Dr. Kenneth M. Steele

Smith Wright 310F

Office Hours: 12:00 - 2:00, 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/

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 physical 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.

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.

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. Summer sessions are an intense and compressed version of a regular semester class. 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.

Fechner: The mind-body problem and the importance of the absolute threshold

Classical Psychophysical Techniques

Your Textbook: 12-14

Difference thresholds & Weber's Law

Weber's Law vs. Fechner's Law

Magnitude estimation & Stevens' Power Law

Your Textbook: 14-16

Signal Detection Theory

Your Textbook: 373-378

Signal Detection Theory

Question & Answer/Review [ Study Guide ]

Test 1

What is light?

Your Textbook: 47-50

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Visual Anatomy

Your Textbook: 29-36

Structure of Eye continued

Visual Pathways

Duplex Retina

Dark Adaptation Curve

Purkinje Shift

Your Textbook: 36-41

Brightness Constancy

Example of Simultaneous Brightness Contrast

Mach Bands

Hermann Grid Illusion

Hermann Grid Illusion on Steroids

Lateral Inhibition

Your Textbook: 46-54

Color

Creating and Categorizing Colors

Your Textbook: 142-145

Mechanisms of Color

Your Textbook: 145-150, 153-155

Color Blindness and Color Deficiencies

Your Textbook: 151-152

Simultaneous Color Contrast

Color Constancy

Return to Issue of Source of Illuminance

Finding Edges vs. Filling In

Color Vision Issues & Painting

Question & Answer/Review [ Study Guide ]

Review of Color Vision Issues as applied to Painting

Good But Technical Article on CRT vs LCD Monitors

Space, Distance, & Depth - Binocular Cues

Your Textbook: 173-175

Manipulation of Binocular Cues to Produce
Depth Effects

Space, Distance, & Depth - Monocular Cues

Your Textbook: 169-172

Perception of Movement

Corollary Discharge Theory

Autokinetic Effect

Drift-Induced Motion

Your Textbook: 201-202

Stroboscopic Motion: Beta vs. Phi and MagnaPhi

Form

The Gestalt Psychologists

The Problem of Prediction:

Your Textbook: 93-103

Question & Answer/Review [ Study Guide ]

AUDITION: Parallels and Differences

Physics of Sound

A general problem for the hearing system

Your Textbook: 234-240

Auditory Physiology

The Ear

Your Textbook: 241-244

Auditory Physiology & Pitch

Helmholtz

Rutherford

Von Bekesy

Otoacoustic Emissions

Your Textbook: 245-252

Psychophysics of Pitch and Loudness

Audibility Function

Amplitude-Frequency Shift (Equal Pitch Contours)

Your Textbook: 236-239

Sound Localization

The General Problem

Head Motion: Speakers vs Headphones Music

The problem of Echoes: Outside vs. Inside

Your Textbook: 266-273

Music Pitch Perception

Guitar Note (a closer look)

Timbre

What are the Psychological Dimensions of Timbre?

The Missing Fundamental Effect - Challenge to Standard Explanation

Pitch as a linear scale - Piano Keyboard

Octave effect

Pitch as a helix

Chords

Melody

Shepard tone

Endless staircase - visual illusion

Endless staircase - Shepard illusion

Auditory Scene Analysis

The General Problem

Principles of Auditory Grouping:

Your textbook: 274-278

Interactions Between Hearing & Seeing

Visual Capture

Your textbook: 281

Question & Answer/Review [ Study Guide ]

Discuss Final Exam

Final Exam time is Saturday, May 1, 3:00-5:30