Sensation/Perception Extra Credit - 2 Points for the term, due by midnight, January 25, 2012
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jonathan
Jan 11, 2012, 9:34:29 AM1/11/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
You must travel to the Museum of Science in Cambridge. Visit the
exhibits "Take a closer look," "The Lighthouse" and "Seeing is
Deceiving." Post on this discussion one thing you learned about three
different senses. Include a brief description of the exhibit and how
it informed you about sensation and/or perception. You may not post
the same "I learned" concept that has been posted by two other people.
Along with your write-up you most post a photo of you at one of the
exhibits. If you travel with classmates, you may take a group photo.
The museum normally costs $22. You can also reserve a pass from the
Wellesley Free Library for $7 or the Boston Public Library for free
but there are a limited number of passes and you must reserve them for
a specific day. You can find information online for both.
Any quuestions or concerns about this assignment should be brought to
your teacher's attention immediately.
exhibits "Take a closer look," "The Lighthouse" and "Seeing is
Deceiving." Post on this discussion one thing you learned about three
different senses. Include a brief description of the exhibit and how
it informed you about sensation and/or perception. You may not post
the same "I learned" concept that has been posted by two other people.
Along with your write-up you most post a photo of you at one of the
exhibits. If you travel with classmates, you may take a group photo.
The museum normally costs $22. You can also reserve a pass from the
Wellesley Free Library for $7 or the Boston Public Library for free
but there are a limited number of passes and you must reserve them for
a specific day. You can find information online for both.
Any quuestions or concerns about this assignment should be brought to
your teacher's attention immediately.
Cara Skelly
Jan 16, 2012, 1:45:26 PM1/16/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
Sight: At the exhibit “Seeing is Deceiving”, I observed many optical
illusions. One featured a square poster with a black and white striped
background. On the poster there were a series of red-purple rings,
with a red circle in the center of the poster. Following the
directions, I stood a few feet away from the poster and starred at the
center of red circle. After a few moments, the rings on the outside of
the inner circle appeared to be moving. This illusion was a result of
the retina turning on and off because of rings. The brain interprets
this “blink” as objects moving.
Time: Although not generally included in the five sense, the sense of
time was featured in the exhibit “Take a closer look”. One activity in
the exhibit involving pressing a timer and then waiting to press the
button a second time until you believed a minute had passed. The time
was not shown anywhere and the participant was advised not to count
the time passing by or look at a watch, clock or phone. The lesson
learned after the activity was that the sense of time passing depends
on the interest level one has in the activity. This applied to me when
I did the test. I performed the activity twice. The first time I
pressed the button at 30 seconds and the next time, being more
determined to wait the full minute, I pressed it at 57 seconds,
obviously more successful.
Hearing: In the “Take a closer look” exhibit, there were a variety of
activities involving sound. At first three songs were played on the
piano at the same time. Although some parts were recognizable, I was
unable to indentify which songs they were. Next, I pressed a button to
hear each of the three songs played by another instrument while the
other two were played by the piano again. After hearing each one that
way, I recognized the songs in the confusing medley that had been
played first. This suggest that we are able to indentify the familiar
sounds in the a clash of many noises when we know what we are
listening for. This reminded me in part of the cocktail part effect,
where people are able to recognize a familiar sound, their name, from
across the room, effectively tuning out the rest of their conversation
because of the associations their name has to them.
illusions. One featured a square poster with a black and white striped
background. On the poster there were a series of red-purple rings,
with a red circle in the center of the poster. Following the
directions, I stood a few feet away from the poster and starred at the
center of red circle. After a few moments, the rings on the outside of
the inner circle appeared to be moving. This illusion was a result of
the retina turning on and off because of rings. The brain interprets
this “blink” as objects moving.
Time: Although not generally included in the five sense, the sense of
time was featured in the exhibit “Take a closer look”. One activity in
the exhibit involving pressing a timer and then waiting to press the
button a second time until you believed a minute had passed. The time
was not shown anywhere and the participant was advised not to count
the time passing by or look at a watch, clock or phone. The lesson
learned after the activity was that the sense of time passing depends
on the interest level one has in the activity. This applied to me when
I did the test. I performed the activity twice. The first time I
pressed the button at 30 seconds and the next time, being more
determined to wait the full minute, I pressed it at 57 seconds,
obviously more successful.
Hearing: In the “Take a closer look” exhibit, there were a variety of
activities involving sound. At first three songs were played on the
piano at the same time. Although some parts were recognizable, I was
unable to indentify which songs they were. Next, I pressed a button to
hear each of the three songs played by another instrument while the
other two were played by the piano again. After hearing each one that
way, I recognized the songs in the confusing medley that had been
played first. This suggest that we are able to indentify the familiar
sounds in the a clash of many noises when we know what we are
listening for. This reminded me in part of the cocktail part effect,
where people are able to recognize a familiar sound, their name, from
across the room, effectively tuning out the rest of their conversation
because of the associations their name has to them.
Holly Wiberg
Jan 16, 2012, 2:08:47 PM1/16/12
to baddeley...@googlegroups.com
“Take a Closer Look” had many interactive stations that demonstrated different things about several senses—touch, sight, smell, sound, and time. “The Lighthouse” taught about light and how it is transmitted, altered, etc. Finally, “Seeing is Deceiving” displayed a collection of optical illusions with explanations of how they worked.
Sight: At “Seeing is Deceiving,” there was a large spinning wheel that I looked at for 30 seconds. When I looked at another object immediately afterwards, the object appeared to be moving. This is because when people are exposed to a stimulus for a long time, their brains adjusts to the stimulus as being the “normal” condition. This is like habituation, where after being exposed to a stimulus for a long time, people no longer notice it because it has become part of their normal perception.
Touch: At “Take a Closer Look,” there was an activity that had a small point that vibrated. I adjusted the frequency of the vibration to reach the highest frequency that I could still feel with my fingertip. I then put the back of my hand on this tip, and I could not feel the vibration at all. I learned that this is because nerve endings are more densely concentrated in areas such as fingertips and palms, so your touch sensation is more sensitive there. While I could only feel the vibrations of 100-200 beats/second with the back of my hand (the standard perceptible frequency of vibration), I could notice frequencies of about 300 beats/second with my fingertips and palm.
Sound: At “Take a Closer Look,” there was another activity that involved recognizing the location of sounds. I learned that people identify the location of sounds based on their left and right ears. Sounds to your left reach the left ear first, and sounds to your right reach your right ear first. Your brain processes which ear the sound reached first to determine where the sound came from. It is difficult to identify sounds that are straight ahead or behind you because both ears are same distance away, so people often tilt their heads to make sound reach one ear first, allowing them to locate the source of the noise.
Luisa Lange
Jan 16, 2012, 4:35:54 PM1/16/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
"Seeing is Deceiving": This exhibit focused on vision. The exhibit
contained many optical illusions and explanations for why the
illusions occur. One example, called "Same Difference", focused on our
perception of color. This example showed two pictures with lines in
the shape of “x”s. The two lines making up the X shape appeared to be
different colors, but in reality they were the exact same color. This
is because color derives from wavelengths of visible light. However,
neighboring colors can tune the perception of the same wavelength
light to appear to be a dramatically different shade, especially if
the contrast is strong. Therefore when the color was surrounded by one
color, it looked different than when it was surrounded by another
color.
"The Light House": This exhibit focused on light and how our eyes
perceive light. There were many examples that involved mirrors, and
colors to manipulate light.
"Take a Closer Look": This exhibit focused on all five senses. The
activities and examples were used to explain how our senses work. One
example in this exhibit was called "Vibrating Sensations". This
activity involved placing your finger in a vibrating object. The
frequency of the vibrating could be adjusted. When the frequency was
higher, the vibration was less apparent.This is because skin is most
sensitive to frequencies between 100 and 200 beats per second.
Therefore when the frequency was out of this range, you could not feel
the vibrating. While all of your skin is able to feel vibrations, your
fingertips and palms are especially sensitive because nerve endings
are more densely packed.
Another activity in the "Take a Closer Look" exhibit was called
"Overlapping Melodies". This activity played three songs all at the
same time. It was difficult to make sense of the music, as it sounded
like a jumble of notes. Then, when the melodies played individually,
it was easier to pick out the tune while all three were playing at the
same time. This is because humans are good at identifying familiar
sounds even when many other sounds are present. However, when the
sounds were not familiar, it sounded like a jumble of notes.
contained many optical illusions and explanations for why the
illusions occur. One example, called "Same Difference", focused on our
perception of color. This example showed two pictures with lines in
the shape of “x”s. The two lines making up the X shape appeared to be
different colors, but in reality they were the exact same color. This
is because color derives from wavelengths of visible light. However,
neighboring colors can tune the perception of the same wavelength
light to appear to be a dramatically different shade, especially if
the contrast is strong. Therefore when the color was surrounded by one
color, it looked different than when it was surrounded by another
color.
"The Light House": This exhibit focused on light and how our eyes
perceive light. There were many examples that involved mirrors, and
colors to manipulate light.
"Take a Closer Look": This exhibit focused on all five senses. The
activities and examples were used to explain how our senses work. One
example in this exhibit was called "Vibrating Sensations". This
activity involved placing your finger in a vibrating object. The
frequency of the vibrating could be adjusted. When the frequency was
higher, the vibration was less apparent.This is because skin is most
sensitive to frequencies between 100 and 200 beats per second.
Therefore when the frequency was out of this range, you could not feel
the vibrating. While all of your skin is able to feel vibrations, your
fingertips and palms are especially sensitive because nerve endings
are more densely packed.
Another activity in the "Take a Closer Look" exhibit was called
"Overlapping Melodies". This activity played three songs all at the
same time. It was difficult to make sense of the music, as it sounded
like a jumble of notes. Then, when the melodies played individually,
it was easier to pick out the tune while all three were playing at the
same time. This is because humans are good at identifying familiar
sounds even when many other sounds are present. However, when the
sounds were not familiar, it sounded like a jumble of notes.
Ava Varasteh
Jan 16, 2012, 4:36:08 PM1/16/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
Sight: At the "Seeing is Deceiving" exhibit I observed an illusion
called "Curved or Straight". There was a poster with black designs and
a glass square that you could slide over the poster that had two
parallel red lines and a red square. When the glass stood alone the
lines of the red shapes were all straight, yet when it was put over
the poster with the black designs, the red lines appeared curved.
Visual processing areas analyze the tilt of straight lines and when
angles are viewed with parallel lines, they are seen as curved.
Because of this illusion--straight lines appearing curved--scientist
determined that other observations by the naked eye may not be what
they seem.
Hearing: At the "Take a Closer Look" exhibit, I took part in the
activity, "Listen Up". Claire and I sat opposite from one another, and
there were a circle of twelve speakers over our heads. In front of me
were twelve red buttons. Whenever I pressed a red button, one of the
speakers made a noise and Claire had to guess which one. It was hard
for her to determine which speaker made the noise because sounds that
are straight overhead (as well as straight ahead or behind us) are the
most difficult to locate since both ears are the same distance from
the sound.
Smell: At the "Take a Closer Look" exhibit, I did the activity "Sense
for Scents". There were several bottles lined up, and I had to squeeze
them to disperse a scent, and then determine what that scent was.
There were different scents such as coconut, lemon, strawberry,
chocolate, rose, and grass. The answers were hidden so that I could
check if I was right afterwards. Humans can detect thousands of
different scents but they may not be able to name them. When smelling
a few of the scents such as rose and grass, I realized that they
smelled familiar but I could not identify which scent they were.
Sensitivity with smelling varies with each person, and diminishes with
age, therefore I could have been more keen to detect the scent than an
elderly person.
called "Curved or Straight". There was a poster with black designs and
a glass square that you could slide over the poster that had two
parallel red lines and a red square. When the glass stood alone the
lines of the red shapes were all straight, yet when it was put over
the poster with the black designs, the red lines appeared curved.
Visual processing areas analyze the tilt of straight lines and when
angles are viewed with parallel lines, they are seen as curved.
Because of this illusion--straight lines appearing curved--scientist
determined that other observations by the naked eye may not be what
they seem.
Hearing: At the "Take a Closer Look" exhibit, I took part in the
activity, "Listen Up". Claire and I sat opposite from one another, and
there were a circle of twelve speakers over our heads. In front of me
were twelve red buttons. Whenever I pressed a red button, one of the
speakers made a noise and Claire had to guess which one. It was hard
for her to determine which speaker made the noise because sounds that
are straight overhead (as well as straight ahead or behind us) are the
most difficult to locate since both ears are the same distance from
the sound.
Smell: At the "Take a Closer Look" exhibit, I did the activity "Sense
for Scents". There were several bottles lined up, and I had to squeeze
them to disperse a scent, and then determine what that scent was.
There were different scents such as coconut, lemon, strawberry,
chocolate, rose, and grass. The answers were hidden so that I could
check if I was right afterwards. Humans can detect thousands of
different scents but they may not be able to name them. When smelling
a few of the scents such as rose and grass, I realized that they
smelled familiar but I could not identify which scent they were.
Sensitivity with smelling varies with each person, and diminishes with
age, therefore I could have been more keen to detect the scent than an
elderly person.
Cody O'Brien
Jan 16, 2012, 5:07:13 PM1/16/12
to baddeley...@googlegroups.com
Sight: At the Seeing Is Deceiving exhibit, I saw an illusion that dealt with the apparent size of objects in relation to others. In this illusion, there was a circle that could be moved to be surrounded by either larger or smaller circles. When it was surrounded by the larger circles, it appeared to be smaller, while the opposite was true when surrounded by smaller circles.
Touch: At the Take a Closer Look exhibit, I experienced an experiment relating to touch and the nerves in our fingers. Given that we are highly tactile creatures, and that most of our sensory nerves must be centered around the areas that will provide us with the highest amount of data (hands, feet, etc), those areas are much more sensitive to tactile stimuli than are other areas. The experiment done had a vibrating spindle and a dial that one could use to increase the speed at which it vibrated. After about 350 vibrations per minute, I was unable to feel the vibrations of the spindle; the cut off point for places like my elbow were much lower. I could still hear the vibrations though, even at over 1000 vibrations per minute, showing how much more powerful our sense of hearing is.
Hearing: Once again at the Take a Closer Look exhibit, I went to a site involving hearing. At this place, three songs were played simultaneously on a piano. At first, it was very difficult to make sense of the sounds, but once I recognized one of the songs, it became much easier to follow that "thread" of sound throughout the rest of the playback. I could also press a button to make one of the songs be played on a horn instead of a piano, making it much easier to identify the sounds. The conclusion was that we recognize familiar sounds much easier than we do unfamiliar ones, shown by the fact that I could easily distinguish the songs once I recognized them. On a more basic level, this explains why mothers can easily hear the cry of their children in a loud environment, or why a person can hear his or her name easily at a loud party.
Raquel Rosenbloom
Jan 16, 2012, 5:11:57 PM1/16/12
to baddeley...@googlegroups.com
The "Seeing is Deceiving" exhibit features a number of optical
illusions. On one of these, called Distance of Objects, I learned that
things seem bigger or smaller when compared next to other things even
though in reality they are the same length/size.
At "The Lighthouse" exhibit, which consisted of many different
activities regarding light, I learned that light travels in a straight
line until it hits an object. Also, light bounces off an object at the
same angle it hits that object.
At "Take a Closer Look," I experimented with sounds, smell and sense
of time. I learned that sounds are short lived and hard to analyze so
spectograms, which are pictures of sounds that depict frequency, and
time and use color to show intensity, are used to compare and
numerically analyze sounds better. Also, I learned smells are hard to
identify especially when they are a combination of smells. Smell
requires the ability to identify up to 10000 different molecules.
illusions. On one of these, called Distance of Objects, I learned that
things seem bigger or smaller when compared next to other things even
though in reality they are the same length/size.
At "The Lighthouse" exhibit, which consisted of many different
activities regarding light, I learned that light travels in a straight
line until it hits an object. Also, light bounces off an object at the
same angle it hits that object.
At "Take a Closer Look," I experimented with sounds, smell and sense
of time. I learned that sounds are short lived and hard to analyze so
spectograms, which are pictures of sounds that depict frequency, and
time and use color to show intensity, are used to compare and
numerically analyze sounds better. Also, I learned smells are hard to
identify especially when they are a combination of smells. Smell
requires the ability to identify up to 10000 different molecules.
Attached pictures to come - for some reason they are not working - the
email keeps getting sent back to me by mailer demon
On 1/16/12, Raquel Rosenbloom <raque...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The "Seeing is Deceiving" exhibit features a number of optical
> illusions. On one of these, called Distance of Objects, I learned that
> things seem bigger or smaller when compared next to other things even
> though in reality they are the same length/size.
> At "The Lighthouse" exhibit, which consisted of many different
> activities regarding light, I learned that light travels in a straight
> line until it hits an object. Also, light bounces off an object at the
> same angle it hits that object.
> At "Take a Closer Look," I experimented with sounds, smell and sense
> of time. I learned that sounds are short lived and hard to analyze so
> spectograms, which are pictures of sounds that depict frequency, and
> time and use color to show intensity, are used to compare and
> numerically analyze sounds better. Also, I learned smells are hard to
> identify especially when they are a combination of smells. Smell
> requires the ability to identify up to 10000 different molecules.
>
> Attached are pictures of Raquel, Cara, Holly, Jesse, Keaton, Giselle,
> Alex M and Vivo.
claireclendenen
Jan 16, 2012, 5:16:57 PM1/16/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
Sight: At the exhibit "Seeing is Deceiving", I observed "Different
Differences". There were three grids of x's and o's, the directions
said to find the one x or o that was different from the others in the
grid. From this exhibit I learned that not only do we look with our
eyes, but we sort everything we see. Detecting differences is basic
sorting and organizing visual information. Seeing difference in color
is one kind of "sort" and seeing shape difference is another. This is
why it was easier to sort the first two grids because you could easily
detect the red "o" within the green o's, and you could see the one x
within the o's. In the last grid we need to sort color and shape while
in the first two grids we can just use shape or color, not both, to
sort.
Hearing: In "Take a Closer Look", I observed "Listen Up" where Ava
would press a button that would generate a sound from one of 10
speakers and I had to guess which speaker the sound came from. Your
ability to tell direction from which sound comes is due to the fact
that you have two ears. When a sound came from the left, it arrived at
my left ear first and my brain could determine the difference. Sounds
coming from overhead, straight ahead, or straight behind me were
harder to detect because both of my ears were the same distance from
the sound, that is why we tilt our heads to hear a sound because it
creates a difference in distance.
Touch: Also in "Take a Closer Look" there was a station called "Hot or
Cold?", there were three metal panels, one was hot, one cold and one
was neither heated or cooled. I placed my hands on the hot and cold
panels then placed them both on the center panel. The center panel
felt cold to one hand and hot to another because sensory nerves
respond only to changes in temperature. After a while the sensory
nerves adapt to change and perceive the new situation as normal.
Differences". There were three grids of x's and o's, the directions
said to find the one x or o that was different from the others in the
grid. From this exhibit I learned that not only do we look with our
eyes, but we sort everything we see. Detecting differences is basic
sorting and organizing visual information. Seeing difference in color
is one kind of "sort" and seeing shape difference is another. This is
why it was easier to sort the first two grids because you could easily
detect the red "o" within the green o's, and you could see the one x
within the o's. In the last grid we need to sort color and shape while
in the first two grids we can just use shape or color, not both, to
sort.
Hearing: In "Take a Closer Look", I observed "Listen Up" where Ava
would press a button that would generate a sound from one of 10
speakers and I had to guess which speaker the sound came from. Your
ability to tell direction from which sound comes is due to the fact
that you have two ears. When a sound came from the left, it arrived at
my left ear first and my brain could determine the difference. Sounds
coming from overhead, straight ahead, or straight behind me were
harder to detect because both of my ears were the same distance from
the sound, that is why we tilt our heads to hear a sound because it
creates a difference in distance.
Touch: Also in "Take a Closer Look" there was a station called "Hot or
Cold?", there were three metal panels, one was hot, one cold and one
was neither heated or cooled. I placed my hands on the hot and cold
panels then placed them both on the center panel. The center panel
felt cold to one hand and hot to another because sensory nerves
respond only to changes in temperature. After a while the sensory
nerves adapt to change and perceive the new situation as normal.
Message has been deleted
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Jason Sitomer
Jan 16, 2012, 7:16:41 PM1/16/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
Sight: At "take a closer look" I saw, what appeared to be, a spring.
In reality, said spring was housed within a box, well illuminated, and
reflected by several mirrors to appear as if it was in front of me.
Because our brains interpret distance based upon the relative size of
an object and its shading, it made sense that the illusory spring
should appear real (as long as one does not move and attempt to see it
from a new angle).
In reality, said spring was housed within a box, well illuminated, and
reflected by several mirrors to appear as if it was in front of me.
Because our brains interpret distance based upon the relative size of
an object and its shading, it made sense that the illusory spring
should appear real (as long as one does not move and attempt to see it
from a new angle).
Time: in "take a closer look" one would press a button to begin the
activity, then press the button again after what one believed to be a
minute (without actually counting). On my first try, I stopped the
clock after just seventeen seconds. After about two more equally
successful trials, I somehow managed to stop the clock after exactly
one minute (really, 1:00). What I took away from this activity is that
multiple factors play a role in our perception of the passage of time.
The determining factor in my skewed sense of time was likely a
combination of restlessness and boredom (they say time flies...).
Touch: In "Take a Closer Look" there was a station where there were
three metal panels, one was hot, one cold and one "room temperature".
After leaving my hand on the hot panel, I noticed that the normal
panel felt cold by comparison. Likewise, the normal panel felt hot
when switching from the cold panel. This is because sensory nerves
only react to changes in temperature. Once nerves become accustomed to
a temperature, any change up or down in said temperature will seem
cold or hot, respectively.
Alexander Golob
Jan 17, 2012, 12:47:09 AM1/17/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
Sight:
At the “Take a Closer Look” exhibit, there was a station featuring
three spinning wheels. Although they obviously had some design,
because of their speed, it was impossible to identify it. However,
upon holding a circle covered in slits to my face, I saw impressive
animations. One such animation was of a machine. Because the slits are
so small, they only allow for short bursts of imagery. As a result,
the brain links together these small bursts into a coherent image of
the rotating circle. To the eye however, the disk seems to slow down.
Smell
Near the entrance of the “Take a Closer Look” exhibit are a series of
mostly empty plastic ketchup containers. Inside these containers are
materials that emit various smells resembling sweets, vegetation, and
fruits. My task was to match the images of certain objects with the
scent from the container. Although I got matched many scents and
images correctly, I mixed up the rose, grass, and apple scents. As I
read the description of this exercise, I found that because smelling
not only can identify 10,000 different molecules, but that because
molecules vary in size, further complicating the variety of smells on
can experience. However, what is even more interesting is that because
the olfactory system receives information from such a wide variety of
molecules, it has no linear scales such as those of light and sound.
Hearing
In “Take a Closer Look”, there was an activity geared towards
demonstrating humans’ sound frequency detection. In order to do this
activity, I placed headphones on and began changing the frequency.
However, I could only hear noise that vibrated a certain rate. After
reading the sign, I understood that the reason I couldn’t hear the
certain frequencies is because humans could only hear sounds vibrating
between 20 and 20,000 times per second.
Photo: http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/393830_10150488571661608_662736607_8700665_182213650_n.jpg
alex moody
Jan 18, 2012, 12:14:55 AM1/18/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
sight: As part of the seeing is deceiving exhibit, there was an
activity where you look into a black space and a bright light is
flashed into your eyes. This bright light leaves an after-image
because the brightness of the flash created a lingering signal on the
light-sensitive receptor cells in the eye. This after-image becomes a
white spot in vision after the stimulus of the flash is long over.
touch: In the take a closer look exhibit, one of the activities was to
feel the temperatures of three plates. Relative to room temperature,
one was hot one was cold and one was in the middle. However, when my
hand became accustomed to either the hot or the cold plate, the room
temperature one felt either cold or hot (respectively) by comparison.
The nerves in my hand became used to the temperature they were
touching, and the change in temperature when switched to the room
temp. plate was noticed relative to this.
hearing: Also in the take a closer look exhibit, there was an activity
where sound was played at difference frequencies. Humans can only
perceive sounds that vibrate within a certain range of frequency,
meaning that some of the levels in the activity were out of the range
that I could hear.
activity where you look into a black space and a bright light is
flashed into your eyes. This bright light leaves an after-image
because the brightness of the flash created a lingering signal on the
light-sensitive receptor cells in the eye. This after-image becomes a
white spot in vision after the stimulus of the flash is long over.
touch: In the take a closer look exhibit, one of the activities was to
feel the temperatures of three plates. Relative to room temperature,
one was hot one was cold and one was in the middle. However, when my
hand became accustomed to either the hot or the cold plate, the room
temperature one felt either cold or hot (respectively) by comparison.
The nerves in my hand became used to the temperature they were
touching, and the change in temperature when switched to the room
temp. plate was noticed relative to this.
hearing: Also in the take a closer look exhibit, there was an activity
where sound was played at difference frequencies. Humans can only
perceive sounds that vibrate within a certain range of frequency,
meaning that some of the levels in the activity were out of the range
that I could hear.
Laura Scott
Jan 18, 2012, 12:21:38 AM1/18/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
Hearing: At the "Take a Closer Look" exhibit, there was a section that
described how blind people are able to navigate by using canes. When
they tap their canes, they are listening for the echo of the click of
the cane, to learn if they are near a wall or an open space. Other
animals such as bats, dolphins, shrews, and some whales also use sound
echos to help navigate and find food, especially when it is difficult
to see.
Sight: At the "Seeing is Deceiving" exhibit, I observed an illusion
where four gray stationary squares were placed over a rotating, larger
white square. While the white square spun, it appeared to expand and
contract, as the four gray squares appeared to change its shape.
However, this was merely due to the amount of square that was visible.
As each of the four edges of the white square rotate from horizontal
to vertical to 45 degrees, their visible length increased, thus
creating an illusion of expansion and contraction.
Smell: At the "Take a Closer Look" exhibit, I visited a station
devoted to the sense of smell. There were tubes with different scents
in them, and your job was to squeeze them to release the scent, and
then identify what it was. This was an exercise of identifying one
specific, defined smell, as opposed to a mixture of smells. I learned
that combinations of odors are more difficult to identify, as they may
seem to blend into one new smell instead.
> Photo:http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/393830_101504885716616...
described how blind people are able to navigate by using canes. When
they tap their canes, they are listening for the echo of the click of
the cane, to learn if they are near a wall or an open space. Other
animals such as bats, dolphins, shrews, and some whales also use sound
echos to help navigate and find food, especially when it is difficult
to see.
Sight: At the "Seeing is Deceiving" exhibit, I observed an illusion
where four gray stationary squares were placed over a rotating, larger
white square. While the white square spun, it appeared to expand and
contract, as the four gray squares appeared to change its shape.
However, this was merely due to the amount of square that was visible.
As each of the four edges of the white square rotate from horizontal
to vertical to 45 degrees, their visible length increased, thus
creating an illusion of expansion and contraction.
Smell: At the "Take a Closer Look" exhibit, I visited a station
devoted to the sense of smell. There were tubes with different scents
in them, and your job was to squeeze them to release the scent, and
then identify what it was. This was an exercise of identifying one
specific, defined smell, as opposed to a mixture of smells. I learned
that combinations of odors are more difficult to identify, as they may
seem to blend into one new smell instead.
Carly Conway
Jan 18, 2012, 6:23:17 PM1/18/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
Sight: at "Seeing is Deceiving" there was a 3D poster of four pears,
all of which were indented or came out in different places. One was
completely indented, and one was completely bulged out. the other two
had both qualities, but in different places. When stepping back it is
hard to tell the difference between the pears, because to the eye out
vs. in comes closest to reality. Most people can tell the completely
indented pear apart of the others the easier.
Hear: In "Take a Closer Look" there was an activity where you had to
place the bird with the right bird sound. Sounds are difficult to
recognize because they are so short live, so a spectrogram makes a
sound stands still so you can hear it more closely and longer.
Spectrograms allow for comparisons, diagnose medical conditions,
recognize individual speech patterns, and synthesize human speech.
Touch: At "Take a Closer Look" there was a very interesting article on
shells, and how to tell where a shell is from by traits. When feeling
shells from temperate climates, they are thin with a chalky surface.
Shells from tropical climates are smooth and thick. Also, skin has
receptors that detect changes in temperature.
all of which were indented or came out in different places. One was
completely indented, and one was completely bulged out. the other two
had both qualities, but in different places. When stepping back it is
hard to tell the difference between the pears, because to the eye out
vs. in comes closest to reality. Most people can tell the completely
indented pear apart of the others the easier.
Hear: In "Take a Closer Look" there was an activity where you had to
place the bird with the right bird sound. Sounds are difficult to
recognize because they are so short live, so a spectrogram makes a
sound stands still so you can hear it more closely and longer.
Spectrograms allow for comparisons, diagnose medical conditions,
recognize individual speech patterns, and synthesize human speech.
Touch: At "Take a Closer Look" there was a very interesting article on
shells, and how to tell where a shell is from by traits. When feeling
shells from temperate climates, they are thin with a chalky surface.
Shells from tropical climates are smooth and thick. Also, skin has
receptors that detect changes in temperature.
Elizabeth McTighe
Jan 21, 2012, 9:26:23 PM1/21/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
Exhibit Descriptions:
“Take a Closer Look” had interactive activities that went along with
the more important aspects of each sense. The exhibit covered what it
is we smell, what a sound wave is and how we hear, sensitivity to
touch and how it varies, and how we process what we see.
“The Lighthouse” focused on sight and provided good examples of
additive color mixing with lights and colored filters. The exhibit
also made the concept that objects are colored based on what light
they reflect clear in my mind.
“Seeing is Deceiving” contained mostly optical illusions and focused
on the more complex ways our brains process images that can ultimately
trick us. The exhibit showed me all that goes into perceiving our
world in three dimensions and with movement.
What I learned:
Sight - In “The Lighthouse” I learned that our brains can retain an
image for 1/10th of second. While a projector shone a picture of a
horse across a gap, none of the light was scattered to my eyes, so I
couldn’t see the image. When I waved a stick in front of the
projector, some of the light reached my eyes and when I waved it fast
enough, the image appeared whole because my brain retained the part of
the horse I had seen in the split second before.
Touch - I learned that our perception of temperature also depends on
the thermal conductivity of what we touch. When I touched pieces of
wood, stone, and metal, the metal and stone appeared colder than the
wood, even though the three were the same temperature. Because the
metal was a good conductor, it drew heat away from my hand faster than
the other materials and thus seemed colder.
Sound - In “Take a Closer Look” I learned about standing waves. I
adjusted the frequency of sound a speaker emitted in a closed tube
until I saw the sand inside “jump” at regular intervals. This happened
because the wave that traveled back from the far end of the tube was
the same frequency as the one emitted by the speaker, creating areas
where air pressure changed very little (nodes) and areas where crests
and troughs of the wave hit (antinodes), making the sand jump. This
showed how sound moves in a consistent pattern of high and low
pressure. I found another frequency that also created a standing wave,
which is what creates harmonics and overtones we hear from musical
instruments.
“Take a Closer Look” had interactive activities that went along with
the more important aspects of each sense. The exhibit covered what it
is we smell, what a sound wave is and how we hear, sensitivity to
touch and how it varies, and how we process what we see.
“The Lighthouse” focused on sight and provided good examples of
additive color mixing with lights and colored filters. The exhibit
also made the concept that objects are colored based on what light
they reflect clear in my mind.
“Seeing is Deceiving” contained mostly optical illusions and focused
on the more complex ways our brains process images that can ultimately
trick us. The exhibit showed me all that goes into perceiving our
world in three dimensions and with movement.
What I learned:
Sight - In “The Lighthouse” I learned that our brains can retain an
image for 1/10th of second. While a projector shone a picture of a
horse across a gap, none of the light was scattered to my eyes, so I
couldn’t see the image. When I waved a stick in front of the
projector, some of the light reached my eyes and when I waved it fast
enough, the image appeared whole because my brain retained the part of
the horse I had seen in the split second before.
Touch - I learned that our perception of temperature also depends on
the thermal conductivity of what we touch. When I touched pieces of
wood, stone, and metal, the metal and stone appeared colder than the
wood, even though the three were the same temperature. Because the
metal was a good conductor, it drew heat away from my hand faster than
the other materials and thus seemed colder.
Sound - In “Take a Closer Look” I learned about standing waves. I
adjusted the frequency of sound a speaker emitted in a closed tube
until I saw the sand inside “jump” at regular intervals. This happened
because the wave that traveled back from the far end of the tube was
the same frequency as the one emitted by the speaker, creating areas
where air pressure changed very little (nodes) and areas where crests
and troughs of the wave hit (antinodes), making the sand jump. This
showed how sound moves in a consistent pattern of high and low
pressure. I found another frequency that also created a standing wave,
which is what creates harmonics and overtones we hear from musical
instruments.
Madeleine Beimford
Jan 22, 2012, 11:27:31 AM1/22/12
to baddeley...@googlegroups.com
In the "In the Lighthouse" echibit, there were a lot very interesting experiments involving rearranging lights to make prisms and questions pertaining to the change in perception based on the color changes and positions and slides.
Sight: At the "Seeing is Deceiving" exhibit there was an task oriented optical illusion entitled "Can You See What You Cannot See?" At it, you had to be arms-length distance away from the board and cover your right eye and stare at the red X. As you stared you had to keep your eye on the X and slowly move forward, at a certain point, the black dot opposite from the X disappeared. The illusion taught me about the blind spot, which completely erases the black dot from your vision because of the 'optic disc', which is a hole in the back of the eyeball which all the nerve fibres that make up the optic nerve leave the eye. Unlike the rest of the retina, surrounding the hole, it doesn't have any light-sensitive photoreceptors and since its placed on the nasal side of the fovia, it blocks whats to the left of your object if you close your right eye and blocks whats to the right of the object if you close your left eye.
Hearing: In "Take A Closer Look" there was an activity in which you had to match a specific brid noise with the right bird, the sample of the bird was quick and I found it difficult to remember the exact pattern after being able to hear the other's birds songs. The second time around, you were able to see the visual representation of the sound through a spectrogram, recording the signal like a frequency. Since the sound was so short-lived and then mixed with more bird sounds, all similar in tone, the ability to see the signal enabled me to identify the correct bird as I was using both senses to make the connection.
Touch: Also in 'Take A Closer Look" was a thermal infrared camera which allowed you to see body heat/. Ranging from warmest to coldest - yellow to blue - I found it really interesting to track the changes of heat depending on what you touched. When Yara and I touched hands the camera glowed a brighter yellow than when we weren't touching. However, when we were holding inanimate objects like a camera or a phone, the object didn't affect our temperature, they just showed up as the same color as the color of our hands, appearing to be extensions of our bodies.
Ryan Cassidy
Jan 23, 2012, 12:36:30 AM1/23/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
In the exhibit “Seeing is Deceiving,” one illusion that I observed
contained a picture of black lines in the shape of a diamond, while
below these lines there were straight lines shooting outwards of a
black circle in all directions (like sun rays). Then, a glass plate
with a red square and two parallel red lines underneath it could be
moved over both sets of black lines. With the square over the diamond
shaped lines and the parallel lines over the black lines shooting out
in all directions, both the square and the parallel lines appeared to
be curved in nature. However, I learned that the visual processing
area of the brain contains cells dedicated to analyzing the tilt of
groups of straight lines. When angles within a certain range are
viewed together with lines that are truly parallel, the conflict
between rules about straight and distance is resolved as curved. This
is why parallel train tracks appear to come together when viewed far
away on the horizon.
In the exhibit “Take a Closer Look,” there was an activity that
involved measuring a plunger’s movement through a metal plate. One was
required to turn a marked knob that controlled how far a plunger would
either extend or retract in the middle of a metal plate. The goal of
the activity was to try and accomplish a completely flat surface
between the plunger and the metal plate. One thing that I learned was
that the human hand can sense incredibly small differences between
surfaces to determine whether or not they are even and flat, as the
knob measuring the plunger movement was marked in increments of .0001
inches which is smaller than the diameter of human hair, while the
average variation from a straight line was measured in millions of an
inch and in microns (incredibly small measurements).
In the exhibit “Take a Closer Look,” I was also able to experience an
activity involving hearing. The activity “Seeing Sound Waves” required
one to change the frequency of sound waves contained in a tube full of
sand. At certain frequencies, the sand would vibrate and move in
specific positions, while areas in between the moving gravel would
remain motionless. If the frequency was either increased or decreased,
the distance between the vibrating gravels areas would also change.
Thus, through this activity, I learned that the wave produced from the
speaker and the wave reflected off of the other side of the tube were
of the same frequency, thus the wave created specific regions where
air was vibrating very rapidly (antinodes), the wave was maximum
amplitude, and thus the sand consequently jumped. However, there were
also specific spots where the air didn’t vibrate at all (nodes) where
amplitude was minimum, thus the sand didn’t jump. Thus, I observed a
standard wave pattern.
contained a picture of black lines in the shape of a diamond, while
below these lines there were straight lines shooting outwards of a
black circle in all directions (like sun rays). Then, a glass plate
with a red square and two parallel red lines underneath it could be
moved over both sets of black lines. With the square over the diamond
shaped lines and the parallel lines over the black lines shooting out
in all directions, both the square and the parallel lines appeared to
be curved in nature. However, I learned that the visual processing
area of the brain contains cells dedicated to analyzing the tilt of
groups of straight lines. When angles within a certain range are
viewed together with lines that are truly parallel, the conflict
between rules about straight and distance is resolved as curved. This
is why parallel train tracks appear to come together when viewed far
away on the horizon.
In the exhibit “Take a Closer Look,” there was an activity that
involved measuring a plunger’s movement through a metal plate. One was
required to turn a marked knob that controlled how far a plunger would
either extend or retract in the middle of a metal plate. The goal of
the activity was to try and accomplish a completely flat surface
between the plunger and the metal plate. One thing that I learned was
that the human hand can sense incredibly small differences between
surfaces to determine whether or not they are even and flat, as the
knob measuring the plunger movement was marked in increments of .0001
inches which is smaller than the diameter of human hair, while the
average variation from a straight line was measured in millions of an
inch and in microns (incredibly small measurements).
In the exhibit “Take a Closer Look,” I was also able to experience an
activity involving hearing. The activity “Seeing Sound Waves” required
one to change the frequency of sound waves contained in a tube full of
sand. At certain frequencies, the sand would vibrate and move in
specific positions, while areas in between the moving gravel would
remain motionless. If the frequency was either increased or decreased,
the distance between the vibrating gravels areas would also change.
Thus, through this activity, I learned that the wave produced from the
speaker and the wave reflected off of the other side of the tube were
of the same frequency, thus the wave created specific regions where
air was vibrating very rapidly (antinodes), the wave was maximum
amplitude, and thus the sand consequently jumped. However, there were
also specific spots where the air didn’t vibrate at all (nodes) where
amplitude was minimum, thus the sand didn’t jump. Thus, I observed a
standard wave pattern.
Yara Farahmand
Jan 23, 2012, 12:53:53 PM1/23/12
to baddeley...@googlegroups.com
In the seeing is deceiving exibit, there was a rotating picture called the “wig-wag window). I watched the window spin with one eye closed, and then the other eye closed, and then with both eyes. I learned that we judge distance by the degree to which parallel lines are tilted, and that the smaller a the vertical end of an object is, the further away we assume it is. Looking with both eyes adds to your perception of the lines, making the rotation less confusing.
At the lighthouse exhibit, I played with mirror pinball. I learned that mirrors bounce light and when a light hits a flat mirror at an angle, it can bounce off of it at the same angle, and you can even predict where the light is going to go.
At the Take a closer look exibit, I learned how sound is another way we percieve the world around us. I always thought that people who are blind used walking sticks to make sure they dont bump into things, but I learned that in addition to that a visually impared person can use their cane to tap the ground and listen for a echo to learn how close they are to potential obstacles such as walls. There are also other animals like bats, dolphins, and even some whales that use sound waves to listen for echo’s to navigate and find food.
At the Take a closer look exibit, I learned how sound is another way we percieve the world around us. I always thought that people who are blind used walking sticks to make sure they dont bump into things, but I learned that in addition to that a visually impared person can use their cane to tap the ground and listen for a echo to learn how close they are to potential obstacles such as walls. There are also other animals like bats, dolphins, and even some whales that use sound waves to listen for echo’s to navigate and find food.
mike vivo
Jan 23, 2012, 6:56:38 PM1/23/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
At the Cambridge Museum of Science I visited three exhibits; Take a
closer look, The Lighthouse, and Seeing is Deceiving. Take a closer
Look," had various seeing, timing, hearing, touching, and smelling
activities."The Light House had exhibits regarding how humans perceive
and manipulate light. Seeing is Deceiving had a wall dedicated to
optical illusions and various theories about why the brain
misinterprets some images.
Sight- At "Seeing is Deceiving" I observed a poster with two simple
illusions. It had diagonal red lines crossing over various shapes.
From this poster I learned that the addition of an acute angle to the
vertical side of a rectangle will cause one to incorrectly perceive
the image. The poster explains a theory that states the brain
overestimates acute angles, however then goes on to explain that there
is contradictions to the theory as well.
Hearing- At "Take a Closer Look" I participated in activity where I
sat across from a partner. I was able to manipulate which speakers
were making noise and my partner had to guess which one. I learned
that the ear's placement contributes to the amplitude that sound is
perceived; relative to where the sound is coming from.
Touch- At "Take a Closer Look" there was a thermal camera that allowed
the user to see in infrared. You could see that, in the human body,
typically the regions doing the most work appeared brighter; and
therefore warmer, then places that one would expect to have less
ambient work. I noted that when someone touched an inanimate object,
they left a heat signature on the object for a short period of time
after they touched it.
closer look, The Lighthouse, and Seeing is Deceiving. Take a closer
Look," had various seeing, timing, hearing, touching, and smelling
activities."The Light House had exhibits regarding how humans perceive
and manipulate light. Seeing is Deceiving had a wall dedicated to
optical illusions and various theories about why the brain
misinterprets some images.
Sight- At "Seeing is Deceiving" I observed a poster with two simple
illusions. It had diagonal red lines crossing over various shapes.
From this poster I learned that the addition of an acute angle to the
vertical side of a rectangle will cause one to incorrectly perceive
the image. The poster explains a theory that states the brain
overestimates acute angles, however then goes on to explain that there
is contradictions to the theory as well.
Hearing- At "Take a Closer Look" I participated in activity where I
sat across from a partner. I was able to manipulate which speakers
were making noise and my partner had to guess which one. I learned
that the ear's placement contributes to the amplitude that sound is
perceived; relative to where the sound is coming from.
Touch- At "Take a Closer Look" there was a thermal camera that allowed
the user to see in infrared. You could see that, in the human body,
typically the regions doing the most work appeared brighter; and
therefore warmer, then places that one would expect to have less
ambient work. I noted that when someone touched an inanimate object,
they left a heat signature on the object for a short period of time
after they touched it.
jack dario
Jan 25, 2012, 11:33:37 AM1/25/12
to baddeley...@googlegroups.com
When I visited the cambridge museum of science, and walked around and visited The lighthouse, seeing is deceiving, and take a closer look, I was able to experience activities that involved seeing, hearing, and touch. at the lighthouse, I used the mirrors and prisms to manipulate light, and bounce it off of the other pieces.(sight) At seeing is deceiving I observed the three dimensional poster with the four pears. The pears were all different, and one appeared indented while one came out. The further you got from the pears the harder it was to identify which was doing what. (sound/hearing) At take a closer look, I participated in the activity where you would sit across from your partner (my friend ali), and change which sounds were coming from where, as he guessed. (Touch) At take a closer look I did the activity in which you would see your body heat, based on colors, blue to yellow. It was interesting to note that while holding my wallet up, it had traces of my own body heat on it.
reed westerman
Jan 25, 2012, 1:11:20 PM1/25/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
Sight—At the exhibit seeing is believing there was a display with a
red "x" that you were to stare at and walk closer to you. I learned
that in your peripheral vision there was a black dot that was visible.
As I walked closer to it, the black dot vanished and reappeared due to
a blind spot in the eye. This blind spot is created by the optic nerve
passing through the retina.
Smell—At the take a closer look exhibit, there was a set of different
smells that one had to guess. I learned that your nose is able to
differentiate between smells very well. I learned that your tongue is
only able to differentiate between about 5 flavors, but you nose has
the ability to detect hundreds. This was made evident in the exhibit
by also having a combination of different smells and you had to guess
the combination.
Hearing—At the take a closer look exhibit, there was a display where
you had to differentiate between three different birds calls and
figure out which one was the original heard at the beginning of the
slide show. At first, I was just given the bird call with nothing else
and I couldn't tell which bird made the call. When given a visual
stimuli even though not exactly related, I was able to differentiate
between the three different bird calls with the help of a visual
stimuli because sound stimuli are very quick and are sometimes
difficult to interpret.
red "x" that you were to stare at and walk closer to you. I learned
that in your peripheral vision there was a black dot that was visible.
As I walked closer to it, the black dot vanished and reappeared due to
a blind spot in the eye. This blind spot is created by the optic nerve
passing through the retina.
Smell—At the take a closer look exhibit, there was a set of different
smells that one had to guess. I learned that your nose is able to
differentiate between smells very well. I learned that your tongue is
only able to differentiate between about 5 flavors, but you nose has
the ability to detect hundreds. This was made evident in the exhibit
by also having a combination of different smells and you had to guess
the combination.
Hearing—At the take a closer look exhibit, there was a display where
you had to differentiate between three different birds calls and
figure out which one was the original heard at the beginning of the
slide show. At first, I was just given the bird call with nothing else
and I couldn't tell which bird made the call. When given a visual
stimuli even though not exactly related, I was able to differentiate
between the three different bird calls with the help of a visual
stimuli because sound stimuli are very quick and are sometimes
difficult to interpret.
Maulik Limbachiya
Jan 30, 2012, 11:20:28 AM1/30/12
to Baddeley AP Psych
Sight: There was one demonstration where what looked like a spring was
placed in a box that you could put your hand into. However, upon
putting my hand into box to feel the spring, my hand went right
through. The entire spring was an optical illusion. In reality, light
and several mirrors actually at the bottom of the box, reflected the
spring, and because we interpret distance by size and shading on an
item, one could make an environment for the object artificially.
Therefore, one could create an optical illusion of anything, as long
as the object was given the proper shading and size.
Touch: At one experiment we were given three different materials to
touch. Each object was the same temperature, but the one made of metal
felt the hottest. This was because heat is conductive, and therefore
metal, which is a good conductor, is able to transfer more heat from
the metal to your body faster than the other two materials. Therefore,
I learned that our tactile functions are susceptible to the
conductivity of the objects we touch.
Hearing: There was a machine that allowed the user to change the
frequency of a sound, and you would see the resulting frequency on the
screen. I was surprised that I could only hear up to a certain
frequency and after that, it disappeared from my sense of perception.
The same happened for low frequencies. Therefore, I learned that our
ears can only detect certain types of sounds and that we, as humans,
are limited by how fast our eardrums can vibrate in conjunction with
the sound being produced.
My picture is in the room next to the smartboard
placed in a box that you could put your hand into. However, upon
putting my hand into box to feel the spring, my hand went right
through. The entire spring was an optical illusion. In reality, light
and several mirrors actually at the bottom of the box, reflected the
spring, and because we interpret distance by size and shading on an
item, one could make an environment for the object artificially.
Therefore, one could create an optical illusion of anything, as long
as the object was given the proper shading and size.
Touch: At one experiment we were given three different materials to
touch. Each object was the same temperature, but the one made of metal
felt the hottest. This was because heat is conductive, and therefore
metal, which is a good conductor, is able to transfer more heat from
the metal to your body faster than the other two materials. Therefore,
I learned that our tactile functions are susceptible to the
conductivity of the objects we touch.
Hearing: There was a machine that allowed the user to change the
frequency of a sound, and you would see the resulting frequency on the
screen. I was surprised that I could only hear up to a certain
frequency and after that, it disappeared from my sense of perception.
The same happened for low frequencies. Therefore, I learned that our
ears can only detect certain types of sounds and that we, as humans,
are limited by how fast our eardrums can vibrate in conjunction with
the sound being produced.
My picture is in the room next to the smartboard
On Jan 11, 9:34 am, jonathan <jsimon...@gmail.com> wrote:
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