Sensation and Perception

Question

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapters 4, 5

Lesson

Instructions

In our reading this week, we learned about the processes of sensation and perception. Although they are two different processes, one often has an impact on the other. Some individuals aren’t aware of how much they rely on vision or hearing in their everyday lives, versus others who have vision or hearing impairments who may rely more heavily on their other senses and perceive the world differently than others. Please choose ONE option below for either diminishing your vision or hearing with the goal of becoming more conscious of the relationship between sensation and perception.

Note: Please be very careful when performing these activities. I suggest doing them in a familiar environment, such as your home, and having a companion present.

Option 1: Vision

Spend between 15 to 30 minutes “observing” without using your vision. Rely on your hearing, smell, touch or taste (if appropriate) to navigate your environment. During this time try to perform several different tasks that you would normally, such as picking up an object, or if you’re at home try walking to the next room, all while not using your vision. To impair your vision, you can simply close your eyes or wrap a scarf to cover your eyes.

After your observation time is over, please answer the following questions in 2-3 pages.

What are the basic processes underlying the sense of vision?

During the activity, what other senses were you using and how did you use them to accomplish your tasks to perceive the world around you?

What information did you pick up on that you may have ignored if you were using your sense of vision?

Define habituation and sensory adaptation. Provide examples from your observation time of habituation and/or sensory adaptation to support your response.

While this activity was only for a short amount of time, describe how your perception might change if one of your senses was permanently lost.

Option 2: Hearing

Spend between from 15- 30 minutes “observing” without using your hearing. Rely on your sight, smell, touch or taste (if appropriate). You can use earplugs or noise cancelling headphones (if you have them) to aid in diminishing your hearing. During this time try to perform several different tasks that you would normally, such as watching television (muted), or walking outside all while not using your hearing.

After your observation time is over, please answer the following questions in 2-3 pages.

Briefly describe how sound travels through the ear to the auditory nerve.

During the activity, what other senses were you using and how did you use them to accomplish your tasks to perceive the world around you?

What information did you pick up on that you may have ignored if you were using your sense of hearing?

Define habituation and sensory adaptation. Provide examples from your observation time of habituation and/or sensory adaptation to support your response.

While this activity was only for a short amount of time, describe how your perception might change if one of your senses was permanently lost.

Writing Requirements (APA format)

Length: 2 pages (not including Title and References pages)

Use 3 Sources ( All of which must be recent, 2017 and above) and must either be books or journal articles. One of the book must be the class textbook

Robert Feldman, 2019, Understand Psychology, 14th edition

Solution

Sensation and Perception: Vision

According to Feldman (2019), normal vision begins with light entering the eye via the cornea. From the cornea, it is then passed to the pupil, and the iris regulates the amount of light been passed. Moreover, the light hits the lens, that focuses the rays to the retina. This light is then passed through the vitreous humor that is significant in keeping the round shape of the eye (Feldman, 2019). When the light finally reaches the retina, the image is inverted, and the optic nerve transfers the signals to the brain’s visual cortex. Finally, the visual cortex changes the signals into images.

During the activity, I covered my eyes using a sleep mask as I ate breakfast and played one 22-minutes episode on my favorite sitcom on Netflix. To perceive the world around me, I mostly used the sense of touch and hearing specifically to pick up the food and not drop anything and listen to people’s voices in the movie and in the house. For instance, rather than looking and knowing which character is talking in the movie or which friend is talking in the house, I listened to the sound and based on past experiences with the characters and my friends, I could tell who was speaking.   Also, I used the sense of scent to determine whether I picked a glass of water or mango juice and identify which friend was close to me and taste to confirm whether I picked the right glass.

Without using my vision, I picked up information that I would have disregarded if I had used it. For instance, I could have just picked the glass of mango juice instead of smelling the two glasses, but after smelling mango juice, I noticed a sweet and rich scent that I had never known before…………for help with this assignment contact us via email Address: consulttutor10@gmail.com

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *