Perception Flashcards
Define perception
experience resulting from stimulation of the senses
what is perception based on
environmental stimulation and pre existing expectations based on past experiences
describe hierarchical processing
primary visual cortex - secondary visual cortices - dorsal stream
why is it so hard for computers to copy human perception
computers see via edges and contrast - they cannot fill in gaps like humans based on experience
top down processing
processing starts in brain - knowledge experience and expectations
bottom up processing
starts with the senses - raw data
explain detection of pain
bottom up process - depends on stimulation of senses - receptors in skin
what can pain be influenced by
expectations, directed attention and distracting stimuli
describe language processing
top down - interpretation based on own experience of language
what is speech segmentation
ability to tell when one word ends and another begins
what are transitional probabilities
knowing which sound will follow another in a word
what do transitional probabilities make it difficult to do
follow other languages as we have no expectation of what will come next
what is Helmholtz’s unconscious inference
top down theory - visual ambiguity
perceptions results of unconscious assumptions about the environment
what is the likelihood principle
we perceive the world based on what is most likely from past experiences
what are the Gestalt principles
- Perception is determined by specific organizing principles, not just light waves activating the retina.
- Perceptual organization is a feature of the stimulus (bottom up)
- Role of experience is minor compared to these intrinsic, “built in” principles.
Experience can influence perception but is not the key driver.
