Sensation and Perception: Hypothetical Study

The methods for research on the topic of sensation and perception are abundant. The reason for these numerous research techniques are due to the subject being so abstract, and difficult to measure. A classic method for observing any type of scientific data, including sensation and perception is the 'case study.' A case study is simply an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles (Myers 2010). If I were given unlimited funds to perform a study on this topic, I would conduct a much different type of experiment: To measure the effects of video game exposure on IQ scores, I would first need a group of ten avid gamers to be one group of testes, playing an average of five hours of video games for the last several years. I would also need a group of ten non-gamers to test for the opposing side of the study. Each person being tested will be the same age of twenty one years-old, thus giving everybody's brain similar time to develop. The main question I will be attempting to answer in this experiment is: Does playing video games increase one's IQ scores, or do avid gamers simply tend to be more intelligent? It is also possible that neither of these hypothesis are correct, and there is no relation. This type of experiment would be classified as a population study. A population study is an experiment in which all the cases in a group are being studied, from which samples may be drawn (Myers 2010). The concept of sensation and perception is relevant to this experiment due to the extreme sensations that avid gamers apparently experience which keeps them coming back for more. The way gamers perceive these stimulated events in relation to real-life situations are predicted to be different than non-gamers, thus resulting in higher test scores. This experiment is completely inspired by my eleven year-old cousin who has a higher IQ score than most children his age, and plays more video games than anybody I know. In fact, he is in the process of creating his very own computer game.

Sensation and Perception

2-1 Blog Post Sensation and perception are both essential, involuntary parts of the functioning human body. Sensation is the feeling one physically experiences when touched, or when further senses are stimulated. Perception is the act of actually identifying sights, smells, and other sensations (dictionary.com). Although there are many different intriguing aspects of human perception, only a couple subject matters really stand out that are easily relatable to a real-life scenario: Perceptual constancy and depth perception. Perceptual constancy is the human ability to distinguish and identify shapes after having only a glimpse of the object (Myers 2010). This trait is especially important when performing high-consequence activities such as driving, climbing, or skateboarding. Depth perception is the ability to determine distance, and distinguish three dimensional figures, when they appear to be only two dimensional figures from a distance (Myers 2010). A memorable story comes to mind when discussing the topics of perceptual constancy and depth perception: It was roughly two years ago when I was visiting a good friend in Brooklyn, New York. He was a photographer at the time, so all we did for the entirety of my trip was skateboard around the city to different concerts, art shows, and whatever else he thought was photo-worthy at the time. Needless to say, the New York City streets are not the most ideal surface to skateboard on, but I was forced to adapt quickly. One afternoon, we were pushing down a crowded street where there were consistent lines of patched-up asphalt where large cracks and pot holes used to be (my perceptual constancy had identified these lines almost immediately). As I was getting familiar with the terrain on which I was skating, I rolled straight into a giant crack in the middle of the street and fell only inches away from a moving car. My depth perception had failed to recognize that this crack was not just another patched-up whole in the road, but rather an obstacle in my way that put me at extreme risk for injury. As you now hopefully understand, sensation and perception are a crucial part of everyday life that we very much take for granted.

Working Towards my Goal

This past week has actually been very productive as far as preparing to reach my goal. Like I said in my previous post, I'm currently down with a minor ankle injury. However, I have been swimming and doing all types of active rehabilitation to strengthen my ankle for my month-long Mt. Hood trip. Due to my injury being re-occurring for almost a year now, I am very familiar with all types of rehab that needs to be done. After my initial surgery, I would spend days on end in medical centers doing legitimate physical therapy. The job of a physical therapist is a prime example of prosocial observational learning. The PT would physically model what they wanted me to do, and I would do my best to imitate them with hopes of receiving positive, or helpful effects (Myers, 2010). Now without any help from a physical therapist, I am able to retrieve this information about ankle rehabilitation from my long-term memory. It is now a skill I have acquired through a lot of experience, and has gotten stored in my memory system for good (Myers, 2010). The motivation I feel to better myself physically is merely driven by the incentive of snowboarding for an entire month, pain-free. I honestly could not think of a better way to encourage myself to strive for ideal physical strength. Although snowboarding does not seem like the most physically exhausting activity, I can assure you that an entire of hard impact in the summer heat requires great stamina.

Summer Goal

The goal I have set for my self is something that is always ticking in the back of my head. This goal can essentially be reached at any time of year, with however much time and energy one chooses to put into it. However, to be more specific and time sensitive, I would like to reach this goal by the end of the summer. My goal is to have a full-length, documentary-style, snowboarding edit (20-30 minutes) filmed and edited by mid-August. Although this goal isn't over a yearly timespan, it is still a long-term goal, thus qualifying it as a delayed reinforcer. As David G. Myers argues in Exploring Psychology: Eighth Edition in Modules, that one must learn to except these non-instant rewards in order to live productively (Myers 251.) What makes this goal, or edit rather, specific is that it will be filmed exclusively in Mt. Hood, Oregon during the month of July. Mt. Hood is one of the few places in the nation that has enough snow during the summer months to supply full-sized snowboarding terrain parks, thus making it a popular destination for both skiers and snowboarders. This edit will simply be measured by the time length. 20-30 minutes is rather long for an edit, however we will be snowboarding for roughly a month, making it very achievable. Realistically, my friends and I have been snowboarding for long enough that we are capable of acquiring more than enough footage for this edit. I actually grew up riding and competing with many of these people on the US Snowboarding Team, so the skill level is the least of our worries. I feel that this goal is worthy of this assignment due to all of the essential aspects that are involved prior to completion: Traveling, snowboarding, filming, camping, and editing are all key components just to name a few. The good-hearted work and passion that goes into a project like this makes it a good goal to say the very least. I feel so strongly about this task simply because snowboarding is so dear to my heart. I always feel like I'm missing a big chunk of myself unless I'm sliding on snow. Another reason why this edit is so important to me is because Mt. Hood, Oregon is one of my favorite places in the world, and I've unfortunately been unable to visit this second home for two years due to injuries. There will be just as much work put toward this edit prior to being in Mt. Hood, as there will be on snow. I'm currently getting over a minor ankle injury, so staying strong and healthy until departure is very important. Also, budget is always an issue on snowboard trips as you can imagine. Being frugal, and working hard for our summer funds will be at utost importance. This preparation work would be classified as positive reinforcement, as it is the labor being done in hopes for a positive outcome. I'm counting down the days until we begin our travels, and I look forward to sharing my journey with you all.