Sensation and Perception.docx

Sensation and Perception Sensation: process in which the stimulation of receptor cells sends nerve impulses to the brain. Perception: process in which the brain interprets sensations, giving them order and meaning. Psychophysics: Stimulus Discrimination:  Just Noticeable Difference (JND) (minimum difference accurately perceived). Sitting in a dark room…having two lights shone from different doors and asked which light is brighter.  Weber’s Law (JND in sensation is always a constant proportion of the initial intensity). For lighter things, we can spot smaller differences. For heavier things, we don’t really notice small changes (1g in a 1kg object…hard to notice).  Fechner’s Law (as intensity increases, larger increases are needed to produce subjectively equal changes) Stimulus Detection:  Sensory threshold. When c