Unit 4 - Sensation and Perception

sensation

how our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and interpret our environment

perception

how we organize and interpret sensory info from our environment

bottom-up processing

processing info with sensory receptors first; details first

top-down processing

processing info based on our past experiences and expectations; seeing the bigger picture first

selective attention

our ability to focus on one specific thing while ignoring other stimuli; ADHD makes this difficult; cocktail party effect

inattentional blindness

failing to see something because our attention is somewhere else

change blindness

being unaware of changes in our environment

change deafness

being unaware of auditory changes

choice blindness

being unaware of changes to a choice we had made

pop-out

when something demands our attention because it's so distinct

absolute threshold

the minimum stimulation necessary to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

signal-detection theory

predicts how and when we detect a faint stimulus in our environment amid background stimulation; assumes there's no single absolute threshold because detection depends on our experiences, expectations, motivations, and alertness

subliminal

unconsciously sensing stimuli below our threshold

priming

the activation of certain associations thus predisposing one's perception

difference threshold

just noticeable difference between two stimuli that you can detect 50% of the time

weber's law

the difference threshold increases in proportion to the size of the stimulus

sensory adaptation

when our sensitivity to a stimulus decreases due to constant stimulation