Psy103 Week 2 Discussion Questions

1 Sensation and perception are closely linked. What is the central distinction between the two?

Sensation is defined as a mental condition or physical feeling resulting from stimulation of a sense organ or from internal bodily change, as cold or pain. Perception is defined as the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding. The two are best differentiated by perception, which is what the mind believes is occurring or what it has learned. Sensation is when one or more of the five senses helps feel or learn.

2 If we sensed and attended equally to each stimulus in the world, the amount of information would be overwhelming. What sensory and perceptual processes help us lessen the din?

Scent is not as acute as other creatures in the world. If people had the abilities to smell as well as a dog for example, it would probably cause what we would perceive as a distraction from what the current normal perception in life is. Another example would be sight. We do have peripheral abilities, but they nowhere near what a horse or fish see. This may be a benefit or handicap.

4 What senses would likely be impaired if a person were somehow missing all of the apparatus of the ear (including the outer, middle, and inner ear)?

Sight and balance would be thrown off if the apparatus of the ear were missing. We use sound to help us decide what we need to look at. If we hear a sudden noise we immediately look for the source of the sound. We use echoes as well to see if we are close to an object as well, much in the way sonar technology is used.