Chapter 7&8

Question 1

Action affordance

Answer 1

A response to an object that involves both its affordance and the action associated with it

Question 2

Action specific perception hypothesis

Answer 2

Hypothesis that people perceive their environment in terms of their ability to act on it

Question 3

Affordances

Answer 3

The information specified by a stimulus pattern that indicates how the stimulus can be used

Question 4

Audiovisual mirror neurons

Answer 4

Neuron that responds to actions that produce sounds. These neurons respond when a monkey performs a hand action and when it hears the sound associated with this action.

Question 5

Cognitive map

Answer 5

A mental map of the spatial layout of an area of the environment

Question 6

Ecological approach to perception

Answer 6

This approach focuses on specifying the information in the environment that is used for perception, emphasizing the study of moving observers to determine how their movement results in perceptual information that both creates perception and guides further movement.

Question 7

Focus of expansion

Answer 7

The point in the flow pattern caused by observer movement in which there is no expansion. According to J.J. Gibson, the focus of expansion always remains centered on the observers destination.

Question 8

Gradient of flow

Answer 8

In an optic flow pattern, a gradient is created by movement of an observer through the environment. The gradient refers to the fact that the optic flow is rapid in the foreground and becomes slower as distance from the observer increases.

Question 9

Grid cells

Answer 9

Cells in the entorhinal cortex that fire when an animal is in the environment, and which have multiple place fields arranged in a grid like pattern

Question 10

Landmark

Answer 10

Object on a route that serves as a cue to indicate where to turn; a source of information for wayfinding

Question 11

Mirror neurons

Answer 11

Network of neurons hypothesized to play a role in creating mirror neurons.

Question 12

Mirror neurons

Answer 12

Network of neurons hypothesized to play role in creating mirror neurons

Question 13

Mirror neuron system

Answer 13

Network of neurons hypothesized to play a role in creating mirror neurons

Question 14

Optic flow

Answer 14

The flow of stimuli in the environment that occurs when an observer moves relative to the environment. Forward movement causes an expanding optic flow, whereas backward movement causes a contracting optic flow. Some researchers use the term optic flow field to refer to this flow.

Question 15

Parietal reach region

Answer 15

A network of areas in the parietal cortex that contains neurons that are involved in reaching behavior

Question 16

Place cells

Answer 16

Neurons that fire only when an animal is in a certain place in the environment

Question 17

Place field

Answer 17

Area of the environment within which a place cell fires

Question 18

Proprioception

Answer 18

The sensing of the position of the limbs

Question 19

Size-weight illusion

Answer 19

Erroneously predicting weight when observing two differently sized objects that have the same weight. The error occurs when the perceived predicts that larger object will be heavier, and therefore uses more force to lift it, causing it to be lifted higher and to feel lighter.

Question 20

Spatial updating

Answer 20

Process by which people and animals keep track of their position within a surrounding environment when they move.

Question 21

Visual direction strategy

Answer 21

A strategy used by moving observers to reach a destination by keeping their body oriented toward the target.

Question 22

Visuomotor grip cells

Answer 22

A neuron that initially responds when a specific object is seen and then also responds as a hand grasps the same object

Question 23

Wayfinding

Answer 23

The process of navigating through the environment. Way finding involves perceiving objects in the environment, remembering objects and their relation to the overall scene, and knowing when to turn and in what direction.

Question 24

Akinetopsia

Answer 24

A condition in which damage to an area of the cortex involved in motion perception causes blindness to motion

Question 25

Aperture problem

Answer 25

Occurs when only a portion of a moving stimulus can be seen, as when the stimulus is viewed through a narrow aperture or through the field of view of neurons receptive field. This can result in misleading information about the direction in which the stimulus is moving

Question 26

Biological motion

Answer 26

Motion produced by biological organisms. Most of the experiments on biological motion have used walking humans with lights attached to their joints and limbs as stimuli.

Question 27

Coherence

Answer 27

In research on movement perception in which arrays of moving dots are used as stimuli, the degree of correlation between the direction of the moving dots. Zero percent coherence means all of the dots are moving independently; 100 percent coherence means all of the dots are moving in the same direction.

Question 28

Event

Answer 28

A segment of time at a particular location that is perceived by observers to have a beginning and an ending

Question 29

Event boundary

Answer 29

The point in time when one event ends and another begins

Question 30

Global optic flow

Answer 30

Information for movement that occurs when all elements in a scene move.

Question 31

Illusory motion

Answer 31

Perception of motion when there actually is none

Question 32

Implied motion

Answer 32

When a still picture depicts and action that involves motion, so that an observer could potentially extend the action depicted in the picture in his or her mind based on what will most likely happen next

Question 33

Induced motion

Answer 33

The illusory movement of one object that is caused by the movement of another object that is nearby

Question 34

Local disturbance in the optic array

Answer 34

Occurs when one object moves relative to the environment so that the stationary background is covered and uncovered by the moving object. This local disturbance indicates that the object is moving relative to the environment.

Question 35

Local disturbance in the optic array

Answer 35

Occurs when one object moves relative to the environment, so that the stationary background is covered and uncovered by the moving object. This local disturbance indicates that the object is moving relative to the environment.

Question 36

Microstimulation

Answer 36

A procedure in which a small electrode is inserted into the cortex and an electrical current passed through the electrode activates neurons near the tip of the electrode. This procedure has been used to determine how activiating specific groups of neurons affects perception.

Question 37

Middle temporal area

Answer 37

Brain region in the temporal lobe that contains many directionally selective neurons.

Question 38

Middle temporal area

Answer 38

Brain region in the temporal lobe that contains many directionally selective neurons

Question 39

Motion after effect

Answer 39

An illusion that occurs after a person views a moving stimulus and then sees movement in the opposite direction when viewing a stationary stimulus immediately afterward

Question 40

Optic array

Answer 40

The structured pattern of light created by the presence of object, surfaces and textures in the environment.

Question 41

Output unit

Answer 41

A component of the Reinhardt detector that compares signals received from two or more neurons. According to reichardt’s model, activity in the output unit is necessary for motion perception

Question 42

Point-light walker

Answer 42

A biological motion stimulus created by placing lights at a number of places on a persons body and having an observer view the moving light stimulus that results as the person moves in the dark

Question 43

Real motion

Answer 43

The physical movement of a stimulus. Contrasts with apparent motion

Question 44

Reinhardt detector

Answer 44

A neural circuit proposed by Werner Reinhardt, in which signals caused by movement of a stimulus across the receptors are processed by a delay unit and an output unit so that signals are generated by movement in one direction but not in the opposite direction

Question 45

Representational momentum

Answer 45

Occurs when motion depicted in a still picture continues in an observers mind

Question 46

Shortest path constraint

Answer 46

In the perception of apparent motion, the principle that apparent movement tends to occur along the shortest path between two stimuli

Question 47

Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Answer 47

Presenting a strong magnetic field to the head that temporarily disrupts the functioning of a specific area of the brain

Question 48

Waterfall illusion

Answer 48

An after effect of movement that occurs after viewing a stimulus moving in one direction, such as a waterfall. Viewing the waterfall makes other objects appear to move in the opposite direction (movement aftereffect)