view the world in three dimensions and to perceive distance is called depth perception The images projected onto our retina are flat and two Dimensional. However, our brain uses certain cues to perceive the depth or distance of an object. These cues are of two types: A) Binocular disparity B) Monocular cues
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Binocular Disparity
It requires two eyes to use the binocular cues of depth perception.

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Physiological explanation of binocular disparity

There is a certain distance between the eyes. As a result a slightly different image reaches each retina. The brain then integrates the two images into one composite view. At the same time the brain considers the difference in images, which is called binocular disparity which varies according

to the distance of an object. The disparity allows

the brain to estimate the distance of an object from us.

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Monocular Cues
We use certain cues to obtain a sense of depth and distance with just one eye. These are called monocular cues. Examples: 1) Motion parallax 2) Relative size 3) Texture gradient 4) Linear perspective
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1. Motion Parallax
Motion parallax occurs when objects at different distances from one appear to move at different rates when one is in motion.

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The fence near the road appears to whiz past the traveler
in a vehicle, while the more distant hills or mountains appear to stay in virtually the same position as one

moves. The rate of an objects movement provides a cue

to its distance.

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2. Relative Size Relative size refers to the perception that larger objects are close and smaller objects are further away.

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3. Texture Gradient
Texture gradient refers to the fact that objects that are less distinct or hazy are perceived to be at a distance.

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4. Linear Perspective Parallel lines, such as railroad tracks, appear to converge as they get farther away.

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Visual Illusion
Visual illusions are physical stimuli that consistently produce errors in perception.

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Muller-Lyer Illusion

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Subliminal Perception
Subliminal perception refers to the perception of messages about which we have no awareness.

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