Sensation & Perception

Spring - 2025

GRADES
Sample Essay Exam Questions
DP! I seriously want to learn this stuff!

Instructor:	Stephen T. Paul, Ph.D.		Office:	122 Scaife
E-mail:	paul@rmu.edu		Office Hours:	M & W:   1:00 - 3:30 pm
Phone:	(412) 397-5416.			and by appointment.

All our interior world is reality - and that perhaps more so than our apparent world.

-- Marc Chagall

Text:	Schwartz, B. L., & Krantz, J. H. (2023). Sensation & Perception, 3rd ed. Sage. [978-1-07192-118-0]
Web Site:	http://www.drspeg.com/courses/courses.html
Overview:	Sensation has been defined as the physical "sensing" of a stimulus (the physiological response to some stimulus before you know what it actually is) or the initial detection of energy from the physical world. Perception refers to the label or interpretation you put on a sensation. This course will sample a few of the focal areas in sensation and perception and will emphasize some "classic" studies as well as a few recent studies that are particularly noteworthy. It is my hope that you come away from this class with, at least, a respectable grasp of the issues, and (dare I hope) a healthy interest in one or more areas of human sensation and perception.
Objectives:	Upon successful mastery of this course, students should be able to: Better understand how we acquire information from the environment through our senses as well as how we make sense of that information. Understand some of the research methods used to measure and describe sensory and perceptual processes. Be able to explain the difference between sensory and perceptual processes. Be able to describe the basic physiological structures of the ear and eye as well as how they contribute to our auditory and visual sensory experiences. Demonstrate an understanding of why the experience of color is considered a psychological or perceptual experience, rather than a sensory experience. Know two theories that explain color perception. Know two theories that explain auditory perception. Be able to identify the role of psychological factors in the experience of pain. Understand the perceptual phenomena of motion after-effects, perceptual constancy, binocular and monocular depth perception, pattern recognition, and perceptual grouping.
Exams:	Four exams will be administered (3 semester exams; 1 cumulative final). Also, there could be anywhere from 0 to 6 unannounced pop-quizzes. These tend to be more likely on Tuesdays and Thursdays (but never on Wednesdays), so be sure not to skip the Tuesday or Thursday classes.
Policies:	Attendance: Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Specific absence policies are determined by each academic department and faculty member, announced at the beginning of each course, and presented in the course syllabus. Students whose absence exceeds the announced departmental or faculty policy may receive academic sanctions up to and including a course grade of "F." Such students are permitted to attend the remaining classes but are not permitted to take any examinations. In this course, attendance is strongly recommended, but your final grade will not be directly tied to attendance. Academic Integrity: Academic Integrity is one of this university's highest ethical values. All students are expected to understand and adhere to the standards of Academic Integrity as stated in the RMU Academic Integrity Policy, which can be found on the RMU website at www.rmu.edu/ai. Any student who violates the Academic Integrity Policy is subject to possible judicial proceedings that may result in sanctions, as indicated in the Policy. Depending on the severity of the violation, sanctions may range from receiving a zero on an assignment, to being dismissed from the university. If you have any questions about the Policy, please consult your course instructor. NOTE: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology for the completion of coursework is not allowed unless expressly permitted by the instructor for the course. Excerpt from Robert Morris University Student Academic Integrity Policy and Judicial Procedures document (June 1, 2011, p. 3) - Violation of "Fair Use": As noted, students' projects may include any of the following works: speeches, PowerPoint presentations, web pages, charts, graphs, illustrations, images, photographs, drawings, cartoons, and the like material obtained through people such as news sources, video and audio recordings, interviews, and the like information and opinions obtained through electronic media such as web sites, blogs, images, video as well as audio materials, and the like. Improper use of any such work or similar authored by other people is a violation of academic integrity as is the failure to comply with "fair-use" requirements. In many cases, written permission from the artist is required for use in a student's project. Students who feature the original artistic media works of others in their projects should ensure that they have complied with the legal and artistic implications of this use. This includes knowledge of the concepts of "licensing," "copyright," "fair use" and "public domain." (See www.fairusenetwork.com) Accessibility Accommodations for Students: Robert Morris University welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University's educational programs. If you have, or think you may have, a disability that would impact your educational experience in this class, please contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to schedule a meeting with the SAS Coordinator and Assistant Director Molly Hill. She will confidentially discuss your needs, review your documentation, and engage with you in the interactive process to determine your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. To learn more about academic accommodations, please visit http://rmu.edu/sas, email sas@rmu.edu, or call 412.397.6884. Masking: You may elect to wear face masks in the classroom. Please respect individual decisions about whether to mask. Any negative response to an individual who elects to wear a mask will be reported to Student Conduct. If you are feeling ill but well enough to attend class, we strongly encourage the use of a face mask until you are feeling well. In an Emergency: RMU Police emergency response telephone number is: 412-397-2424. From campus telephones dial only: 2424. RMU Alert: All students are urged to sign up for the RMU emergency alert notifications at www.rmu.edu/rmualert. Always check with RMU to see if classes are in session during inclement weather. Lectures & Readings: I expect that you will have read each chapter before we meet in class to discuss it. When you read, take note of portions that you don't understand well, or that you might have questions about. In this way you will arrive prepared for class to discuss the material like a true scholar. NOTE that I do not provide lecture notes or slides to students (i.e., as files that could be downloaded or emailed). I've tried this multiple times in the past and then watched students' grades plummet. It isn't a good idea (especially for this class). Grading: The exams will constitute 70 percent of your final grade (x1=10 percent, x2=15 percent, x3=20 percent and 25 percent for the final exam), the pop-quizzes, combined with occasional in-class activities, will constitute the remaining 30 percent of your final grade. The breakdown below will be used to determine final grades (based on overall percent earned by semester's end): A =   93.0 - 100 B =   83.0 - 85.9 C = 70.0 - 76.9 A- = 90.0 - 92.9 B- =  80.0 - 82.9 D =   0.1 - 69.9 B+ = 86.0 - 89.9 C+ = 77.0 - 79.9 F =   0.0 Use of Personal Technologies During Classtime: The use of laptops, cell phones, MP3 players, or any technology that distracts you (and/or your neighbors) from course content and delivery are prohibited. If you are caught using ANY technologies during class time, you will be marked absent for that class. If the instructor deems your electronic addiction to be disruptive you may be asked (or required) to leave. Exception: Audio recording is allowed. Why am I inflicting such a "torture" upon you? It was shown back in 2014 (and replicated since then) that notes taken by hand result in superior memory/learning compared with notes taken on computer/laptop. The classic demonstration of this is: Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159-1168. Missed Assignments: In the event that you miss a graded assignment (exam, activity, etc.) due to an excused absence, you have one week (or until the last day of classes; whichever comes first) from the date of the missed assignment to make arrangements with me to complete that missed assignment. If the original assignment cannot be completed, a replacement activity may be assigned. If you fail to make arrangements with me to make up any missed assignment by the deadline, you will receive a zero for that assignment.

Map of Course Objectives to Program Outcomes
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS	PROGRAM OUTCOMES	COURSE OBJECTIVES
Exams	1. Explain key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.	1, 3
Exams Distorted Vision Activity	2. Apply the principles of psychology to individual and social behavior.	1, 3, 5, 8
	3. Demonstrate information literacy in the field of psychology
Exams Saccadic Eye Movements Distorted Vision Coffee Table Illusion	4. Engage in innovative and integrative thinking and problem solving in psychology.	1, 3, 5, 8, 9
	5. Interpret, design, and conduct basic or applied psychological research.
Taste Activity	6. Understand individuals from different cultural and developmental perspectives.	1, 3, 8
	7. Apply ethical standards to psychological science and practice.
	8. Write effectively for different purposes in psychology.
	9. Exhibit effective presentation skills for different purposes in psychology.
Transient Conduction Loss	10. Apply psychological content and skills to career goals.	4

Schedule of Events:

This is provided as a general outline and ordering of what we will be covering. Approximate dates for exams are indicated. If any changes need to be made, they will be indicated on the online version of this syllabus (the final-exam date, of course, is already known and cannot be changed).