Unit Mapping
Chapter 4: Sensation and Perception
Standards:
P.6.12 Explain sensory adaptation, sensory deprivation and the importance of selective attention.
P.6.13 List and explain the psychological influences and experiences on perception.
P.6.15 Identify how vision, motor, language and other functions are regulated by each
hemisphere.
Essential Questions (Themes)
-What are the top-down and bottom-up processing and when are they used in the brain?
-What are sensation and perception? How are they linked?
-Why would we want to reduce the sensory information?
-What are subliminal messages?
-If we don’t adapt to pain, how do athletes keep playing despite painful injuries?
-Why are some sounds louder than others?
-How do we hear different pitch (low to high)?
-Does Smell affect physical attraction?
-Why are children picky about food?
-What causes motion sickness?
-How does habituation differ from adaption?
Objectives (SWBAT)
-Distinguish between sensation and perception
-Compare top-down and bottom-up processing
-Be able to explain how the brain processes sensory information
-Define sensory adaptation and explain why it is helpful
-Explain the gate-control theory of pain perception
-Identify the key structures and functions of the eye
-Identify common problems with vision
-Discuss the theories of color vision
-Identify the three key parts of the ear
-Briefly explain the processes of olfaction and gustation
-Explain the body senses and how they work
-Illusions and why they are important
-Describe the selection process and the 3 key factors (selective attention, feature detectors, and
habituation)
-Describe the Gestalt laws of perceptual organizations and whether they apply cross-culturally
-How we perceive depth and why binocular and monocular cues are important
-Which factors determine how we interpret sensation
Time
12:37-1:27
Monday: Anticipation activity (optical illusions) top-down/bottom-up processing, what is
sensation? How the brain processes sensory information, what is light? Discuss structure of the
eye, visual problems, trichromatic theory of color
Tuesday: Quick review of the eye, structure of the ear, waves of sound, problems with hearing,
introduce nose
Wednesday: structure of nose, olfaction and gustation, connection of smell and taste, introduce
perception
Thursday: illusion, selective attention, habituation, Gestalt Laws, perceptual constancies, discuss
what will be on the test
Friday: TEST
Assessment
Prior to week: Have students write an exit slip on what they think the definition of sensation and
perception are and the difference between the two
Following lessons: Students will take a test directly relating to lecture notes during the week,
notes from the book, and questions that will be asked on the AP exam
Materials
Book, Lecture notes from the book, overhead, YouTube videos on sensation and perception, test
Methods
Group discussion, view interesting videos pertaining to what is being discussed, focused reading
for homework, defining vocabulary words from the book for homework (to be turned in on the
day of the test), lecture notes including discussion during note session