Perception

Question 1

What is sound?

Answer 1

Waves of changing pressure traveling through the air

Question 2

Properties of sound (pure)

Answer 2

• An amplitude: the maximum air pressure in each cycle
• A frequency: the number of cycles of changing air pressure per second

Question 3

Properties of sound (complex)

Answer 3

• frequency
• amplitude
• complexity

which then determines
- pitch
- loudness
- timbre

Question 4

Two processing ‘streams’ of the brain

Answer 4

Dorsal stream
- responsible for movement and doing
Ventral stream
- responsible for identifying objects
Evidence exists for these TWO VISUAL SYSTEMS

Question 5

How has the perceptual system evolved?

Answer 5

• has evolved to be biologically useful
• our perceptual system makes assumptions based on prior knowledge

Question 6

Types of attention

Answer 6

External VS internal
overt VS covert
divided VS sustained

Question 7

Space based models of attention

Answer 7

Space
- we focus on the space, not objects e.g. when a box was highlighted inferring a shape may appear in it, participants were much quicker at responding
- spotlight model: attention is restricted in space and moves from one point to the next

Question 8

Top-down vs bottom up

Answer 8

Top down - want to gaze as there is useful stimuli
bottom up - something grabbing your attention