PSYC 100 Chapter Notes -Interposition, Gustav Fechner, Railways Act 1921
Document Summary
Sensation the process by which you detect physical energy from your environment and encode it as neural signals; activation of senses. Perception the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information; influenced by your memory, motivation, emotion, and even culture; understanding these sensations. Bottom-up processing analysis that begins with the sense receptors and works up to the brain"s processing of information; takes longer, more accurate. Top-down processing information processing guided by higher-level processes (expectations & experiences) Psychophysics the study of the relationship between physical energy and psychological experiences; asks questions about our sensitivity to stimuli. (ex. Absolute threshold the minimum stimulation needed to detect one stimulus 50% of the time. Signal detection theory theory that our ability to detect absolute thresholds and signals changes based on our level of experience, focus, motivation, and fatigue. Subliminal stimulation stimulation below one"s threshold of conscious awareness (ex. advertising)
