Perception Review + Schizophrenia

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Absolute Threshold Difference Threshold

The weakest amount of a stimulus you can detect.

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The smallest amount of change in a stimulus you can detect.

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Review:

I can see a candle flame

30 miles away! (But not 31 miles away!)

I can see a difference between these two

color hues: !!!

But not between these two: !

Signal Detection Theory Sensory Adaptation

When multiple stimuli are present, this is our ability to recognize some signals, while

ignoring others. !!!!!!!!!!

Our ability to become less sensitive to an unchanging

stimulus over time. !!!!!!!!!!

Review:

It’s a HIT! I detected the

ring of my cell phone, even though there

are other auditory

stimuli in the room!

That construction next door is so LOUD and

distracting!

Fifteen Minutes Later…

Oh! I forgot there was construction going on outside.

I started to ignore it.

Top-Down Processing Bottom-Up Processing

Forming an understanding using context and prior knowledge.

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Forming an understanding using stimuli directly from the

environment. !!!!!!!!!!

Review:

I’ve never driven a car or seen an airplane cockpit

before: I don’t have any prior knowledge or conceptual

understanding of the cockpit. To form an understanding of

it, I need to observe each part individually and push

buttons.

My dad used to fly me in his airplane, so when I saw a plane cockpit for the first

time, I used prior knowledge to comprehend the layout. I applied my understanding of

a car’s steering wheel to understand the plane

steering wheel.

Pre-attentive Process Attentive Process

The unconscious process of gathering information and forming

understanding. !!!!!!!!!!

The active and conscious effort of gathering information and forming

understanding. !!!!!!!!!!

Review:

If you ask me which crayon is missing in a box of crayons, I can’t complete this task in

less that one second. I need to actively process

information in my head first. For example, I need to recall what colors should be in the box. Next, I need to evaluate

which colors are already present.

I can spot the red crayon in a box of crayons

pre-attentively. I can do this task in less than one second. I don’t need to look at each crayon one at a time in order to do

this task!This is Slow!

Schizophrenia A brain disease that may include delusions, loss of personality, confusion, agitation, social withdrawal, psychosis, and bizarre

behavior.  Individuals with schizophrenia may hear voices that are not there. In extreme cases, they can have hallucinations. Some may be convinced that others are reading their minds, controlling how

they think, or plotting against them.

Schizophrenics feel paranoid. They feel like people are trying

to control them. They feel frantic, and because of this, they might

become suicidal.

Schizophrenia Scientists believe that when the human brain is forming in a

mother’s womb, the brain does not always develop properly: the organization of brain cells and the connections between different parts of the brain might have errors or structural damage. In rare cases, even a tiny imperfection in the brain can cause someone to

perceive false information (like non-present voices).

Usually, schizophrenia develops in young adults age 15-30. For

35% of people, symptoms become progressively worse over time. Others might have

only one schizophrenic episode in their lifetime.

Schizophrenia There is no cure for schizophrenia, but there are treatments

that can reduce the symptoms.

Treatments: 1. Join a support group and

communicate with trusted family and friends.

2. Take antipsychotic medication to reduce hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and disordered thinking.

3. Avoid alcohol and drugs. Some evidence indicates a link between drug use (especially marijuana) and schizophrenia. These may also interfere with your medications.

Pair-Share

How does schizophrenia relate to the perception of reality?