Chapter 4B - Perception Flashcards
fake or misleading perceptions
illusions
process of taking raw sensations from the environment and interpret them, using knowledge, experience and understanding of the world so that the sensations become meaningful experiences.
perception
cases in which our perceptual experience of a stimulus differs from the actual characteristics of that stimulus.
perceptual failures/errors
computations by the nervous system translate raw sensory information into an experience of reality
computational approach
past experiences and knowledge, including culture, create expectations
constructivist approach
humans and other species are so well adapted to their natural environment that many aspects of the world are perceived without requiring higher level analysis and inferences
ecological approach
choosing where to direct our attention
selection
filtering out and attending only to important sensory messages
selective attention
involves shifting attention by pointing sensory systems at a particular stimulus
overt orienting
involves shifting attention without moving
covert orienting
goal oritented attention; occurs when you purposely focus on it
voluntary attention
stimulus-driven attention; occurs when a stimulus in the environment captures attention
involuntary attention
allows us to focus on stimuli occurring in one part of the environment while ignoring stimuli in other parts
inattentional blindness
a skill that allows one to divide attention and do more than one thing at a time
multitasking
occurs when different messages are played into each ear
dichotic listening task
group of specialized neurons that respond only to certain sensory information
feature detectors
failure to know whose face they are looking at
prosopagnosia
tendency of the brain to ignore environmental factors that remain constant
habituation
the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts
gestalt psychologists
figures are the features to be emphasized, while others are relegated to ground which are the less relevant background
figure-ground organization
see things that appear next to each other as being together
proximity
look at figures as continuous lines
continuity
fill in the missing pieces
closure
group things that are similar to one another
similarity
perceived size of an object remains the same even though the size of it’s retinal image changes
size constancy
occurs as an object appears the same, even though the shape of it’s retinal image changes
shape constancy
perceive things as retaining the same color or brightness levels even though the amount of light may vary
color constancy and brightness constancy
the ability to perceive three dimensional space and to accurately judge distance
depth perception
apparatus used to test depth perception in infants
visual cliff
closer objects block the view of things far away
interposition (occasion)
if two objects are assumed to be the same size, the object producing a larger image on the retina is perceived as closer
relative size
more sit at objects are usually higher in the visual field than those nearby
height in the visual field
a graduated change in the texture, or grain, of the visual field. texture appears less detailed as distance increases
texture gradient
distant objects often appear hazier and tend to take on a bluish tone. object are seen as three dimensional because of shadows
clarity, color, and shadow
binocular cue to distance where the separation of the eyes causes different images to fall on each retina
retinal disparity
binocular depth cue in which the close the objects the more eye converge, or turn inward
convergence
visual input from a single alone that contributes to perception of depth or distance
monocular cues
visual input from two eyes that allows perception of depth or distance
binocular cues
the difference in the apparent movement of objects
motion parallax
muscles surrounding the lens either tighten or relax
accommodation
rapid expansion in size of an image so that it fills the retina, is automatically perceived as an approaching stimulus and not an expanding object
looming
an illusion of motion in which lights or images flashed in rapid succession are perceived as moving
stroboscopic motion
