PSYCH101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4.1: Inattentional Blindness, Detection Theory, Gustav Fechner

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH101
• Professor: Richard Ennis

Document Summary

4. 1 - sensation and perception at a glance. Sensation - the process of detecting external events by sense organs and turning those stimuli into neural signals. Perception - attending to, organizing, and interpreting stimuli that we sense. Transduction - when specialized receptors transform physical energy of the outside world into neural impulses. Hair cells that respond to pressure changes in ear. Pressure, stretching, or piercing of the skin surface. Different types of nerve endings that respond to pressure, temperature changes, and pain. Chemicals on the tongue and in the mouth. Cells lining the taste buds of the tongue. Chemical contacting mucus- lined membranes of the nose. Nerve endings that respond selectively to different compounds. Doctrine of specific nerve energies - idea first proposed by johannes muller; states that different senses are separated in the brain. Sensory adaptation - the reduction of activity in sensory receptors with repeated exposure to stimulus.