1. Psychology “the science of mind and behaviour”
“the way a person or group thinks”
- Webster’s Dictionary
“The scientific study of behaviour and mental processes, and the factors that influence these processes.”
- Wayne Sproule, Our Social World

2. Structuralism WILLIAM WUNDT (1832-1920)
Set up the first psychological laboratory in 1879 in Germany
Inner workings of the mind
Sensation
Perception
Attention
Introspection
Scientific methods to research
First time Psychology is considered a scientific discipline
G. Stanley Hall – 1st research lab, Johns Hopkins; 1st psychological journal; American Psychological Association

3. Sensation and Perception

4. Psychology is about looking at human mental processes
There are two steps in these processes:
Step 1: Sensation: the process that activates our sense receptors (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch) and enables them to transmit signals to the brain
Step 2: Perception: the process that allows us to select, organize and interpret sensory signals in the brain

5. Sensation Sensations can activate many different senses in our body:
Visual system
Light waves and colour
Auditory system
Sound waves
Chemical senses
Taste
Smell
Tactile system
Pressure, temperature, pain
Kinesthetic system
Monitor positions of the body
Vestibular system
Location in space

6. Perception 3 Steps in the Process of Perception
Selecting: picking out specific stimuli to which you will pay attention
Ex. If you are listening to radio, driving, looking around you and see a flash of red in your peripheral vision
Organizing: shaping data into something you understand
Ex. Perceiving that the red flash is another car that is coming into your lane
Interpreting: what does that mean?
Ex. Coming to the conclusion that you are in danger and acting appropriately by moving over to avoid collision
Perception is influenced by:
Background or Surroundings
Experiences/Feelings of the perceiver

7. Case Study: Helen Keller
What were the sensory stimuli?
What did Helen perceive?
What were the processes that led her to perception that it was water?
Select
Organize
Interpret
What were the factors influencing perception?
Background or Surroundings
Experiences or Feelings of the perciever

8. Optical Illusions Why do they work?
Sometimes perception is based on inappropriate assumptions
People form perceptual hypotheses on contextual factors (ex. Depth cues) which shape their perceptual hypothesis

9. Optical Illusions

10. Optical Illusions

11. Subliminal Perceptions
Registration of sensory input without conscious awareness of it

12. Sensations, Perceptions and Learning
Raw materials that the mind works with
Perception
Selection of data that the mind wants to work with
Use data to acquire knowledge
Retain in memory
Called cognition

13. Sources
Sproule, Wayne. Our Social World: An Introduction to Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology. Toronto: Prentice Hall, 2001.
Weiten, Wayne and Doug McCann. Psychology: Themes and Variations. Toronto: Thomas Canada Limited, 2007.

14. Reflection
Write at least 2 ways in which sensory and perception influence your personal learning in the classroom
Hand it in on the shelf by the door as you leave the room