Psychology 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Outer Ear, Cochlea, Retina

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: Laura Fazakas-de Hoog

Document Summary

Sensation- stimulation of the sense organs ( eyes, skin, ears) Psychophysics- the study of how physical stimuli are translated into psychological experience. How pressure/chemical stimuli are translated into the experience of perception. Sensory stimuli- things that get registered in the retina of our eyes ( light waves) Sensory integration- happens almost instantaneously, but are actually multiple steps. Stimuli registered in the retina of the eye. This leads to recognition and perception of the stimulus in the environment. Some stimuli are so weak (low) that they do not register in our conscious awarenes. Absolute threshold - detect the stimulus 50% of the time. Start with a sound so low we cannot detect it, then slowly turn it up un person says we can hear it and 50% we cant. The minimal amount the stimulus needs to be increased or decreased t from the original stimulus. Play a sound we can hear and slowly turn it up until we can tell it.