Chapter Six Flashcards
Cocktail Party Effect
Form of Selective Attention
Ability to attend to only one voice among many
Selective Attention
The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
Inattentional Blindness
Failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
Change Blindness
Failure to notice changes in surroundings when attention is focused on something else
Change Deafness
Failure to notice a change in the speaker or speaking when attention is focused on something else like the words
Choice Blindness
Failure to notice that, when you choose something, you are shown something entirely different
Choice Blindness Blindness
Saying that you’d totally notice if you were shown what you didn’t choose (but most people don’t)
Pop-Out
When a strikingly distinct stimulus catches your attention
Visual Capture
The tendency for vision to dominate the other senses
Gestalt (German for “form” or “whole”)
An organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes
Illusion
A perception, as of visual stimuli (optical illusion), that represents what is perceived in a way different from reality
Figure-Ground
The organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground)
Grouping
The perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
Proximity
Grouping nearby figures together
Similarity
Grouping figures that are similar to each other
Continuity
Perception of smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones
Connectedness
Perceiving uniform and linked figures as a single unit
Closure
Filling in gaps to create a complete, whole image
Depth Perception
The ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two dimensional; allows us to judge distance
Visual Cliff
A laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals
Binocular Cues
Depth cues, such a retinal disparity and convergence, that depend upon the use of two eyes
Retinal Disparity
A binocular cue for perceiving depth; by comparing images from the two eyeballs, the brain compute distance- the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object.
Convergence
A binocular cue for perceiving depth; the extent to which the eyes converge inward when looking at an object. The greater the inward strain, the closer the object.
Monocular Cues
Depth cues, such a interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone
Relative Size
Monocular Cue
If we assume that two objects are similar in size, we perceive the one that casts the smaller retinal image as farther away
Interposition
Monocular Cue
If one object partially blocks our view of another, we perceive it as closer
Relative Clarity
Monocular Cue
We perceive hazy objects as farther away than sharp, clear objects
Texture Gradient
Monocular Cue
Objects far away appear smaller and more densely packed
Relative Height
Monocular Cue
We perceive objects higher in our field of vision as farther away and perceive the lower part as closer
Relative Motion (Motion Parallax)
Monocular Cue
When moving, the nearer the object is to you, the faster it seems to move
Linear Perspective
Monocular Cue
Parallel lines appear to converge with distance- the more the lines converge, the greater their perceived distance
Light and Shadow
Monocular Cue
Nearby objects reflect more light to our eyes- dimmer objects therefore seem farther away. Shading produces a sense of depth consistent with assumed light source.
Motion Perception of Objects
Shrinking objects are perceived to be retreating; enlarging objects appear to be approaching. Large objects seem to move slower than small objects.
Stroboscopic Movement
Phenomenon where the brain perceives continuous movement in a rapid series of slightly varying images
Phi Phenomenon
An illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession
Perceptual Constancy
Perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent lightness, color, shape & size) even as illumination and retinal images change
Shape Constancy
Perceived shape can appear as staying consistent even when angles are changed
Size Constancy
Perceive objects as having constant size even when distance changes
Lightness/Brightness Constancy
Objects are perceived as having constant lightness despite illumination variations
Relative Luminance
Amount of light an object reflects relative to its surroundings
Critical Period
An optimal period shortly after birth when an organism’s exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development such a recognizing a face as a whole
Perceptual Adaptation
In vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field
Perceptual Set
A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
Schemes
Concepts formed through experience that organize and interpret unfamiliar information
Human Factors Psychology
A branch of psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use.
Extrasensory Perception (ESP)
The controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input. Said to include telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition
Telepathy
Mind-to-mind communication
Clairvoyance
Perceiving remote events
Precognition
Perceiving future events
Parapsychology
The study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis (PK)
Psychokinesis
“mind over matter”
levitating things and going all Carrie on people’s asses
