Cognitive Psychology Chapter III Perception (103-110)

Question 1

What is the key claim of template theories?

Answer 1

That we have stored a loooooooot of templates in our minds. When we perceive patterns, we choose a template that exactely fits what we observe.

Question 2

What are “templates”?

Answer 2

“Templates” are highly detailed models of patterns, we might recognize.

Question 3

Template theory + chess players + authors:

Answer 3

Chess players who have saved a lot of patterns from previous games use a matching mechanism in line with template theories to recall previous games. (Gobet, Jackson 2002)

Question 4

Example for a problem with template theories:

Answer 4

Already Hoffding (1891) noted that one can recognize a letter, despite variations in size, form, style etc. and should we really have stored a template of each possibility? 
Think security feature of websites with pictures of wobbly letters: Humans can recognize them, machines not so well.

Question 5

As templates are considered to be too restricted, they were soon replaced by.. ( + Researchers)

Answer 5

.. prototypes! (e.g. Franks and Bransford, 1971)

Question 6

What is a prototype?

Answer 6

a prototype is an average of a class of related objects/patterns

Question 7

What is exiting about prototypes? + research(er)

Answer 7

We seem to form them as an integration of the most typical features of a pattern, without ever having seen an instance that exactly matches the prototype. (Posner and Keele, 1968 -> subj.s recognized prototypes as familiar, but have only been shown distorted instanzes (e.g. dots forming a triangle)

Question 8

Yet another branch of theories besides template and prototype theories in pattern recognition?

Answer 8

feature(-matching) theories

Question 9

By whom and what kind of demons does the Pandemonium Model consist of?

Answer 9

Oliver Selfridge’s pandemonium model, consists of: image demon, feature demons, cognitive demons, decision demon

Question 10

Study, name, effects?

H     H       S    S
H     H       S    S     
H H H       S S S
H     H       S    S
H     H       S    S

Answer 10

Part.s had to identify stimuli either at local or global level (Navon, 1977).
When local features are close together there is a global precedence effect (-> global recognition not slowed down by incongruence, but local).
When letters are more widely spaced a local precedence effect:
S S

S S S

S S

Question 11

Evidence for feature-matching theories comes from neurological and physiological research. Who and examples:

Answer 11

Hubel and Wiesel: single-cell recordings show evidence for orientation sensitive cells in V1.
DeValois and DeValois: cells sensitive to corners and angles

Question 12

More complex/accurate picture of feature-recognition in the brain:

Answer 12

many cells serve multiple purposes,
information gathering about different features happens in parallel,
e.g. two streams: the “what” (= color shape identity) and the “where” (=location and motion) stream

Question 13

Structural-Description Theory:

Name and specific theory!

Answer 13

Irving Biederman’s recognition-by-components (RBC) theory.

Question 14

What is the recognition by components theory?

Answer 14

According to Biederman, we quickly recognize objects by observing the edges of them and then decomposing the object into geons.

Question 15

Prosopagnosia?

Answer 15

The inability to recognize faces

Question 16

What is a geon?

Answer 16

Geons can be used to build up many basic shapes and then many many basic objects. They are simple and viewpoint invariant.

Question 17

Biederman’s theory is an example of a…

Answer 17

… feature-matching theory.

Question 18

The dorsal pathway is also called the …

Answer 18

… “where” pathway.

Question 19

The “what” pathway is also called the …

Answer 19

… ventral and is responsible for color, shape and identity.

Question 20

One example of a feature matching model:

Answer 20

The Pandemonium Model

Question 21

What happens “in the pandemonium”?

Answer 21

Metaphorical demons with specific duties receive and analyze the features of a stimulus.
Image deamon -> feature demon -> cognitive demon (shout when they receive certain combinations of features) -> decision demon (listens to who shouts loudest)

Question 22

According to constructivits percepts are based on 3 things:

Answer 22

• what we sense
• what we know
• what we can infer

Question 23

Two examples for feature-matching approaches to perdepction:

Answer 23

• Selfridge’s Pandemonium Model

- Biederman’s RBC Theory

Question 24

One kind of effect that speaks in favor for constructive approaches to perception:

Answer 24

context effects

Question 25

An example for a context effect and a description:

Answer 25

configural-superiority effect
Objects presented in certain configurations are easier to recognize than in isolation altough the configurations are more complex.

Question 26

A smilar effect to the configural-superiority effect known from linguistics:

Answer 26

word-superiority effect (letters in words are easier to identify than in isolation)

Question 27

Deficit associated with damage to the “how” pathway:

Answer 27

optic ataxia, e.g. deficit in reaching for stuff

Question 28

The only “true” form of color blindness?

Answer 28

rod monochromacy / achromacy

Question 29

What’s the name for color blindness, where only one mechanism is not functioning correctly?

Answer 29

dichromacy

Question 30

Examples for dichromacy:

Answer 30

• red-green color blindness