Psychology 1000 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Stimulus Modality, Synesthesia, Binding Problem

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: John Campbell

Document Summary

Sensation: stimulus-detection process by which our sense organs respond to and translate environmental stimuli into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain. Transduction: process whereby the characteristics of a stimulus are converted into nerve impulses. Psychophysics: studies relations between the physical characteristics of stimuli and sensory capabilities, is concerned with two kinds of sensitivity: absolute limits of sensitivity (softest sound?) Chapter 5 notes: differences between stimuli (smallest difference in brightness we can detect?) Signal detection theory: concerned with factors that influence sensory judgements: fixed absolute threshold is inaccurate because there is no single point on the intensity scale that separates non-detection from detection of a stimulus. The difference threshold: smallest difference between two stimuli that people can perceive. If weight were 500 grams, a second weight would have to be at least. Vision: normal stimulus is electromagnetic energy, which is measured in nanometres.