Chapter 3 Flashcards
Perception
what are photoreceptors
cells that transduce light energy into a neural signal
what is the primary visual cortex
the area at the back of the brain that is primarily responsible for basic processing of visual information
what is retinotopic
a principle of organization of the primary visual cortex, where information falling on adjacent areas of the retina is processed in adjacent areas of the cortex
what is achromatopsia
a visual deficit characterized by the inability to perceive colour because of damage to the area of the brain that processes colour information
what is akinetopsia (motion blindness)
inability to perceive the motion of objects
what is Ventral (“what”) pathway
The stream of visual processing in the brain that is responsible for determining object shape, color, and meaningful identity
what is Dorsal (“where”) pathway
The stream of visual processing in the brain that is responsible for determining object location and motion, and which guides action
what is Fusiform face area (FFA)
An area in the inferior temporal cortex that is responsible for the conscious recognition of faces
what is Prosopagnosia
A selective deficit in the ability to consciously recognize faces resulting from damage to the FFA
what is Parahippocampal place area (PPA)
An area in the ventral stream that is responsible for the conscious recognition of places
what is Extrastriate body area (EBA)
An area in the ventral stream that is involved in processing non-facial body parts
perceptual grouping
The process by which visual components are organized into whole objects based on certain principles, such as similarity, proximity, symmetry, and parallelism
gestalt psychology
A psychological approach emphasizing that perception is holistic, focusing on whole objects rather than their individual components. It posits that the context in which visual components are embedded influences their perception
gestalt principle: similarity
Visual features that are similar in color, size, or orientation tend to be grouped together
gestalt principle: proximity
Visual components that are close to one another are perceived as a group
gestalt principle: symmetry
Symmetrical lines or shapes are perceived as part of a single group or whole
gestalt principle: parallelism
Lines that are parallel or similar in orientation are perceived as belonging together
figure-ground segmentation
The separation of a visual scene into a main object (figure) and the background (ground)
denotivity
The degree to which an object is meaningful and familiar to an observer, influencing figure-ground segmentation
jumbled word effect
The phenomenon where people can still read words in a sentence even when some letters are mixed up, due to contextual and experiential cues
word superiority effect
The finding that it is easier to perceive a letter correctly when it appears in a real word compared to a non-word or alone
empirical theory of colour vision
A theory suggesting that color perception is influenced by prior experience with how different illuminations affect colors, not just by the wavelengths of light reflected from surfaces
What is optic ataxia?
A condition characterized by a deficit in the ability to successfully reach for objects, especially when they are presented in the periphery of vision, with unimpaired ability to identify them
Define the theory of ecological optics
The proposition that perception results from direct contact of the sensory organs with stimulus energy emanating from the environment and that an important goal of perception is action
