Sensation and Perception

Presented By
Ms. Fareeha Dilmeer hussain
Lecturer of Psychology
Department of Computer Sciences,
UET, Narrowal Campus
 • Sensation refers to the process of detecting
physical energy from the environment.
 • Perception refers to interpreting and
organizing sensory input into meaningful
patterns. Introduction to
 • These processes allow us to experience and Sensation and
understand our environment.
 • Sensation and perception work together to Perception
construct our reality.
 • They are foundational to cognitive psychology
and neuroscience.
 • Sensation begins when sensory receptors
detect stimuli.
 • It involves the conversion of external energy
(light, sound, chemicals) into neural signals.
 • Different senses have specialized receptor
organs. What Is Sensation?
 • Sensory systems provide raw data for
perception.
 • Sensation is a physiological process, not
interpretation.
 • Receptors transform environmental energy
into electrical impulses (transduction).
 • Transduction occurs in all sensory systems.
 • Example: Photoreceptors in the retina Sensory Receptors
convert light into neural activity.
 • The brain then interprets these signals.
and Transduction
 • Efficiency of receptors affects sensory
accuracy.
 • Absolute threshold: Minimum intensity of
stimulus detected 50% of the time.
 • Difference threshold: Smallest detectable
difference between two stimuli.
 • Sensitivity varies across sensory modalities. Sensory Thresholds
 • Thresholds depend on attention, motivation,
and context.
 • Important in psychophysical measurement.
 • Sensory systems reduce sensitivity after
constant exposure.
 • Allows focus on changes in the environment.
 • Example: Adapting to a smell or constant
noise. Sensory Adaptation
 • Prevents overload from unchanging stimuli.
 • Reflects neural efficiency and environmental
adjustment.
 • Light is electromagnetic energy visible to
humans.
 • Wavelength determines color; amplitude
determines brightness.
 • The eye transforms light waves into visual The Visual
perception.
 • Vision provides the most detailed sensory
Stimulus: Light
information.
 • Visual clarity depends on light intensity and
eye structure.
 The Eye: Structure
and Function
 • Cornea and lens focus light on the retina.
 • Retina contains rods (low light) and cones
(color vision).
 • Pupil adjusts to control light entry.
 • Optic nerve carries signals to the brain.
 • Eye health influences perceptual accuracy.
 Visual Processing
 • Visual signals travel from retina to thalamus
to occipital cortex. and Pathways
 • The brain reconstructs the visual field from
both eyes.
 • Visual cortex interprets color, motion, and
depth.
 • Damage to the occipital lobe affects vision.
 • Visual perception depends on cortical
integration.
 • Trichromatic theory: Three types of cones
(red, green, blue).
 • Opponent-process theory: Color perception
through opposing channels.
 • Color blindness results from missing cone
types. Color Vision
 • Brain combines signals to produce color
experience.
 • Illustrates sensory and perceptual
cooperation.
 • Sound waves are vibrations traveling through a
medium.
 • Frequency determines pitch; amplitude
determines loudness.
 • The ear converts sound waves into neural
impulses. Hearing and Sound
 • Auditory perception enables speech and music
understanding.
 • Human hearing ranges from 20 Hz to 20,000
Hz.
 Structure of the Ear
 • Outer ear collects sound waves.
 • Middle ear amplifies vibrations via ossicles
(malleus, incus, stapes).
 • Inner ear (cochlea) converts vibrations into
neural signals.
 • Auditory nerve transmits signals to the brain.
 • Balance and hearing are interconnected
functions.
 • Place theory: Different cochlear regions
respond to different frequencies.
 • Frequency theory: Nerve impulses match the
frequency of sound.
 • Combined model explains the full range of
hearing. Theories of Hearing
 • Pitch perception relies on cochlear and
cortical mechanisms.
 • Damage to hair cells reduces auditory
sensitivity.
 • The skin is the body’s largest sensory organ.
 • Contains receptors for pressure, temperature,
and pain.
 • Somatosensory cortex processes touch
signals.
Touch and Skin
 • Touch is essential for social bonding and Senses
safety.
 • Sensory feedback aids movement
coordination.
 • Pain serves as a warning signal to prevent
injury.
 • Gate control theory explains modulation of
pain signals.
 • Psychological factors influence pain intensity. Pain Perception
 • Endorphins can suppress pain perception.
 • Chronic pain involves both sensory and
emotional dimensions.
 • Taste (gustation) detects chemicals in food via
Taste and Smell
taste buds.
 • Five primary tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter,
umami.
 • Smell (olfaction) detects airborne molecules.
 • Olfactory signals connect directly to emotion
centers.
 • Combined, they create flavor perception.
 • Vestibular system monitors head movement
and orientation.
 • Located in inner ear; uses semicircular canals. Body Senses:
 • Kinesthetic sense detects body position and Balance and
movement.
 • Crucial for coordination and spatial awareness. Movement
 • Disruption causes dizziness or imbalance.
 • Perception organizes and interprets sensory
data.
 • Involves selection, organization, and
interpretation.
 • Influenced by past experience and What Is Perception?
expectations.
 • Essential for recognizing objects and events.
 • Active process integrating sensory input and
cognition.
 • Gestalt psychology emphasizes holistic
perception.
 • Key principles: proximity, similarity, continuity,
closure, figure-ground.
Gestalt Principles of
 • The mind seeks meaningful patterns. Organization
 • Explains how we perceive unified forms.
 • Influential in design and visual psychology.
 • Ability to perceive spatial relationships and
distance.
 • Binocular cues: retinal disparity, convergence.
 • Monocular cues: linear perspective, texture, Depth Perception
size.
 • Visual system integrates both cue types.
 • Depth perception allows accurate movement.
 • Recognition of objects as stable despite
sensory changes.
 • Includes size, shape, brightness constancy. Perceptual
 • Helps maintain consistent perception.
 • Brain adjusts interpretation based on context.
Constancy
 • Key to visual stability.
 • Perceptual set: readiness to perceive based on
expectation.
 • Context shapes interpretation of stimuli.
 • Culture and experience influence perception.
Perceptual Set and
 • Cognitive biases can distort perception. Context Effects
 • Demonstrates top-down influence on
perception.
 • Illusions reveal errors in perceptual
interpretation.
 • Examples: Müller-Lyer, Ponzo, Ames room.
 • Show brain’s assumptions about depth and
context. Perceptual Illusions
 • Useful for studying perceptual processes.
 • Highlight difference between reality and
experience.
 • Attention focuses cognitive resources on
specific stimuli.
 • Selective attention enhances processing
efficiency. Attention in
 • Divided attention reduces performance
accuracy.
Perception
 • Attention acts as a perceptual filter.
 • Crucial in driving, learning, and multitasking.
 • Principles of perception applied in advertising
and design.
 • Sensory adaptation informs ergonomics and
product design.
 • Understanding perception improves
Applications in
communication. Everyday Life
 • Used in clinical diagnosis of sensory disorders.
 • Enhances appreciation of human cognitive
function.
 • Sensation detects environmental stimuli.
 • Perception organizes and interprets them.
 • Both processes interact continuously.
 • Sensory and perceptual systems are adaptive.
Summary
 • Essential to understanding human behavior
and experience.
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