Perception Flashcards
What is the absolute threshold
Smallest amount of stimuli we can detect.
What is subliminal stimuli
Any stimuli that is below the absolute the absolute stimuli and we can’t process
What is the the difference threshold
aka
Minimum amount of stimulus that is required to feel a change from the original stimulus
aka Just Noticeable Difference (JND)
What is Weber’s law
Change is proportional to the original intensity of a stimulus
(greater magnitude of stimulus, larger diff must be added to be noticed)
and
Different senses have constants for the JND that are all different.
(eg: vision has 8% (doesn’t actually is for eg) and so the new stimuli has to be at least 8% brighter/darker to be noticed or same for sound 5% - has to be 5% louder or softer to tell a diff)
What is the signal detection theory
what are those factors together called.
investigates the effects of the distractions and interference we experience while perceiving the world
how motivated we are to detect certain stimuli and
what we expect to perceive
Factors together ^ called –> Receiver operating characteristics.
Signal detection theory -
False positive
False negative
hit
miss
False positive - think we perceive a stimulus which isn’t there
False negative - don;t perceive a stimulus which is presnt
Hit - perceive a signal which is present
Correct rejection - don’t perceive a stimulus which isn’t there.
What is top down processing
when is it used
how does it work
what is backmasking
When you use your background knowledge to fill in gaps in what you perceive.
Look at the whole image/object to make sense of the parts
Used when you are familiar with something and apply the schemata/schema.
We form schema which are mental representations/sets of how we expect the world to be
What is backmasking
essentially manifesting what you want to see
eg: Expect to see an image in the clouds so that’s why you actually see an image in the clouds.
What is bottom up processing.
Used when you look at something you’re unfamiliar with for the first time.
Look at features first and then conduct feature analysis. Make sense of the overall object after processing features.
3 Main types of attention
Selective
Divided
Focus
What is selective attention
2 theories
Chose to process certain information
Theories:
Filter - Donald Broadbent - imagine a bottle neck that only allows certain things that fit through the bottle neck to pass through. Stimuli pass through a form of screen/filter.
Filter attenuation - Triesman - States that stimuli that doesn’t pass the filter (in the broadbent theory) aren’t completely blocked and can exist in the unconscious, etc.
What is divide attnetion
What kind of tasks can you use divided attention for
How does it decline
trying to focus on more than one task at a time
Can only use divided attention in automatic tasks not controlled tasks that require full attention
Decline with age
What is focused/sustained attnetion
Try to ignore certain stimuli and continue to focus on only the stimuli you want to.
What is figure ground relationship
How the image you take as the background changes the image you see
look at barrons page 131 to understand. If white is tasking as backgrnd - 2 faces. if black is taken as backgrnd - a glass.
What are the gestalt rules
Proximity - objects that are close together are perceived as one object.
Similarity - objects that are similar are perceived in one group.
Continuity - images form a continuous pattern are more likely to be perceived as belonging in the same
group.
Closure - Objects that make a recognizable object are perceived as one group.
