Module 2.1 Flashcards
Perception
Perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize menaing ful objects and events; it is influenced by whether one primarily relies on external sensory information or internal prior expectations
Bottom up processing
external sensory information
Top down processing
internal prior expectations
Schemas
cognitive framework or concept that helps organize and interpret information; a schema describes patterns of thinking and behavior that people use to interpret the world
Perceptual sets
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
Gestalt psychology
an organized whole; gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful units
Closure
we fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object
Figure-ground
the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures_ that stand out from their surroundings (the ground)
Proximity
we group nearby figures together
Similarity
It states that people tend to organize objects with similar qualities into a perceptual group and interpret them as a whole
Cocktail party effect
the ability to attend to one of several speech streams while ignoring others, as when one is at a cocktail party.
Change blindness
failing to notice changes in the environment; a form of inattentional blindness (failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere)
Binocular depth cues
a depth cue, such as retinal disparity, that depends on the use of 2 eyes
Retinal disparity
a binocular cue for perceiving depth; it compares the retinal images from the two eyes; the greater the distance, the closer the objects
Convergence
The rotation of the two eyes inward toward a light source so that the image falls on corresponding points on the foveas. Convergence enables the slightly different images of an object seen by each eye to come together and form a single image. The muscular tension exerted is also a cue to the distance of the object from the eyes.
Monocular depth cues
a depth cue available to either eye alone
Relative clarity
monocular cue to depth perception that describes how objects appear clearer and more detailed when they are closer, while more distant objects appear less distinct and hazier
Relative size
if we assume two objects are similar in size, most people perceive the one that casts the smaller retinal image as farther away
Texture gradient
monocular cue; the progressive decline in the resolution of textures as the viewer moves away from them.
Linear perspective
parallel lines appear to meet in the distance; the sharper the angle of convergence, the greater the perceived distance
Interposition
if one object partially blocks our view of another, we perceive it as closer
Visual perceptual constancies
perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent color, brightness, shape, and size) even as illumination and retinal images change
visual cliff
an apparatus to investigate the development of depth perception in nonverbal human infants and in nonhuman animals, and in particular, whether depth perception is an innate ability or learned through visuomotor experience. Most infants as young as 6 months of age will not cross to the side over the cliff suggesting that depth perception is partially innate
selective attention
concentration on certain stimuli in the environment and not on others, enabling important stimuli to be distinguished from peripheral or incidental ones.
relative motion
as we move, objects that are actually stable may appear to move
inattentional blindness
a failure to notice unexpected but perceptible stimuli in a visual scene while one’s attention is focused on something else in the scene
phi phenomenon
an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession
stroboscopic movement
an illusion of continuous movement experienced when viewing a rapid series of slightly varying still image
color constancy
perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object
brightness constancy
we perceive an object as having a constant brightness even as its illumination varies
shape constancy
we perceive the form of familiar objects as constant even while our retinas receive changings images of them
size constancy
we perceive an object as having an unchanging size even when our distance from it varies
Ames Room
an irregularly shaped but apparently rectangular room in which cues for depth perception are used experimentally to distort the viewer’s perception of the relative size of objects within the room
critical period for vision
There is normal sensory and perceptual development when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences are required. When vision is restored beyond that period not all elements of vision will be restored
perceptual adaptation
The ability to adjust to changed sensory input, including an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field
