Skills

Psychology 5: Sensation and Perception

8 weeks · 2 milestones

How the senses turn light and sound into experience. Course 5 of the Varsity Curriculum: Psychology. Free sources only. Foundations only. Not a clinical or counselling qualification.

Part of: Psychology · Proves for: UG

Milestone map

2 milestones

Explain one sense from start to finish

4 weeks (about 5 hrs/week)

Read OpenStax chapter 5 and the Noba module on vision. Self-check: chapter 5 review questions. Then make an explainer that follows one sense from stimulus to perception, with one illusion it explains.

Proof required

Link the public repo or shared document with an explainer that follows one sense from stimulus to perception, with one illusion it explains, with every source cited.

What gets checked

Each stage is named in order.
The illusion is explained by a named mechanism.
Sources are cited.

Common mistakes

Results the files cannot reproduce.
A summary of the reading instead of your own work.

Powstik Guide

An explainer that follows one sense from stimulus to perception, with one illusion it explains.

Steps

Read the linked chapter and take the self-check.
Make a public repo.
Build the smallest version that works, then check it.
Write a README: the question, the method, what you found, the limits.
Ask someone who knows psychology to check it.

Template

README
Course 5: Sensation and Perception
Question:
Data (source, n, how it was collected):
Method:
Result:
Limits:

What gets sent back

No data or no code.
Data from people that breaks the rules above.
Copied work with no history.

Resources

Foundationstart here

Depthgo deeper

What a verifier looks for

Each stage is named in order.
The illusion is explained by a named mechanism.
Sources are cited.
Do the files produce what the README says?

You'll sign in first, then come straight back here.

Build a perception experiment

4 weeks (about 5 hrs/week)

Work through the MIT 9.35 lectures on psychophysics. Self-check: chapter 5 review questions. Then make a threshold or illusion experiment in PsychoPy or jsPsych, run on yourself and at least three consenting adults. If you collect data from people: adults only (18+), consent first, answers anonymous, and no health or clinical questions. Under 18? Use an open dataset; never collect data yourself.

Proof required

Link the public repo with a threshold or illusion experiment in PsychoPy or jsPsych, run on yourself and at least three consenting adults: the experiment code, a link to run it, and the anonymous data from your test runs. Add the consent text you used.

What gets checked

Trials are randomised.
The measure (threshold or illusion size) is computed.
Data from people follows the rules: adults, consent, anonymous, no health or clinical data.

Common mistakes

Results the files cannot reproduce.
A summary of the reading instead of your own work.

Powstik Guide

A threshold or illusion experiment in PsychoPy or jsPsych, run on yourself and at least three consenting adults.

Steps

Read the linked chapter and take the self-check.
Make a public repo.
Build the smallest version that works, then check it.
Write a README: the question, the method, what you found, the limits.
Ask someone who knows psychology to check it.

Template

README
Course 5: Sensation and Perception
Question:
Data (source, n, how it was collected):
Method:
Result:
Limits:

What gets sent back

No data or no code.
Data from people that breaks the rules above.
Copied work with no history.

Resources

Foundationstart here

Depthgo deeper

What a verifier looks for

Trials are randomised.
The measure (threshold or illusion size) is computed.
Results are plotted per person.
Data from people follows the rules: adults, consent, anonymous, no health or clinical data.
Do the files produce what the README says?

You'll sign in first, then come straight back here.

Part of

Psychology 5: Sensation and Perception →

Related outcomes

All outcomes

Skills

Psychology 5: Sensation and Perception

8 weeks · 2 milestones

How the senses turn light and sound into experience. Course 5 of the Varsity Curriculum: Psychology. Free sources only. Foundations only. Not a clinical or counselling qualification.

Part of: Psychology · Proves for: UG

Milestone map

2 milestones

Explain one sense from start to finish

4 weeks (about 5 hrs/week)

Proof required

Link the public repo or shared document with an explainer that follows one sense from stimulus to perception, with one illusion it explains, with every source cited.

What gets checked

Each stage is named in order.
The illusion is explained by a named mechanism.
Sources are cited.

Common mistakes

Results the files cannot reproduce.
A summary of the reading instead of your own work.

Powstik Guide

An explainer that follows one sense from stimulus to perception, with one illusion it explains.

Steps

Read the linked chapter and take the self-check.
Make a public repo.
Build the smallest version that works, then check it.
Write a README: the question, the method, what you found, the limits.
Ask someone who knows psychology to check it.

Template

README
Course 5: Sensation and Perception
Question:
Data (source, n, how it was collected):
Method:
Result:
Limits:

What gets sent back

No data or no code.
Data from people that breaks the rules above.
Copied work with no history.

Resources

Foundationstart here

Depthgo deeper

What a verifier looks for

Each stage is named in order.
The illusion is explained by a named mechanism.
Sources are cited.
Do the files produce what the README says?

You'll sign in first, then come straight back here.

Build a perception experiment

4 weeks (about 5 hrs/week)

Proof required

What gets checked

Trials are randomised.
The measure (threshold or illusion size) is computed.
Data from people follows the rules: adults, consent, anonymous, no health or clinical data.

Common mistakes

Results the files cannot reproduce.
A summary of the reading instead of your own work.

Powstik Guide

A threshold or illusion experiment in PsychoPy or jsPsych, run on yourself and at least three consenting adults.

Steps

Read the linked chapter and take the self-check.
Make a public repo.
Build the smallest version that works, then check it.
Write a README: the question, the method, what you found, the limits.
Ask someone who knows psychology to check it.

Template

README
Course 5: Sensation and Perception
Question:
Data (source, n, how it was collected):
Method:
Result:
Limits:

What gets sent back

No data or no code.
Data from people that breaks the rules above.
Copied work with no history.

Resources

Foundationstart here

Depthgo deeper

What a verifier looks for

Trials are randomised.
The measure (threshold or illusion size) is computed.
Results are plotted per person.
Data from people follows the rules: adults, consent, anonymous, no health or clinical data.
Do the files produce what the README says?

You'll sign in first, then come straight back here.

Part of

Psychology 5: Sensation and Perception →