9C - Biopsychosocial Influences On Perception

Question 1

Biological Factors

Answer 1

Biological factors are internal factors that will draw on functions or processes that are highly dependent on bodily functions, such as the eyes

Question 2

Psychological Factors

Answer 2

Psychological factors are internal factors that relate to a person’s mental processes, including their cognition (ways of thinking), affect (emotions), beliefs and attitudes

These cognitive processes could be automatic or deliberate and purposeful

Question 3

Social Factors

Answer 3

Social factors are external factors relating to a person’s interactions with others and their external environment

Question 4

Biopsychosocial Definitions

Answer 4

An interdisciplinary model that looks at the interconnection between the biological, psychological and social factors

Question 5

Depth Cues

Answer 5

Is the ability to judge distances and see the world in three dimensions

Depth cues are sources of information from the environment or within our body that help to tell us how far away objects are

Because the retinal image is received in 2D, seeing in depth requires the application of these cues during perception

Question 6

Bino Vs Monocular Depth Cues

Answer 6

Bino - those that require the use of both eyes to perceive depth

Mono - those that require the use of only one eye to perceive depth

Question 7

Convergence - Binocular

Answer 7

Convergence involves the brain detecting and interpreting depth or distance from changes in tension in the eye muscles

Question 8

Retinal Disparity - Binocular

Answer 8

Retinal disparity refers to the difference or ‘disparity’ between the different retinal images received by either eye

Question 9

Accomodation - Monocular

Answer 9

Involves our eye muscles bulging and flattening according to how far away an object is

Question 10

Visual Perception Principles

Answer 10

At any given moment, vast amounts of visual stimuli enter the eye - far more than we can pay attention to

The brain selects and organises visual information according to a number of visual perception principles

Visual perception principles are ‘rules’ that we apply to visual information to assist our organisation and interpretation of information in consistent and meaningful ways

We tend to automatically use these principles, without conscious effort or awareness that we are do so

Question 11

Gestalt Principles

Answer 11

Gestalt psychologists believed ‘A whole is greater than the sum of its parts’

They help us to construct a meaningful whole from an assortment of parts or elements

Question 12

Figure - Ground

Answer 12

The tendency to perceive a part of the visual stimulus as being more relevant (the figure) and standing out against the less relevant surroundings (the ground)

Question 13

Closure

Answer 13

The tendency to close up, fill in or ignore gaps in visual stimuli and perceive objects to be a meaningful whole

Question 14

Similarity

Answer 14

The tendency to perceive parts of a visual stimuli which are alike as belonging together

Example - stimuli that are similar in size, shape, texture, colour or form

Question 15

Proximity

Answer 15

The tendency to perceive parts of visual stimuli that are positioned close together as belonging to a group

Question 16

Perceptual Set

Answer 16

Predisposition, or readiness, to perceive something in accordance with what we expect it to be

Our expectations of what an object or event will be make us more likely to interpret the object or event in the predetermined way

Question 17

Factors Effecting One’s Perceptual Set

Answer 17

• Past Experience
• Motivation
• Context

Question 18

Context

Answer 18

Refers to the setting or environment in which perception is made

Question 19

Motivation

Answer 19

Refers to processes within us, which activate behaviour that is directed towards achieving a particular goal

Question 20

Visual Constancies

Answer 20

The mind’s ability to perceive a visual stimulus as stable (constant), despite the changes in the retinal image
Shape - however people do not perceive the door changing shape. In all case, the door’s actually shape is perceived as remaining constant
Size - for example - when observing the car driving down the street, one’s retinal image of the car becomes progressively smaller the further the car gets
Orientation - for example - when one watches TV lying down on the couch, the image projected onto one’s retina is sideways
The ability to perceive an object’s actual orientation, despite changes in our retinal image of the object

Question 21

Culture

Answer 21

The many characteristics of a group of people, including their attitudes, behaviours, customs and values that are transmitted from one generation to the next

Question 22

Past Experience

Answer 22

The situations and events we have encountered throughout our life prior to the present