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Announcements

Office Hours: 

Monday 3:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am
Friday 10:00 am

Sep 4, 2006
I hope all of you have had a great summer.   I am really looking forward to this class.  I hope that you have as much fun as I know I will.

Look here for future announcements about the course

Introduction

General Description:

I would like to welcome you to Sensation and Perception and thank you for joining me on this journey into both the mystery and knowledge that we have of an aspect of our mind that most of us take for granted: our senses.  Broadly speaking, the study of sensation and perception is the study of how an organism's brain knows what is going on in the world around it. To help you appreciate the questions that scientists studying sensation and perception struggle with, think of the captain of a ship far out to sea. What does that captain need to know to safely sail the ship? The captain must be able to detect obstacles, storms, other ships, and weather conditions such as extreme heat that may effect the operation and safety of the ship. To perform these functions, the captain has radar, sonar and other sensor systems to gain information about the ocean environment. In addition, the captain must know about the operating condition of the ship, such as fuel level and temperature of the engine. Sensors have been placed in the ship to give the captain the needed information. A limited analogy can be drawn between your brain or mind and the captain.  In the same manner as the captain, your brain does not have direct access to the information necessary to behave in an intelligent and effective manner. Thus, our sensory systems such as vision and audition are like the radar and sonar which provides necessary information to guide behavior.  You also have sensory systems that obtain information about the state of your body such as your position relative to the ground.

This course is part of the Natural World LADR.  Let me quote from the Hanover College catalog:

The liberal arts are arts suited for free people. The purpose of a liberal arts education is to enable such people to cultivate humanity, to realize their full potential as human beings and as citizens. Accordingly, the liberal arts are designed to equip individuals to develop and integrate every dimension of their own humanity--physical, intellectual, artistic, ethical, and spiritual--and to understand and respect the humanity of others. (p. 8)

This course fits this definition in many ways.  I want to highlight only a few.  First, to develop ourselves, we must know ourselves.  Our senses are among the most misunderstood aspects of our nature.  Thus, in this course will be working against a large body of our misunderstanding.  Second, this course is integrated with the biology class.  At times, the knowledge of evolution will come directly into play as the different ways animals perceive the world will be discussed helping us come to grips with our assumptions.  Last, issues in this course are applicable to the way we interact with art and technology in the world around us.

Objectives

Due to the fact that this course plays many different types of roles in the college, I have grouped the objectives into different categories. Depending upon the reason you are in this course, you may not see a need for all of the objectives. However, the objectives all work together and the first two sets of objectives actually are vehicles to support the higher level objectives which are the real reason for taking any course.

Course Specific Objectives:

The objective of this course is to develop your understanding of how our sensory systems operate to gain this necessary information. We will emphasize those senses that gain information about the outside world. One of the difficulties with teaching Sensation and Perception is that we all intuitively "know" what we see, hear, etc. In addition, we have an implicit trust that what our senses tell us about is physical reality. This belief is held despite most people having extensive experience with illusions which illustrate the indirect and interpretive nature of our senses provide. You will have to leave many of these intuitions behind, because there are many surprises in how our sensory systems actually operate.

Role of Course in the Major:

In the psychology major, this course is one of the options for a basic or 200 level experimental psychology course.  Experimental psychology traditionally has referred to those areas of psychology that have emphasized the laboratory and experimental methods for its research.  Thus, areas such as sensation and perception, cognition, and learning have fallen under this general rubric.  Many fundamental findings that drive most of our speculation about the nature of the human mind are based on findings in these areas.

As a result this placement of sensation and perception in the major, the course is designed to give you a fundamental introduction to experimental methods and ideas using this topic.  The other course at this level of the major is PSY162 Neuropsychology.  Together these courses are often grouped under the rubric of biological psychology and, thus, present how biological knowledge and approaches have been used to facilitate understanding in psychology.  So while there are many non biological approaches to sensation and perception and they will be covered, there is a need to make sure you understand the basics of the nervous system and how this basic understanding yields important insights for psychology.

This course also needs to provide a foundation of basic experimental methods as used in the laboratory areas of psychology.  In the advanced course you will be expected to design your own experimental project in the area of that course and to execute that project.  So, the laboratory section is designed to help you get experience with the various components of how experiments are conducted in these areas of psychology so that you will be prepared to conduct your project in the advanced course. 

Role of Course in the Natural World LADR:  I will quote here the general objectives for all Natural World courses.

1. Articulate a central assumption of science: the universe operates according to universally consistent rules, and we can discover these rules by logical thought subject to test through experiments and observations
2. Recognize that there is no single scientific method, that the scientific enterprise consists of multiple methods and tools of investigation for evaluating ideas, and that all science relies upon the acquisition of evidence obtained through experimentation and observation to test hypotheses and theories rather than upon the acceptance of ideas based on authority
3. Understand that scientific inquiry is not formulaic in practice and be able to explain how science works as a blend of logic, imagination, and serendipity to produce theories that have both explanatory and predictive power subject to validation by experiments and observations
4. Explain why no scientific knowledge is considered to be absolutely and completely true, and be able to give examples of how science has historically improved, discarded, and replaced theories by experiments and observations
5. Explain why many questions and assertions are outside the domain of scientific inquiry and why a hypothesis must be falsifiable through experiments or observations to be considered scientific
6. Describe the organization of science into distinctive disciplines with different subject matter and research agendas, and be able to compare and contrast the questions and methods of at least two different scientific disciplines through active study in those disciplines
7. Discriminate between scientific and pseudoscientific explanations of natural phenomena, read scientific works written for an informed public, and know how to find additional information that may be needed to fully understand the content of those works
8. Identify potential sources of bias in science attributable to the investigator (e.g., Cultural or ideological), the sample used, the method employed, or the instrumentation used with the goal of achieving objective results
9. Demonstrate with examples that science is a distinguishing feature of the contemporary world, and that the scientific enterprise is embedded in and influenced by the political, social, economic, and cultural contexts of the times
10. Understand that it is the responsibility of scientists to communicate their findings to the scientific community and, ideally, to the public, that scientists have a generally accepted set of ethical principles for the conduct of science, and that many scientists participate in public affairs as both scientific experts and citizens
11. Conduct a scientific investigation, including the formulation of questions and hypotheses, the development of methods of investigation, the collection and analysis of data, and the presentation of the work in written and oral scientific style

Objectives Connected to the Liberal Arts:

This course connects to the liberal arts in several ways.  Science is a traditional and fundamental area of study in the liberal arts.  Science is different from many of the other areas of knowledge by its apparent ability to build a body of knowledge that is to some degree cumulative and gains a very wide degree of acceptance by practitioners of that field.  It is these characteristics that has led to the claim that scientific knowledge is more objective that other disciplines.  But, science is not a fixed set of facts to be learned, but a constantly changing and evolving body of knowledge like any other scholarly field you find taught at Hanover College.  To understand science, in fact to understand any discipline taught here at Hanover, requires one to understand how the field learns and expands its horizon and critiques its past knowledge.  Thus, this class will emphasize the data and reasoning that leads researchers in sensation and perception to certain conclusions and in the class we will be asked to critique these data and the consequent reasoning.  In addition, one feature of the liberal arts is that it prepares people "to lead deliberate, examined lives." (Catalog, p. 8) However, one facet of our lives that often goes little examined is how it is possible that we can sense and perceive the world around us and how these mechanisms that make sensation and perception affect our lives.  By making you aware of these mechanisms a more aware life is possible.

Course Organization/Expectations

Read material and use media before coming to class.  In class, we will not simply present the material from the text but examine the material. Class is for working on understanding, applications, covering of new material.  Thus, familiarity with the material prior to class is vital.

Laboratory: The labs will be a chance to delve into some of the methods of the field.  The first lab will deal with anatomy which is a foundational way of understanding function.  The rest of the labs will involve the use of live animals and our methods will be more observational.  These methods will stand in stark contrast to what you do in biology.  Part of that is very much on purpose.

Attend Class.

Turn assignments in on time.  A letter grade is lost for each late day and nothing will be accepted more than three days late.

Participation in Class.  As much of this class will be an investigation into the meaning of the findings we discuss we need all of you to ask questions, suggest ideas and critique other people's ideas, including mine.

Seek help as you need it.  Unfortunately my training in  psychology has not made me a mind reader.  If you are having troubles seek help from me and/or fellow students before the latter part of the term.  Seek the help as soon as the trouble begins.  That requires you thinking about the material and not just memorizing so that you know if you really understand it.

Schedule:

Material covered in any course that you take here at Hanover College represents more than a collection of facts or ideas loosely held together by the course title. There is an intricate structure to what is included and what is not included which makes that course content distinct from other courses. I find, however, that in the heat of a term students and faculty get caught up in the particulars of the day's lecture or fulfilling the next assignment and sometimes lose sight of how the specifics of the day fit into the overall structure of the course. It is a "lose sight of the forest for the trees" type of phenomenon. In order to help you understand and keep track of the overall structure of this course, I have prepared the following course outline. The reading assignments are listed within the outline so that you can see how the daily lectures relate to the overall structure of the course.

 Dec 11-15 Final Examination (During Final Examination Period) (SCC 148)

Laboratory Schedule:

In all types of inquiry, the knowledge gained is fundamentally dependent upon the methods used to gain that knowledge. Therefore, the laboratory portion of this course is set up to allow you to both experience some fundamental phenomena and also to gain experience in how scientific questions are asked, answers sought and discoveries communicated. Below is the schedule of laboratories that are part of the course.

Assignments and Examinations:

Homework.

Throughout the term there will be homework problems assigned.  They will be due the next class day.  Problems will come from the problems at the end of the text chapters and from others I will hand out in class.  Often they will require the use of the text media.  Problems of this sort will also be the exams.  Homework will be collected and graded and will total to 100 points.

Examinations.

There will be three tests. The tests will be a combination format of short answer items (such as identification) and longer essays. All examinations will be of a similar format. Also, all examinations will be cumulative because all later material builds on or relates to earlier material. Since each successive examination covers more material, each successive examination will be worth more according to the following chart.

All exams will take place in SCC 148 so that student will have individual access to individual computers.

Laboratory Assignments.

There will be several types of laboratory assignments including problems, data analysis, graphing of results, and laboratory reports. These assignments are listed above in the schedule of the laboratories and will be described more in the labs where they are involved.  However, the labs have a cumulative set of purposes.  These purposes are two-fold: to develop skills at experimentation using the methods of sensation and perception and to develop skills at critically analyzing the results of these experiments.  Thus, assignments such as graphing may seem purely as a skill, but even here, how one graphs can greatly impact the way we interpret data.  Thus, understanding the impact of how a graph is constructed on interpretation can assist in a critical understanding of that data.

The different types of assignments will be worth different point values depending on the size of the assignment.  The points are listed in the syllabus above in the laboratory schedule.  Those assignments marked with an asterisk (*) must be taken by the learning center for review prior to being handed in.  A letter grade will be taken off of the assignment, if the paper is not reviewed by the learning center first.  It is possible on individual cases that the last lab report will also be required to be taken by the writing center.  This requirement will be indicated on the return of the second lab.

Small Group Presentations: In addition to the lab reports, once during the term, in  a small group, you will give an oral presentation on a topic related to the current lab.  A part of any job you will have will be the giving of oral presentations to both small and larger groups.  Hanover College recognizes this fact and makes the development of speaking skills a part of its core curriculum.  All LADR courses are required to have both a writing and a speaking component.  Class participation is one aspect of the speaking component in this course and the other component are the oral presentations.  Your small group will be given a part of the lab to present to the rest of the class.  The presentation will be worth 50 points.

Research Participation

Part of the Natural World LADR objective is to show you different ways that science is conducted.  However, this class, and the biology class that preceded it can only show a small number of methods.  So this assignment is to give you experience with alternative methods, but from a psychological perspective.  You can earn this credit in three ways. First, you can participate in research that is being conducted by faculty members or students of Hanover College. By participating in these studies, you can gain valuable, first-hand knowledge about how research is conducted. You will receive 50 points for each 1/2 hour of participation. To receive credit, you MUST: a) obtain the signature of the researcher, and b) answer some basic questions about the nature and purpose of the study [see attached Research Participation Form]. Second, you can substitute two online studies for any one Hanover study found on this site: http://psych.hanover.edu/research/exponnet.html.  While you cannot get the researchers signature you must still fill out the questions [see attached Online Participation Form].  Third, you can obtain the credit by writing a 2-page summary and critique of an approved psychological journal article.  The guidelines are here. You must complete two of these assignments by the end of the term.  You may earn extra credit by completing two more of these assignments at 50 points each. The final date to turn in Research Participation Forms and/or Article Critiques is Friday December 1, 2006.

Grading and Class Policies:

Class Participation:

Participation in and regular attendance of classroom activities and discussions will be worth 100 points. I expect each student to participate fully in discussions in class and laboratories. These discussions are integral to getting the greatest possible benefit from this class in addition to being a part of the development of your speaking abilities which you will need later.

Late Policy:

An assignment is late 1 minute after the beginning of class. One letter grade will be subtracted for the first day late and another letter grade for each additional day, also beginning at the time of class plus one minute.

Grading:

I grade on a point system which means that each assignment of the course is worth a certain amount of points towards the final grade. When you get an assignment back you will be given a grade with the points earned over the total number of points. Thus, you should be able to follow your progress in the course on your own.

The table below summarize the grading for each class assignment.

Activity	Points
Test 1	100
Test 2	150
Test 3	200
Homework	100
Lab Assignments
Psychophysics 1	25
Psychophysics 2	25
Psychophysics 3	50
Acuity Lab	50
Motion Aftereffect Lab	100
Size Constancy Lab	50
Critical Bands Lab	100
Lab Oral Presentations	50
Participation	100
Total	1100

Grades will be converted to percentiles and letter grades will be assigned as follows: