SENSATION vs PERCEPTION

SENSATION = The detection of physical energy

PERCEPTION = The interpretation

of sensory info.

EXAMPLE:
Seeing & Believing
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Write a list of what you sense while watching the clip on the
right column of your paper…….

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• DO YOU BELIEVE IN UFOs?

• WHEN PEOPLE CLAIM TO SEE

UFOs, DO YOU BELIEVE THEY
ARE ACCURATELY
PERCEIVING THE EVENT?

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 HOW do we Sense Things?
SENSE RECEPTORS are cells located
in the sense organs (eyes, ears, etc.)
that convert _______________ energy
to ______________ energy
SENSE RECEPTORS
▼
SENSORY NEURONS
▼
BRAIN CELLS

I’m not the only one who has electrical

currents running through my body! 4
Your brain interprets info. in 2 different ways

1) _____________________ your sense organs

(eyes, ears, nose, etc.) send impulses along
designated nerve pathways to specific parts of the
brain.

► Tells the various senses apart!

EXAMPLE: Eye info. goes to the visual cortex

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2) _____________________ rely on the fact that
sensory neurons fire, or are inhibited from firing,
only when presented with specific stimuli.

► Tells the difference between

sensations WITHIN a
particular sense!

EXAMPLE: Color vs. Shape

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What do you think
might happen if
your sensory
neurons sent
information to
the wrong part of
the brain?
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 WEIRD, but TRUE!
• _______________: A rare condition in
which stimulation of one sense also
evokes a sensation in another
In other words, a person might see sounds or smell
colors

EXAMPLE 1: A person may say that

the aroma of cinnamon feels like velvet

EXAMPLE 2: One might say that the

sound of a clarinet tastes like cherries. 8
 Sensing the World:
Some Basic Principles

 Threshold
 Absolute Threshold
 Difference Threshold
 Subliminal Stimulation
 Signal Detection Theory

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 THRESHOLDS
1) ________________________:
The smallest quantity of physical energy
that can be reliably detected by an observer

RELIABLE = Detection _____ of the time

EXAMPLE:
What’s the smallest line you will
read correctly 50% of the time? 10
11
 Detection

Absolute
Threshold

Intensity
No No No Yes Yes
Observer’s Response

Detected

Tell when you (the observer) detect the light. 12

 Thresholds
Absolute Threshold: Minimum stimulation needed to
detect one particular stimulus 50% of the time.
1.00
Proportion of “Yes” Responses
0.00 0.50

0 5 10 15 20 25 13
Stimulus Intensity (lumens)
 NORMAL SENSORY ABILITIES
VISION: A candle flame on a clear, dark night
from _____ miles away.
HEARING: A ticking watch in perfectly quiet
room
from _____ feet away
TASTE: A teaspoon of sugar diluted in _____
gallons of water
SMELL: A drop of perfume diffused through a
____-room apartment
TOUCH: Feel the wing of a bee falling in your
cheek from a height of ______ 14
 THRESHOLDS
2) _________________________:
The smallest difference in stimulation that
can be reliably detected when comparing two
things

A.K.A. Just Noticeable Difference

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 Difference Threshold
Difference Threshold: Minimum difference
between two stimuli required for detection
50% of the time, also called just noticeable
difference (JND).
Difference
Threshold

No No Yes
Observer’s Response

Tell when you (observer) detect a difference in the light. 16

 Weber’s Law
Two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum
percentage (rather than a constant amount), to
be perceived as different.

Stimulus Constant %

Light 8%
Weight 2%
Tone .3%
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 DIFFERENCE THRESHOLD
• When comparing 2 objects, A and B, the
difference threshold will depend on the
intensity or size of A.

– The larger or more intense A is, the greater

the change must be before you can detect a
difference.

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 DIFFERENCE THRESHOLD
EXAMPLE
• In comparing 2 pebbles, you might be able
to detect a difference of only a fraction of
an ounce

• In comparing 2 massive boulders, such a

subtle difference would most likely not be
noticed.

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How did Scientists figure this
out?......Psychophysics
A study of the relationship between physical
characteristics of stimuli and our psychological
experience with them.

Physical World Psychological

World
Light Brightness

Sound Volume
Pressure Weight

Sugar Sweet
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 Signal Detection Theory (SDT): highlights
the limitations of measuring absolute and
difference thresholds

Signal Detection Theory (SDT): Predicts how and

when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus
(signal) amid background noise (other
stimulation). SDT assumes that there is no single
absolute threshold and detection depends on:
Carol Lee/ Tony Stone Images

Person’s
experience
Expectations
Motivation
___________________: some Level of fatigue
people are habitual yea-sayers
and others are habitual
naysayers which can greatly
affect and disrupt data collection 21
techniques.
 SDT Matrix
The observer decides whether she hears
the tone or not, based on the signal being
present or not. This translates into four
outcomes. Decision
Yes No

Signal Present Hit Miss or False

Negative

Absent False Correct

Alarm or False
Positive
Rejection
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 Subliminal Threshold
Subliminal Threshold:
When stimuli are below
one’s absolute threshold
for conscious awareness.

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 SUBLIMINAL ORIGINS
• 1950s

• Movie theater owner

claimed to sell more refreshments
when he flashed the words
“EAT MORE POPCORN” or
“DRINK COKE” for a split
second on the screen.

• Turned out to be a hoax

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 SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES
• Subliminal messages have appeared in all kinds
of places:

– Magazines
– Movies
– Political Campaigns
– Weight Loss Strategies
– Self-Improvement Books
– Memory Enhancers and Study Aids
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 SELF-HELP SUBLIMINAL
TAPES
• Many promise to help you stop smoking, lose
weight, relieve stress, or stop taking drugs

• Study = Placebo tapes vs. “Real Tapes”

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The Effect of Subliminal Stimuli
• “Absolute” threshold is merely the point at which we
detect a stimulus half the time. Therefore it is
possible to sense subliminal (below threshold)
stimuli.
• Laboratory research reveals that subliminal stimuli
has a subtle, fleeting effect that may prime (or
heighten) a feeling that already exists.
• Research in subliminal priming confirms that much of
our information processing occurs automatically
without detection by our conscious mind and
supports evidence in the powers of intuition.

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