Perception Flashcards
Perception
Define perception.
AO1
sensation and perception
The organisation and interpretation of sensory information; a combination of information received by a sense receptor, and the brain’s interpreation of what it means.
Perception
Define sensation.
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sensation and perception
Stimulus detected in the environment and processed by sense receptors.
Perception
What is the difference between perception and sensation?
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sensation and perception
Sensation is what we experience through our senses; physical changes in the environement detected by our receptors, whereas perception is how the brain organises and interprets those sensations.
Perception
Define visual cues.
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visual cues and constancies
Features of our environment that give us information about movement, distance, and where things are in realtion to one another.
e.g. depth cues
Perception
What is the difference between monocular depth cues and binocular depth cues?
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sensation and perception
Monocular depth cues allow judgement of depth and distance using just one eye, whereas binocular uses both.
Perception
Explain what is meant by height in plane.
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monocular depth cues
Objects that are higher up in the visual field appear to be further away.
Perception
Explain what is meant by relative size.
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monocular depth cues
When objects appear smaller in the visual field than known objects of a similar size, they are perceived as being further away.
Perception
Explain what is meant by occlusion.
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monocular depth cues
Objects that are behind or obscured by other objects are perceived as being further away.
Perception
Explain what is meant by linear perspective.
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monocular depth cues
Lines that are parallel, like on a road or railway track, appear to get closer together and come to a point in the distance, which shows that point is further away.
Perception
Name two examples of binocular depth cues.
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binocular depth cues
- Retinal disparity
- Convergence
Perception
Define size constancy.
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visual illusions
The brain’s ability to perceive familiar objects as the same size, despite changes in size of the image on the retina.
(relative size)
Perception
Define ambiguity and provide an example.
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visual illusions
Ambiguity relates to an ambigous figure, which is when there are two possible interpretations of the same image, and the brain cannot decide which one to choose.
For example, the Necker Cube, which can be perceived as either pointing upwards to the right or downwards to the left.
+ Rubin’s vase
Perception
Outline Gibson’s direct theory of perception. (6)
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theories of perception
- Gibson’s direct theory claims that perception happens ‘directly. We perceive things accurately using sensory information from the environment, therefore sensation and perception are the same.
- Perceptual abilities are innate, meaning they do not have to be learnt through experience.
- An example of how the brain perceives information directly is optic flow. This is where the point we are moving towards stay stationary, whilst the rest of the view seems to push away from it. This sensory information directly informs our brain that we are moving.
- Our eyes are highly sophisticated and have evolved to detect very fine changes in the environment. Everything in our optic array provides enough information to judge depth, distance, and movement without needing to make inferences (interpretations) using past experiences.
- Perception is due to nature rather than nurture (learning)
Perception
Briefly evaluate Gibson’s direct theory of perception.
AO3
theories of perception
S: Research to support Gibson’s theory was conducted by Gibson and Walk. They created a ‘visual cliff’ and placed 6-month-old babies on the edge, which to them appears to be a severe drop…
W: There is an alternative explanation from Gregory. Gregory states perception is not direct, as it involves drawing inferences, from the environment, rather than innate…
Perception
Outline Gregory’s constructivist theory of perception. (6)
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theories of perception
- Gregory claims that perception is not direct. Perception is an active process and involves drawing inferences
- Perception is a process of construction, combining information our brain receives from our eyes with what we already know about the world (schemas, influence of nurture)
- The information we receive through our senses is incomplete, so the brain fills in the gaps using ‘inference’ (assumptions). Stored knowledge and expectations come from past experiences which will be individual depending on the nurturing environment.
- Gregory argues that perception is learned.
- We learn our understanding of some visual cues from our environment. It will therefore become more sophisticated the more we interact with the world.
- It means people raised in different environments and culture might perceive things differently, which strongly suggests that perception is due to nurture, not nature.
