What is the difference between distal and proximal stimuli

The actual object, the distal stimulus, consists of many more words than just the ones that we see. But the sensory receptors can only measure and process the words on the page, or the proximal stimulus. You might be saying, but even when I see a closed book, I know that there are words inside. We know that the sensory receptors may not be able to take in everything about the object or see it for what it really is. An object in its true form is called the distal stimulus.

When we talk about the proximal stimulus, it is often in relation to the distal stimulus. Each sense uses different receptors to measure and process proximal stimuli.

The retina, for example, contains millions of photoreceptors that take in the sight of proximal stimuli. The Organ of Corti is the sensory receptor for the ear. These cells are located in the back of the nasal cavity. Different taste receptors in the taste buds process the sweetness, bitterness, etc. When it comes to some senses, there is very little to differentiate the proximal vs.

Psychologists believe that touch, for example, is pretty straightforward. Register Don't have an account? Distal stimulus. Edit source History Talk 0. Categories Perception Add category. Cancel Save. Fan Feed 1 Types of gestures 2 Impregnation fetish. The distal stimulus is the term applied to the object; the proximal stimulus is the term applied to the retinal image. Heider maintained that the medium in between the two, containing only rays of light, would not convey the organization of the object to the retina.

The visual situation is actually much more elaborate than this. The object one that either reflects or emits light should be called a source of optical stimulation for it is not a stimulus at all, as I have pointed out. The ambient light at the station point of an eye is a potential stimulus information for the ocular system the perceptual system. The temporary retinal image considered as light energy is the stimulus for the retinal receptors rods and cones.

This steady-state network is assumed to be independent of the intensity of illumination.