1. If Psychology is about the brain, why are we looking at the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin?

2. Sensation
Sensation- the process of our senses receiving information from our environment and transmitting it to our brains
bottom-up processing – it comes FROM our sensory systems and moves TO our brains for analysis.
Perception- the brain’s INTERPRETATION of the sensory information
Guess the following…
a small red roundish object that fits in the palm of your hand-
it feels cool and smooth and has a sweet smell-
if you bite it, it crunches and releases a sweet juice.
Top-down processing – when your brain draws on previous experiences and expectations to interpret incoming sensations.

3. Thresholds
Absolute Threshold- MINIMUM amount of sensory stimulation a person can normally detect

4. Difference threshold-the amount of difference required between two stimuli for the brain to tell the difference between them.
Sensory Adaptation- diminished sensitivity as a result of constant stimulation
Threshold video