AOS1 Sensation and perception Flashcards
what is perception
Perception is the way we interpret these sensations and therefore we make sense of everything around us.
list the 3 stages of sensation
reception -> transduction -> transmission
list the 3 stages of perception
selection -> organisation -> interpretation
what is reception?
reception is the process in which our sense organs receive information from our environment.
what is sensation?
sensation is the processing and sensing our environment through touch, taste, sight, sound and smell. this information is then sent to our brains.
what is transduction?
Transduction is the process of converting sensory data into a new form which is sent along the neural pathways to the brain.
what is transmission?
Transmission is the process of sending electrochemical messages to the brain.
what is selection?
Selection is the process of focusing on certain sensory stimuli
what is interpretation?
Interpretation- the process of understanding and assigning meaning to sensory information.
what is organisation?
our brain organises information into meaningful groups
what is the process of sensation through to perception?
reception, transduction, transmission, selection, organisation and interpretation
what is reception in vision?
reception in vision is the eye receiving incoming light and focusing it onto the retina
what is transduction in vision?
Transduction is the conversion of electromagnetic light energy into electro chemical energy.
what is transmission in vision?
Transmission occurs along the optic nerve, sending information from the retina to the brain. (occipital lobe)
what is selection in vision?
Selection is choosing visual stimuli that are important.
what is organisation in vision?
The primary visula cortex analyses incoming messages
what is interpretation in vision?
interpretation- The brain recognises the object/ person as familiar.
what is reception in taste?
chemicals are dissolved in the saliva and the sensation is received by taste buds
what is transduction in taste?
The chemical energy is converted by
the receptors on the taste buds into
electrochemical nerve impulses.
what is transmission in taste?
the signal is sent to the brain (gustatory cortex in the parietal lobe)
what is the function of the retina?
A layer of light sensitive cells that detects images caught by the lens and the cornea.
what is the receptor for vision?
photo receptor cells or the rods and cones
what is the receptor for taste?
taste buds
what is the function of the cornea?
bends light that passes through, which is the first step in making an image.
what is the function of the pupil?
let’s light into the inner eye.
what is the aqueous humour?
keeps the corneas rounded shape.
what is the function of the vitreous humour?
gives the eyeball it’s shape.
what is the function of the iris?
A muscle that controls how much light enters the eye.
what is the function of the lens?
A flexible structure that changes shape to focus on close and distant objects. It is clear and makes an image on the retinas eye.
what is the function of the sclera?
The white outer that covers the eyeball. It is thick and tough.
what is the function of the optic nerve?
It is a bundle of nerve fibres. It takes information from the retina to the brain.
what is the function of the rod cells?
Responsible for detecting light and converting it into neurochemical messages.
what is the function of the blindspot?
the blindspot has no light sensitive cells. Its located where the optic nerve leaves the retina.
what is the function of the fovea?
The area on the retina that contains the highest concentration of cone cells
what is the function of cone cells?
Responsible for detecting light and transducing it into neurochemical messages.
list the 5 gestalt principles
camouflage, figure ground, closure, similarity and proximity
what is camouflage?
Camouflage –
blends into background
what is similarity?
group together to provide a ‘whole’ single unit
eg. Rows of triangles and circles rather than individual
what is proximity?
individual parts are close to each other we tend to
perceive them as ‘whole’
what is figure ground?
our tendency to see some figures as being at the front of an image, i.e. the ‘foreground’, and others as falling back into the ‘background
what is binocular depth cues?
visual information taken in by both eyes
what is closure?
when we perceive an object as whole
despite it being incomplete
what is depth perception?
the ability to accurately judge space and distance using cues and the environment
what is monocular depth cues?
visual information taken in by one eye
what is a gestalt principle?
gestalt principle are when we group together objects to help them make sense to us
what are two binocular depth cues?
Binocular depth cues are retinal disparity and convergence.
what is retinal disparity?
Retinal disparity is the difference between the images received by either eye. The closer the object is the greater the disparity (difference).
what is convergence?
Convergence is when we view things up close, our eyes turn inwards and our eye muscles strain. the strain sends signals to the brain that something is close.
what is one monocular depth cue?
a monocular depth cue is accommodation. Accommodation involves our eye muscles bulging and flattening according to how far away an object is. for a close up object our eye muscles bulge, and for an object in the distance they flatten.
list the 5 pictorial depth cues
linear perspective, interposition, texture gradient, relative size, height in the visual field
what is linear perspective?
2 objects seem closer together as the distance from them increases.
what is interposition?
Overlapping objects making one look further away than the other.
what is texture gradient?
We can see more details in the items that appear closer to us, and it fades as it gets further away.
what is relative size?
Objects that seem closer are bigger.
what is height in the visual field?
The objects that seem bigger are further away from the horizon.
what are the two perceptual constancies?
size and shape constancy
what is size constancy?
Refers to the fact that we maintain a constant perception of an objects size even if the object moves nearer or farther away.
what is shape constancy?
Refers to the fact that we can interpret and understand what an object is when viewed from any angle
what is the muller-lyer illusion?
two lines appear different lengths but are actually the same lengths. There is no single explanation of the illusion that is satisfactory.
what is the Ames room illusion?
The ames room illusion is , it makes a person look like they are growing larger. The room is a trapezone shape. We maintain shape constancy over size constancy. It has sloping floors and ceiling. We are only using minocular depth cues.
what is perceptual set?
Your perceptual set is your mental tendency to perceive one thing but not another.
