COM3304 - Sensation and Perception

Year of Study:1-4
Credit Units: 3
Duration: 45hours
Prerequisites: COM1301 Psychology and Life
Module Description
Sensation refers to the physical process that we use our sensory organs to respond to the stimuli in the environment (i.e., eyes for vision, ears for hearing, tongue for taste, nose for smell, and skin for touch). Perception refers to our interpretation of these stimuli using our brain. Hence, sensation and perception refer to the processes that we make sense of the world around us by making use of our sensory organs. This module introduces (1) how we make use of our sensory organs to sense (mainly focusing on vision) and our brain to perceive the world around us; (2) the basic physiological and neural mechanisms that underlie our sensation and perception systems; and (3) how and what would happen when our senses and perception “failed” us (i.e., illusions).
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:

  • Comprehend the basic concepts, principles, theories, and methods in studying human sensation and perception;

  • Understand the basic physiological and neural mechanisms that underlie the human sensation and perception systems;

  • Describe how perceptual systems support everyday activities;

  • Critically evaluate the theories and concepts associated with different sensory and perception systems.