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I & P Year 1 > Perception > Flashcards

Perception Flashcards

1
Q

What is perception?

A

The ability to see, hear or become aware of something through the senses

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2
Q

How is perception an active process?

A

It is not just the receipt of sensory information

It requires higher order processes such as memory and thought to organise and interpret information

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3
Q

Can 2 individuals have the same perception of an event?

A

No - an experience can be shared

The perception of this experience is unique to the individual

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4
Q

What are the two directions of processing?

A
  1. bottom-up processing

2. top-down processing

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5
Q

How are bottom up processes driven?

What is their function?

A

They are sensory-driven

They are processes that organise incoming information

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6
Q

When does perception begin in bottom-up processing?

A

Perception begins with the stimulus itself

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7
Q

In which direction does processing occur when it is bottom-up?

A

It is carried out in one direction from the retina to the visual cortex

Each successive stage in the visual pathway carries out an increasingly more complex analysis of the input

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8
Q

How are top-down processes driven?

What is their function?

A

They are driven by knowledge, experience and expectations

They are used to determine perception in ambiguous settings

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9
Q

What does top-down processing refer to?

A

The use of contextual information in pattern recognition

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10
Q

Why is it easier to understand difficult handwriting when reading complete sentences rather than single words?

A

The meaning of the surrounding words provides a context to aid understanding

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11
Q

What does top-down processing suggest about perceptions of the world?

A

perceptions of the world are hypotheses based on past experiences and stored information

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12
Q

What is meant by visual perception?

A

It describes the brain’s ability to make sense of what the eyes can see

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13
Q

What are adaptation effects in visual perception?

A

Temporary change in sensitivity or perception when exposed to a new or intense stimulus

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14
Q

What do adaptation effects usually result in?

A

A negative after-image

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15
Q

What is a negative after-image?

A

A lingering afterimage that may result when a stimulus is removed

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16
Q

What type of process is depth perception and why?

A

Top-down process

Life experiences give people an idea about depth

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17
Q

What is binocular disparity?

A

The difference in image location of an object seen by the left and right eyes, resulting from the horizontal separation of the eyes

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18
Q

How does the brain use binocular disparity?

A

It uses it to extract depth information from two-dimensional retinal images in stereopsis

19
Q

What is stereopsis?

A

the perception of depth produced by the reception in the brain of visual stimuli from both eyes in combination

20
Q

What is the alternative name for stereopsis and why?

A

“binocular vision”

binocular cues require use of both eyes to perceive distance and depth

21
Q

What are monocular cues?

A

They provide depth information when viewing a scene with one eye

22
Q

What is an example of a monocular cue?

A

Linear perspective

When parallel lines appear to converge at some point in the distance

23
Q

What types of cue are interposition, texture gradients and relative size?

A

Monocular cues

24
Q

What does Gestalt or whole percept describe?

A

How people tend to organise visual elements into groups or visual wholes, rather than the sum of their constituent parts

25
Q

Why do we use Gestalt or whole percept?

A

The perceptual system seeks meaningful groupings to make sense of what is being seen

e.g. proximity, similarity, continuity

26
Q

What is meant by figure-ground organisation?

A

The ability to distinguish figures from the ground

27
Q

What do perceptual constancies describe?

A

The disparity between what the retina receives and what the brain concludes about the image

28
Q

What is an example of a perceptual constancy involving images showing a door closing?

A

You know through experience that the shape and size of the door does not change

The perception does not change but the sensory information that is received does change

29
Q

When do perceptual illusions occur?

A

When our perception is in error

The brain will bring information into a situation that does not support the sensory information that it is receiving

30
Q

What is meant by sensory limitations?

A

The degree to which our sensory processes are aware of what is happening around us

Many things could be occurring that we do not notice

31
Q

Why do humans have limited sensory ability?

A

They have adapted to notice only what is essential for survival

32
Q

How do sensory limitations show protective filtering?

A

The function of the brain and nervous system protects us from being overwhelmed and confused by a mass of largely useless and irrelevant knowledge

33
Q

What is the relationship between perception and attention?

A

We selectively perceive information based on how we adapt our attention

34
Q

What is selective attention?

A

It involves screening information

e.g. inattentional blindness and selective listening

35
Q

What does attentional focus affect?

A

It involves moving attention away from other things that are going on in the environment

36
Q

What is the internal model of the physical and social world built up from?

A

Built up from previous experiences

The brain makes assumptions about objects you see based on prior experience

37
Q

When a blind person tries to draw a bus, why is it two-dimensional?

A

They have no way of conveying three-dimensionality

38
Q

When a blind person tries to draw a bus, which part is missing and why?

A

Before gaining sight, the blind person built a visual image through touch

They miss out the front of the bus as this is the one area you cannot touch as a passenger

39
Q

What would a blind person have difficulty in drawing/recognising?

A

Recognising faces and facial expression

40
Q

What is the role of context in top-down processing?

A

The perception of an object can change depending on the context in which you see it

41
Q

When 8 pseudopatients pretended to be mentally ill, what did they claim to be a symptom?

A

They are all hearing voices

42
Q

What happens once they are admitted?

A

They begin to behave normally

They are looking at how long it takes for medical staff to determine their sanity in a context of madness

43
Q

What was the outcome?

A

They were discharged with schizophrenia in remission

I & P Year 1 (21 decks)

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