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PSYCH 367-Perception > 1. Introduction to Perception > Flashcards

1. Introduction to Perception Flashcards

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1
Q

what is perception?

A

it can be defined in 2 ways

sensory processes like receptor activation and neural firing

mental activity that mediates between sensation and awareness, interpreting what our senses are telling us

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2
Q

Sensation

A

the process of encoding energy or chemicals in the environment in terms of neural signals

a basic experience elicited by a simple stimulus

more concerned with your own physical experience

ex: the warm of skin, this is egocentric as what is warm can vary from person to person

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3
Q

Perception

A

the organization and interpretation of neural signals, making them meaningful

more complex conscious experiences produced by integrating sensations

more concerned with identifying stimuli

ex: when you see the stove is red, and producing heat that you can fee;, you know that its 30 cm away from you can can burn you

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4
Q

what are some reasons to study perception

A
  1. understanding basic research
    -determine how underlying mechanisms function
    -it is the first step in understanding cognition
    -to know why orange juice tastes bad after brushing your teeth
  2. to solve practical problems
    -develop solutions for disabled people, like braille, glasses
    -to produce substitutes for the world, like stereos and VR
    -to produce substitutes for the observer. like robotic vision in the mars rover
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5
Q

Underdetermination

A

the central problem in perception

the world is 3D, the image on our retina is 2D, yet we think of the world in 3D

hypothetically we don’t have enough info to translate our 2D perception into 3D

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6
Q

Distal Stimulus

A

the object in the real world

the stimulus itself

an apple on the table, a finger poking your arm, basil sniffing my leg

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7
Q

Proximal Stimulus

A

the pattern of energy or chemicals impinging on our receptors

what we sense

the pattern of photos on our retina, kinetic energy on our skin, sound energy hitting the eardrum

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8
Q

structuralism

A

analyze the conscious processes into basic “elements”; specify how the elements become connected

breaking complex things into smaller components

the issue with this school of thought is that perception is holistic, not elemental, you can separate all the chemicals in a lemon that our brain knows is a lemon

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9
Q

Edward Titchner

A

structuralist

relied on introspection, the analysis of one’s own conscious experience because you can’t study anyone else’s

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10
Q

Wilhelm Wundt

A

had the first psych lab in 1879, the university of Leipzig

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11
Q

Gestalt Psychology

A

gestalt means “form/configuration”

opposed to structuralism, decomposition to elementary components loses information

a holistic approach that emphasized consciousness

specify the relationship among stimuli, the whole is different than the sum of its parts, has emergent properties

founded by Max Wertheimer

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12
Q

Constructivism

A

perceiving is an active process, affected by our knowledge and experience

we must interpret ambiguous information provided by the environment

the goal is to determine how existing knowledge influences perception

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13
Q

Ecological Approach

A

we should study perception in natural settings

the idea that enough mental information is available in the environment to make mental processes unnecessary
bc absolutely zero processing occurs when you open ur eyes, 100% real no cap

bottom up view of processing

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14
Q

JJ Gibson

A

followed the ecological approach

proposed that information was directly picked up from the environment

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15
Q

Information-Processing Approach

A

describes the flow of incoming sensory information via hypothesized internal processes

information is analyzed to decode and interpret it

does not differentiate between sensation, perception, and cognition

highly influential in cognitive psych

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16
Q

Computational approach (CA)

A

assumes the mind is an information processor that receives, stores, retrieves, transforms, and transmits information

Has 3 levels of analysis
1. computational theory
2. representation and algorithm
3. hardware implimentation

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17
Q

computational theory (CA)

A

level 1 of CA

what is the system doing?
ex: what does it mean to see? to taste?
how can you study something if you don’t know what it is

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18
Q

representation and algorithm (CA)

A

level 2 of CA

what is a percept? how is it being processed?

do the eyes function like cameras? Is there an “inner screen” in our heads? (No)

our eyes process a lot of information before anything is sent to the brain

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19
Q

hardware implementation (CA)

A

what physical “machinery” does this?

what neural circuits allow us to see?

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20
Q

neurophysiological approach

A

based on reductionism: the understanding of behaviour via studying the underlying biological processes

the idea that things are easier to understand after dividing them

more important for sensation than perception

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21
Q

Doctrine of specific nerve energies

A

Muller 1837

percept depends on which nerve has been activated, leak seeing light when the optic nerve is activated

different sensory nerves go to differ brain regions

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22
Q

Perception and evolution

A

what are the evolutionary advantages of a particular sense

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23
Q

perception and coding/representation

A

how is a stimulus encoded into our sensory neurons and represented in the brain

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24
Q

Modularity and perception

A

how are different aspects of a stimulus analyzed

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25
Q

integration and perception

A

how are these different aspects recombined to form a whole percept?

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26
Q

processing and perception

A

how do top-down/existing knowledge structures and bottom-up/incoming sensory data processes interact?

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27
Q

subjectivity and perception

A

how well does our perceptual experience represent objective reality?

28
Q

action

A

any motor activity

29
Q

aftereffect

A

a sensory experience that occurs after prolonged experience of visual motion in one particular direction

30
Q

angnosia

A

a neurological condition characterized by the inability to recognize or interpret sensory stimuli despite having intact sensory functions.

For instance, someone with visual agnosia may see an object but cannot identify it. Agnosia is typically associated with brain damage or dysfunction.

31
Q

amusia

A

a condition in which brain damage interferes with the perception of music but does not interfere with other aspects of auditory processing

32
Q

direct perception/gibsonian approach

A

a condition in which brain damage interferes with the perception of music but does not interfere with other aspects of auditory processing

another name for the ecological approach

33
Q

doctrine of specific nerve energies

A

the argument that it is the specific neurons activated that determine the particular type of experience

34
Q

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI):

A

a neuroimaging technique that generates an image of the brain on the basis of the blood levels in different areas of the brain, which correlate with activity levels in those regions

35
Q

microelectrode

A

a device so small that it can penetrate a single neuron in the mammalian central nervous system without destroying the cell

36
Q

neural response

A

the signal produced by receptor cells that can then be sent to the brain

37
Q

neuroimaging

A

technologies that allow us to map living intact brains as they engage in ongoing tasks

38
Q

neuropsychology

A

the study of the relation of brain damage to changes in behavior

39
Q

Phenomemology

A

our subjective experience of perception

40
Q

prosopagnosia

A

face agnosia, resulting in a deficit in perceiving faces`

41
Q

psychophysics

A

the study of the relation between physical stimuli and perception events

42
Q

receptors

A

specialized sensory neurons that convert physical stimuli into neural responses

43
Q

sensation

A

the registration of physical stimuli on sensory receptors

44
Q

stimulus

A

an element of the world around us that impinges on our sensory systems

45
Q

transduction

A

the process of converting a physical stimulus into an electrochemical signal

46
Q

unconscious inference

A

perception is not adequately determined by sensory information, so an inference or educated guess is part of the process; this inference is not the result of active problem solving but rather of a nonconscious cognitive process

47
Q

Weber’s Law

A

a just-noticeable difference between two stimuli is related to the magnitude or strength of the stimuli

48
Q

Discuss why understanding sensation and perception is important.

A

The study of sensation and perception sheds light on the basic nature of what it is to be human. Sensation is the registration of physical stimuli on sensory receptors, and perception is the process of creating conscious perceptual experience from sensory input.

Our sense of touch is composed of multiple systems designed to sense different features of the environment. Heat, coldness, pain, itchiness, and soft touch are all implemented by separable sensory systems

49
Q

Describe how transduction transforms a physical signal into a neural signal.

A

Sensory systems transduce physical signals into neural responses, which are sent to the brain for processing. The brain processes the signals, determines their meaning, and decides on appropriate actions. Perception also produces a characteristic phenomenology, which is the purely subjective experience we get when perceiving the world.

50
Q

Illustrate the history of the study of sensation and perception.

A

ancient Egyptians, aristotle, Germans physiologists and psycho physics, gestalt psychology, ecological approach/direct perception, informational processing, the computational approach

51
Q

Understand the impact of neuroscience on our understanding of sensation and perception.

A

Neuroscience also addresses issues of sensation and perception. Neuroscience research includes single-cell recording, neuropsychology, and neuroimaging. Neuroscience allows us to understand the brain mechanisms involved in sensory processes.

52
Q

the myth of the 5 senses

A

originated from aristotle.

humans have more than five sensory systems, and the concept of just five senses does not encompass all ways in which we gather information from our environment.

53
Q

Eight Different Human Sensory Systems

A

Vision: Perception of light and color.
Audition (Hearing): Perception of sound.
Olfaction (Smell): Detection of odor molecules.
Gustation (Taste): Detection of flavors.
Somatosensation (Touch): Detection of pressure, temperature, pain, and texture.
Proprioception: Awareness of body position and movement.
Vestibular System: Balance and spatial orientation.
Interoception: Awareness of internal bodily states, such as hunger, thirst, or heartbeat.

54
Q

Sensation vs. Perception

A

Difference: Sensation is the raw data received from sensory organs, while perception is the brain’s interpretation of this data to create a meaningful experience.

55
Q

what is transduction and why is it important?

A

Transduction is the process by which sensory receptors convert physical stimuli (e.g., light, sound waves, or chemicals) into electrical signals that the brain can interpret. For example, in vision, light is transduced into electrical impulses by the photoreceptor cells in the retina.

Importance to Perception: Without transduction, the brain would not be able to process sensory stimuli. It is the bridge between the external world and the brain’s ability to perceive it.

56
Q

Why is phenomenology difficult to address in science

A

Phenomenology is challenging to address scientifically because it involves subjective, first-person experiences that are hard to measure or verify objectively. Scientific methods typically rely on third-person observations and measurable data, making it difficult to directly study consciousness.

57
Q

Hermann von Helmholtz

A

Hermann von Helmholtz was a 19th-century German physicist and physiologist who made significant contributions to the study of sensory perception, particularly in hearing and vision.

View of Color Vision: Helmholtz proposed the Trichromatic Theory of color vision, which suggests that the human eye has three types of color receptors sensitive to red, green, and blue light. According to this theory, all the colors we perceive are combinations of these three primary colors.

58
Q

Ewald Hering

A

Ewald Hering proposed the Opponent-Process Theory, which suggested that color perception is controlled by three opposing pairs: red-green, blue-yellow, and black-white. According to Hering, these pairs work in opposition, meaning when one color in the pair is stimulated, the other is inhibited.

59
Q

importance of unconscious inference in the constructivist approach

A

In the constructivist approach to perception, the brain is viewed as actively constructing our perceptual experience based on incomplete sensory information and prior experiences, using unconscious inferences to fill in the gaps.

60
Q

JND

A

just noticeable difference

the minimum difference between two stimuli that a person can detect at least 50% of the time. It is a threshold for detecting changes in sensory input.

Real-world Example: the difference between adding 100 grams to a 1kg weight vs 10 grams. people would be much less likely to notice the 10 grams added

61
Q

Direct Perception vs. Information-Processing View

A

The direct perception view emphasizes immediate perception without mental intermediaries, while the information-processing view sees perception as requiring cognitive operations and the manipulation of sensory data.

62
Q

Cognitive Impenetrability

A

Refers to the idea that certain perceptual processes are unaffected by higher-level cognitive processes like beliefs, desires, or expectations. For example, the perception of visual illusions remains stable even if we know that what we see is not real.

63
Q

Cognitive Penetration

A

Occurs when cognitive factors (such as knowledge or expectations) influence what and how we perceive. For example, knowing that an object is far away might alter our perception of its size.

64
Q

Cognitive Impenetrability vs. Cognitive Penetration

A

Cognitive impenetrability suggests a separation between perception and cognition, while cognitive penetration implies that perception can be influenced by cognitive factors.

65
Q

Time to Collision (TTC)

A

the time remaining before an object in motion will collide with an observer or another object, based on the object’s current velocity and distance. This is crucial in activities like driving, where estimating the TTC helps avoid collisions.

66
Q

Size-arrival effect

A

This phenomenon refers to the tendency for larger objects to be perceived as arriving sooner than smaller objects, even when they are moving at the same speed. This bias can affect judgments in situations like driving, where larger vehicles may be judged to arrive sooner than smaller ones, leading to miscalculations in time to collision.

PSYCH 367-Perception (5 decks)

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