PSY 2012 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Fusiform Gyrus, Ear Canal, Vitamin A

• School: University of Florida
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 2012
• Professor: Rachel Heatherly

Document Summary

Illusion- the way we perceive certain stimuli doesn"t match their physical reality. Sensation- the detection of physical energy by our sense organs, including our eyes, ears, skin, nose, and tongue, which then relay information to the brain. Perception- the brain"s interpretation of raw sensory inputs. Transduction- the process by which the nervous system converts an external stimulus, like light or sound, into electrical signals within neurons. Sense receptor- specialized cell that transduces a specific stimulus, such as the sense receptors in the eyes transducing light. Sensory adaptation- when our response to a stimuli declines over time and exposure to it. Vi: you barely notice or feel yourself sitting on a chair after a few minutes, but clearly feel the chair when you first sit down. Psychophysics- the study of how we perceive sensory stimuli based on their physical characteristics. Absolute threshold of stimulus- the lowest level of a stimulus that we can detect on 50%