LESSON 4 - SENSATION AND PERCEPTION

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever wondered whether people who look at the same thing are all having the
same experience? When different people look at something and call it ―green,‖ how can we
know whether they are having the same experience? We would all agree that there is no way to
be sure. If the answer isn’t clear to you, perhaps it will be after you read this lesson.

Sensation is the conversion of energy from the environment into a pattern of response
by the nervous system. It is the registration of information. Perception is the interpretation of that
information. For example, light rays striking your eyes produce sensation. Your experience of
recognizing your roommate is a perception. In practice, the distinction between sensation and
perception is often difficult to make.

LESSON OUTCOMES: At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Contrast sensation and perception.

2. Discuss how our perceptions are directed and limited by selective attention, noting how
we may or may not be affected by unattended stimuli.

3. Distinguish between absolute and difference thresholds, and discuss whether we can
sense and be affected by subliminal or unchanging stimuli.

COURSE MATERIALS

TRY THIS YOURSELF:

What do you see?

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  All outside information comes into us through our senses.

 Sensation—the process of detecting, receiving, converting and transmitting information

resulting from stimulation of sensory receptors.

 Perception—the process of selecting, identifying, organizing and interpreting sensory

input into useful and meaningful mental representations of the world in the light of
relevant memories from past experiences.

 The basic function of sensation is detection of sensory stimuli, whereas perception

generally involves interpretation of the same stimuli.

 Our senses tell us something is out there. Our perception tells us what that something is.

 In practice, sensation and perception are virtually impossible to separate, because they
are part of one continuous process.

THE HUMAN SENSES

 Vision (sense of sight) sensitive to LIGHT ENERGY

 Auditory (sense of hearing)

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 stimulated by SOUND ENERGY

 Olfaction (sense of smell) stimulates our nostrils by CHEMICAL ENERGY

 Gustation (sense of taste)

 Tactile (skin senses for pressure, temperature, pain) THERMAL ENERGY

 Vestibular (sense of balance)

 Kinesthesia (sense of posture and movement)

 Organic (sensation from internal organs such as hunger, thirst, drowsiness)

Information (e.g. light, sound)—activate our sense

receptors in the sensory organs which receive and
process sensory information from environment.

Transduction—after stimuli enter sensory organs, the sense

receptor will change/covert the stimulus into electrical signals
called neural impulses which are sent to the brain.

When neural impulses reach the particular area in the brain,

they are changed into meaningless bits of information called
sensation which involves the detection of sensory stimuli.

These meaningless bits of information are then changed into

meaningful and complete images called perception—the
interpretation of sensory stimuli.

 Our sense organs translate physical energy from the environment into electrical
impulses processed by the brain.

For example, light, in the form of electromagnetic radiation, causes receptor cells
in our eyes to activate and send signals to the brain.

 But we do not understand these signals as pure energy. The process of perception
allows us to interpret them as objects, events, people, and situations.

 Without the ability to organize and interpret sensations, life would seem like a
meaningless jumble of colors, shapes, and sounds. A person without any perceptual
ability would not be able to recognize faces, understand language, or avoid threats.

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 Sensory reduction— it is the process in which we filter and analyze sensory information
before they are sent to the brain.

Why do we need to reduce the amount of sensory information we receive?

 So that the brain is not overwhelmed with unnecessary information because it

needs to be free to respond to stimuli that have meaning for survival.

 All species have evolved selective receptors that suppress or amplify information
to allow survival.

Sensory adaptation—repeated or constant stimulation decreases the number of sensory

messages sent to the brain, which causes decreased sensation.

Threshold—refers to a point above which a stimulus is perceived and below which it is not
perceived. It determines when we first become aware of a stimulus.

SENSORY THRESHOLDS

Ex. How close does an approaching bumble bee have to be, before you can hear it
buzzing?

How far does a brewing coffee pot have to be, for you to detect the aroma of the
coffee?

Difference threshold—or just noticeable difference, is the smallest change in stimulus

that we can detect.

 Example: An artist might detect the difference between two very similar shades of color

Absolute threshold is the smallest amount of stimulus that can be detected.

 When a stimulus has more energy than the absolute threshold, we can detect its
presence.

 When a stimulus has less energy than the absolute threshold, we cannot detect its
presence.

Some established absolute thresholds are:

 Vision: a candle flame 30 miles away on a clear night.

 Hearing: a watch ticking 20 feet away

 Taste: 1 teaspoon of sugar dissolved in 2 gallons of water

 Smell: a single drop of perfume in a three-room house

 Touch: a bee's wing falling a distance of 1 centimeter onto the cheek.

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  PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT THRESHOLDS, BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE HAVE
BETTER HEARING THAN OTHERS, AND SOME PEOPLE HAVE BETTER VISIONS
THAN OTHERS.

PERCEPTION

 The word perception comes from the Latin perception-, percepio, meaning "receiving,
collecting, action of taking possession, apprehension with the mind or senses."

 To identify a pattern of sensory input is to categorize it, in which various expectations,

motives, experiences are brought into play.

1. The first step in perception is selection—choosing where to direct our attention.

We do not perceive everything at once—we select certain objects to perceive
while ignoring others.
 Attention—is the direction of perception toward certain selected objects.
 Attention is selective—we focus on specific and important aspects of experience
while ignoring others.
 Attention is shiftable—we may focus from one specific object to another.

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DETERMINANTS OF ATTENTION

 Nature—whether visual or auditory, words or images, animate or inanimate objects

 Reality—real, concrete things are more attention-getting than hypothetical, abstract or

mental

 Familiarity—people pay more attention to things that are familiar

 Location/Proximity—we pay attention to things that are near than those that are far

 Novelty—we pay attention to things that are new and different in contrast to what is
customary

 Suspense—people pay attention to things that build suspense.

 Conflict—people pay attention to a good fight.

 Humor—people pay attention to things that are funny.

 The vital—people nearly always pay attention to matters that affect their health,
reputation, property, or employment.

 Activity—things that move, flash or blink

 Intensity—sounds that are louder are more attention-getting than soft music

2. Having selected incoming information, we organize it into patterns and principles

that will help us understand the world.
3. After selectively sorting through incoming sensory information and organizing it into
patterns, the brain uses this information to explain and make judgments about the
external world. This is the final stage of perception—interpretation.

 Knowledge and experience are extremely important for perception, because they help us
make sense of the input to our sensory systems.

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PRINCIPLES OF PERCEPTUAL ORGANIZATION

In mentally organizing stimuli, objects

that are physically close to one
another are grouped together or seen
as a unit.

In organizing stimuli,

elements that appear
similar in color,
lightness, texture,
shape, or any other
quality are grouped
together.

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The law of continuity leads us
to see a line as continuing in a
particular direction, rather than
making an abrupt turn.
We tend to favor smooth or
continuous paths when
interpreting a series of points
or lines.

In organizing stimuli, we tend to fill in any missing

part or incomplete figures and see them as
complete figures.

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In organizing stimuli, we tend to
favor symmetrical objects or
relationships.

In organizing a
stimuli, we tend to
automatically
distinguish between a
figure or foreground
(object with more
details) and a
ground (has less
detail).

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  Gestalt psychologists
have devised
ambiguous figure-
ground relationships—
that is, drawings in which
the figure and ground
can be reversed—to
illustrate their point that
the whole is different
from the sum of its parts.

Reversible figures are

those objects that are so
shaped that both may
be seen as either the
figure or the ground—
the object that the
individual is set to
perceive will probably
be noticed first.

EXTRA SENSORY PERCEPTION

• It is a perception without the mediation of the senses. It includes:

– Clairvoyance – is extra sensory awareness of objects. Contact between the

mind of the person and on the object.

– Telepathy – is a thought transmission from one mind to another.

– Precognition – is foreknowledge of specific events without any rational means.

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 – Psychokinesis or Telekinesis– (mind over matter) includes mental operations that
influence a material body or an energy system.

READINGS/REFERENCES:

Chapter 4 & 5 – Sensation and Perception

Psychology 8th ed. by Henry Gleitman, James Gross & Daniel Reiberg

Chapter 5 – Sensation and Perception (n.d.) Retrieved from

https://allpsych.com/psychology101/sensation_perception/

WATCH:

Sensation and Perception

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unWnZvXJH2o

Introduction to Sensation and Perception

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP3ThMv8p4s

ACTIVITIES/ASSESSMENT: (Group Activity)

Critical Thinking:

1. If a man is blind, deaf mute, or paralyzed, how can he perceive?

2. What is the role of perception in learning?

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