1. Sensation and Perception
Bottom-up Processing
Top-down Processing

2. Sensation Psychophysics
study of the relationship between the physical characteristics of stimuli and our psychological experience of them
What intensity does a stimulus have to be to detect.
How sensitive are we to changing stimuli.

3. Theories of Sensation Recognition Threshold Theory
the stimulus must reach a certain level before it is recognized and reacted to

4. Theories of Sensation Recognition Threshold Theory Absolute Threshold
minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

5. Theories of Sensation Difference Threshold Weber’s (vay-bers) Law
Also called “just noticeable difference” (JND)
Weber’s (vay-bers) Law
to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant proportion (percentage) rather than a constant amount
light intensity- 8%
weight- 2%
tone frequency- 0.3%

6. Subliminal Sensation & Perception
The perception of below threshold stimulus without awareness.
Evidence does not demonstrate that subliminal persuasion is possible.
“Much of our information processing occurs automatically, out of sight, off the radar screen of our conscious minds”

7. Theories of Sensation Signal Detection Theory
assumes there are no thresholds
holds that response detection involves two things
Sensory process
Decision process
Involves
selective attention
response bias

8. Sensation
Sensory Adaptation
Sensory Deprivation
Sensory Overload

9. Sensation
Sensory Interaction
Smell + Tecture + Taste = Flavor