Sensation vs.

Perception
• sensation: the experience of sensory
perception
• perception: the process of creating
meaningful patterns from raw sensory
information

Sensory Thresholds
• absolute threshold:
threshold: minimum
stimulation needed to detect a particular
stimulus 50% of the time
• difference threshold (jnd):
(jnd): minimum
difference between two stimuli that one
can detect 50% of the time
—increases with magnitude of stimulus

1
Approximate Absolute Thresholds
• Vision: a candle flame seen from 30
miles on a clear, dark night
• Hearing: the tick of a watch from 20
feet in very quiet conditions
• Smell: 1 drop of perfume diffused
throughout a three-
three-room apartment

Approximate Absolute Thresholds

• Taste: .0356 ounce of table salt in 529
quarts of water
• Touch: a bee wing falling on your
cheek from a height of 1 centimeter

2
 Visual System

Stimulus for Vision

3
 Cross Section of the Eye

Fovea
Cornea
Optic
Retina
Nerve
Iris

Pupil

Lens

Blind
Spot

Receptors: rods and cones

Rods Cones
• 120 million • 8 million
• periphery • central
• sensitivity • acuity
• night vision • color vision

4
Anatomical Pathway in the Retina

Path to Occipital Lobe

5
 Path from Eye to Visual Cortex
light

photo-
photo- bipolar ganglion
receptors cells cells

visual
Optic
cortex
Nerve

Theories of Color Vision

• Trichromatic theory
• Opponent
Opponent--process theory

6
 Trichromatic Theory

• There are three types of cones: red

red,,
green,, and blue
green blue..
• The colors we see are the result of a
combination of the differing amount of
light absorbed by the three types of
cones.

Trichromatic Theory
• This theory only explains the way the
cones transduct color.
• The trichromatic theory provides an
explanation for some types of
colorblindness.

7
 2 Types of Colorblindness
• monochromats: people who are totally
colorblind
• dichromats: people who are blind to
either red-
red-green or yellow-
yellow-blue

8
 Opponent--Process Theory
Opponent

• color
color--sensitive ganglion cells are
arranged in opposing cells: redred--
green,, yellow-
green yellow-blue
blue,, black
black--white
(brightness)

9
 Opponent--Process Theory
Opponent
• The activation of one cone (at retinal
level) inhibits another cone.
• This theory explains color vision at the
level of the ganglion cells.

Afterimages
• Opponent
Opponent--process theory may explain
color afterimages:
• continual viewing of green weakens
the ability to inhibit red;
• remove green and you see red

10
 Flag Afterimage Stimulus

blank page 2 see afterimage

11
 Hearing

Properties of Sound

• frequency: the number of cycles per

second in a wave
— primary determinant of pitch
• amplitude: the magnitude (height)
of a wave
— primary determinant of loudness

12
Units of Measurement for Sound
• hertz (Hz): cycles per second; used to
measure pitch
• decibel: unit of measurement for the
loudness of sounds

Decibel Level for Common Sounds

13
 Pinna
The Ear Semicircular Canals

Cochlea

Anvil

Auditory Stirrup
(Ear) Canal

Hammer

Eardrum

Auditory Pathway

middle oval
eardrum
ear window

organ of
cochlear Corti

14
 Auditory Pathway
organ of cochlear
medulla
Corti nerve

medial
inferior auditory
geniculate
colliculus cortex
nucleus

Smell

15
 Human Olfactory System

receptor Olfactory Pathway

cells
olfactory amygdala
bulb

hypo-
hypo- temporal
thalamus thalamus lobe

16
 Ability to Detect Common
90 Odors
Correct identification (%) 80
70
60 coffee
50 leather
40 bubble gum
30 mustard
20 bologna
10
0
Scent to be identified

Variations in Odor Sensitivity

• Women have a better sense of smell
than men.
• The ability to smell diminishes with
age. Smell acuity is greatest during
early adulthood (ages 20-
20-40).

17
 Taste

Bitter

Sour Sour

Salt Salt
Sweet

18
 Taste Buds
• Taste buds are the structures on the
tongue that contain taste receptor cells.
• An adult has about 10,000 taste buds.
• Taste receptors die and are replaced
every 7 days.
• The number of taste buds decrease
with age.

Anatomical Pathway
taste thalamus
medulla
buds

primary anterior-
anterior-
somatosensory insular
cortex cortex

19