Professor: Susan Brady, Ph.D.
Semester: Fall, Spring
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: Psy 113 and Psy 200(300)

Catalog Description: Sensory function, development of perception, perception of space, color, sound and complex events.

This course is about the ways we detect and recognize perceptual information from tbe world around us. We will survey the anatomy and function of our sensory systems and the perceptual phenomena that allow us to see, hear, smell, taste, and have other perceptual experiences. We also will examine the scientific theories, models, and methods used to investigate these systems.
By the end of the semester students will be able to:

• Describe the anatomical and physiological bases of the major sensory systems.
• Describe various perceptual phenomena and recognize them through demonstrations and personal experiences.
• Discuss the major approaches to perception and research methods for studying sensory and perceptual processes.
• And you will appreciate the complexity and marvel of human perceptual abilities!

This course consists of a lecture portion, class discussion, weekly quizzes, lab assignments, and exams.
Class Topics:

• Measuring Perception
• Physiological of Perception
• Introduction to Vision, Visual Cortex and beyond.
• Perceiving Objects/Scenes
• Visual Phenomena
• Action and Perception
• Perceiving Motion
• Perceiving Color, Depth and Size
• Sound, the Auditory System, and Pitch Hearing Phenomena
• Speech Perception
• The Cutaneous Senses
• Chemical Senses

Dr. Brady is a School Psychologist Professor. Her research interests include reading acquisition and reading disability, and psycholinguistics developmental psychology.

This course meets the Psychology major requirement for a topics course. Psychology majors are required to take 3 topics courses. Students will learn the process of comprehending sensory information.

• This website is comprised of informational links on perception topics.
• The Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance