Sensation, Perception and Attention

What the resources cover

The unit follows the route from stimulus to experience. The flashcard deck Understanding Psychology: Chap 3 starts with sensation, transduction, absolute and difference thresholds and Weber's Law, then moves through the parts of the eye, from cornea and pupil to rods, cones and bipolar cells. The mind map Visual Pathway traces ganglion cells to the thalamus and the primary visual cortex. Other maps cover The Ear and Gustation and Olfaction.

Perception and attention

Once sensation is clear, the perception material asks how the brain interprets it. Gibson's direct perception argues that the senses supply enough information without extra processing, and there are flashcards on Gregory's Perspective Theory for the contrasting view. You will also find Gestalt laws, illusions, object recognition, speech perception and blindsight. For attention, look at the map on bottleneck theories of attention and the flashcards on Moray (1959), the dichotic listening study.

Where to start

1. Begin with a broad map such as Sensation & Perception, which covers psychophysics, the just noticeable difference, Weber's Law and Fechner's Law.
2. Work through the sense-by-sense material: vision, hearing, taste and smell, then the body senses.
3. Move on to Gestalt, depth and object recognition.
4. Finish with attention and the perceptual disorders, such as visual neglect.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a map first to see how the ideas connect. Then take a quiz on the same topic and note what you missed. The Depth Cues Quiz! asks about monocular cues, linear perspective and size constancy, so it pairs well with the visual perception maps. Return to the map for any gaps, then check yourself with flashcards. Some resources mention exams, including GCSE Psychology, A-level Psychology, AP Psychology and the MCAT, so school students and professional candidates can find matching material.

Where this unit sits

This unit belongs to the Cognition and Learning strand of Psychology. It is a good base for later work on memory and thinking. Choose one resource now, work through it, then add your own maps or flashcards for the topics you find hardest.