Psychology 3203

Perception - Fall 2008

Dr. Kenneth M. Steele

Smith Wright 310F

Office Hours: 10:30 - 12:00 MTWR, and by appointment

phone: 262-2731

email: [email protected]

Textbook: Goldstein, E. B. (2007). Sensation & Perception (7th ed.)

Online material: www.acs.appstate.edu/~kms/

Description of the course:

This is an introductory survey course on perception. Historically , the study of perception is one of the first areas to emerge in psychology, and is concerned with the question of how we know the world. Answers involve being able to bridge three topic areas: a description of the stimulus (what is light?), how our bodies react to that stimulus (what is happening on the retina?), and the relation of both of those to our perceptual experience (What a delicious looking apple!). So be prepared to do skipping back and forth as we will integrate physics, physiology, and phenomenology.

The course is broken into four sections. The first section is concerned with the psychophysical method. This sections covers the methods by which people establish the relationship between physical events and subjective experience. The psychophysical method is both a philosophy about how to think about the world and a set of techniques derived from that philosophy. Next we will move to vision, the most investigated system. We will begin with some basic physiology and then move into an analysis of brightness, color, and form. In the next section, we will examine the perception of space, motion, and form (again). In the final section, we will cover audition, the next most investigated system. In all cases we will be connecting 3 descriptive systems-- physics, physiology, and the perceptual experience.

One of the fun aspects of studying perception is that the effects are easy to see with just one subject, and that subject can be yourself. SO I do many mini-experiments/demonstrations in class I put the demonstrations and figures on my website so that you can look at them at other times. Plan on visiting my website often. Go to http://www.acs.appstate.edu/~kms and click on the link to this class. The "Topics" link will take you to the in-class material.

The class schedule below is a brief version of the topics webpage. Go to the topics webpage to see all the details. You may want to print it out so that you can make notes about the flow of the course. For example, I may suggest focusing on a particular link or ignoring a link.

Tests, grades, and your busy schedule:

There will be four multiple-choice tests during the session. The percent correct for each test will be averaged across the four tests to compute your final grade. I will post a study guide and there will be a question and answer period preceding each test. Come prepared and use it to your advantage.

There is a multiple-choice final exam. Your final grade is based on the average of 4 exams. If you have taken 4 exams and are happy with your grade then you do not have to take the final exam. If you have taken 4 exams during the semester, and the final exam, then your grade will be based on your 4 highest scores. If you miss an exam during the semester then the final exam serves as the "make-up" exam. You can only make-up one exam.

The final letter grade will be assigned on a 10- point scale (100-90, A; 89-80, B; 79-70, C; 69-60, D; below 60, F). Pluses and minuses will be assigned for averages that are 2 points from a higher or 2 points from a lower grade (e.g., C+ for a 78 or 79, C- for a 70 or 71).

Finally, remember that your grade is a measure of your performance and not whether I like you, how smart you are, how busy you were during the semester, etc., etc. Save yourself time wasted in groveling for points.

Attendance, classroom behavior, and life:

I will call attendance for the first few sessions so that I can connect names with faces. I don�t record daily attendance because I assume that you are adults, and will only miss class when absolutely necessary. If you skip class then you will likely do miserably or fail tests. This is no joke. I make up the tests based on what happened in class. I test in detail on what I think the class should know. If you skip class and fail tests then I will have no sympathy.

I will record attendance some variable number of times during the semester. If you are there 3/4 of the time or more then you will get a Woody Allen Award of a point on your final grade. (Woody Allen said, "Ninety percent of success is just showing up on time.")

Please, Please, Please ask questions. Don�t let the moment of confusion pass by. Don�t worry about the rest of the class, your job is to make sure that you understand.

Psychology 3203 Perception - Fall 2008
DATE	DAY	TOPIC
Measurement of Perceptual Experience
8/27	W	Course Requirements, etc.
8/29	F	Fechner: The mind-body problem and the importance of the absolute threshold Classical Psychophysical Techniques Your Textbook: 12-14
9/1	M	Labor Day
9/3	W	Difference thresholds & Weber's Law
9/5	F	Weber's Law vs. Fechner's Law
9/8	M	Magnitude estimation & Stevens' Power Law Your Textbook: 14-16
9/10	W	Signal Detection Theory Your Textbook: 373-378
9/12	F	Signal Detection Theory
9/15	M	Question & Answer/Review
9/17	W	Test 1
VISION I
9/19	F	What is light? Everything you wanted to know about the Vertebrate Retina Your Textbook: 29-36
9/22	M	Structure of Eye continued Visual Pathways
9/24	W	Duplex Retina Dark Adaptation Curve Purkinje Shift Your Textbook: 36-41
9/26	F	Brightness Constancy Mach Bands Hermann Grid Illusion Lateral Inhibition Circuit Lateral Inhibition Effect Your Textbook: 46-54
9/29	M	Color Dimensions of Color Additive Color Demo Subtractive Color Demo The Munsell System of Color Notation CIE XYZ Color System Nonspectral Colors! Your Textbook: 142-145
10/1	W	Mechanisms of Color Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory Ewald Hering Colored Afterimages Opponent Process Circuit Your Textbook: 145-150, 153-155
10/3	F	Color Blindness and Color Deficiencies Your Textbook: 151-152
10/6	M	Simultaneous Color Contrast Color Constancy Return to Issue of Source of Illuminance Edwin Land - Mondrian Experiments Return to issue of Scaling and Lightness
10/8	W	Finding Edges vs. Filling In Spreading Neon Illusion Subjective Colors Benham's Top MacKay Star Color Vision Issues & Painting
10/10	F	Question & Answer/Review
10/13	M	TEST 2
10/17	F	Fall Break
VISION II
10/20	M	Space, Distance, & Depth - Binocular Cues The Horopter and Retinal Disparity Your Textbook: 173-175
10/22	W	Manipulation of Binocular Cues to Produce Depth Effects Reproducing Viewpoints with Binocular Stereograms Nintendo VirtualBoy Anaglyphs Bela Julez and the Random Dot Stereogram Fooling Fusion - Single Image Stereograms
10/24	F	Space, Distance, & Depth - Monocular Cues Monocular Cues Ames Room Your Textbook: 169-172
10/27	M	Perception of Movement Corollary Discharge Theory Your Textbook: 201-202
10/29	W	Stroboscopic Motion: Phi and MagnaPhi
10/31	F	Motion Parallax Structure from Motion - Your Textbook: 215-223
11/3	M	Form The Gestalt Psychologists Object Recognition - Structural Approach Change Blindness Your Textbook: 93-103
11/5	W	Question & Answer/Review
11/7	F	TEST 3
AUDITION: Parallels and Differences
11/10	M	Physics of Sound Your Textbook: 234-240
11/12	W	Auditory Physiology Your Textbook: 241-244
11/14	F	Auditory Physiology & Pitch Von Bekesy Your Textbook: 245-252
11/17	M	Psychophysics of Pitch and Loudness Audibility Function Your Textbook: 236-239
11/19	W	Sound Localization The General Problem Interaural Intensity Difference Interaural Time Difference Your Textbook: 266-273
11/21	F	Music Pitch Perception Timbre The Missing Fundamental Effect
11/24	M	Octave effect Pitch chroma circle Pitch as a helix Chords Melody Rhythm Shepard tone
11/26	W	Thanksgiving Break
11/28	F	Thanksgiving Break
12/1	M	Auditory Scene Analysis The General Problem Principles of Auditory Grouping: Your textbook: 274-278
		Speech Perception Your textbook: 286-291
		Interactions Between Hearing & Seeing Visual Capture Your textbook: 281
12/3	W	Question & Answer/Review
12/5	F	TEST 4
12/8	M	Discuss Final Exam Final Exam is Monday, 12/15, 3-5:30 PM