AP Psychology / Unit 1: Biological Bases of Behavior
1.6 Sensation
Notes
Sensation is detecting stimuli; transduction converts them into neural signals.
- Absolute threshold: minimum detectable stimulus 50% of the time. Difference threshold (JND): Weber's law, a constant proportion.
- Sensory adaptation: reduced response to constant stimuli.
- Vision: rods (dim light), cones (color, detail). Hearing: cochlea hair cells.
Practice
You stop noticing the smell of your house. This is:
Constant stimuli fade.
Rods in the retina are best for:
Night vision.
Weber's law says the just-noticeable difference is:
Proportional.
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