Psych 120 Chapter 6 Part 2

Key Topics Covered

• Perception and Sensation

  • Distinction between sensation and perception.
  • How sensory information is processed and interpreted by the brain.

• Visual Perception

  • The role of the eyes in capturing visual stimuli.
  • How the brain processes visual information.
  • Examples of optical illusions and what they reveal about perception.

• Auditory Perception

  • The auditory system and how humans perceive sound.
  • How sound waves are transformed into neural signals.
  • The importance of context in interpreting sounds.

• Other Senses

  • Overview of other sensory systems (e.g., taste, smell, touch).
  • How these senses contribute to the overall perceptual experience.

Important Concepts

• Sensory Adaptation

  • Definition and examples.
  • The impact on daily sensory experiences.

• Perceptual Constancy

  • Explanation and significance in perception.
  • Examples demonstrating perceptual constancy.

• Depth Perception

  • How humans perceive depth and distance.
  • The cues used by the brain to interpret three-dimensional space.

Applications and Examples

• Real-life Applications

  • How understanding perception can improve safety in design (e.g., road signs, ergonomic tools).
  • The role of perception research in technology, such as virtual reality.

• Psychological Experiments

  • Classic experiments that have contributed to our understanding of perception.
  • Results and implications of these studies.

Conclusion

• The importance of studying perception and sensation in understanding human behavior and interaction with the environment.
• Future directions for research in sensory and perceptual psychology.