Chapter 6 - Perception and attention Flashcards
Sensation
The initial detection, by our senses, of stimuli in the world.
Perception
The end result of the processing and modification of sensory information by the internal cognitive processes of the individual.
Attention
A selection process that operates between what is sensed and what is perceived.
Information processing approach
An approach that likens cognitive processes (attention, perception, etc.) to the workings of a computer: moving, storing and transforming information.
Neuroscience
A field of study that considers the workings of the brain.
Cognitive neuroscience
A field of study that considers the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive processes.
Conscious perception
The conscious awareness of some aspect(s) of the environment as a result of the integration of filtered sensory information with stored knowledge.
Unconscious perception
The result of sensory information processed automatically below the level of conscious awareness but still capable of influencing how we react and behave.
Bottom-up information
Information about the world that flows ‘up’ from the senses.
Top-down information
Information flowing ‘down’ from stored knowledge which can influence the interpretation of sensory information.
Limited-capacity central processor
A hypothetical construct used to explain why it is not possible to process all incoming information simultaneously.
Dual-task studies
Studies that look at how different pairs of tasks interact when a participant attempts to perform both tasks of the pair at the same time.
Response time
A measure of how quickly a participant can make a response to a certain stimulus.
Multiple-resource theories of attention
Theories that suggest that different pools of resources are available for different types of tasks as opposed to all tasks drawing on a single central pool of resources.
Attentional spotlight
A metaphor for allocation of attention. Whatever falls within the attentional spotlight receives relatively more processing.
Visual field
The area of the environment that could potentially be seen by an individual at any one moment.
Selective attention
A conscious cognitive process controlling allocation of attention, over which we have control and involving cognitive processes such as expectancy.
Attentional tunnelling
Occurs when attention is ‘tunnelled’ onto a relatively narrow region, and anything happening outside that region is likely to receive little or no processing.
Stimulus-induced shifts of attention
Shifts of attention over which we have no conscious control and which are driven by something in the environment.
Endogenous system
The direction of responses (for example, the allocation of attention) by internal processes (motivation, intentions, etc).
Exogenous system
The direction of responses (for example, the allocation of attention) by external factors (salient stimuli, etc).
Bottleneck theory of attention
Theory that suggests a ‘bottleneck’ in the attentional system such that only a small amount of the available sensory information can pass through.
Controlled processes
Those mental processes over which we can exert conscious control.
Automatic processes
Those mental processes that cannot be consciously controlled.
Two-process theories
These theories suggest that automatic and controlled processes operate simultaneously, the balance between the two depending upon the situation.
Cognitive neuropsychology
Attempts to gain insight into cognitive processes by studying the effects of brain trauma (lesion, disease, etc).
Agnosia
The inability to recognise objects despite normal sensory input.
Unilateral spatial neglect
A tendency to ignore one side of the visual field or one side of an object – despite normal sensory input.
Constructivist theory of perception
The notion that perception is ‘built’ from incomplete sensory data with the aid of stored knowledge.
Perceptual hypotheses
Stages in an iterative process of combining incomplete sensory information with stored knowledge to arrive at a hypothesis (best guess) of what the individual is perceiving.
Size constancy
The awareness that the actual size of a stimulus remains constant despite changes in the size of the retinal image (e.g. when the stimulus moves away).
Perceptual compromise
The influence of the whole of a figure on attempts to make judgements about any part of it.
Direct perception
Perception without the need for integration with stored knowledge.
Phenomenological experience
An individual’s unique experience of perception of the world.
Figure (Figure or ground)
Reference to the object of interest in a scene, as opposed to the ‘ground’.
Ground (Figure or ground)
Reference to the background, made up of all parts of the scene (apart from the figure), and against which the figure is set.
Gestalt psychology
A branch of psychology that emphasises the importance of identifying whole objects within a scene as an essential part of perception.
Sensory conspicuity
The likelihood that an object will be detected based on its intrinsic properties registered by the senses, such as shape, colour, brightness.
Attention conspicuity
The likelihood that an object will draw attention to itself.
Visual search
The task of picking out a particular target item from a number of irrelevant (distractor) items.
Vigilance
The task of monitoring over a period of time for the appearance of a target item.
Simulation
The attempt to mimic, as closely as possible in a controlled setting, a real-world situation.
Perceived risk
The level of risk that an individual believes they are exposed to.
Risk homeostasis
The modification of behaviour to maintain perceived risk at a constant level.
