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Higher Biology Unit 3 Neurobiology & Communication > Perception And Memory > Flashcards

Perception And Memory Flashcards

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1
Q

What is perception ?

A

The process by which the brain analyses and makes sense out of incoming sensory information

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2
Q

What does perception allow us to do?

A

Segregate objects from one another and their background, recognise what they are and to judge their distance from us

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3
Q

What 2 processes does the segregation of objects involve?

A

Figure-ground phenomenon

Perceptual organisation into coherent patterns

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4
Q

What is figure-ground phenomenon (or segregation) defined as?

A

The ability to separate the figure in a picture from the background. The figure is the image that stands out from the background

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5
Q

What is the image of the vase/two faces known as?

A

Reversible figure ground

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6
Q

Describe perceptual organisation into coherent patterns?

A

The brain tends to organise visual stimuli that it receives into a coherent pattern rather than into many different parts

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7
Q

What are the 4 factors thought to determine how the visual system organised stimuli into patterns

A

Proximity
Similarity
Closure
Orientation.

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8
Q

Describe proximity?

A

The mind groups visual stimuli that are close together as part of the same object. Conversely, it groups stimuli that are far apart as separate objects

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9
Q

What is similarity?

A

When objects look similar to one another. People often perceive them as a group or pattern

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10
Q

What is closure?

A

When a figure is incomplete or partially hidden by another object, the brain ‘fills in’ the element that it does not perceive as visual stimuli. This is closure and it is the means by which a whole rather than incomplete object is perceived

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11
Q

Describe orientation?

A

The brain organises visual stimuli from elements that are all seen moving in the same direction at the same rate as one object.

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12
Q

What is the perception of distance?

A

The distance of one or more objects from the eye is indicated by the presence of one or more visual cues present in the scene being viewed. These visual clues include relative size, superimposition and relative height in horizontal field.

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13
Q

Describe relative size?

A

The further away an object is situated from the eye, the smaller it is perceived to be. For example, by appearing to decrease in size, the sleepers in the railway line in the picture below indicate true increasing distance from the eye.

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14
Q

What is superimposition?

A

When one object partially blocks the view of another, the blocked object is perceived to be further away.

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15
Q

Describe relative height in Horizontal field?

A

Since our eyes are off the ground, objects at different distances project to different heights on the eye.

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16
Q

Describe the muller-lyer illusion

A

Although the straight lines in both arrows are the same length, people tend to perceive one as longer than the other.

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17
Q

What are the 2 groups visual cues that allow us to perceive distance split into?

A

binocular cues

monocular cues

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18
Q

What are binocular cues based on?

A

the receipt of sensory information in three dimensions from both eyes.

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19
Q

What are monocular cues?

A

cues that can be represented in just 2 dimensions and observed with just one eye.

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20
Q

Describe binocular disparity?

A

Each eye looks at an object from a slightly different position relative to the other eye. Therefore, a slight disparity (difference) occurs between the images of the same object formed by the 2 eyes. The images formed by each eye are merged into one in the brain by the process of fusion (stereopsis) producing a binocular image.

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21
Q

What does a binocular image do?

A

indicates depth and distance of the object more effectively than either single eye monocular image.

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22
Q

What is perceptual constancy?

A

the tendency to see familiar objects as having standard shape, size, colour, or location, regardless of changes in angle of perspective, distance, or lighting. The impression tends to conform to the object as it is assumed to be (from previous knowledge), rather than to the actual stimulus presented to the eye.

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23
Q

Describe size constancy?

A

the perception that an object remains the same size regardless of the size of the image on the retina of the eye. This is thought to depend partly on past experience and stored knowledge, and partly on the cue of relative size.

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24
Q

Describe shape constancy?

A

the perception that an object remains the same shape regardless of the changes in angle at which it is viewed. This is thought to depend mainly on past experience and stored knowledge.

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25
Q

What is object recognition?

A

The ability to perceive an object’s physical properties such as shape, colour and texture.

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26
Q

What is considered to be the most important physical property of an object?

A

shape

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27
Q

What happens to the information used to characterise and differentiate objects from one another using their shape?

A

it is stored in the long-term memory.

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28
Q

What is the most important feature of an objects shape?

A

its general outline

29
Q

What happens when a person perceives a shape?

A

a subconscious attempt is made to match this shape with one of the visual descriptions already stored in the brain.

30
Q

What are the 3 outcomes of matching perceived shapes?

A
  1. If the shape is a familiar one, it will be quickly matched and the object recognised.
  2. If the shape is unfamiliar it may draw a complete blank.
  3. The object may be recognised as being similar but not identical to one or more visual descriptions held in the brain. The brain knows that the object is familiar in some way to one or more of these images. The brain may then recognise that the shape represents a familiar object shown from an unsual angle or it may recognise that the object is a member of an already familiar group of objects.
31
Q

What is perceptual set?

A

the tendency of a person to perceive certain aspects of available sensory information (e.g. visual cues) and ignore others.

32
Q

What are the 3 factors which affect perceptual set?

A

expectation
context
past experience

33
Q

What does perceptual set influence?

A

the way in which a stimulus is perceived

34
Q

Describe perceptual set for :
A
12 13 14
C

A

The physical stimulus ‘13’ is the same case but is perceived differently because of the influence of the context in which it appears. We expect to see the letter in the context of other letters in the alphabet, whereas we expect to see numbers in the context of other numbers.

35
Q

What are expectations often a part of?

A

previous experience

36
Q

What is memory?

A

one of our major faculties. It is the ability of the brain to store information, retain it and retrieve it when needed.

37
Q

What do memories include?

A

Past experiences, thoughts and knowledge.

38
Q

What are the 3 interactive levels of memory?

A

All information that passes through the brain enters the sensory memory, if selected it then passes into the short-term memory. From there it may pass into the long-term memory or be discarded.

39
Q

describe sensory memory?

A

lasts a few seconds and retains all of the visual or auditory input.
0.5 seconds for visual and 2 secs for auditory.
Provides a detailed representation of the person’s entire sensory experience from which relevant pieces of information are passed to STM.

40
Q

Describe the memory span of STM?

A

only holds a limited quantity of information
Approximately 7 items at one time(+/-2)
Items are only here for a limited period of time (approx. 30 seconds

41
Q

What is the serial position effect?

A

When shown a group of similar objects, one after the other, then asked to write down as many as possible in any order. We tend to remember:
the one at the start - the primacy effect- have been passed to long term memory
the ones at the end - the recency effect - are still in STM/

42
Q

Why is it difficult to remember the ones in the middle?

A

Because our STM is crowded and so did not allow the transfer to long-term memory.

43
Q

What does rehearsal involve?

A

repeating to yourself over and over a piece of information you are trying to remember. This process helps to extend the length of time the information is held in the STM.

44
Q

What is displacement?

A

‘old’ items are pushed out of STM by new incoming information

45
Q

What is decay?

A

the breakdown of a fragile ‘memory trace’ formed when a group of neurons briefly became activated.

46
Q

What is chunking?

A

the grouping of information into one large unit made of small units.

47
Q

What does chunking do?

A

increases memory span and makes it easier to remember things like local phone numbers, allowing us to remember more than we could without chunking

48
Q

What does transfer of memory between short term and long term require?

A

rehearsal
organisation
elaboration of meaning

49
Q

Describe rehearsal?

A

Repeating something (silently or out loud)
Better to rehearse little and often than a lot rarely.
STM>LTM

50
Q

What is organisation?

A

Grouping items into logical groups increases their chance of being successfully transferred from ST to LTM.

51
Q

What do organised groups have?

A

contextual cues which help the retrieval of information from the LTM. Organisation helps the transfer of information in both directions. STM <>LTM

52
Q

What is elaboration?

A

Analysis of the meaning of the item to be memorised and finding out more about it to make it more meaningful. e.g. making a mind map of all the information you know helps you learn by the elaboration of meaning.

53
Q

What does elaboration allow?

A

more connection (more contextual cues) so more ways to retrieve the information.

54
Q

What is encoding?

A

the conversion of one or more nerve impulses into a form that can be received and held in the brain and retrieved later from STM or LTM.

55
Q

Encoding is the conversion of one or more nerve impulses into a form that can be received and held in the brain and retrieved later from STM or LTM. How can this be do?

A
  1. Shallow encoding
    - simple repetition, less effective.
  2. Elaborative Encoding
    - information is associated with other information such as meaning or linking information to previous memories, more effective.
56
Q

How can retrieving information from long-term memory be aided?

A

by contextual cues e.g. wedding event

57
Q

What are contextual cues?

A

signals or reminders which relate to the conditions or circumstances that were present when the information was transferred to the LTM.

58
Q

What is it thought that contextual cues do?

A

somehow trigger an impulse to flow through a memory circuit.

59
Q

Where are different types of memory stored?

A

different areas of the brain

60
Q

Many different types of memory exist in the cerebral cortex. What does this include?

A

the temporal lobes of the cerebrum.

61
Q

What do episodic memories relate to?

A

personal facts, experiences and events

62
Q

Where are episodic and semantic memories stored?

A

many regions of the cerebral cortex

63
Q

What do semantic memories relate to?

A

general knowledge, non-personal facts and concepts

64
Q

What do procedural memories relate to?

A

skills

65
Q

Where are procedural memories stored?

A

motor region of cerebral cortex.

66
Q

What do emotional memories result from?

A

positive or negative associations with certain stimuli.

67
Q

Where are emotional memories stored?

A

(links between) the cerebral cortex and limbic system

68
Q

What do spatial memories relate to?

A

one’s environment and its spatial orientation.

69
Q

Where are spatial memories stored?

A

in the limbic system

Higher Biology Unit 3 Neurobiology & Communication (4 decks)

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