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Introduction to Sensation and Perception: Course Overview and Key Insights

This lecture introduces the Sensation and Perception course led by Professor David Bradley and TAs Andy Clark, Sammy Hong, and Pascal Wallisch. The session covers administrative details, grading structure, and the significance of sensation and perception in understanding human experience. It emphasizes the complexities behind our seemingly effortless perception and how the brain reconstructs reality. Robust discussions will take place regarding classic and contemporary studies in the field. Participation is crucial for graduate students, while undergraduates are encouraged but not required.

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Introduction to Sensation and Perception: Course Overview and Key Insights

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  1. Ψ Sensation & Perception

  2. Ψ 1 - Introduction

  3. First lecture: • Administrative part (Syllabus, etc.) • Content part (Introduction to S&P)

  4. The staff: • David Bradley (Professor) • Andy Clark (TA) • Sammy Hong (TA) • Pascal Wallisch (TA)

  5. The website • Usually: bradlinux.spc.uchicago.edu • But we got hacked… • For now: www.lascap.de English  Classes  S&P Fall 2004

  6. Exams and Grading • 2 Midterms (counting for 30% each) • 1 Final (counting for 40%) • No homeworks • Exams are short written answers & MC

  7. Readings • Textbook: Goldstein, Sensation & Perception, 6th edition. • Readings for every class (except this one). • Textbooks are late. So there are no readings for wednesday either. • Why do the reading?

  8. The Discussion Section • There is an additional Discussion section. • Participation is mandatory for graduate students, strictly optional for undergraduates. • Recommended only for advanced undergraduate students with a very strong interest in the subject matter. • We will read, analyze, discuss and present classic and current papers in S&P. • Please stay after class if you are a grad student or an interested undergrad student to schedule it.

  9. The Syllabus • Click me

  10. Anything else?

  11. CONTENT

  12. Why study Sensation & Perception? • Isn’t the immediate sensory experience the most natural thing of all? • Don’t we completely take it for granted? • Isn’t looking around and seeing things absolutely trivial and effortless? • Is it an intelligent, cognitive act at all? • What’s wrong with this picture?

  13. But what about this? • We are excited about “high” cognitive performances like playing chess or proving mathematical theorems, but this has been very well reproduced with AI. • Yet, all efforts to create computers that perceive the world as quickly and accurately as we do have failed utterly. • And it’s not been for a lack of trying…

  14. A paradox?

  15. Actually, no • From our current understanding, while perception is in fact a highly complicated affair, it appears so effortless to us, because large numbers of brain structures are devoted to perceptual processing. (>50%) • Since most of this processing occurs unconsciously (we “see” only the final product), it appears to be effortless.

  16. Perceptual processing in the brain

  17. What to take from this? • Sensation and Perception is the study of how the brain brings about our perceptions. • More specifically, it is concerned with • The question which computations occur in which brain areas. • Uncovering, which assumptions the brain makes in order to simplify the task of perception ((re)-constructing biologically relevant aspects of the external world) .

  18. Some claims and demonstrations...

  19. Claim 1: • There is not always an isomorphic relationship between objects and qualities in the external world and perceived qualities. • One of many examples: The Motion Aftereffect.

  20. The motion aftereffect

  21. Claim 2: • Our perception is a (re)construction of the external world, with an emphasis on construction. • In this construction, the brain makes many assumptions about the structure of the world. • One of many examples: Shepards tables

  22. Shepards tables

  23. Claim 3 • In order to reconstruct the external world, the brain makes decisions, sometimes arbitrary decisions about the structure of the stimulus. • Many examples: Necker’s cube, Rubin’s vase, Bistable Spheres.

  24. Necker cube, Rubins vase Structure from motion

  25. Claim 4: • There is an interaction between Perception and Action. • Even brain areas that are not solely devoted to Perception influence perception. • One of many examples: Eyemovements.

  26. Conclusions • Perception can’t be taken for granted. It’s the endresult of massive computations that we can’t yet reproduce with AI. • Sensation and Perception is currently one of the most intriguing and rewarding fields within Psychology. • Taking this class seriously might literally change your outlook on life. Or at least your outlook on the outlook…

  27. Next time: • Basic methods to study Sensation and Perception. • Presented by Andy.

  28. Thank you!

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