1. "I feel like we just scratched the surface of sensation and perception," noted Carey. "I know there's just so much an introductory text can include. Where can I find out more?" Three sites are especially good to help Carey learn more: (1) The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which provides information and links on how we see, hear, and smell our world as well as upcoming research and imaging techniques that help us see the brain at work. (2) The Monell Chemical Senses Center site includes studies focusing on individual differences and explorations of how factors such as age, gender, heredity, experience, and the environment influence our sensory capabilities. (3) At Dr. Christopher Heffner's on-line introduction to psychology site Carey can see how his senses work and, after exploring the site, he can take the chapter quiz to test his learning.

2. "Do you know what the most fun thing about perception is?" Michelle asked one of her classmates. Before waiting for a response, she quickly said, "I love trying to figure out optical illusions. They're almost like watching magic tricks." She can find a treasure trove of such illusions at Dr. David T. Landrigan's Illusions Gallery (University of Massachusetts Lowell). She can also have fun playing with five illusions that are commonly used in psychology research and check out their explanations at a site originated by Professor David Gale of University of California, Berkeley.

3. Justin is particularly fascinated by the chapter sections on light and color. As a photography student who is playing around with different aspects of light he wants to learn and experiment as much as he can. He'll find a virtual playground at the website of Molecular Expressions Science, Optics & You where he can explore aspects of visible light, beginning with an introduction to electromagnetic radiation, light filtration, human vision and color perception, the characteristics of lenses, and lots more. The light and color tutorials and the many activities will help him understand complex topics like the physics of light and the science of optics as well as other topics that relate to his interests.

4. "Would you rather lose your sense of smell or your sense of taste?" Moira asked Sean. "Hard to say. Last time I had a cold and my nose was stuffed up, I couldn't taste anything—good thing I wasn't hungry," Sean replied. He continued, "As my grandmother is getting older, she seems to be losing both. Maybe I'll ask her which is a greater loss for her." Moira and Sean can learn more about these two senses at the following websites—the first one includes fun facts about the sense of smell; the second makes some surprising statements about the reality of our taste buds and a common mistake that textbooks often make; and the third offers cautionary advice that might make Moira and Sean think twice about how their favorite fast foods may be compromising their sense of taste.

5. "Have you heard about 'change blindness'?" Kristin asked Chris. I read a New York Times article about it (April 1, 2008). Natalie Angier, the journalist who wrote the article, reported on a talk by Dr. Jeremy Wolfe of Harvard Medical School, saying that change blindness is 'the frequent inability of our visual system to detect alterations to something staring us straight in the face.' Can you imagine that? That we can't see what's right in front of our faces?" Kristin and Chris decided to check it out, so they went to the Times article, which they found at: