05. Perception Flashcards
Accommodation
in visual perception, a monocular depth cue involving the automatic focusing of the lens in the eye to adjust shape in response to changes in the distance of view from an object
Agnosia
loss or impairment of the ability to recognise and identify objects, persons, sounds or other sensory stimuli using one or more of the senses due to brain injury
Ames Room illusion
perceptual misinterpretation involving a trapezium-shaped room which appears rectangular when viewed through a peephole using only one eye and people appear small or large, depending on where they stand in the room
Attention
the process of focusing on specific stimuli or aspects of the sensory environment whilst ignoring and therefore excluding others
Binocular depth cues
the use of both eyes working together in order to provide information to the brain about depth and distance
Bottom-up processing
the perceptual process starts ‘at the bottom’ with raw sensory information that is sent ‘up’ to the brain for higher level mental ‘processing’
Cones
photoreceptors that allow someone to see colour and fine details in well-lit conditions p. 308
Convergence
a visual perception binocular depth cue involving the inward turning of the eyes to focus on nearby objects
Cranial nerves
the nerves which extend from the tongue to the brain, along which gustatory information is transmitted p. 320
Closure
a Gestalt principle of visual perception that involves a perceptual tendency to mentally ‘close up’, fill in or ignore gaps in a visual image and to perceive objects as complete
Divided attention
the ability to distribute attention so that two or more activities may be performed simultaneously
Depth cues
visual clues that allow someone to judge the distance or depth of stimuli in their environment p. 312
Eye
the sensory organ for vision p. 308
Fallibility
the quality of being prone to error or experiencing difficulties in judgement p. 327
Gestalt principles
guiding rules of perception that allow us to organise independent visual signals into meaningful wholes p. 310
Gustatory cortex
the region of the cerebral cortex responsible for the perception of taste
Gustation
the sense of taste
Gustatory receptors
the sensory receptors which detect chemical molecules in food p. 320
Height in the visual field
a visual perception monocular depth cue involving a perceptual tendency to visually perceive objects located closer to the horizon as being more distant than objects located further from the horizon
Interposition
a visual perception monocular depth cue based on the principle that an object which partially covers another is closer than the object it covers and the covered object is further away; also called overlap
Interpretation
the process of understanding and assigning meaning to sensory information p. 303
Linear perspective
a visual perception monocular depth cue based on the apparent convergence of actual or imagined parallel lines as they recede into the distance
Monocular depth cue
the use of only one eye to provide information to the brain about depth and distance
Miraculin
a protein found in the fleshy part of a miracle berry that has a taste changing effect whereby a sweet taste is perceived
Muller-lyer illusion
a visual illusion in which one of two lines of equal length, each of which has opposite shaped ends, is incorrectly perceived as being longer than the other
Neuronal reception
the process in which a neuron accepts (receives) a message p. 99
Optic nerve
the two nerves which extend from the back of the eye to the brain, along which visual information is transmitted to the brain p. 308
figure-ground organisation
a Gestalt principle of visual perception, that involves organising visual information by perceptually dividing a visual scene into a ‘figure’, which stands out from the ‘ground’, which is its surroundings
Perception
the process of selecting, organising, and interpreting sensory information to be able to understand it p. 302
Perceptual distortion
an error in the judgement or interpretation of sensory stimuli p. 327
Perceptual set
a predisposition to perceive stimuli in a certain way due to a range of factors including a perceiver’s mood, motivations, context, and past experiences p. 314, 323
Primary visual cortex
In occipital lobe- receives and processes visual information from the eyes
Photoreceptors
the sensory receptors of the eye which receive light and are responsible for the process of transduction p. 308
Reception
when a sensory stimulus is first detected by a sensory organ p. 299
Receptive field
the space in which a sensory stimulus can be detected by a sensory receptor p. 300
Relative size
a visual perception monocular depth cue involving perceptual tendency to visually perceive the object that produces the largest image on the retina as being closer and the object that produces the smallest image as being further away (when objects are expected to be the same size)
Retinal disparity
a visual perception binocular depth cue based on the difference (disparity) of the two retinal images
Rods
photoreceptors that allow someone to see in low levels of light p. 308
Proximity
a Gestalt principle of visual perception, that involves a tendency to perceive parts of a visual image which are positioned close together as belonging together in a group; also called nearness
Sensation
the process of receiving and detecting raw sensory information via our sensory organs and sending it to the brain p. 299
selective attention
choosing and attending to a specific stimulus whilst at the same time excluding other stimuli
Similarity
Gestalt principle of visual perception that involves a tendency to perceive parts of a visual image that have similar features, such as size, shape, texture or colour
Spatial neglect
a neurological disorder whereby individuals are unable to notice anything either on their left or right side even though there may be no sensory loss; also called visual neglect
Synaesthesia
a perceptual phenomenon characterised by the experience of unusual perceptions in one sensory system after another sensory system has been activated p. 331
Synaesthete
a person who experiences synaesthesia p. 331
sustained attention
maintenance of attention on a specific stimulus or task for a continuous period of time without being distracted
Texture gradient
a visual perception monocular depth cue based on the extent to which fine detail can be perceived in a surface
top-down processing
a perceptual process that starts ‘at the top’ with higher level ‘cognitive processing’ in the brain and then works ‘down’ from the whole to the details
Taste
the sensation and perception of flavour p. 319
Taste buds
clusters of gustatory receptors on the tongue p. 320
Tongue
the primary sensory organ involved in taste p. 320
Transduction
the conversion of raw sensory information detected by sensory receptors into a form that can be sent to the brain p. 300
Transmission
the process of sending sensory information as a neural impulse to the part of the brain responsible for processing sensory information p. 301
Vision
the sensory system which allows us to see our internal and external environment p. 307
Visual illusion
the perception of a visual stimulus in a way that conflicts with how it is in physical reality p. 327
Visual perception principles
guiding rules that apply to visual signals and determine how they are organised and interpreted p. 310
