Psychology 1000 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Visual Cortex, Sensory Threshold, Optic Nerve

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: Laura Fazakas- De Hoog

Document Summary

Sensation the stimulus-detection process by which our sense organs respond to and translate environmental stimuli into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain. Perception active process of organizing the stimulus input and giving it meaning. Psychophysics -- study of how physical stimuli are translated into psychological experience. Receptors translate stimulus properties into nerve impulses (transduction) Neural representation is compared with previously stored information brain. Matching process results in recognition and interpretation of stimuli. Stimulus: information in the environment that is picked up by receptors in our ns. Stimulus detection: fechner: concept of threshold. Absolute threshold: designated as the lowest intensity at which a stimulus can be detected 50% of the time. Difference threshold (just noticeable difference jnd) smallest difference between two stimuli that needs to be increased/decreased to be judged as different from original stimulus. Weber"s law to perceive a difference between two stimuli, one must differ by a constant ratio.