Attention and Perception Flashcards
What is sensation?
Stimulus detection system by which our sense organs respond to + translate environmental stimuli into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain
What is perception?
Active process of organising the stimulus output + giving it meaning
Explain the difference between top-down and bottom-up processing.
Bottom-up: recognising + processing info. from individual components of a stimulus to make a unified perception
Top-down: prior knowledge, expectations or thoughts act on this info. to influence our final perceptual state
What are perceptual schemas?
A component of top-down processing: schemas provide mental templates allowing us to identify + classify sensory input, as each of our perceptions is essentially a hypothesis about the meaning of the sensory info.
What is assimilation?
Incorporating new experiences into existing schema
What is accommodation?
The difference made by the process of assimilation
Describe Humphrey and Riddoch’s hierarchical model of object recognition.
Visual perceptual analysis (knowing it is something)
Viewer centred representation (knowing it’s a meaningful object)
Visual object recognition (describing what the object is)
Semantic system (purpose of object)
Naming the object
What are the factors affecting perception of physical symptoms?
Attention Past experiences Current drive/ Arousal state Environmental cues Individual values + expectations Emotion Cultural background
What are the two different types of attention and how are they different?
Focused attention: ability to respond discretely to specific visual, auditory + tactile stimuli
Divided attention: highest level of attention, ability to respond simultaneously to multiple tasks
What are figure ground relations?
Our tendency to organise stimuli into foreground + background
What is the Gestalt law of continuity?
When the eye is compelled to move through 1 object + continue to another object
What is the Gestalt law of similarity?
Similar things are perceived as being grouped together
What is the Gestalt law of proximity?
Objects near each other are grouped together
What is the Gestalt law of closure?
Things are grouped together if they seem to complete some entity
What is apperceptive agnosia?
Failure to integrate perceptual elements of the stimulus
Individual elements perceived normally but can’t organise into a whole
What is associative agnosia?
Failure of retrieval of semantic info.
Shape, colour, texture perceived normally
What 2 processes are required for attention?
Focus on a certain aspect
Filter out other information
What 5 stimulus factors influence attention?
Intensity Novelty Movement Contrast Repitition
What 5 personal factors influence attention?
Motives Interests Threats Mood Arousal
Describe the cocktail party effect
Can focus attention on 1 persons voice in spite of all other conversations
But attention caught if we overhear our name in another conversation
At what point is pain considered to be chronic?
> 3 months
How does the gate theory explain chronic pain?
Pain signals compete to get through a ‘gate’
‘Gate’ can be opened or closed by psychological + physical factors
In chronic pain, gate remains open, allowing pain to still be perceived despite sensory parts no longer being damaged
Describe the fear-avoidance model seen in chronic pain
Long term experience of pain may cause patient to avoid stimulus that may provoke the pain
This impacts their day to day behaviour
Both elements impact their mood, thoughts + stress, which further exacerbate the pain + avoidant behaviour
