PSY 150 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Detection Theory, Opponent Process, Retina
Document Summary
A perceptual condition in which the stimulation of one senes triggers an automatic, involuntary experience in another sense. May see sounds, taste words or feel a sensation on their skin when they smell certain scents. May also see abstract concepts like time projected in the space around them. Sensation: detection of external stimuli and transmission of information about the stimuli to the brain (ex light waves, sound waves) Transduction: sensory receptors translate stimuli into neural signals that are sent to the brain (ex cheeseburger triggers neuron to fire action potential) Perception: processing, organization, interpretation of sensory signals in the brain (ex the strong scent of parmesan cheese) Absolute threshold: smallest amount of stimulation required to detect sensory input (ex watching a clock ticking 20 feet away) Difference threshold: smallest difference that is noticeable between two sensory inputs. Detection of a faint stimulus requires a judgement-- it is not on all-or-none process (ex servers who notice an incorrect order)
