PS102 Lecture 25: Chapter 5 - Sensation and Perception
Document Summary
Sensation is the process through which the senses detect visual, auditory, and other sensory stimuli and transmit them to the brain. Perception is the process by which sensory information is actively organized and interpreted by the brain. Bottom-up processing: perception that proceeds by transducing environmental stimuli into neural impulses that move successively into more complex brain regions. Top-down processing: perception processes led by cognitive processes, such as memory or expectations. Somatosensory pressure or damage to the skin. Both sensation and perception are critical for our interpretations and interaction with our environment. Sensory receptor cells specialized cells that convert a specific form of environmental stimuli into neural impulses. Sensory transduction - the process of converting a specific form of sensory data into a neural impulse that our brain can read. The smallest amount of a stimulus that one can detect. Smell - a drop of perfume diffused throughout a six-room apartment.
