Teaching sensation and perception in small groups: Eleven practical exercises

Abstract

ABSTRACT Here we present 11 short practical exercises complementing the lecture on sensation and perception. The exercises cover all the classic topics in the curriculum (vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch) and work best in small groups of up to 10 students. They last between 5 and 45 min and range from short demonstrations on depth perception and sound source localization to more elaborate setups such as a double-blind taste test and an obstacle course with upside-down goggles. For each exercise, we provide a detailed description with theoretical background, materials, procedure, learning objectives, and our experiences from 10 semesters on what worked well and what not so much. We also present strategies for online delivery or suggest alternative exercises that can be implemented both in remote and in-person settings. Instructions for all exercises are available in German, English, and Spanish as open educational resources that can be reused, shared and modified.