Foundations of Sensation and Perception: Second Edition

by Mather; George

• ISBN13: 9781841696980
• ISBN10: 1841696986
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-01-29
• Publisher: Psychology Pres

Summary

This comprehensive introduction to Sensation and Perception has been highly praised for its unique approach, which begins with the minor senses and progresses to vision. The book begins with an introductory chapter on general physiological, perceptual and theoretical principles which gives the reader the conceptual tools to build a clear understanding of how we perceive the world. The next two chapters then flesh out basic topics such as transduction, receptive fields, and sensory adaptation via coverage of the minor senses (touch, balance, smell, and taste). Later chapters on hearing and vision build on these foundations. This approach allows students to thoroughly grasp the fundamental principles in relation to the relatively simple sensory systems before moving on to the more complex topics. Unlike other perception textbooks, this has a whole chapter on Individual Differences, which considers potential sources of difference such as age, sex, expertise and culture. This full-color 2ndedition has been revised and updated to include: Revised and expanded coverage of taste processing and perception, touch perception, pitch perception, and receptive field modeling. New sections on word perception, the size after-effect, crowding, scene perception, and optic flow. A completely new chapter devoted to multi-sensory processing and synesthesia, with a new tutorial on attentional effects in perception. A new tutorial on visual dysfunction in artists. The book includes a number of helpful textbook features, such as key terms, chapter summaries, and student and instructor supplementary resources. There are also ''Tutorial'' sections in each chapter, which provide an opportunity for students to advance their studies by exploring supplementary information on recent or controversial developments. Further, over 700 references to original source material lead the interested reader into the specialist literature. Foundations of Sensation and Perceptionprovides students with a thorough analysis of our perceptual experience, how it relates to the physical properties of the world and how it is linked to the biological properties of the brain. It will be an invaluable resource for those studying psychology and neuroscience, enabling the reader to achieve a firm grasp of current knowledge concerning the complex processes that underlie our perception of the world. Student Resources: Perception Student Learning Program The student website includes our Perception Student Learning Program (Perception SLP) which offers a unique and innovative approach to study. The Perception SLP is available free of charge to departments adopting Foundations ofSensation and Perceptionby George Mather. Each chapter from Foundations of Sensation and Perceptionis condensed into a concise summary version, providing an effective set of revision notes. These notes also expand on and elucidate the book''s content, with references to specific pages in the textbook. ''Must know'' information is presented in a clear, accessible style, along with sections to stretch more advanced students. The notes also provide an integrative framework for a range of interactive multimedia materials and features, including: Animations and simulations of key perceptual phenomena Fill-in-the-blank questions Multiple-choice questions Key-term definitions Research studies Short-essay questions Links to related websites. Several demo chapters from the Perception Student Learning Program are available to view. Instructor Resources We offer web-based, password-protected resources free of charge to instructors who recommend Foundations of Sensation and Perceptionby George Mather. These resources include: A comprehensive chapter-by-chapter slideshow lecture course A set of short-answer questions per chapter to stimulate discussion.

Table of Contents

Preface

General Principles

Introduction

Classification of the Senses

Methods Used to Study Perception

General Principles of Sensation and Perception

Chapter Summary

Tutorials

The Chemical Senses

Introduction

Smell

Taste

Flavour

Evaluation

Chapter Summary

Tutorials

The Body Senses

Introduction

The Somatosensory System

The Vestibular System

Chapter Summary

Tutorials

The Physics and Biology of Audition

Introduction

Sound as a Physical Stimulus

The Physiology of the Auditory System

Chapter Summary

Tutorials

Perception of Sound

Introduction

Loudness Perception

Pitch Perception

Auditory Localisation

Speech Perception

Auditory Scene Analysis

Hearing Dysfunction

Chapter Summary

Tutorials

The Physics of Vision'Light and the Eye

Introduction

What is Light? Some Important Properties of Light

The Eye

Chapter Summary

Tutorials

Visual Physiology

Introduction

The Retina

The Visual Pathway

The Visual Cortex

Chapter Summary

Tutorials

Spatial Vision

Introduction

Fundamental Functions

Representation at Multiple Spatial Scales

Uses of Spatial Filters

Chapter Summary

Tutorials

Shape and Object Perception

Introduction: The Three-Stage Model

Shape Representation

Object Representation

Chapter Summary

Tutorials

Depth Perception

Introduction

The Multiplicity Of Depth Cues

Cue Combination

Chapter Summary

Tutorials

Visual Motion Perception

Introduction

Detecting Movement

The Integration of Motion Detector Responses

Multiple Processes in Motion Perception

Chapter Summary

Tutorials

Colour Vision

Introduction

Colour Space

Colour Mixture

Dual-Process Theory

Colour Interactions

Colour Deficiency

Chapter Summary

Tutorials

Multi-Sensory Processing In Perception

Introduction

Multi-Sensory Processing

Synaesthesia

Chapter Summary

Tutorials

Individual Differences in Perception

Introduction

Age

Sex

Culture

Expertise

Idiosyncratic Individual Differences

Chapter Summary

Tutorials

References

Author Index

Subject Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.