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Sensation and Perception
Unit 6
Lesson 1
Objectives



Define sensation and perception and
distinguish between them.
Define thresholds and variables which affect
measurements.
Explain why psychophysics is the oldest field
in psychology.
Warm Up

What are the 5 basic
senses?

Vision, Hearing, Taste,
Smell, Touch
Kinesthetic, Vestibular

Sensation vs Perception

Sensation

The way sense receptors
take in stimuli (chemical
& electrical energy) and
transmit it to our brain.
Sensation vs Perception

Transduction

Sensory neurons convert
physical energy into
electrochemical signals
that are carried to the
brain.
Sensation vs Perception

Perception

The way our brain
interprets & organizes
sensations to understand
the world around us.
Psychophysics

Study of relationship between sensations and
our perceptions of them.
Thresholds

Absolute Threshold

Point at which something
becomes noticeable to
our senses.

(Min amt to detect 50%
time)
Thresholds


Just Noticeable
Difference (JND)

Weber’s Law
Difference Threshold
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Amount of change
needed for us to
recognize a change has
occurred.

Larger or stronger a
stimulus, the larger the
change required for an
observer to notice
Signal Detection Theory

Used to predict
when signal is
detected…

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Signal strength
Experience
Motivation
Expectation
Sensory Adaptation

Decrease in sensitivity
to unchanging stimulus.

Varies for each sense