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.
