perception Flashcards
what is sensation
automatic physical process that involves the bodies sensory receptors detecting and responding to external energy
what is the first stage of sensation and what does it involve
Reception: sensory receptors taking in and being activated by the raw energy
what is the second stage of sensation and what does it involve
Transduction: sensory receptors convert stimulus energy into individual impulses of electrochemical energy so it can be transmitted by neural pathways to specific areas of the brain
what is the third stage of sensation and what does it involve
electrochemical impulses travelling along neural pathways that connect sensory receptors to brain areas specialized to receive them. Perception then occurs.
What is perception
giving meaning to sensation
what is the first stage of perception and what does it involve
Selection: detector cells select or ignore stimulus
what is the second stage of perception and what does it involve
organization: brain reassembles features of stimulus into a whole or pattern to be given meaning
what is the third stage of perception and what does it involve
Interpretation: brain gives meaning to stimuli so we can understand what sensation represents.
What is top down processing
perceiving general features of a whole stimulus first, then its specific details.
what is top down processing influenced by
schemas (previous experience, memory, motivation, expectations, context and past knowledge)
What is bottom up processing
perception of details of sensory stimuli first and builds up towards a perception of the whole stimulus.
when is bottom up processing used
when we are presented with unfamiliar stimuli
What is attention
focusing on important stimuli.
what are the two depth cues
binocular and monocular
what are binocular depth cues
retina disparity and convergence
what are monocular depth cues
accommodation and pictorial cues.
what are gestalt principles
figure ground, closure, similarity and proximity.
what do the gestalt principles allow us to do
group and separate elements of the stimuli into meaningful patterns or wholes.
