Book 2, Chapter 1 Flashcards
Bottom-up processing
p. 6
Or “data driven”
Within the field of perception this view emphasises the importance and the role of information in the environment and its influence on our perceptual experience.
Top-down processing
p.6
Or “conceptually driven perspective
This view emphasises the importance and the role of internal representations and intentions upon our perceptual experience.
Multi-modal perception
pp. 6-7
Perceptual experiences that are derived from more than a single sensory modality.
Occipital Cortex
pp. 8-9
The most posterior part of the brain whose role is to process visual information received from the retina.
Information is analysed in terms of several features (eg. colour, motion, orientation etc.). Information is then relayed to higher centres via the dorsal and ventral streams.
Retina
pp. 8-9
The light sensitive layer of cells at the back of the eye.
Photoreceptors here convert light into neural responses to be passed to the brain via the optic nerve.
Focusing Power
p. 11
The ability of the cornea and lens of the eye to either diverge or converge incoming light to focus it on the retina.
Troxler effect
pp. 12-13
A visual illusion where an unchanging stimulus that is stable on the retina fades from perceptual experience.
The effect is largely thought to be due to the fact that most sensory neurons adapt to an unchanging stimulus and cease sending a signal, known as sensory adaptation.
Unconscious inferences
p. 28
The idea that some conclusions about our experience of the world can be made without us necessarily being aware of them.
Indirect Perception
pp. 28-31
The idea that perception is not a direct mapping of experience to the information in the environment, but rather that additional cognitive processes influence our perception.
Hypothesis Theory
p. 28
Richard Gregory’s development of the idea of indirect perception, which emphasises the role that hypotheses play in the perceptual experience we end up having.
In many ways this is a more detailed version of the idea of unconscious inferences
Hypothesis Theory
p. 28
Richard Gregory’s development of the idea of indirect perception, which emphasises the role that hypotheses play in the perceptual experience we end up having.
In many ways this is a more detailed version of the idea of unconscious inferences
Sideways rules (p. 29)
An important part of Gregory’s theory, which apply basic forms of organisation and order to the raw input received through the eyes.
Amodal Completion
p. 32
The perceptual experience of a whole object, despite parts of the object being hidden from view.
Modal Completion
p. 32
The sensory-perceptual experience of parts of an object that do not exist, yet van be inferred from parts that are visibly present.
Ecological theory of perception
p. 37
Gibson’s theory of perception which emphasises the direct and important link between actions and perception, with a strong emphasis on information revealed by optic flow.