Sensation and
Perception
PSYCHOLOGY 1
Objectives
-Understand the definition of sensation and perception;
-Discuss concepts of threshold;
-Explain signal detection theory and sensory adaptation;
-Familiarize with sensory system;
-Explain the movement of perception;
-Determine between perceptual illusion and sound
perception;
-Discuss difference between olfactory and gustatory
perception and
-Understand special type of perception.
Definition
In psychology, Sensation and Perception
are stages of processing of the senses in
human and animal systems, such as
vision, auditory, vestibular, and pain
senses.
Thresholds
• A minimum amount of stimulation needed to
start a neural impulse.
• Divides the line between what energy can be
detected or not.
• Absolute Threshold and Difference Threshold
Absolute threshold for our Senses
Senses
Absolute Threshold Equivalent
Vision
Candle thirty miles away on a clear, dark night
Hearing
Tick of a watch twenty feet away in a quiet room
Taste
Teaspoons of sugar dissolved in two gallons of water
Smell
One drop of perfume in a three-room apartment
Touch
A bee’s wing falling on the cheek from a height of one centimeter
Warmth or
Cold
A one to two degree celcius change in skin temperature
Signal-Detection Theory
• Signal detection theory (SDT) is used when
psychologists want to measure the way we
make decisions under conditions of
uncertainty, such as how we would perceive
distances in foggy conditions.
Sensory
Adaptation
Visual Sensation
Sense of Sight
Auditory Sensation
Sense of Hearing
Olfactory Sensation
Sense of Smell
Gustatory Sensation
Sense of Taste
Cutaneous or
Skin Sensation
Sense of Touch
Sense Organ
Various Senses
Receptor Cells
Eyes
Sight
Rods and cones in
the retina
Ears
Hearing
Hair cells in the
Organ of Corti
Tongue
Gustatory
Taste cells in the
taste buds
Nose
Olfactory
Olfactory Epithelium
cells
Skin
Pressure, pain,
warmth, and cold
Subcutaneous
adipose tissues
The End