PSY100Y5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Gustav Fechner, Subliminal Stimuli, Neural Adaptation
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PSY100Y5 Full Course Notes
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Sensation and perception connect us to the physical world. Sensation involves absorption of energy such as light or sound waves to organs such as eyes. Perception involves organizing and translating sensory input into something meaningful. Gustav fechner published seminal work on psychophysics in germany in 1860. Signal-detection theory attempts to account for the in uence of decision-making processes. Possible outcomes in signal-detection theory ; hit, miss, false alarm, correct rejection. Noise refers to all of the irrelevant stimuli in the environment. Detectability is measured in terms of probability and depends on decision-making processes. Subliminal stimulation generally produces weak effects (with concern of advertisement) Example of sensory adaptation is odour of garbage, if you stay around it for long enough the scent starts to fade, the stimulus intensity is stable but with continued exposure your sensitivity decreases as well as sensory processes. Sensory adaptation is an automatic, built-in process (sculpted b natural selection)
