Perception Flashcards
Perception
Sensation
- Perception is the process of interpreting what is seen from sensation
- Sensation describes the physical process of collecting data
Constancies
Constancies are when things look the same even though their physical characteristics change.
Visual constancies (2)
Shape constancy: to perceive an object as the same even if it is at an angle or if there is movement, eg: a chair
Colour constancy: Ability to perceive the natural colour of an object even when a filter is applied, eg a banana with a green filter still looks like a banana
Depth Cues (5)
The ability of our brain and eyes add depth to what we see.
- LINEAR PERSPECTIVE:Parallel lines appear to merge at the end (type of geometric illusion) Converging lines make depth
- HEIGHT IN PLANE:when an object is higher it seems further away
- RELATIVE SIZE: When an object appears bigger because it is closer
- SUPERIMPOSITION: when one object overlaps another, it appears closer
- TEXTURE GRADIENT: when objects seem more detailled when they are closer and when it seems less detailled because its further away
Visual Illusions (3)
A visual illusion is when sensory data is misinterpreted
FICTION: when we see something that is not really there
AMBIGUOUS FIGURE: when something can be seen in more than one way
GEOMETRIC ILLUSION: when one line seems to be a different length to another because of the position its in (further or closer)
Core Theory, Constructivist Theory
Perception is constructed using past experiences e.g. we recognise people in our class because we expect to see them
- Supports top down processing, so what is in our mind is used to interpret what we see
- This means we have a PERCEPTUAL SET (how we perceive), this is affected by EXPECTATION and MOTIVATION
Top down processing
Perceptual Set
Expectation
Motivation
- Idea of using what is in our mind to interpret what is seen
- Tendency of using past experiences to interpret things
- used in perceptual set because we expect to see certain things which allows us to perceive what we expect
- used in perceptual set because if we are motivated for something, it will affect how we interpret things or certain things linked to motivation will stand out.
Criticisms of the Core theory
- Perception doesn’t always require an experience
- Top down processing might not work for everyone, eg people with disabilities
- Focuses on the individual too much
- ignores role of nature
Alternative theory, Nativist Theory
- The theory that perception is a natural and instinctive process. It argues that perception is a bottom up process.
- Bottom up processing: We directly perceive by taking data from the eyes when things are seen.So perception is immediate
Core study, Haber and Levin
Aim: To see whether top down processing or bottom up processing is a stronger argument
Procedure: 9 male students with good eyesight were used. Took place in a field which was divided into 4 sections.
1st section: arrival area+empty
2nd section: random distance 15 real world known size objects ( e.g milk bottle)
3rd section 15 real world objects of different sizes ( e.g teddy bear)
4th section- 15 cardboard cut outs of 3 geometric figures ( circles)
In repeated measures the students had to estimate how far the object was for all the objects
Results: Estimates were accurate for real world objects but not for geometric shapes and other world objects
Conclusion: Real life objects could be estimated because they had been encountered before supporting the constructivist theory
Criticisms of core study
- Sample was too small so it could not be generalised for others
- Gender bias because only males were used so it cant be generalised for females
- Culturally biased because it was only tested in USA
- Lacks ecological validity because we dont estimate distance of objects in real life
Applications into real life
- Can be used in adverts
- Context:advertisers influence perception by influencing its context e.g. putting a burger on a small plate makes it look more appealing
- Motivation: Show ads at a certain time when someone will want it most eg: food ads before a movie in cinema
- Subliminal Message:Briefly presented sound or image that makes us want things, can be used to make us buy things
