Every second of every day, our sensory systems perform an amazing feat: They convert one form of energy into another. Vision processes light energy. Hearing processes sound waves. All our senses
The process of converting one form of energy into another form that our brain can use is called transduction. Transduction is rather like translation—of a physical energy such as light waves into the brain’s electrochemical language. Later in this unit, we’ll focus on individual sensory systems. How do we see? Hear? Feel pain? Taste? Smell? Keep our balance? In each case, one of our sensory systems receives, transforms, and delivers the information to our brain. The field of psychophysics studies the relationships between the physical energy we can detect and its effects on our psychological experiences.
Let’s explore some strengths and weaknesses in our ability to detect and interpret stimuli in the vast sea of energy around us.