PSY 150A1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Absolute Threshold, Neural Adaptation, Interposition

• School: University of Arizona
• Department: Psychology Main
• Course: PSY 150A1
• Professor: Cynthia Erickson

Document Summary

Sensation: the process of detecting and representing stimulus energies by the nervous system. Perception: we interpret the sensory information, how sensory input is organized and interpreted, our past experiences and current states change our perceptions. Steps: receive sensory information, transform into neural activity. The minimal simulation a person needs to detect a stimulus 50% of the time. Below one"s absolute threshold for conscious awareness. Visual perceptions of objects changes because it has been viewed in different situations, our expectations have changed. A mental predisposition that influences what we perceive. The activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, predisposing one"s perception, memory, or response. The idea that physical state of body influences how you see things. Ex: if you"re really tired and you"re climbing a steep hill it will look harder and steeper than normally percepted. When somewhat different images our two eyes receive of the same object. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.