Chapter 4 Perception, Motion, and Action

Question 1

optic array

Answer 1

the structured pattern of light falling on the retina

Question 2

optic flow

Answer 2

the changes in the pattern of light reaching an observer when there is movement of the observer and/or aspects of environment

Question 3

the focus of expansion

Answer 3

the point towards which someone who is in motion is moving; it is the part of the visual field that does not appear to move

Question 4

affordances

Answer 4

the potential uses of an object, which Gibson claimed are perceived directly

Question 5

resonance

Answer 5

the process of automatic pick-up of visual info from the environment in Gibson´s theory

Question 6

retinal flow field

Answer 6

the changing patterns of light on the retina produced by movement of the observer relative to the environment as a well as the eye and head movements

Question 7

visual direction

Answer 7

the angle between a target and the front-back body axis -

Question 8

tangent point

Answer 8

from a drivers perspective, the point on a road at which the direction of its inside edge appears to reverse

Question 9

tau

Answer 9

the size of an object´s retinal image divided by its rate of expansion - specifies the time to contact with an approching object - faster rate of expansion of the image, the less time to contact

Question 10

Gibson: global radial outflow hypothesis’

Answer 10

overall or global outflow pattern specifies an observer´s heading