Perception Flashcards
What is the retina?
The light sensitive later at the back of the eye, it is made up of rods and cones.
What is perception?
The way the brain makes sense of the visual image detected by the Brain.
What are rods?
Light sensitive cells in the retina that respond even in dim light.
What are cones
Light sensitive cells in the retina that can detect colour
What is the optic nerve
Bundle of nerves that lead out from the retina, carries info from rods and cones to the brain.
What is the blind spot
The area of the retina where the optic nerve leaves. It has no rods and cones so cannot detect light.
What is the optic chiasma
The cross shape where some of the information from the left and the right eye cross over to pass into the opposite side of the brain.
What is the visual cortex
Area at the back of the brain that interprets visual information
What does the visual cortex allow
Allows us to understand shapes and distances and fills in the gap left by the blind spot in each eye.
What are depth cues
The visual clues that we use to understand depth or distance
What are monocular depth cues?
Information about distance that comes from one eye
Name some monocular depth cues
Texture gradient Superimposition Height in plane Linear perspective Relative size Linear perspective
What are binocular depth cues
Information about distance that needs two eyes
Name some binocular depth cues
Stereopsis
What is size constancy
Perceiving an object as the same size even when it’s distance is changing
What is relative size
Smaller objects are perceived as further away than larger ones
What is texture gradient
An area with a detailed pattern perceived to be nearer than one with less detail
What is hight in plane
An object closer to the horizon is perceived as further away
What is superimposition
A partly hidden object must be further away than the object covering it
What is linear perspective?
Parallel lines appear to converge in the distance
What is stereopsis
A binocular depth cue. The greater the difference between the view seen in the left and the right eye = the closer the viewer is looking
Name the gestalt laws
Figure ground Similarity Proximity Continuity Closure
What is figure ground
A small complex object is seen separate from a background
What is the law of similarity
Figures sharing size shape or colour are grouped
What is the law of proximity
Objects which are close together are perceived as related
What is the law of continuity
Straight lines curves and shapes are perceived to carry on being the same
What is the law of closure
Lines/shapes are perceived as complete figures even if parts are missing
What is a visual illusion
A conflict between reality and what we perceive
What is a fiction
When a figure is perceived even though it is not present in the stimulus
What is an illusionary contour
A boundary that is perceived in a figure but is not present in the stimulus
What is a motion after effect
Caused by paying more attention to movement in one direction and perceiving movement in the opposite direction afterwards
What is a colour after effect
Caused by focusing on a coloured stimulus and perceiving opposite colours afterwards
What is an ambiguous figure
A stimulus with two possible interpretations in which it is impossible to view both at the same time
What is a distortion illusion
Where our perception is deceived by some stimulus, affecting shape or size of an object