PSY 1001 1nd Edition Lecture 10 Outline of Last Lecture I Classical conditioning in human behavior a PTSD II Shortcomings with classical conditioning a Thorndike s cat in the box experiment III Skinner s operant conditioning a Reinforcement b Punishment c Schedules of Reinforcement Outline of Current Lecture I How do we experience sensory input a Sensation b Perception c Transduction d Sensory Adaptation e Psychophysics II Vision a Light b Sensory Organ Eye c Color perception d Basic Visual Pathways Current Lecture I How do we experience sensory input a Sensation i Sensation the detection of physical energy by our sense organs which send that information to the brain These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute II ii Despite their differences all our senses rely on a handful of principles b Perception i Perception the brain s interpretation of raw sensory data ii One step further than sensation c Transduction i The external stimulus is converted by a sense receptor into neural activity via transduction d Sensory Adaptation i Activation is highest when stimulus is first detected then sensory adaption occurs e Psychophysics i Study of how we perceive sensory stimuli based on their physical characteristics 1 Absolute threshold is the lowest level of a stimulus we can detect 50 of the time a A single candle 30 miles away b 50 odorant molecules 2 The just noticeable difference is the smallest amount of stimulus change we can detect 3 Weber s law the stronger the stimulus the greater the change necessary for the detection of a difference 4 Signal Detection Theory How can you detect a signal Vision a Light i The human visible spectrum is a narrow band of light that we respond to ii Other animals may have a more restricted or broader spectrum b Sensory Organ Eye i Lens focuses photons onto back of eye so does cornea ii Image is turned upside down and right to left on the back of the eye iii Cones focused in fovea sensing color see green red and blue iv Rod focused in retina good at sensing light v Optic nerve meets with brain thalamus then into cortex creates a blind spot c Color Perception i Trichromatic theory color vision is based on our sensitivity to three primary colors 1 Consistent with three types of cones in eyes 2 Explains color blindness ii Opponent Process Theory 1 Sees color vision as a function of complementary opposing colors a Red vs green or blue vs yellow d Basic Visual Pathways i Right visual field hits left part of eye then goes to left brain Opposite for left visual field ii One pathway leads to the parietal lobe which processes visual form position and motion and one to the temporal lobe34 which processes visual form and color iii Different cortical cells respond maximally to different types of stimuli iv Feature detector cells allow us to detect lines and edges 1 Simple cells detect orientation specific slits of light in a particular location 2 Complex cells also orientation specific but less dependent on location than simple cells v Top where bottom what e Problems with Vision