Lecture 7 Scenes and Objects, Attention

Question 1

What is Helmholtz’s Theory of Unconscious Inference

Answer 1

our perceptions are the result of unconscious assumptions and inferences that we make about the environment based on our prior knowledge and personal history of experiences (i.e. top down mechanisms)

Question 2

What is the likelihood principle?

Answer 2

we perceive the world in the way that is most likely based on our past experiences

Question 3

What is Bayesian Inference? What are the two factors?

Answer 3

estimates of the probability of a given outcome are influenced by two factors: the prior probability and the likelihood of a given outcome

Question 4

What is the spatial layout hypothesis?

Answer 4

the PPA responds to the surface geometry or the geometric layout of a scene and thus can be activated by any stimuli that produces a sense of 3D space, not just places

Question 5

What are space defining objects?

Answer 5

objects that evoke a strong sense of surrounding space (e.g. a large oak bed)

Question 6

What are space ambiguous objects?

Answer 6

objects that DO NOT evoke a sense of surrounding space (e.g. a small white fan heater)

Question 7

What is binocular rivalry?

Answer 7

occurs when each eye is presented with a different image

Question 8

What is neural mind reading?

Answer 8

predicting what a person is perceiving or thinking about based upon their neural activity (e.g. via fMRI)

Question 9

What is structural encoding?

Answer 9

neural encoding based on relationship between voxel activation and structural characteristics of a scene

Question 10

What is semantic encoding?

Answer 10

neural encoding based on the relationship between voxel activation and the meaning or category of a scene

Question 11

TRUE or FALSE: using an algorithm that uses only structural encoding (vs semantic) produces more accurate predictions

Answer 11

FALSE: use BOTH types of encoding for more accuracy

Question 12

What is visual scanning?

Answer 12

visually exploring the environment

Question 13

visual scanning involves making many _______________, in which we dwell on something to extract information, which are linked by _________________________

Answer 13

fixations; saccadic eye movements

Question 14

How many saccades do we make per second?

Answer 14

3

Question 15

TRUE or FALSE: visual scanning represents covert attention

Answer 15

FALSE: overt attention

Question 16

What is covert attention?

Answer 16

attention that is decoupled from your gaze (e.g. watching something out of the corner or your eye)

Question 17

What is visual salience?

Answer 17

areas of stimuli that attract attention due to their physical properties

Question 18

what is attentional capture?

Answer 18

occurs when particularly salient properties of stimuli result in rapid and involuntary shifts of attention

Question 19

TRUE or FALSE: Vo and Henderson found that subjects fixated objects OUT OF CONTEXT in their location for longer

Answer 19

TRUE