Chapter 3.3 Flashcards
percept
a sensation AND the meaning behind it
what pathway
a neural pathway from the visual cortex to the temporal lobe that aids in identifying objects
where pathway
a neural pathway that projects visual information to the parietal lobe that aids in locating objects
blindsight
the ability to locate objects despite damage to the visual system making it impossible to consciously see and identify objects
feature detectors
cells in the cortex that specializes in extracting certain features of the stimulus
binding problem
process used by the brain to combine the results of many sensory operations into a single percept…looking at the varying components of a person and recognizing those components equal a face
top-down processing
perceptual analysis that starts in the brain, rather than being driven by stimulus; goals, past experiences, knowledge, expectations
bottom-up processing
perceptual analysis that originates from the senses and goes to the brain for interpretation
perceptual constancy
ability to recognize the same object as remaining constant under different conditions, like illumination, distance, or locale
inattentional blindness
failure to notice changes in one’s visual field because of narrowed focus
change blindness
perceptual failure to notice changes from what was noticed previously, requires comparing current scene to one stored in memory
illusion
an occurrence in which your mind deceives you into interpreting a stimulus pattern incorrectly
ambiguous figures
figures that can be interpreted in more than one way
gestalt psychology
psychology based on the belief that perceptions are shaped from innate factors built in the brain
figure
the part of a pattern that commands attention; figure that stands out
ground
the background
closure
the tendency to fill in gaps in figures that make incomplete figures complete
laws of perceptual grouping
gestalt laws suggesting how our brains prefer to group stimulus elements together via similarity, proximity, or continuitiy
law of proximity
gestalt law in which we group things together based on proximity
law of similarity
gestalt law in which we group things together based on similarity
law of continuity
gestalt principle that we prefer perceptions of connected and continuous figures
law of common fate
gestalt principle that we tend to group things together based on common motion or destination
law of Pragnanz
most general gestalt principle that states that the simplest organization, requiring the least effort, will become the figure
learning-based inference
view that perception is primarily shaped by learning rather by things that are innate
perceptual set
readiness to detect a particular stimulus in a given context, such as unfamiliar sound = threat
binocular cues
information taken in by both eyes aids in depth perception
monocular cues
information about depth that is taken in by only one eye
subliminal perception
the process in which a stimulus that is below the awareness threshold can be sensed and interpreted outside of consciousness
