1. Sensory neural systems: What does that mean? What does its study entail? The study of sensory system from the perspective of functional acuity and neural organization Physiology Neural architecture/circuitry (sensory receptors to-…) Circuit function (excitatory inhibitory or modulatory) Information flow and content Evidence of functional acuity (psychophysics) The study of the relationship between REAL physical stimuli and the perception of those stimuli by the organism. Thresholds and functions Perception is subjective whereas the stimulus is not. In all cases psychophysics MUST be behaviorally measured: verbally, a conditioned (learned) movement or a reflexive response. Psychophysical measures are relational: they are affected by many kinds of extrinsic and intrinsic factors.

2. Typical psychophysical measures of sensory acuity Detection thresholds (is it there or not) Discrimination thresholds (this from that) Difference thresholds (more or less) Intensity (stimulus strength) What can factors affect psychophysical measures? Individual differences Species differences Motivational states Context (masking) Integration time These factors can be controlled and manipulated but are they typically?