PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Absolute Threshold, Thalamus, Psychophysics

• School: McGill University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Jens Pruessner

Document Summary

Sensation: our sense organs" detection of and responses to external stimuli and the transmission of these responses to the brain. Perception: the process in the brain, organization and interpretation of sensory signals: it results in an internal representation of the stimulus. Stimulus: a green light emits physical properties in the form of photons. Sensation: sensory receptors in the driver"s eye detect this stimuli. Sensory coding: the stimulus is transducted (translated into chemical and electrical signals that are transmitted to the brain. Perception: the driver"s brain processes the neural signals and constructs a representation of a green light ahead, which is interpreted as a sign to continue driving. Perception is often based on our prior experiences, which shape our expectations about new sensory experiences. What we sense is the result of our brain processes that actively construct perceptual experiences and, as a result, allow us to adapt to our environments" details. Stimuli must be coded to be understood by the brain.