Chapter 3 Perception Quiz 1 Flashcards
Action pathway
Neural pathway, extending from the occipital lobe to the parietal lobe, that is associated with neural processing that occurs when people take action. Corresponds to the where pathway.
Apparent movement
An illusion of movement perception that occurs when stimuli in different locations are flashed one after another with the proper timing.
Bayesian inference
The idea that our estimate of the probability of an outcome is determined by the prior probability (our initial belief ) and the likelihood (the extent to which the available evidence is consistent with the outcome).
Bottom-up processing
Processing that starts with information received by the receptors. This type of processing is also called data-based processing.
Brain ablation
A procedure in which a specific area is removed from an animal’s brain. It is usually done to determine the function of this area by assessing the effect on the animal’s behavior.
Direct pathway model
Model of pain perception that proposes that pain signals are sent directly from receptors to the brain.
Dorsal pathway
Pathway that extends from the visual cortex in the occipital lobe to the parietal lobe. This is also known as the where pathway.
Gestalt psychologists
A group of psychologists who proposed principles governing perception, such as laws of organization, and a perceptual approach to problem solving involving restructuring.
Inverse projection problem
Task of determining the object that caused a particular image on the retina.
Law of pragnanz
Law of perceptual organization that states that every stimulus pattern is seen in such a way that the resulting structure is as simple as possible. Also called the law of good figure and the law of simplicity.
Landmark discrimination problem
Problem in which the task is to remember an object’s location and to choose that location after a delay. Associated with research on the whereprocessing stream.
Light-from-above assumption
The assumption that light is coming from above. This is a heuristic that can influence how we perceive three-dimensional objects that are illuminated.
Likelihood
In Bayesian inference, the extent to which the available evidence is consistent with the outcome.
Likelihood principle
Part of Helmholtz’s theory of unconscious inference that states that we perceive the object that is most likely to have caused the pattern of stimuli we have received.
Mirror neurons
Neurons in the premotor cortex, originally discovered in the monkey, that respond both when a monkey observes someone else (usually the experimenter) carrying out an action and when the monkey itself carries out the action. There is also evidence for mirror neurons in humans.
Mirror neuron system
A network of neurons in the brain that have mirror neuron properties.
Object discrimination problem
A problem in which the task is to remember an object based on its shape and choose it when presented with another object after a delay. Associated with research on the what processing stream.
Oblique effect
The finding that vertical and horizontal orientations can be perceived more easily than other (slanted) orientations.
Perception
Conscious experience that results from stimulation of the senses.
Perception pathway
Neural pathway, extending from the occipital lobe to the temporal lobe, that is associated with perceiving or recognizing objects. Corresponds to the what pathway.
Physical regularities
Regularly occurring physical properties of the environment. For example, there are more vertical and horizontal orientations in the environment than oblique (angled) orientations.
Placebo
A pill or procedure that patients believe delivers active ingredients (usually pain killers), but which contains no active ingredient.
Placebo effect
Decrease in pain from a procedure or substance that delivers no active ingredient.
Principle of good continuation
Law of perceptual organization stating that points that, when connected, result in straight or smoothly curving lines are seen as belonging together. In addition, lines tend to be seen as following the smoothest path.
Principle of good figure
Law of perceptual organization that states that every stimulus pattern is seen in such a way that the resulting structure is as simple as possible. Also called the law of good figure and the law of simplicity.
Principle of similarity
Similar things appear to be grouped together.
Principles of perceptual organization
This idea that the whole is different than the sum of its parts led the Gestalt psychologists to propose a number of principles of perceptual organization to explain the way elements are grouped together to create larger objects.
Prior / Prior probability
A person’s initial belief about the probability of an outcome.
Regularities in the environment
Characteristics of the environment that occur frequently. For example, blue is associated with open sky, landscapes are often green and smooth, and verticals and horizontals are often associated with buildings.
Scene schema
A person’s knowledge about what is likely to be contained in a particular scene. This knowledge can help guide attention to different areas of the scene. For example, knowledge of what is usually in an office may cause a person to look toward the desk to see the computer.
Semantic regularities
Characteristics associated with the functions carried out in different types of scenes. For example, food preparation, cooking, and perhaps eating occur in a kitchen.
Size-weight illusion
When a person is presented with two similar objects that are the same weight but different sizes, the larger one seems lighter when they are lifted together.
Speech segmentation
The process of perceiving individual words within the continuous flow of the speech signal.
Statistical learning
The process of learning about transitional probabilities and about other characteristics of language. Statistical learning also occurs for vision, based on learning about what types of things usually occur in the environment.
Theory of natural selection
Darwin’s theory that characteristics that enhance an animal’s ability to survive and reproduce will be passed on to future generations.
Top-down processing
Processing that involves a person’s knowledge or expectations. This type of processing has also been called knowledge-based processing.
Transitional probabilities
In speech, the likelihood that one speech sound will follow another within a word.
Unconscious inference
Helmholtz’s idea that some of our perceptions are the result of unconscious assumptions that we make about the environment.
Ventral pathway
The pathway from the visual cortex in the occipital lobe to the temporal lobe. This is also known as the what pathway.
Viewpoint invariance
The ability to recognize an object seen from different viewpoints.
What pathway
Neural pathway, extending from the occipital lobe to the temporal lobe, that is associated with perceiving or recognizing objects. Corresponds to the perception pathway.
Where pathway
Neural pathway, extending from the occipital lobe to the parietal lobe, that is associated with neural processing that occurs when people locate objects in space. Roughly corresponds to the action pathway.
