Module 7 Flashcards
Gestalt psychology
Taking random parts and making it into something meaningful
True or False: We naturally organize our environment into figure-ground relationships
True
We organize our visual field into…
figures (objects)
…that stand out from their…
ground (surroundings)
similarity
Put items that look alike in the same group
Proximity
If objects are close together, we put them in the same group
Closure
Our tendency to look for the whole, not the parts
-We fill any gaps in our perceptual field
-The brain doesn’t like any gaps so it assumes they don’t
belong and fill in the space
Continuity
Once an object moves in a certain direction, our brain
assumes it will continue in the same direction
Depth perception
we use it to see in 3 dimensions and judge distance
-your eyes and brain use tricks to create that 3 dimension of depth
Binocular depth cues
the eyes are two cameras, separated by a couple of inches in your head
-slightly different views of a scene
-the brain uses the different views to calculate distance and add depth to the scene
Monocular depth cues
they work even is using just one eye
-We can “trick” our eyes into seeing 3 dimensions
-7 ways
relative size
perceived size of an object
-if object of known size appears large,
-it is probably close it the object is small, it is probably distant
relative motion
perceived slowness indicates if an object is distant
-ex: plane high above house appears to be crawling, if it
was 20 feet above, it would be going incredibly fast
Interposition
closer objects partially obstruct the view of more distant objects
-ex: you know a tree is in front of a house because it blocks part of the house and vice versa
Relative height
Distant object appear higher in your field of vision than close objects do
Texture Gradient
Objects in the distance usually have a smoother texture than closer objects
Relative clarity
Distant objects are less clear than close objects
-mostly outdoors
-Distant objects have a bluish, hazy appearance because of moisture and dust in the air.
-This can exaggerate your perception of depth causing things to look farther away than they are
-If the air is extremely clear, things may look closer than they really are.
Linear perspective
Parallel lines seem to draw together in the distance
-The closer they are, the farther away it is
-ex: Saudi Arabia’s 159 mile long road
Perceptual Constancy
We know that the size, shape and lightness of an object doesn’t change, even though the image on the retina changes
-3 types: size, shape, lightness
Size consrancy
We expect size to remain constant
-Objects that appear big are close
-Objects that appear small are distant
-When things move closer to us, they get larger
-But we know the size isn’t really changing
Shape constancy
We know the shape of an object hasn’t changed, even though our angle of sight may have
-Closed door is a rectangle
-Opened door is a trapezoid
-But we know it is still a rectangle
Light constancy
Lets us know that an object has a constant level of lightness no matter the lighting conditions
-Printer paper looks bright white in the sun
-It looks gray in a dim room
-But we know it is still white
Perceptual set
It is a mental predisposition to perceive something one way and not another
-clearest example of top-down
processing
-This mind-set can profoundly affect our view of the world
-ex: If you expect a concert to be wonderful,would that affect your perception of the concert? Probably
Power of suggestion
People think fries taste better in a McDonald’s bag than a plain white bag
Even if there are McDonald’s fries in the white bag
