Sensation & Perception

The Lion King

Political Subliminal Message http://livingroomcandidate.movingimage.us/el

ection/index.php?nav_action=election&nav_subaction=overview&campaign_id=177

What impact does this message have? Will it last?

Subliminal Messages Hidden messages targeted at our subconscious

mind. Examples: Small images inside a larger picture An audio message hidden inside a recording Messages in song played backward Hidden words or pictures that quickly appear Powerful marketing tools Effect us on a emotional level Short lived results

Sensation & Perception Sensation- stimulation of

the sense organs Raw data of

experience: smells, sights, sounds, pain, etc.

Perception- creating meaning from the raw sensory information

Basic Process1. Sensory organs absorb energy from a physical

stimulus in the environment2. Sensory receptor cells detect stimulus energies

and convert them into neural impulses (transduction)

3. The message is sent to the brain by way of neurons

4. Specific areas of the brain organizes the input and transforms them into something meaningful

Psychophysics Threshold- is a dividing point between energy

levels that we do or do not detect Absolute Threshold- minimum amount of

stimulation that an organism can detect 50% of the time

Environment can affect detection of a stimulus Online demo: http://www.garyfisk.com/anim/threshold.swf

JND- just noticeable difference is the smallest difference in the amount of stimulation that a specific sense can

detect The absolute threshold is the jnd from nothing

(no stimulus) JND is greater for stronger stimuli than for

weaker ones As a stimulus increases in magnitude, the JND

becomes larger

Sensory Adaptation Gradual decline in sensitivity to

prolonged stimulation Ex: Garbage In reality, the stimulus intensity

(the odor) stays the same but with continued exposure your sensitivity to it decreases

Ex: Jumping into a swimming pool

It allows people to ignore the obvious but you can notice CHANGES in sensory input

The Visual System

The Visual System

Parts of the Eye Cornea (1) transparent covering/protection

Pupil and Iris (2) bright light/contracts, dim light/relax

Lens (3) focuses light on the retina

Retina (4) receptor cells that absorbs light

Optic disk/Blind Spot (5) Optic Nerve (6) Fovea (7) Blind Spot Activity!!

The Retina Millions of

receptor cells 10 % of light Rods- 100 to 125

million Cones- 5-6 million Expt- What Color

is it??

Light and Dark Adaptation

Light and Dark Adaptation

From the Eye to the Brain

Afterimage

Form Perception Perceptual Set - The influence of

prior assumptions and expectations on perceptual interpretations

Perceptual Set

What do you see in the center picture: a male saxophonist or a woman’s face? Glancing first at one of the two unambiguous versions of the picture is likely to influence your interpretation.

Feature Analysis Bottom Up Processing & Top Down

Processing

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. It dseno’t mataetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltter be in the rghit pclae.

Phi Phenomenon The illusion of motion when fixed lights

are turned on and off in a sequence• Stare at the X in the middle and notice what

happens. Is the Green Dot Moving?

• http://www.weeville.com/eyetest.htm

Size Distance Relationship

Size Distance Relationship

Size Distance Relationship

Context & Culture

What is above the woman’s head? In one study, nearly all the East Africans who were questioned said the woman was balancing a metal box or can on her head and that the family was sitting under a tree. Westerners, for whom corners and boxlike architecture are more common, were more likely to perceive the family as being indoors, with the woman sitting under a window.

Sensory Deprivation & Restored Vision

Early visual experience can have a profound effect on perception.

Do the kittens ever fully regain normal sensitivity to horizontal or vertical lines? NO.

From the time their eyes first opened, and until the age of 5 months, these kittens were removed from darkness each day to spend 5 hours alone in a black-and-white striped cylinder with a clear glass floor. A stiff collar prevented the kittens from seeing anything else, even their own bodies. Afterward, these kittens had difficulty perceiving horizontal forms, compared with other kittens exposed only to horizontal forms.