Sensation & Perception Knowledge Organizer

Here’s a knowledge organizer I’ve created of the most essential terms for sensation and perception in an introductory psychology course. These knowledge organizers are designed to help you identify the most important factual knowledge you need to have in order … Read More

Culture and Perception

In this video I consider the role of culture on perception. The fact that we must learn how to perceive the world creates the possibility that our culture can shape our perception. I provide one example of this, known as … Read More

Depth Perception

In this video I describe the many cues that we use to perceive depth and experience a 3D world based on the 2D information from our retinas. These include monocular cues (linear perspective, relative size, texture gradient, interposition, and shading), … Read More

Perceptual Constancy

In this video I describe perceptual constancy, which refers to the idea that we perceive a relatively stable and unchanging world despite the fact that sensory information is changing dramatically. I explain how this applies visually to size, brightness, and … Read More

Synesthesia: Mingling the Senses

In this video I explain synesthesia, in which stimulation of one sense can automatically stimulate another, such as seeing colors when hearing pitches or tasting sounds. I also demonstrate one way that researchers can test certain types of synesthesia and … Read More

Understanding Colorblindness

In this video I explain different types of colorblindness and what can cause people to have difficulty differentiating colors, either from the lack of a cone type (-anopia) or if the sensitivity of a cone type has been shifted (-anamoly). … Read More

Color Vision: Trichromatic and Opponent Process Theories

In this video I discuss how color vision occurs and explain two important theories for understanding color vision; Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory and Opponent Process Theory. Along the way I describe how some people are able to see ultraviolet (UV) light, … Read More

Blood Vessels, Floaters, and Blind Spots

In this video I consider several strange aspects of vision such as why we don’t normally see the blood vessels in our eyes, what those odd shapes are that we see when we look at a clear sky, and why … Read More

Parts of the Eye: How Vision Works

In this video I describe the parts of the eye and the function of each of these parts for vision. I also explain why the red-eye effect occurs in photographs and how an additional light is able to correct for … Read More