Chapter 5 pt.1 Flashcards
When does our sensory education begin
Before birth in the mothers womb (listening to her voice, tasting what she eats, etc.)
What are Sensations
features of the environment that we use to create an understanding of the world ex. light, taste, smell
Sensations are the raw material of perception
What is perception
Perception is a way to understand and interpret something. The processing of stimuli to create a sensory understanding of the world
what is an example to explain the difference between sensation and perception
the sensation of light reflecting from a water bottle is translated by cells in the persons eye, the brain uses this information and perceives red (and a water bottle)
What is bottom-up processing
the processing of physical messages delivered to the senses. Prepares the information for use
What is top-down processing
where we combine the bottom-up message with our understanding of the world to interpret information (perception is created)
What did Gestalt Psychologists believe?
They believed that perception was more complicated than simply assembling messages like pieces of a puzzle. They believed that we are born with specific, predisposed (biased), ways of organizing information
What is the principle of “figure ground?”
when certain information is given priority over the background
(choosing to listen to people over the background music that’s playing, or focusing on a certain ingredient that stands out in a dish)
What is the principle of proximity
it states that objects that are close to one another will be seen as grouped together
What is the principle of similarity
states that objects that are physically similar to each other will be grouped together.
What is the principle of closure
it states that people tend to perceive whole objects even when part of that information is missing
What is the principle of good continuation
it states that if two lines where to cross each other or are interrupted, people tend to still see continuously flowing lines
What is the principle of common fate
States that objects that are moving together are grouped together
ex. birds flying together in the sky are grouped together because they are moving together in the same direction
What is electromagnetic radiation
electromagnetic radiation includes visible light, radio waves, gamma waves, and x-rays
How much light can a human see
400-700 nanometers of light
