Psychology 3203

Perception - Summer 2009

Dr. Kenneth M. Steele

Smith Wright 310F

Office Hours: 12:30 - 1:30 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. 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.

Psychology 3203 Perception - Summer 2009
DATE	DAY	TOPIC
Measurement of Perceptual Experience
5/26	T	Course Requirements, etc.
5/27	W	The Establishment of Psychophysics Fechner: The mind-body problem and the importance of the absolute threshold Classical Psychophysical Techniques Methods Your Textbook: 12-14
5/27	W	Difference thresholds & Weber's Law
5/28	Th	The Psychophysical Laws - Weber vs. Fechner vs. Stevens
5/28	Th	Magnitude estimation & Stevens' Power Law Your Textbook: 14-16
6/1	M	Signal Detection Theory Your Textbook: 373-378
6/1	M
6/2	T	It's all about 3 guys ... ... and their descendants Question & Answer/Review [ Study Guide ] Test 1
		Test 1 Results
VISION I
6/3	W	Light Physics & Visual Physiology Your Textbook: 29-36
6/4	Th	Duplex Retina Dark Adaptation Curve Purkinje Shift Your Textbook: 36-41
6/8	M	Brightness - Contrast & Constancy Your Textbook: 46-54
6/9	T	Color Dimensions of Color Creating colors from other colors Additive Color Demo Subtractive Color Demo The Munsell System of Color Notation CIE XYZ Color System RGB Color System Your Textbook: 142-145
		Mechanisms of Color Helmholtz's Color Mixing Experiments Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory Spectral Sensitivity of Photoreceptors (2) Ewald Hering Colored Afterimages Another Look at the Retina Opponent Process Circuit 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 Edwin Land - Mondrian Experiments
		Finding Edges vs. Filling In Stabilized Retinal Image Fading Dot Color AfterEffect Illusion Spreading Neon Illusion Subjective Colors
6/11	Th	Question & Answer/Review [ Study Guide ] Test 2
		Test 2 Results
VISION II
6/15	M	Space, Distance, & Depth - Binocular Cues Corresponding Retinal Points Noncorresponding Retinal Points The Horopter and Retinal Disparity Your Textbook: 173-175
		Manipulation of Binocular Cues to Produce Depth Effects Producing Retinal Disparity Reproducing Viewpoints with Binocular Stereograms Anaglyphs Bela Julez and the Random Dot Stereogram Fooling Fusion - Single Image Stereograms How a SIS works
		Space, Distance, & Depth - Monocular Cues Monocular Cues Ames Room (2 Mb QT Movie) Ames Room Diagram Your Textbook: 169-172
6/16	T	Perception of Movement Corollary Discharge Theory Autokinetic Effect Your Textbook: 201-202
		Stroboscopic Motion: Beta vs. Phi and MagnaPhi Stroboscopic Motion: Wagon wheel Illusion 1 Stroboscopic Motion: Wagon wheel Illusion 2
6/17	W	Motion Parallax Simple Motion Parallax Diagram Motion Parallax Diagram with Horopter Structure from Motion Depth from Motion Your Textbook: 215-223
		Form The Gestalt Psychologists The Problem of Prediction Object Recognition - Structural Approach Object Recognition - View-point / Image Approach Change Blindness Your Textbook: 93-103
6/18	Th	Question & Answer/Review [ Study Guide ] Test 3
		Test 3 Results
AUDITION: Parallels and Differences
6/22	M	Sound Physics & Auditory Physiology Sound as a Sine Wave Frequency Amplitude Phase Interference Complex waves A general problem for the hearing system Your Textbook: 234-240
		Auditory Physiology The Ear Middle Ear Inner Ear Your Textbook: 241-244
6/23	T	Auditory Physiology & Pitch Helmholtz Rutherford Von Bekesy Your Textbook: 245-252
		Psychophysics of Pitch and Loudness Audibility Function Equal Loudness Contour Amplitude-Frequency Shift (Equal Pitch Contours) Speech Frequencies Your Textbook: 236-239
6/24	W	Sound Localization The General Problem Basic situation Interaural Intensity Difference - Frequency & Intensity Interaural Time Difference Cone of Confusion Your Textbook: 266-273
		Auditory Scene Analysis The General Problem Principles of Auditory Grouping: Location Pitch Similarity Proximity in Time Timbre Similarity - Wessel Effect Good Continuation Repetition Your textbook: 274-278
6/25	Th	Question & Answer/Review [ Study Guide ] Test 4 Test 5 (Optional)