Sensation is distinct from perception but most of us use these words interchangeably. After this week you should know the difference. Sensation begins with stimuli from our surroundings. This week you will be learning about the amazing mechanisms like rods and cones in the eye and hair cells in the ear that transform stimuli into neural impulse which the brain can interpret and create meaning.
Perception is what the brain does after your sensory organs have picked up and translated the stimulus.
Many students struggle with some of the underlying concepts that researchers have used to determine the range and limitations of our sensory organs.
Here are a few everyday examples of sensory experience that you can test or are familiar with that describe phenomena discussed in your book. See if you can name the concept and explain why it occurs.
Different portions of the body vary in their sensitivity to touch. Try this 2-point discrimination task with a friend.
Bend your paperclip to make two points that are relatively parallel to each other
Have your partner shut his or her eyes, and ask them to guess if you are touching their hand with one or two points of the paperclip
Try this on various parts of the hand, arm or other parts of the body and with different distances between the two points
This next scenario represents a different S & P concept. Do you know what it is?
Isabel has prepared three cups of coffee but can't recall how much sugar is in each. The cup with the smallest amount of sugar is easy to identify, but Isabel can't taste any difference between the other two cups even though she knows one has more sugar.
Finally, it may be a case of early onset of dementia but this happens to me more than I would like to admit. I ask my daughter,"Hey Ruby, have you seen my sunglasses anywhere?"
Try and identify three concepts from your book or lecture this week that describe what is going on in each case.
And for those who want to know a little more background concerning our in activity in discussion section this week, check out this short article
It says different parts of the body are sensitive to different touch, which reminds me of something I heard. Apparently if you lick someones elbow while they aren't looking, they won't notice because they won't feel it! Do you know if this is actually true? I haven't tried it because I don't want to have to explain to someone why I am licking their elbow. "Uh, you had ketchup on it?" Not a situation I want to get myself into!