Scribd
Upload
8 views12 pages

Sensation

The document provides an overview of sensation, defining it as the process of receptor cells sending nerve impulses to the brain in response to stimuli. It categorizes sensations into general senses (like touch and pain) and special senses (such as vision and hearing), and discusses concepts like sensory thresholds and adaptation. A case study on prosopagnosia illustrates the complexities of sensory perception.

Uploaded by

annafekadu48
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
8 views12 pages

Sensation

The document provides an overview of sensation, defining it as the process of receptor cells sending nerve impulses to the brain in response to stimuli. It categorizes sensations into general senses (like touch and pain) and special senses (such as vision and hearing), and discusses concepts like sensory thresholds and adaptation. A case study on prosopagnosia illustrates the complexities of sensory perception.

Uploaded by

annafekadu48
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 12

Sensation

Understanding How We Experience the World

April, 2025
Intro to
Sensation
Definition: Sensation
process whereby
stimulation of receptor cells
in the eye, ears, nose,
mouth, and surface of the
skin sends nerve impulses
to the brain.
Example: Feeling the
1
Stimulus
Definition: A form of
energy that affects
sensory organs.

Stimulus is the
starting point of
sensations.
2
Types of sensation
General Special senses
senses
● Touch
● Vision (Sight)
● Pain
● Hearing (Audition)
● Temperature
● Taste (Gustation)
● Proprioception
and
(body position
● Smell (Olfaction)
awareness)
● Vibration
● Pressure 3
CASE STUDY
Condition -
Prosopagnosia
Neurologist Oliver Sacks’
patient could recognize
people by sound of their
voices, but he could not
recognize them by light. His
disorder was so severe that
he sometimes patted tire
hydrants, thinking they were
Business Name children‘s heads. 5
A) Sensory
Thresholds
Definition: Minimum
level of stimulus
required to detect it
Types: Absolute and
Difference thresholds

6
Absolute
Threshold
Definition: Min.
amount of stimulation
detectable 50% of the
time
Example: The faintest
sound a person can hear
7
Difference
Threshold
Definition: Min.
Change required to
notice a difference.
Example: Adding
sugar to a tea until you
notice the increase in
its sweetness.
8
Weber’s Law
Definition: The
proportion of
change needed to
detect a difference
Example: 2%
weight difference
is needed for
detection
9
B) Sensory Adaptation
Definition: Reduced sensitivity to constant
stimuli.
● It lets you detect important change in your
environment while ignoring unchanging
aspects of it.
● It's hard for people to completely adapt to
extremely intense sensations, such as severe
pain or freezing cold.

10
References
● Koye Kassa, Belay Tefera, Aemero Asmamaw and
Habtamu Disasa(2019). General Psychology (Psyc
1011). Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
● Goldstein, E. B. (2017). Sensation and Perception
(10th ed.). Cengage Learning
Thank You 12

You might also like