Psy 111 Introduction to Psychology SENSATION Marion Perlmutter perlmut umich edu Announcements 1st In Class Exam Monday 2 6 4 00 5 30 MLB Aud 3 Exam Review Session Saturday 2 4 1 00 pm 1324 EH Levels of Content Conscious awareness Preconscious memories not currently conscious but easily brought into consciousness Unconscious memories not easily brought into consciousness Evidence of Unconscious Processing Freudian Slips Errors interpreted as interference of unconscious unacceptable thoughts Priming Thought or behavior influenced by previous stimuli Unconscious Decisions Decisions without awareness of thought Circadian Cycle 90 Minute Sleep Cycle How Important Is Sleep Accidents Errors Weight Maintenance Mental Health Take Home Messages Sensation is process by which external stimuli are detected by sensory receptors and converted to energy that is sent to brain Our senses are not unbiased recorders of physical energy but rather naturally selected tools that have survival value Sensation Overview of Sensation Sensory Abilities Vision Audition Olfaction Taste Touch What are Sensation and Perception Sensation Perception external stimuli are detected by sensory receptors and converted to energy that is sent to brain sensory information is internally represented organized and meaningfully interpreted Behavioral Model Sensation Perception Stimulus Black Box mind Response Cognitive Model Sensation Perception Neuroscience Model Perception Sensation Psychophysics Scientific study of relation between stimuli and subjects experience What is absolute threshold Minimum stimulation for experience Examples of Absolute Thresholds What is absolute threshold 50 of stimuli correctly identified What is just noticeable difference Smallest perceived difference Examples of Just Noticeable Difference Cheap Expensive Twin A B Twin What is just noticeable difference More background noise More stimulation needed to detect difference What is signal detection Detection Sensory Process Decision What is signal detection Examples of Signal Detection Conservative Liberal Criterion Criterion 80 66 34 20 20 34 66 80 What is sensory adaptation Lose of receptor cells ability to respond after prolonged unchanged stimulation Examples of Sensory Adaptation Hot Cold Spicy Food Air Pollution Noise Pollution What is sensory adaptation Less reaction with time or repetitions Sensation Overview of Sensation Sensory Abilities Vision Audition Olfaction Taste Touch Light Spectrum Bees and Butterflies Vision Video Anatomy of Eye Structures of Eye FUNCTION EYE STRUCTURE Pupil Iris Cornea Lens Retina Fovea Hole in iris allowing in light Regulates amount of light passing to retina Covers pupil and iris Focuses light falling on retina Light sensitive neural tissue Spot in center of retina with greatest acuity Optic Nerve Connects retina to brain Retina Visual Receptors on Retina CONES RODS 6 million 120 million center periphery respond to color respond in dim light Number Location Function Importance of Color Vision Test of Color Blindness 7 10 of men Sensation Overview of Sensation Sensory Abilities Vision Audition Olfaction Taste Touch Audible Sound Ultrasound Dogs and Bats Whales Giraffes Dolphins and Elephants Infrasound Testing Hearing 8 kHz Everyone 10 kHz 60 16 kHz 30 20 kHz 18 Decibel Levels of Sounds Hearing Video Anatomy of Ear Structures of Ear FUNCTION EAR STRUCTURE Pinna Eardrum Ossicles Cochlea Outer ear collecting cone for sound Taut membrane at end of auditory canal Three tiny bones in middle ear Fluid filled coil that houses inner ear neural tissue Holds hair cells that are auditory receptors Basilar Membrane Auditory Nerve Connects cochlea to brain Localization of Sound Potential Auditory Capability Blind biker uses sound echolocation to navigate Sensation Overview of Sensation Sensory Abilities Vision Audition Olfaction Taste Touch Olfaction Video Olfactory System Functions of Smell Attract Repel Remember Lust Hunger Spirituality Potential Olfactory Capability Human tracker uses closeness to scent and difference of intensity between two nostrils to track Implicit Olfactory Abilities Ordinary individuals differentiate other s fertility mood and genetic compatibility from sent Sensation Overview of Sensation Sensory Abilities Vision Audition Olfaction Taste Touch Taste Video Taste Buds or Papillae on Tongue Tastes Sweet Sour Salty Bitter Umami Fresh Chicken Adaptive Value of Tastes SIGNALS TASTE Sweet Salty Sour Bitter Umami energy source sodium essential to physiological processes potential toxic acid potential poison protein essential to grow and repair tissue Cultural Differences in Food Preferences Interrelationship of Senses Taste impaired without smell Taste impaired without sight Sensation Overview of Sensation Sensory Abilities Vision Audition Olfaction Taste Touch Touch Receptors Pain Video Potential Touch Capability Expert fishermen can feel type sex and age of fish on line Summary of Sensation SENSE Vision Hearing Smell Taste Touch Light waves Sound waves STIMULUS RECEPTOR Rods and cones on retina Hairs along basil membrane Molecules in nasal Receptors on passage olfactory membrane Molecules on tongue Receptors on taste buds Stimuli on skin Receptors in skin Take Home Messages Sensation is process by which external stimuli are detected by sensory receptors and converted to energy that is sent to brain Our senses are not unbiased recorders of physical energy but rather naturally selected tools that have survival value