Psychology 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Gestalt Psychology, Middle Ear, Auditory Cortex

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: Terry Biggs

Document Summary

The process by which our sense organs respond to and translate stimuli into nerve impulses sent to the brain: perception. Organizing stimulus input and giving it meaning. Stages of sensation and perception: stimuli activate sensory receptors, sensory receptors translate information into nerve impulses, specialized neurons analyze stimuli features, stimulus pieces are reconstructed and compared to stimuli in memory, perception is then consciously experienced. Psychophysics: sensitivity to stimuli: absolute limits of sensitivity. Dimmest light in which we can see objects. Softest sound we can hear: recognizing differences between stimuli. The lowest intensity at which a stimulus can be detected 50% of the time. Method: fill 1 with very hot water, fill 1 with very cold water, fill 1 with tepid water. Procedure: subject closes eyes- place one hand in hot and the other in cold for approx. Ask subject to report sensation for each hand separately.