Psychology 1000 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Detection Theory, Absolute Threshold, Action Potential

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: Dr.Mike

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: making sense of what our senses tell us the active process of organizing this stimulus input and giving it meaning. Transduction: translating information into the language of nerve impulses. Psychophysics: studies relations between the physical characteristics of stimuli and sensory capabilities. Concerned with two capabilities: absolute limits of sensitivity, differences between stimuli. Lowest intensity at which a stimulus can be detected correctly 50% of the time. Lower the at, the greater the sensitivity. Concerned with the factors that influence sensory judgments. A standard of how certain a person must be that a stimulus is present before they say they detect it. Can change from time to time depending on fatigue, expectation, significance of stimuli. Concerned with the factors that influence sensory judgment.