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What is the difference between sensation and

perception?

Sensation:

Perception:

The process of detecting a

stimulus, such as
light waves (vision)

The process of integrating,

organizing and interpreting
sensations.
,

,
sound waves (hearing)
chemical molecules (smell
and taste
),
heat or pressure (touch).

You might want to think of sensation and perception as

two ends of a continuum. There is no clear dividing line
between sensation and perception. Where sensation
ends and perception begins is difficult to determine.

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How many right angles do people perceive?

How many right angles are there?

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The Basic Senses and What They Detect

What do we
detect?
Light waves

pressure waves

Image source: Psychology (2011), Schacter et al.

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Sensory Processes: Signal Detection Theory

Your ability to detect sensory information depended not
only on the intensity of the stimulus (e.g. how bright the
light is), but it involved human judgment (also see
response bias, page 137).

Signal Detection Theory: A theory of perception based on

the idea that the detection of a faint stimulus requires a
judgmentit is not an all-or-none process (page 136,
137).

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Signal Detection Theory

Signal Detection Theory: A theory of perception based on
the idea that the detection of a faint stimulus requires a
judgmentit is not an all-or-none process (page 136,
137).
Is the light on?

th

Image source: Psychological Science, 4 edition, (2013), Gazzaniga, Heatherton, and Halpern

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Signal Detection: Intensity of the Stimulus

Higher Intensity

Light presented

Light not
presented

Your response

Your response

yes, yes,
yes, yes,
yes, yes,
yes, yes

no, no

yes, yes

no, no,
no, no, no,
no, no, no

Lower Intensity
Your response

Your response

Light presented

yes, yes,
yes, yes,
yes, yes

no, no,
no, no

Light not
presented

yes, yes,
yes, yes

no, no, no,

no, no, no

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Signal Detection: Response bias

Liberal: You are more likely to say yes. Your standards
are more lax.
Your response
Light presented

yes, yes,
yes, yes,
yes, yes,
yes, yes

Your response

no, no

yes, yes,
no, no
yes, yes,
yes, yes,
yes, yes
There is a higher risk of false positives (false alarm) where you
will respond when there is no actual event (light)

Light not
presented

Conservative: You are more likely to say no. Your

standards are high.
Your response
Light presented

yes, yes,

Light not
presented

yes, yes

Your response
no, no, no,
no, no, no,
no, no
no, no, no,
no, no, no,
no, no

There is a higher risk of missing something that really is there

where you wont respond to something that actually is there.

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Signal Detection: Response bias

Liberal: If people havent paid their taxes, was it an honest
mistake (Ming) and be forgiving?
Be forgiving
The person made Correct decision
an honest mistake
The person was
trying to cheat on
their taxes

false positive

Come down hard

on them
miss

Correct decision

There is a higher risk of false positives (false alarm) where you

will respond when there is no actual event (light)

Conservative: If people havent paid their taxes, did they

try to cheat the system (Boris) and need come down hard
on them?
Be forgiving
The person made Correct decision
an honest mistake
The person was
trying to cheat on
their taxes

false positive

Come down hard

on them
miss

Correct decision

There is a higher risk of missing something that really is there

where you wont respond to something that actually is there.

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Signal Detection: Response bias

Signal Detection Theory: An observation that the response
to a stimulus depends both on
Intensity of the stimulus
on a persons response bias.
Is the Light on?

Image source: Psychology (2009), Schacter et. al

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In the real world, we have to make judgments under

uncertainty such as school closures due to bad weather,
surgery for cancer, detection of enemy aircraft,
assessment of bomb threats, lie detection, etc.

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When distributing financial aid, there are some people who

may need it, and some who may not really need it.
Award financial
aid

Reject financial
aid

Sam needs
financial aid

Correct decision

miss

Chris doesnt
need financial aid

false positive

Correct decision

Should you perform a medical procedure for breast

cancer?

The diagnosis is
correct and you
have breast
cancer
The diagnosis is
wrong and you
have dont have
breast cancer

Perform surgery

Not perform
surgery

Correct decision

miss

false positive

Correct decision

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A decision at 5:00 am needs to be made: Should you

close the school?
Close school

Keep school open

Weather will get

worse

Correct decision

miss

Weather will get

better

false positive

Correct decision

Is the bomb threat real?

There is a bomb
There is NO bomb

Evacuate

Not evacuate

Correct decision

miss

false positive

Correct decision

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Should you attack an unknown aircraft?

Enemy aircraft
Friendly aircraft

Shoot aircraft
down

Hold your fire

Correct decision

miss

false positive

Correct decision

Is the person lying about stealing $100 when the lie

detector is spiking?
I think they are
lying

I think they are

telling the truth

They lied about

stealing

Correct decision

miss

They are telling

the truth about
stealing

false positive

Correct decision

What are other decisions that can be looked at with the

signal detection framework?

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Sensory Processes
There are some basic concepts that psychologists use
when talking about the sensitivity of the senses (pages
135 - 137
Sensory adaptation: A decrease in sensitivity to a
constant level of stimulation (page 137).

Sensory adaptation: The decline in sensitivity of the basic

senses to a constant stimulus. Therefore, a stronger
stimulus is required to activate the senses (another
definition).
Smell:

Hearing:

Touch

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Sensory Adaptation
How does sensory adaptation help us understand the
world around us?

Image source: unknown

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Sensory Adaptation
How does sensory adaptation help us understand the
world around us?

Image source: unknown

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How Sensitive are the Senses?

The absolute threshold is the [average] smallest possible
strength that can be detected half the time.

Image source: Psychology (2011), Schacter et al.