Unit 4: Sensation, Perception and States of Consciousness JHS AP Psychology Unit 4: Sensation, Perception and States of Consciousness Essential Task 4-6: Discuss how experience, context and culture can influence perceptual processes with specific attention to perceptual set, illusions, change blindness, and selective attention. Logo Green is R=8 G=138 B=76 Blue is R= 0 G=110 B=184 Border Grey is R=74 G=69 B=64

Perceptual Constancies Sensation Vision The Eye Theories Hearing The Ear Other Senses Smell Taste Pain Gestalt Principles Perceptual Constancies Perception Basic Principles Visual Illusions Depth Perception We are here

States of Consciousness Altered States of Consciousness Waking Consciousness Daydreaming and Fantasy Sleep Circadian Rhythm Stages/REM Dreams Disorders Drug-Altered Consciousness Depressants Hallucinogens Stimulants Hypnosis Hidden Observer Actor Meditation Substance Abuse

Essential Task 4-: Influences on perception Subliminal messages? Outline Influences on perception Subliminal messages? perceptual set illusions Inattention blindness change blindness

What do we perceive then? Subliminal Threshold Outline Subliminal Threshold: When energy of the stimulus is below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness. What do we perceive then?

Subliminal Perception Sensation without perception? Outline Subliminal = stimuli that sensory system responds to, but due to short duration or subtle form, don’t reach threshold of cognition Quick Survey Do you think you are influenced by subliminal messages in advertising? Do you think you are influenced by everyday advertisements that you perceive consciously (e.g. laundry detergent, beverages)?

Could 1/30th of a second really influence impressions of Al Gore? …You Decide Could 1/30th of a second really influence impressions of Al Gore? Outline

Could 1/30th of a second really influence impressions of Al Gore? …You Decide Could 1/30th of a second really influence impressions of Al Gore? Outline

We are not obedient to Subliminal Messages Outline Research shows that the effect only occurs in controlled laboratory studies for a short time. When flashed words to elicit these moods we see slightly: More competitive participants More critical participants More supportive Research outside the laboratory shows no significant effect of subliminal information We don’t blindly obey! Placebo Effect with subliminal self help tapes

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Vicary’s Study New Jersey, 1957: Over 6 weeks, 45,699 people see subliminal ads “Eat Popcorn” – sales up 57.5% “Drink Coke” – sales up18.1% “Minds have been broken and entered” Outline

Except . . . . The Vicary “Eat Popcorn/Drink Coke” Study well. . . . Outline The Vicary “Eat Popcorn/Drink Coke” Study well. . . . In a 1962 interview, Vicary admitted that he had made the whole thing up!

Alleged types of subliminal presentation Outline Flashing it on the screen so quickly you can not perceive it but you still see it. Below the sensory perception threshold. Playing it backwards Embedding it into another image. Playing it at a low-volume masked over by other music or sounds.

Maybe Backmasking works? Outline A recording studio technique where backward messages are deliberately superimposed on the soundtrack The fear . . . “Human brains are capable of receiving, scanning, deciphering, storing and later reacting to subliminal or subconscious messages” http://jeffmilner.com/backmasking.htm

Another One Bites the Dust Outline Forward Reverse "It's fun to smoke marijuana"

Stairway to Heaven Forward Reverse Outline Forward Reverse ""Glory glory to my sweet Satan, there was a little child born, it makes me sad, whose power is Satan"

The most famous backmasking ever? Outline Forward Reverse Message - "Paul is a dead man, miss him, miss him, MISS HIM" The Beatles have vehemently denied this. Still fans of every generation have listened to this message and heard the same words.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Outline Forward Reverse "I wish there were no Allah."

Pokemon Rap Forward Reverse Outline Forward Reverse "I love satan, love satan. I love satan, love satan." http://www.backmaskonline.com/pop.html

Maybe Subliminal Embeds? Outline In the 1970s, Wilson Bryan Key wrote such books as Subliminal Seduction and Media Sexploitation in which he claimed subliminal sexual symbols or objects are often used to entice consumers to buy and use various products and services. One of Key’s most famous claims is that the word sex was often embedded in products and advertisements.

Subliminal Embeds -

Not the last of it… Sexual imagery in ads? Outline Sexual imagery in ads? Wilson Bryan Key: “sex” in ice cubes, nude figures in images from butter to icing in cake mix ads. Even if images aren’t consciously perceived, they put us in good mood and pay more attention to ad

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Why? Perceptual Set!!! Outline Perceptual set is a bias or readiness to perceive certain aspects of available sensory data and to ignore others. Listeners “hear” diabolical messages in rock music because they are prepared to “discover” certain messages, and therefore they do. Vokey and Read 1985

This is not to say that sex isn’t used in ads. Outline It is used harmfully and ubiquitously. We swim in a toxic media environment that perpetuates some of the worst messages of our society.

Cintia Dicker – 1986 25 year old swimsuit model with breast implants In February 2006, American Eagle launched the aerie intimates sub-brand, targeting the American15–21 year old female demographic segment.

Product Placement = Not subliminal! Outline

Product Placement Outline

Product Placement Outline

Perceptual Set Activity

Group A Outline You are going to look briefly at a picture and then answer some questions about it. The picture is a rough sketch of a poster for a costume ball. Do not dwell on the picture. Look at it only long enough to “take it all in” once. After this, you will answer YES or NO to a series of questions.

Group B Outline You are going to look briefly at a picture and then answer some questions about it. The picture is a rough sketch of a poster for a trained seal act. Do not dwell on the picture. Look at it only long enough to “take it all in” once. After this, you will answer YES or NO to a series of questions.

Picture Outline

In the picture was there . . Outline A car? A man? A woman? A child? An animal? A whip? A sword? A man’s hat? A ball? A fish?

Conclusion Outline Top Down processing – you go beyond the sensory information to try to make meaning out of ambiguity in your world What you expect (your experiences and your perceptual set) drives this process Today we will see what expectations we all have in common.

The first step in Perception is Attention Outline We sense 11,000,000 bits of information per second. We consciously only process about 40 bits (Wilson 2002). The process by which we attend to these bits is called selective attention Selective Attention can miss things! (Click here)

Inattentional Blindness Outline Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris (1999) Participants told to count how many times the black jersey team passes the ball 50+% of the participants completely missed the gorrilla

Change Blindness Outline We are blind to changes in our environment.

Extrasensory Perception Refers to extraordinary perception such as Clairvoyance – awareness of an unknown object or event Telepathy – knowledge of someone else’s thoughts or feelings Precognition – foreknowledge of future events Research has been unable to conclusively demonstrate the existence of ESP

Ganzfeld Procedure Bem & Honorton, 1994 All sensory information reduced “receiver” in reclining chair in sound proof chamber with ping-pong balls, red light, earphones, white noise In Separate room, “sender” concentrates on visual stimuli 32% hit rate better than chance Has not been replicated Experimentation has not yet given scientific support