Do Now What confuses about the unit so far?

Unit 4 : Sensation & Perception Sensing the World

Introduction Sensation Perception Are one continuous process Taking in info about the environment through our senses EX: taking in the temp  the wind Perception How we organize and interpret the sensory info we take in so we can give things meaning EX: taking in the temp  the wind  cold outside Are one continuous process

Processing Bottom-up Top-down Begins with sensory info to higher level brain thinking Sensations  thinking Top-down Begins analysis with higher level thinking Drawing from out expectations and experiences Sensations + experiences  thinking Flip-It Video

Example: Figure 4.1 Bottom Up Top-down Sensory system (eyes) help you detect lines, angles, colors etc. Top-down Title of painting , expression on faces and our understanding of those expressions to giving meaning

Selective Attention Selective Attention Can lead to accidents Choosing to pay attention to something Someone give me an example EX: cocktail party effect When at a party talking to someone you tune out the music and everything going on around you to focus on who you are talking to Concept enforces why listening to music while reading is dumb Can lead to accidents

Selective Inattention Inattentional blindness When you are focusing so much on one aspect you become blind to other details EX: when watching a movie and you don’t see the east eggs Change blindness Failing to notice change in the environment EX: asking an officer or directions and failing to notice that it is a different officer Change deafness = failing to notice change in sound Choice blindness = failing to notice that your choice has changes Choice-choice blindness = deny that you could fail to notice that your choice has changed Pop-out Stimuli that draws out attention You can’t help but notice it

Thresholds Psychophysics Thresholds EX: how loud a noise is and how we experience the noise.. Do we even notice it, can we even hear it Thresholds Absolute thresholds Signal-detection theory Subliminal stimulation Difference thresholds

Absolute Thresholds Absolute threshold The minimum amount of stimulation needed to experience (any sense) half the time 50% of the time what is that level where you detect a stimuli and what level do you not detect This 50-50 recognition defines your personal absolute threshold Thresholds vary with age EX: hearing test

Signal Detection Signal-detection theory a theory about how and when we will detect a stimuli amid background noise It is determined by a person’s experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness Flip- It

Subliminal Stimulation Subliminal (below threshold) Unconsciously sense stimuli… the unheard messages Priming Exposing you to things unconsciously so that when asked a questions later you choose that thing Subliminal persuasion Can one be manipulated with hidden persuasion… research says no

Difference Thresholds add a pound to 10 lbs and you’ll notice, add 1 lb to 100lbs and you probably won’t notice AKA just noticeable difference (JND) Weber’s Law to notice the difference between 2 things they have to differ by a certain percentage The percentage varies depending on the thing Examples?

Sensory Adaptation Sensory Adaptation Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation EX: when listening to really loud music for a while you don’t think it is loud anymore

Today Questions? Begin tonight’s HW HW= Perceptual Organization & Perceptual Interpretation: Perceptual Adaptation