Perception Flashcards
gyrus
ridge on the cerebral cortex
sulcus
groove on the cerebral cortex
corpus colosseum
largest commissure that connects the left and right brain together. Allows for messages to be sent from one side to the other.
3 major divisions of the brain
- forebrain
- midbrain
- hindbrain
hindbrain is composed of…
- brainstem
- cerebellum
midbrain is composed of…
superior and inferior colliculus
shallow layers of the superior and inferior colliculus are…
relay centres for sensory information entering the brain
deep layers for superior and inferior colliculus are…
used for motor activity and eye movements
damage to the midbrain would lead to…
problems with hearing, seeing and motor activity
forebrain is composed of…
- cerebral cortex
- diencephalon
- helps to regulate higher mental processes
describe the diencephalon and it’s components
- thalamus (sensory relay network)
- hypothalamus (bodily regulator)
- subdivision of the forebrain
the limbic system’s components are…
basal ganglia, thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus
describe the amygdala
- activates in response to fear or anger
- will make important experiences salient so that the brain remembers those events
describe the hippocamus
- 2 sections - in each hemisphere
- important for special navigation and perception and memory
describe the basal ganglia
- important for action-selection, skill, motivation and rewards
frontal lobe (functions)
planning, short-term memory, strategic thinking, judgment
parietal lobe (function)
processing tough/sensory processes
temporal lobe (function)
hearing, language, long-term memory
occipital lobe (function)
visual processing, visual pattern recognition
frontal section of homunculus
motor cortex
parietal section of homunculus
sensory cortex
what does sensory connectivity mean?
looks at how the brain is wired and how it’s parts are physically connected.
what does functional connectivity mean?
looks at how the brain’s processes work together to create feelings and activity (which parts of the brain fire together?)
what is the default mode network?
part of the brain’s system that responds when a person is not involved in any task (mind wandering)
perception
The act of becoming aware of something through our sense
Pattern recognition
the ability to detect meaningful patterns in the environment (faces, objects)
inverse projection problem
determining the object responsible for particular image on the retina. How do we go from 2D to 3D?
view invariance problem
If the primary visual cortex only gets a 2D map from one angle, how do we know what the object looks like from other angles?
size constancy
how do we know something is the same size at different distances since when its further away its smaller on our retina?
2 perceptual processes
- bottom-up
- top-down
bottom up processes
information coming in from the environment (basic elements/individuals pieces) get combined into larger pieces until they are recognizable pieces
top down processes
prior knowledge/context is used to analyze incoming information in order to inform perception.
Helmholtz’s theory of unconscious inference
Some of our perceptions are the result of unconscious assumptions we make about the environment.
Likelihood principle
the principle that we perceive the world in the way that is “most likely” based on our past experiences.
Name the Gestalt principles of perceptual organization
- similarity
- proximity
- closure
- common fate
- symmetry
- good continuation
Similarity
Elements that look similar will be perceived as part of the same form or group (i.e., a flock of birds will be perceived as a “group” rather than hundreds of individual birds)
Proximity
Elements that are close together will be perceived as a coherent group (i.e., if there are 2 flocks of birds in the sky, they will look like 2 groups).
closure
humans tend to enclose spaces by completing a contour and ignoring gaps (i.e., when something looks like it is enclosed/surrounded by other objects)
common fate
If 2 or more objects are moving in the same direction and at the same speed, they will be classified as a group (i.e., a heard of horses galloping across a field)
Symmetry
images/objects perceived as symmetrical are experienced as belonging together
good continuation
people tend to connect elements in a way that makes them seem continuous or flowing in a particular direction
Bayesian inference
the probability of an outcome depends on…“prior” probability of the outcome (beliefs about frequency of outcome), and how much evidence is consistent with certain outcomes (“likelihood) > the combination between the 2 is the bayesian inference (conclusion)
dorsal stream
where
ventral stream
what
distinctive features theory
All complex perceptual stimuli are composed of distinct and separate attributes called “features”. Allow observer to distinguish one object/person from another (i.e., Does Brandon’s laptop have the smudge? Yes – then its his laptop)
Recognition by components theory
A way to break objects down into subcomponents. People become able to recognize 3D objects by identifying the building blocks that make up the object. Basic elements are composed of an alphabet of 36 primitive shapes, called “geons”
Template matching theory
We store an unlimited number of patterns, literal copies corresponding to every object that we have experienced. When a new object is recorded, it is recorded as another copy of the object.
Prototype theory
- When the template it not a literal match with the object but an average of the diff views of the object
- doesn’t have to be an exact match
- stores information for every possible view
