Foundations Of Sensation And Perception

Do you wonder how movies – sequences of static frames – appear to move, or why 3-D films look different from traditional movies? Why does ventriloquism work, and why can airliner flights make you feel disoriented? The answers to these and other questions about the human senses can be found within the pages of Foundations of Sensation and Perception. This third edition maintains the standard for clarity and accessibility combined with rigor which was set in previous editions, making it suitable for a wide range of students. As in the previous editions, the early chapters allow students to grasp fundamental principles in relation to the relatively simple sensory systems (smell, taste, touch and balance) before moving on to more complex material in hearing and vision. The text has been extensively updated, and this new edition includes: a new chapter devoted to attention and perception over 200 new references over 30 new figures and improved, more colorful, visual presentation a new companion website with a range of resources for students and lecturers The book contains a range of pedagogical features, including tutorial sections at the end of each chapter. This distinctive feature introduces areas of the subject which are rarely included in student texts, but are crucial for establishing a firm foundation of knowledge. Some tutorials are devoted to more advanced and technical topics (optics, light measurement, Bayesian inference), but treated in an accessible manner, while others cover topics a little outside of the mainstream (music perception, consciousness, visual art). Foundations of Sensation and Perception will enable the reader to achieve a firm grasp of current knowledge concerning the processes that underlie our perception of the world and will be an invaluable resource for those studying psychology, neuroscience, and related disciplines.

Foundations of Perception provides a comprehensive general introduction to perception. All the major and minor senses are covered, not only examining them from a perceptual perspective but also taking into account their biological and physical context. In addition to covering all material essential to understanding the functioning of the senses, each chapter also includes a 'Tutorials' section. This provides an opportunity for more advanced students to explore supplementary information on recent or controversial developments in subjects such as: The physics and biology of audition ; Shape and object perception ; Individual differences in perception.

The study of sensation and perception looks at how we acquire, process, and interpret information about the outside world. By describing key ideas from first principles, this straightforward introduction provides easy access to the basic concepts in the subject, and incorporates the most recent advances with useful historical background. The text takes a uniquely integrative approach, highlighting fundamental findings that apply across all the senses - including vision, hearing, touch, pain, balance, smell and taste - rather than considering each sense in isolation. Several pedagogical features help students to engage with the material. ‘Key Term’ and ‘Key Concept’ boxes describe technical terms and concepts whilst ‘Question’ boxes relate the material to everyday questions about perception. Each chapter ends with suggestions for further reading, and the final chapter draws together the material from the previous chapters, summarizing the broad principles described, and outlining some major unresolved issues. Assuming no prior knowledge, this book is an accessible and up-to-date overview of the processes of human sensation and perception. Presented in full color, it is an ideal introduction for pre-undergraduate and first year undergraduate students on courses in psychology, as well as neuroscience and biology.

The new edition of this successful book provides a comprehensive and authoritative overview of the sensory systems--vision, audition, touch, taste, and smell. In each case the neural machinery relating sensation and perception is described and integrated with the physiological underpinning. This edition includes a CD which provides demonstrations and simulations to explain and clarify the perceptual phenomena.

The new edition of this successful book provides a comprehensive and authoritative overview of the sensory systems--vision, audition, touch, taste, and smell. In each case the neural machinery relating sensation and perception is described and integrated with the physiological underpinning.This edition includes a CD which provides demonstrations and simulations to explain and clarify the perceptual phenomena.

This comprehensive introduction to the senses explains how physical stimuli are transformed into signals in the nervous system and how the brain uses those signals to understand the world. Whereas most texts in the field begin by covering vision, this trailblazing work offers students a solidgrounding in the principles of perceptual measurement and the biological mechanisms that make perception possible before introducing the somatosensory and then the olfactory system. This innovative presentation ensures that students have a firm grasp of the basics before they approach thecomplexities of hearing and vision, making Fundamentals of Sensory Perception an indispensable introduction to sensation and perception.

Like no other text, Sensation and Perception expertly introduces students to how we sense and perceive the world around us. Using clear and detailed explanations and highly effective illustrations the text illuminates the connections between mind, brain, and behavior in the realm of sensation and perception. Seamlessly integrating classic findings with cutting edge research in psychology, physiology and neuroscience Sensation and Perception 2e explores what questions researchers are seeking to answer to today and the methods of investigation they are using. Sensation and Perception, Second Edition, now includes 15 chapters, including separate chapters on motion perception, perception for action, olfaction, and gustation, and a new appendix on noise and signal detection theory The new edition introduces new coauthor Richard A. Abrams (Washington University).

Is the human eye like a camera? What makes your ears ‘pop’ on a plane? Why did women in the Middle Ages put belladonna into their eyes? This fully updated 2nd edition of Sensation and Perception is an accessible introduction to the field of perception. It covers in detail the perceptual processes related to vision and hearing, taste and smell, touch and pain, as well as the vestibular and proprioceptive systems. From seeing in colour to pathologies of perception, and from recognising faces to research methods, this textbook is essential reading for any student of perception. New material includes: · ‘Applications’ features connect key content to real-life contexts · Thinking Critically feature pushes students beyond the basics · End-of-chapter essay questions · An entirely new chapter on Action & Perception John Harris is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Reading Jared Smith is Senior Research Fellow at the Population Health Research Institute of St George’s, University of London