PSYC 1000 Chapter Notes -Absolute Threshold, Detection Theory, Sensory System

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 1000
• Professor: Benjamin Giguere

Document Summary

Sensation the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment. Perception the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events. In everyday experiences, sensation and perception blend into one continuous process. Our bottom-up processing starts at the sensory receptors and works up to higher levels of processing. Our top-down processing constructs perceptions from the sensory input by drawing on our experience and expectations. Conversion of one form of energy into another. All our senses: receive sensory stimulation, often using receptor cells; transform that stimulation into neural impulses; deliver the neural information to our brain. Psychophysics the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them. Sensation is the bottom-up process by which the physical sensory system receives and represents stimuli. Perception is the top-down mental process of organizing and interpreting sensory input.