PY324, Perception
Block 7, 2003-2004, Weir
Perception is the study of how stimuli in the environment are sensed and perceived. Students will be
introduced to research about the "five" senses listed by our culture: vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.
These sensory systems, plus other sensory experiences including pain and temperature sensation, form the
basis of human knowledge about the environment. Perception is important to survival and to the quality of
life. For instance, excess carbon monoxide is life threatening partly because it is not perceived. The quality
of life is affected by perception in daily activities such as to driving, walking and eating.
In this 300-level course, perceptual findings and theories to explain them will be studied. Much of this
research has a long and rich history. In addition, several alumni from Colorado College are actively pursuing
research connected with perception. The labs and demonstrations in the course are designed to provide
hands-on experiences about perceptual processing and to help students generate ideas about how a particular
perceptual event occurs. The tests and other assignments are designed to help students integrate findings
from the literature to answer questions, and to develop ways to write and speak about perceptual data. Three
visitors to class will speak linking perceptual research to the applied world: a color-blind individual, an
audiologist, and an optometrist working in low vision clinics.
Perception counts as one credit unit at CC and as one of two biobehavioral courses required for the
psychology major. The two prerequisites for Perception, Introduction to Psychology (PY100 or equivalent)
and Research Design in Psychology (PY201), guarantee that students are prepared before the course to read
papers in the perceptual literature, have some understanding of the nervous system, can write in APA style,
and are able to conduct good experiments. The course is useful for Neuroscience majors, but does not count
as a required course for that major at this time although it may be possible to petition for it to count.
A. Schedule
----------------------------------------Topic---------------------------Readings---------------------------------------Mon Mar 22
9:00 am Introduction and
By afternoon:
Psychophysical methods &Week 1 Labs Goldstein Chap 1
1:00 pm Video: Sensation and Perception #3093,
Discussion of Chapter 1
Week 1 experiments:
Absolute thresholds (hearing), Difference thresholds & Weber's law for
weight, Steven's Law for scaling area.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tue Mar 23
9:15am Cutaneous senses
Goldstein Chap 1, Chap 13
Video: Nova on Touch, #3804, #6387 Yang & Wu
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wed Mar 24
9:15am Vision I
G Chap 2, Chap 3
Receptors, Neural processes
Ramachandran
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thur Mar 25
9:15am Vision II
G Chap 4
Higher level visual processing
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fri Mar 26
9:30am Test 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mon Mar 29
9:15am Vision III
G Chap 6
Color perception and constancy
Tovee
Video: Nova Vision, #3805
Visitor: Dr Carl Roberts
1 pm Group oral reports on Week 1 experiments
Week 2 experiments:
Active vs Passive movement, Misplaced conjunctions, Perceived Distance
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tues Mar 30
9:15am Vision IV
G Chap 5
Object perception
Vecera
Video on agnosia
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wed, Mar 31
9:15am Vision V
G Chap 7
Depth and Size perception
Video: Vision & Movement, #318 (first half)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thurs, Apr 1
9:15am Vision VI
G Chap 8, Chap 9
Movement perception
Chap 16 pp545-564
Video: Vision and movement #318 (second half)
Visitor: Clinical aspects of vision
Dr. Theune, optometrist
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fri, Apr 2
9:30am Test 2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mon, Apr 5
9:15am Signal detection theory
Perform SDT expt,
Application to parenting
Goldstein Appendix A
Donovan et al.
Group Reports on Week 2 experiments
1:00 pm Phonemic adaptation experiment, Video: Pain & healing (#1134)
Week 3 Experiments: Signal detection data due at start of Monday class
Phonemic adaptation, Flavor Study or Team-designed expt
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tues, Apr 6
9:15am Hearing I
G Chap 10
Sound, hearing and pitch perception
Elliott and Prasher (on reserve)
1:00 pm Video: Nova Hearing #3801
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wed, Apr 7
9:15am Hearing II
G Chap 11,
Report on Signal Detection Expt
Chap 16 pp 564-579
Visitor: Clinical Aspects of Hearing
Audiologist, K. Budney
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thurs, Apr 8
9:15am Hearing III
G Chap 12
Speech Perception
Svirsky et al.
Group Report on Week 3 Expt -- Selective Adaptation to Speech
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fri, Apr 9
9:15am Chemical senses:
G Chap 14,
Sherman & Flaxman
Videos: Nova smell, Nova taste #3802, #3803
Group Report on Week 3 Expt -- Habituation to Flavor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mon, Apr 12
Lab Report Due (10 am) -each experimenter writes separately
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tues, Apr 13
9 am Multi-sensory experiences; Perceptual G Chap 15
Development; Review
Newell et al.
Video: McGurk effect
Martino & Marks
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wed, Apr 14
9:30
Final (Test 3)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COURSE GUIDELINES
B. Assignments and Class Schedule.
1) All the tests (including the final) will require writing two essay questions about classical issues in
perception. The essays will be written in a class test setting without notes in a 60-min period (30 minutes per
answer). On each Monday in the block, 4 questions will be given to you. On the test day, 3 options out of
the 4 will be listed, and you choose 2 out of these 3 on which to write essays. Of course, the professor hopes
all 4 essays will be carefully prepared because of the intrinsically interesting subject matter and high
motivation of class members. On the final, there will be one additional question requiring a summary of one
of four articles from the class packet.
2) Each student will work with another to analyze and prepare an oral report for the class on one lab
experiment. Everyone will also make an oral presentation about one of the articles in our course packet.
More detailed information about the test essays, oral and written lab reports, and the oral report on a class
reading will be handed out in class.
3) Class normally will meet from 9:15 to 11:45 on days when there are labs, and 9:15 to noon on
days without labs. Most afternoon labs will be from 1 to 2:30, but some may last to 3:00 pm. Students
conduct many lab experiments in their own time with a lab team member.
Lab requirements: Week 1 – each lab team tests
a) 4 participants in Audiogram study (two who have never attended rock concerts or night clubs and
two who have been frequently). These participants can be team members or non-members.
b) 2 team members in Weber’s Law for Lifted Weights,
c) 2 team members for experiment about Steven’s Law for scaling area of a circle.
Week 2 – each team tests
a) 2 lab team members in the Passive/active movement study.
b) each class member participates individually in the Misplaced conjunctions experiment.
c) each team provides 6 participants (2 for each group) in the Perceived Distance study.
Week 3 –
a) each class member performs in the Signal Detection Theory (SDT) study individually, bringing
these data to class on third Monday.
b) all participate in Phonemic Adaptation study to be administered in class as a class experiment.
c) Either perform the Habituation to Flavor experiment (recruit from in or out of class) or
work on a team-designed experiment (2 to 4 students in group design, perform, analyze an
experiment, then self-design team members individually write a full lab report)
Week 4 All students hand in one individually written full APA-style lab report. Select one class lab (not a
demonstration) or write a lab report on your team-designed experiment from Week 3.
C. Contact and Consultation
Professor:
Cathey Weir, Office hours 2-3 pm daily, office .
email
cweir@coloradocollege.edu (checked roughly twice a day)
Telephone
6596 or 6907 (phone any time between 7 am and 10 pm)
Statistics Advisor:
Kevin Ford
6191, kford@coloradocollege.edu, hours: 9 am to 5:30 pm, office
Paraprofessional:
Eric Nelson, 6177, enelson@coloradocollege.edu , hours 8 am till 5:00 pm,
D.
Grades.
My grading scale is the following: A 94+, A- 91 to 93, B+ 88-90, B 84-87, B- 81-84, C+ 78-80, C 74-77, C70-73, D 65-69, NC 64 and less.
Tests will count 50% (test 1, 15%, test 2, 15%, final, 20%); lab reports, 30% (oral report on lab results,
10%, and written lab report on class or team-designed experiment to be written individually, 20%);
oral report on class reading, 10%; and class/lab participation 10%.
Work handed in late will be given half-credit unless prior arrangement for a later deadline has been agreed
with Cathey.
E.
Honor System in this class
The written work (3 tests, lab report) is to be completed individually. The tests are closed book and
timed. For small group work (report on class experiment, conducting the small group self-designed
study), the team will decide how to allocate tasks and consultation with Cathey, Kevin, and Erik is
encouraged. Note that each individual in a team writes their own lab report.
F. Books and Journal Articles
TEXTBOOK:
Goldstein, E. B. (2002). Sensation and Perception (6th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Wadsworth.
PACKET OF READINGS
Donovan, W.L., Leavitt, L.A. & Walsh, R.O. (1997). Cognitive set and coping strategy affect mothers'
sensitivity to infant cries: A signal detection approach. Child Development, 68, 760-772.
Elliott, J. & Prasher, D. (1999). A review of the effects of amplified music on hearing: A RNID campaign
for safer sound. The Ear, 1, 4-9. (on reserve in the library)
Martino, G. & Marks, L.E. (2001). Synesthesia: Strong and weak. Current Directions in Psychological
Science, 10, 61-65.
Newell, F.N., Ernst, M.O., Tjan, B.S., Bulthoff, H.H. (2001). Viewpoint dependence in visual and haptic
object recognition. Psychological Science, 12, 37-42.
Ramachandran, V.S. (1993). Filling in gaps in perception: Part II. Scotomas and phantom limbs. Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 2, 56-65.
Sherman, P.W. & Flaxman, S.M. (2001). Protecting ourselves from food. American Scientist, 89, 142-151.
Svirsky, M.A., Robbins, A.M., Kirk, K.I., Pisoni, D.B. & Miyamoto, R. T. (2000). Language development
in profoundly deaf children with cochlear implants. Psychological Science, 11, 153-158.
Tovee, M.J. (1992). Colour blindness. Psychologist, 5, 501-503.
Vecera, S.P. (2002). Dissociating ‘what’ and ‘how’ in visual form agnosia: A computational investigation.
Neuropsychologia, 40, 187-204.
Yang, J. & Wu, C.L. (2001). Gene therapy for pain. American Scientist, 89, 126-135.
Extra credit: Write 500-word essay (2 pages) describing article by Olshausen & Field in packet but not
assigned as a class reading.