A.P. Psychology
Mr. Kahawai
Unit #5: Sensation and Perception
Reading Schedule
Processes, Vision & Hearing
pp. 126 – 138
Key Questions:
Smell & Taste
pp. 137 – 141
Perception & Selective Attention pp. 142 – 148
 In general, how do sensory systems function?
Depth Perception & Perceptual Learning
 How is vision accomplished?
pp. 149 – 157
 How do we perceive colors?
 What are the mechanisms of hearing?
 How do the chemical senses operate?
 What are the somesthetic senses and why are they important?
 What are perceptual constancies, and what is their role in perception?
 What basic principles do we use to group sensations into meaningful patterns?
 How is it possible to see depth and judge distance?
 What effect does learning have on perception?
 How is perception influenced by emotion, experience and expectation?
 How reliable are eyewitness reports?
Objectives:
 Contrast the processes of sensation and perception
 Distinguish between absolute and difference thresholds
 Label diagrams of the eye and ear
 Describe the operation of the sensory systems
 Explain the Young-Helmholtz and opponent-process theories of color vision
 Discuss Gestalt psychology’s contributions to our understanding of perception
 Discuss research on depth perception and cues
Key Concepts / Vocabulary:
Sensory coding
Sensation
Perception
Psychophysics
Absolute threshold
Difference Threshold
Just-noticeable difference
Weber’s law
Subliminal perception
Visible spectrum
Retina
Accommodation
Cochlea
Myopia
Astigmatism
Presbyopia
Iris
Pupil
Cones
Rods
Lens
Blind spot
Visual acuity
Fovea
Trichromatic theory
Opponent-process theory
Color blindness
Young-Helmholtz theory
Ossicles
Hair cells
Organ of Corti
Frequency theory
Place theory
Conduction deafness
Nerve deafness
Stimulation deafness
Olfaction
Gustation
Anosmia
Pheromone
Taste bud
Somesthetic sense
Kinesthetic sense
Vestibular sense
Sensory conflict theory
Sensory adaptation
Selective attention
Gate control theory
Phantom limb
Figure-ground organization
Depth perception
Depth cues
Stereoscopic vision
Apparent-distance hypothesis
Context
Frame of reference
Illusion
Stroboscopic movement
Muller-Lyer illusion
Size-distance invariance
Selective attention
Divided attention
Habituation
Bottom-up processing
Top-down processing
Perceptual expectancy
Extrasensory perception