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Module 1.6a

Module 1.6a Sensation: Basic Concepts
INTRODUCE THE MODULE
Make It Meaningful
LEARNING TARGETS
1.6-1 Explain the three steps that are basic to all of our sensory systems. (10 minutes) Ask students what
1.6-2 Explain the difference between absolute thresholds and difference they know about subliminal
thresholds.
persuasion. Where did they learn
1.6-3 Explain the function of sensory adaptation.
about it? Are they skeptical of
it? How do they think our senses
might play a role? Use this
hen Indiana Adams awoke on New Year’s Day in 2020, she decided to buy her
husband exercise equipment. As she scrolled through the social media market- discussion to introduce sensation
Wplace, a used psychology textbook cover caught her attention. Adams’ vision is and perception.
perfect, but her perception is not. A former model and actor, Adams noted that the woman
on the textbook cover wore clothes that evoked memories of one of her photoshoots. But
Adams has prosopagnosia — face blindness — which means she can’t even recognize her
own face.
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Not for redistribution.
She went into her bedroom and showed her husband the picture. “That’s you!” he said.
And we [DM and ND] were that textbook’s authors. INTRODUCE THE MODULE
People with face blindness sometimes struggle socially. Activate Prior Knowledge
On one occasion, Adams was shopping and complimented
another woman on her cute clothes. When the woman
Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
didn’t respond, Adams realized she was actually looking (10 minutes) Begin class with
at herself in the mirror — and talking to her own reflec- this activity, which asks students
tion! Other people with face blindness report being aloof to decide if statements are
or experiencing distress when they confuse coworkers and
strangers with loved ones. Face-blind people sometimes true or false. The statements
pretend to recognize people, just in case they turn out to tap into common beliefs and
be someone they know. One woman found a way to use misconceptions about psychology.
her face blindness to build friendships (Dingfelder, 2019).
“When I was walking to class, if someone seemed to look This activity will benefit students’
my way, I smiled. If they smiled, I stopped to chat,” she said. understanding of Module 1.6a as
“Before long, the whole campus was brimming with close, they read.
personal friends of mine.”
Unlike Adams, most of us have a functioning area on
the underside of our brain’s right hemisphere that helps M1.6a: Fact or Falsehood?
us recognize a familiar human face, including our own,
as soon as we detect it — in only one-seventh of a second
(Jacques & Rossion, 2006). Our remarkable ability illus-
trates a broader principle: Nature’s sensory gifts enable each
animal to obtain essential information. Other examples: TEACHING TIP
• Human ears are most sensitive to sound frequencies The Essential Knowledge for Topic
that include human voices, especially a baby’s cry. Red Chopsticks/Getty Images 1.6—Sensation—includes a discussion
• Frogs, which feed on flying insects, have cells in their
eyes that fire only in response to small, dark, mov- of blindsight. You can find detailed
ing objects. A frog could starve to death knee-deep in Could that be me? coverage of this concept in
Module 1.5a.

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