Sensory, Attentional and Perceptual Processes

Class 11 Psychology · Psychology · Chapter 4

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Summary

Our knowledge of the world depends on three interrelated processes: sensation, attention and perception. Sensation is the registration of stimuli by the sense organs, which respond only to stimuli within a certain range; the minimum amount of stimulus needed for detection is the absolute threshold and the smallest detectable change is the difference threshold. Different sense modalities (vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch) have specialised receptors. Attention is the selective process by which we focus on certain stimuli; it includes selective attention (governed by external factors such as size, intensity and novelty, and internal factors such as motivation and set), divided attention, and sustained attention or vigilance. Perception is the process of interpreting sensory information, using bottom-up and top-down processing. The Gestalt principles of perceptual organisation (figure-ground, proximity, similarity, continuity and closure) describe how we organise stimuli into meaningful wholes. Depth and distance are perceived through monocular cues (relative size, interposition, linear perspective, texture gradient, motion parallax) and binocular cues (retinal disparity, convergence). Perceptual constancies (size, shape, brightness) keep our perception stable, while illusions are mismatches between perception and reality. Socio-cultural factors, learning and experience also shape perception.

Knowing the WorldNature and Varieties of StimulusSense ModalitiesAttentional ProcessesSelective AttentionSustained AttentionPerceptual ProcessesPrinciples of Perceptual OrganisationPerception of Space, Depth and DistancePerceptual ConstanciesIllusionsSocio-Cultural Influences on Perception

Key terms

Sensation
The process by which sense organs register and respond to physical stimuli from the environment.
Absolute threshold
The minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be present for a stimulus to be detected.
Attention
The selective process of focusing awareness on certain stimuli while ignoring others.
Perception
The process of organising and interpreting sensory information to give it meaning.
Gestalt principles
Rules of perceptual organisation such as proximity, similarity, continuity and closure by which stimuli form wholes.
Perceptual constancy
The tendency to perceive objects as stable in size, shape and brightness despite changes in the retinal image.
Illusion
A mismatch between the physical stimulus and its perception, producing a false or distorted impression.

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Our knowledge of the world depends on three processes: sensation, attention and:
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