PSYCH101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Absolute Threshold, Sound, Neural Adaptation

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH101
• Professor: Paul Wehr

Document Summary

Sensation: the process of detecting external events with sense organs and turning those stimuli into neutral signals. Perception: involves attending to, organizing, and interpreting stimuli that we sense. Transduction: specialized receptors transform the physical energy of the outside world into neural impulses- give rise to internal representation sensory receptors. Touch- pressure, stretching, warming, cooling or piercing or the skin surface. Smell- chemicals contacting mucusline membranes of the nose. Doctrine of specific nerve energies: the different senses are separated in the brain johannes muller. Infants- overlapping sensations spoken language -> hearing, vision. Orienting response: how we quickly shift our attention to stimuli that signal a change in our sensory world. Sensory adaptation: reduction of activity in sensory receptors with repeated exposure to a stimulus. Fechner: psychophysics: field of study that explores how physical energy such as light and sound and their intensity relate to psychological experience.