Psychology 2115A 200 FW25
Introduction to Sensation and Perception
Western University London, Canada
Department of Psychology Fall 2025
Psychology 2115A 200 FW25
Introduction to Sensation and Perception
1 Calendar Description
An introduction to the study of the human senses and higher-order perceptual processes. Data gathered from psychophysical research and studies of the nervous system in both humans and other animals will be discussed. The course will review the mechanisms and principles of operation of several sensory/perceptual systems including vision, hearing, touch, taste and smell.
Extra Information: 4 lecture hours; 2 in person; 2 asynchronous online. Course weight: 0.5
Prerequisites: A mark of at least 60% in 1.0 credits of Psychology at the 1000 level.
Antirequisites: Psychology 2015A/B
Unless you have the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2 Course Information
Instructor: Dr. Ingrid Johnsrude
Office & Phone: see Brightspace for location (519) 661-2111 x 84447
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: ijohnsru@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant:TBD
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: TBD
Time and Location of Classes: see Timetable on Student Centre
In-person: 2 hours per week. See Timetable
Online: Asynchronous (at your convenience)
For courses that include an online component, students must have a reliable internet connection and computer that are compatible with online learning system requirements.
3 Course Materials
Sensation and Perception, 3rdEdition BL Schwartz & JH Krantz
Sage Publishing
Print Version ($173.35) eBook Version ($80)
Note: We have chosen the Schwartz & Krantz text for this course because we find it to be the most accessible yet comprehensive text available. Moreover, it is one of the most affordable options (believe it or not) and includes some good learning resources in the online accompaniment. Please note that we will cover this text in its entirety by the end of the course.
4 Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
This course is an introduction to how we make sense of sensory input -- our only source of information about the world. We will explore how sensation and perception differ; investigate different theoretical traditions that have attempted to account for perceptual phenomena; survey the methods that are used to study sensation and perception; and trace the functional and anatomical organization of the different sensory modalities, from the conversion of physical energy (e.g., light, sound) into electrical activity in the nervous system, and into perception. We will cover the basic principles involved in seeing and hearing, in touching, tasting and smelling, and in sensing the position and movement of one’s body in the world. Many principles are common across sensory, and perceptual domains, and commonalities will be emphasized whenever possible. Throughout, we assume that the goal of perception is action -- behaviour. Perception is our only means of extracting information from the environment, allowing us to experience the discrete objects, people and events “out in the world” that drive our behaviour.
Learning Goals:
Describe the structure and function of our sensory systems.
Describe how our brain compresses and analyzes incoming information
Design and develop good experiments to investigate sensation and perception
Describe how perception results both from analysis of a sensory signal, as well as from knowledge and experience.
Identify common principles of operation across the sensory domains.
Learning Hours:
A full-time five-course load is like a full-time job: you should expect to spend 8 hours a day, five days a week on it. This course is one of your five courses. Therefore I expect you to be spending 8 hours per week on Psych2115. I suggest the following breakdown of those hours:
Attending/watching class 4 hours/wk
Reading/reviewing the text 3.5 hours/wk
Working on the group project 0.5 hours per student/wk (6 hours per person total)
Total: Approximately 8 hours per week
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Learning Outcomes |
Learning Activities |
Assessment |
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Depth and Breadth of Knowledge. • Students will learn about the structure and function of sensory systems, incorporating learning from across disciplines (anatomy, physiology, psychology) and will think critically about how perceptual processes are measured. |
Online & in-person course materials aligned with assigned readings from the text will provide the basic framework. |
In-class quizzes and the final examination will be used to assess how students are retaining basic principles. |
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• Students will use the knowledge acquired in the course to guide discovery-based learning aimed at developing a deeper understanding of sensory system function. |
A group project will allow students to learn about a perceptual phenomenon of their choice. |
Oral presentation and written document will be used to assess success. |
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Application of Knowledge. • Students will apply their understanding of theory and measurement to novel challenges in sensation and perception. |
Applications questions will ask students to apply learned concepts & theories to novel scenarios. |
The final exam will include a written portion that tests these applications explicitly. |
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Communication Skills • Students will learn to collaborate effectively with their peers to achieve a common goal. • Students will learn how to effectively communicate their ideas in a way that is accessible to their peers & content experts. |
Students will work in groups for a project to describe and analyse a perceptual phenomenon. |
An oral presentation and written document will be used to assess the success of this group project. |
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Awareness of Limits of Knowledge. • Students will gain an appreciation for the uncertainties and limits of generalization inherent in the scientific enterprise. |
The group assignment will require students to explore what is known and what is unknown about a perceptual phenomenon of their choice. |
An oral presentation and written document will be used to assess the success of this group project. |
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5 Evaluation
The evaluation and testing formats for this course were created to assess the learning objectives as listed in section 4 and are necessary for meeting these learning objectives. They include 3 quizzes (42%), a group project (18%), and a final exam (40%).
Quizzes (14% each)
There will be three in-class quizzes throughout the term, each of which will contribute 14% toward your final grade. These will focus on the material presented since the previous test (i.e. Quiz 2 will focus on material presented after Quiz 1), including both lectures and associated readings.
Group Project (18%)
As a group, you will choose a perceptual phenomenon (a non-exhaustive list will be provided or you can come up with your own) and prepare a presentation and a written submission that contains:
- a) a description of the phenomenon;
- b) a description of what is interesting/puzzling about the phenomenon;
- c) a reasonable hypothesis that might explain the phenomenon; and
- d) a description of an experiment that could test the hypothesized explanation.
Groups will be assigned early in the term, and you will be responsible for scheduling to complete this project before the deadline. More details will be provided in class.
Final Exam (40%)
The final exam will be written in person in the Final Exam period. The exam will include material from throughout the course and will include both lecture material and assigned readings. The exam will include multiple choice and short-answer written questions that test your understanding of concepts, your ability to integrate concepts from different parts of the course, and the ability to generalize what you know to new problems. More details will be provided before the end of term.
Policy on Missing Coursework
Quizzes: Quizzes will take place during our regularly scheduled in-class meetings, and no make-up quizzes will be made available. Instead, the final exam will be reweighted to accommodate quizzes that are missed, if academic consideration has been given. It is up to you to ensure that you have reported your absence: https://registrar.uwo.ca/academics/academic_considerations/index.html
Group Project: Group presentations will be scheduled during our regularly scheduled in-class
meetings. Any group who does not present on the scheduled date will be asked to record their
presentation and submit via the OWL site. Recorded presentations and accompanying written
submissions uploaded after the deadline will be penalized 10% per day to a maximum of 50%.
Final Exam: Students who are unable to write the final exam as scheduled should speak to their academic counsellor as soon as possible to discuss an accommodation. The date of the make-up final exam will be announced via the OWL site shortly after the finalized exam schedule is posted.
The Psychology Department follows Western’s grading guidelines: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf
The expectation for course grades within the Psychology Department is that they will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level to 2099-level courses
72% 2100-2999-level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
In the event that course grades are significantly higher or lower than these averages, instructors may be required to make adjustments to course grades. Such adjustment might include the normalization of one or more course components and/or the re-weighting of various course components.
Policy on Grade Rounding
Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests to change a grade because it is needed for a future program be considered.
6 Assessment/Evaluation Schedule
Quiz 1 – Thursday October 2
Quiz 2 – Thursday October 30
Quiz 3 – Thursday November 20
Group Presentations/Written Document – Thursday November 27
Final Exam – TBD (to be held in person during the final exam period)
7 Class Schedule
Sept 4 Introduction
Sept 8-12 What is Perception and how can we study it? Chapters 1-2
Sept 15-19 Introduction to the Visual System Chapter 3
Sept 22-26 The Visual Brain Chapter 4
Sept 29- Oct 3 Form & Colour Perception Chapters 5-6
Oct 6-10 Depth & Size Perception Chapter 7
Oct 13-17 Visual Motion Perception Chapter 8
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Oct 21-24 |
Visual Attention |
Chapter 9 |
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Oct 27 –31 |
Introduction to the Auditory System |
Chapter 10 |
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Nov 3-7 |
READING WEEK |
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Nov 10-14 |
The Auditory Brain & Sound Localization |
Chapter 11 |
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Nov 17-21 |
Speech & Music Perception |
Chapters 12-13 |
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Nov 24-28 |
Somatosensation |
Chapter 14 |
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Dec 1-5 |
Chemical Senses |
Chapter 15 |
8 Academic Integrity
Scholastic offences are taken seriously, and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
Statement on Use of Electronic Devices
Quizzes will be completed in class, but will be administered using the course management software. Please ensure you bring an appropriate device to class on scheduled quiz dates.
Plagiarism Detection Software
All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com.
Use of AI
The use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT to produce written work is not permitted unless permission is granted by the instructor for specific circumstances. Any work submitted must be the work of the student in its entirety unless otherwise disclosed. When used, AI tools should be used ethically and responsibly, and students must cite or credit the tools used in line with the expectation to use AI as a tool to learn, not to produce content.
Multiple Choice Exams
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
9 Academic Accommodations and Accessible Education
View Western’s policy on academic accommodations for student with disabilities at this link.
Accessible Education provides supports and services to students with disabilities at Western.
If you think you may qualify for ongoing accommodation that will be recognized in all your courses, visit Accessible Education for more information. Email: aew@uwo.ca Phone: 519 661-2147
10 Absence & Academic Consideration
Academic Considerations: https://registrar.uwo.ca/academics/academic_considerations/index.html
11 Other Information
- Office of the Registrar: https://registrar.uwo.ca
- Learning Development & Success: https://learning.uwo.ca/
- Psychology Undergraduate Program: https://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/index.html
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness@Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you.
If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf. Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal in writing to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca).
Copyright Statement
Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
12 Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak, and Chonnonton Nations, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. This land continues to be home to diverse Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) whom we recognize as contemporary stewards of the land and vital contributors to our society. My position as a professor at Western is the result of privilege I experienced as a white settler Canadian, within colonial structures that continue to harm, ignore and disadvantage Indigenous people. I commit to amplifying voices of Indigenous people, and appreciate the opportunity to live and learn on these traditional lands in mutual respect.
