Perception: Gibsons Bottom-Up Processing Theory of Perception Flashcards
What does Gibson initially suggest in his theory
Gibson Suggested that the changing pattern of light that surrounds the active perceiver (the optic array) provides us with sufficient information for perception.
Define optic array
The optic array is the bundle of light rays that moves towards the observer from each point in an illuminated world.
Discuss Optic Flow
As we move towards a point in our visual environment, objects that are directly in front of us appear stationary (i.e. they represent a fixed point), but objects to the side appear to move towards us (the optic flow). The further away something is from that fixed point, the more rapid the apparent movement towards.
Discuss the importance of movement in Gibson’s Theory
In order to collect this perceptual information, the perceiver has to move around the environment
Discuss the ecological aspects of perception in Gibson’s Theory
Gibson believed that we cannot fully understand how our visual perception works unless we study how it operates in the real environment. For example, most objects in our visual world have texture, and the grain of this texture appears to get finer as you get further away from these objects. this produces a texture gradient, with closer objects having a coarser gradient and objects further away having a finer texture.
Name two studies which supports Gibson’s theory
> Johansson
> Fox and McDaniel
Discuss Johanssons findings
Jonhansson provided good evidence to demonstrate this. He strategically placed small lights on different parts of a person’s body and filmed the lights as the person moved. Participants were able to perceive motion simply from changing an array of dots.
Discuss Fox and McDaniel’s findings
Even Young babies and non-human mammals responded appropriately when shown the sequences suggesting this is an innate ability.
