Book 2, Chapter 1

Question 1

Bottom-up processing

p. 6

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

Top-down processing

p.6

Answer 2

Or “conceptually driven perspective

This view emphasises the importance and the role of internal representations and intentions upon our perceptual experience.

Question 3

Multi-modal perception

pp. 6-7

Answer 3

Perceptual experiences that are derived from more than a single sensory modality.

Question 4

Occipital Cortex

pp. 8-9

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

Retina

pp. 8-9

Answer 5

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.

Question 6

Focusing Power

p. 11

Answer 6

The ability of the cornea and lens of the eye to either diverge or converge incoming light to focus it on the retina.

Question 7

Troxler effect

pp. 12-13

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

Unconscious inferences

p. 28

Answer 8

The idea that some conclusions about our experience of the world can be made without us necessarily being aware of them.

Question 9

Indirect Perception

pp. 28-31

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

Hypothesis Theory

p. 28

Answer 10

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

Question 10

Hypothesis Theory

p. 28

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Sideways rules (p. 29)

Answer 11

An important part of Gregory’s theory, which apply basic forms of organisation and order to the raw input received through the eyes.

Question 12

Amodal Completion

p. 32

Answer 12

The perceptual experience of a whole object, despite parts of the object being hidden from view.

Question 13

Modal Completion

p. 32

Answer 13

The sensory-perceptual experience of parts of an object that do not exist, yet van be inferred from parts that are visibly present.

Question 14

Ecological theory of perception

p. 37

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

McGurk Effect

p.42

Answer 15

A multisensory distortion of reality when what one hears is incongruent with the lip movements one sees.
The resulting perception is often a fusion of what is heard and seen.