Sensation and Perception Webquest

Step One… The basics of sensation and perception… test yourself!

Click on the following link: and click on “Senses Challenge”. Complete the challenges in a timely fashion. Each individual test is timed, but when it is finished you can click on explanation. This will allow you to answer the questions for each below.

1. After doing challenge 1, click on the explanation. Why do measurement optical illusions occur?

2. For challenge 3, explain what is happening in this illusion.

3. Explain shadow compensation (from challenge 5).

4. Explain what happens in challenge 6.

5. How does our past experience impact how we process information? (challenge 7).

6. Why do many people have difficulty finding the change in the image in question 9?

7. Why do chili peppers taste hot? (challenge 12).

8. Why are supertasters more sensitive to taste than others (challenge 13)?

9. How is the intensity of sound measured? What impacts the loudness we perceive? (challenge 15)

10. Why are smells often linked to memories? (challenge 20).

Step Two: “Focus” on the Eye (pardon the pun!)

Go to the following websight (did you catch the spelling? ) and complete the questions that follow:

1. Click on Anatomy and then both Inner and Outer anatomy to complete the diagram below

Now click on “The Eye” and then go to “How we perceive color” and “Sight” to answer the following:

2. What is white? What is black?

3. Why do “density and complexity matter”?

4. How do we see? (Remember, it’s AP, do NOT write ‘with our eyes and brain”).

Now click on “Ailments” and answer the following:

5. Explain “colorblindness”.

6. Differentiate between nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.

Now click on “Games” and go to “Stereograms”.

7. Can you see them? Explain why you think you can or why you can’t? ( I can’t and it’s frustrating)

Step Three: Is it all just an illusion???

Now it is time to understand some illusions… go to links below and then answer the following question for ALL FOUR of the illusions. (Note: if your computer does not have the latest version of Adobe Shockwave, you can’t manipulate the illusion but you can still click on EXPLANATION to answer the question).

1. What are the names of these illusions? How are they similar? How are they different? Briefly explain what is happening for each illusion.

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Now go to the following websites to view the artwork by M. C. Escher and Julian Beever and answer the questions that follow. Look at AT LEAST three works by each artist.

M.C. Escher Escher is one of my favorite artists. (read a bit and click on “galleries” to view his art. His later works are especially amazing…. Italian Period, Switzerland and Belgium, and Back in Holland) Click on the small images to see them larger.

Julian Beever

Another one of my favorites! (First, explore the website to find out about the artist and then scroll down to see his art. Some of my favorites are “Lobster”, “Mosiac”, “Batman” and “Fly Killer”)

2. How are these artists similar? How are they different?

3. How specifically do these artists use illusion (use terms from your textbook)? Which artists work do you like better? Why?

4.. How does each artist use depth perception and monocular cues to distort our perception? (this is not answered on the websites, you will need to see pages 246-248 in your textbook to answer this question)

Step Four: Why do we hear, taste, and smell some things and not others?

1. Why don’t we have the sense of smell of a bloodhound or the sight of a hawk?

2. Now click the arrow in the bottom right and go to “Perception” and explain in detail the four concepts below.

•Gestalt Principles of Grouping (may help you to draw the four too)

•Maintaining Perceptual Consistency (be sure you know the three types)

•Monocular Cues (definition and examples of monocular cues)

•Binocular Cues (definition and examples of binocular cues)

Step Five: Taste (Gustation)

Tastes have a cultural connection too. Certain cultures have access to certain foods and develop a taste for them. The Kombai tribe of New Guinea believes that spaghetti noodles are disgusting and will not eat them… maggots however, are eaten and enjoyed daily there!!!!!! I will give you a candy from another country. It is actually quite popular in that country. Taste it and answer the following:

Now go to the following site.

You don’t have to read all of the site…you will need to scroll down. I have underlined and put in bold below the section where you will find the information.

Why taste? 5. Why is taste such an important sense?

Taste Transduction 6. What are the four basic tastes?

7. How would you classify the candy you tried above?

8. What is “umami”?

Supertasters 9. Why are some people supertasters and not others?

Strange Taste Facts 10. Taste is mainly ______. So, what is flavor then?

Step Six: Audition (hearing)

You will be answering the question: how do we hear? You will give a very detailed explanation citing specific areas/parts of the ear. As you complete the Psychsim and look at the “thinkquest” website, you may want to take notes that ultimately help you answer the question.

First click on the book website to complete the Psychsim for Chapter 5. Continue to click “next” at the bottom and continue to do so to work through the all of the Psychsim. Be sure to complete all of this… there is A LOT of good information here. Take notes if you wish.

(there is some flash animation at the bottom that you might want to check out too)

Once you have explored both websites, answer the following:

1. How do we hear? Give a detailed explanation (be sure that you include the various parts of the ear in your explanation)