Problem 5

Question 1

Inverse projection problem

Answer 1

The task of determining the object responsible for a particular image on the retina

–> involves starting within the retinal image, then extending rays out from the eye

Question 2

Viewpoint invariance

Answer 2

The ability to recognize an object seen from different viewpoints

–> enables people to tell whether faces seen from different angles are the same person

Question 3

Perceptual organization

Answer 3

The process by which elements in the environment become perceptually grouped together to create our perception of objects

–> consists of 2 elements

a) grouping
b) segregation

Question 4

Grouping

Answer 4

Process by which visual events are put together into units or objects

ex. : Dalmatien dog
- -> dark spots where put together to perceive it

Question 5

Segregation

Answer 5

Process of separating one area/ object from another

ex.: the boarders from two buildings indicate where one building ends and the other begins

Question 6

What is the main question of “Gestalt psychologists” ?

Answer 6

How are configurations formed from smaller elements ?

Gestalt = configuration

Question 7

Structuralism

Answer 7

Distinguish between

a) sensations
b) perceptions

• -> believe that sensations combine to create perceptions
• -> this combination is aided by the observers past experience

Question 8

Apparent movement

Answer 8

Although a movement is perceived, nothing is actually moving

• -> this can’t be explained by sensation
• -> the perceptual system creates a perception of movement where there actually is none

ex.: moving advertisements at the train station
=> Gestalt psychologists counter argument to structuralism

Question 9

Principle of Good Continuation

Gestalts organizing principle

Answer 9

Objects that are partially covered by other objects are seen as continuing behind the covering object

Question 10

Principle of Prägnanz

Gestalts organizing principle

Answer 10

Every stimulus is seen in such a way that the resulting structure is as simple as possible

ex. : Olympic symbol
- -> we see 5 circles, not a large number of more complicated shapes

( Central Principle )

Question 11

Principle of Similarity

Gestalts organizing principle

Answer 11

Similar things appear to be grouped together

–> grouping can also occur due to similar

a) shape
b) size
c) orientation

Question 12

Principle of proximity

Gestalts organizing principle

Answer 12

Things that are near each other appear to be grouped together

Question 13

Principle of common fate

Gestalts organizing principle

Answer 13

Things that are moving in the same direction appear to be grouped together

ex.: birds moving in the same direction appear as a unit

Question 14

Principle of common region

Gestalts organizing principle

Answer 14

Elements that are within the same region of space appear to be grouped together

–> common region overpowers proximity

Question 15

Principle of uniform connectedness

Gestalts organizing principle

Answer 15

A connected region of the same visual properties is perceived as a single unit

–> connectedness overpowers proximity

Question 16

Principle of synchrony

Gestalts organizing principle

Answer 16

Objects that move at the same time and in sync, even when not close, are grouped together

Question 17

Principle of familiarization

Gestalts organizing principle

Answer 17

Things that form patterns that are familiar or meaningful are likely to be grouped together

–> categorization

Question 18

What are the main beliefs of the Gestalt psychologists ?

Answer 18

” the whole is different than the sum of its parts ! “

1. Sensation is not needed to create perception
2. Past experience doesn’t play a role in perception as good continuation overrides it

Question 19

Figure - ground segregation

Answer 19

We usually see a separate object as a FIGURE that stands out from its background (GROUND)

Question 20

Reversible figure - ground

Answer 20

Occurs when the figure can also be perceived as the ground and vice versa

–> areas lower in the field of view are more likely to be perceived as a figure

Question 21

Surroundedness

Answer 21

If a region is in the middle of the picture / surrounded entirely by different regions, this region is the figure

Question 22

Extremal edges

Answer 22

Answers the question if a particular region is in front of another, by different shadings of the edges

–> overrides surroundedness

Question 23

Symmetry

Answer 23

Symmetrical regions are more likely to be seen as a figure

Question 24

Parallelism

Answer 24

Parallel contours are more likely to belong to the same figure

Question 25

Relative motion

Answer 25

Moving objects are more lily to be seen as figures

Question 26

Scene

Answer 26

Refers to a view of a real world environment that contains

a) background elements
b) multiple objects that are organized in a meaningful way

• -> objects are acted upon
• -> scenes are acted within

Question 27

Gist of a scene

Answer 27

Refers to the general discription of a type of scene after viewing it for a fraction of a second

Question 28

Global image features

Answer 28

Enable us to perceive the gist of a scene

–> asses the degree of

a) naturalness
b) openness
c) roughness
d) expansion

–> contain information about a scenes structure + spatial layout

Question 29

Physical regularities

Answer 29

Regularly occurring physical properties of the environment

1. there are more horizontal + vertical orientations on the environment
2. nearby objects usually have different colors

(light-from-above assumption)

Question 30

Semantic regularities

Answer 30

Characteristics associated with the functions carried out in different types of scenes

–> one usually knows how to visualize a particular scene

Question 31

Theory of unconscious inference

Answer 31

Some of our perceptions are the result of unconscious assumptions we make about the environment

–> explains our ability to create perceptions from a stimulus information that can be seen in more than one way

Question 32

Likelihood principle

Answer 32

We perceive the object that is most likely to have caused the pattern of stimuli we have perceived

–> related to the theory of unconscious inference

Question 33

Binocular fusion

Answer 33

Two slightly different images from the eyes are similar enough to be combined into a single perception by the brain

Question 34

Binocular rivalry

Answer 34

Condition, where the observer either perceives the left eyes image or the right ones, but not both at the same time

• -> occurs because the images received by both eyes are totally different
• -> the activity in the brain changes depending on what the person experience

Question 35

Visual word form area

Answer 35

Small region of the visual system that systematically activates whenever we read

–> falls within the fovea ( to be able to discriminate very small shapes )

–> is lateralized to the same hemisphere as spoken language

–> falls in the left hemisphere, then shifts to the right

Question 36

Pure Alexia

Answer 36

Inability to recognize even a single word / digits / objects / faces

–> condition that results from a disconnected or impaired VWFA

Question 37

Which abilities does literacy refine ?

Answer 37

1. Capacity to recognize any picture
2. V1 area
3. Cortical responses to faces are displaced from left to right hemisphere
4. Mirror invariance
5. Phonological awareness
6. the fast + bidirectional connection between letters and sounds
   ex. : removing the “n” form “bind” –> “bid”

Question 38

Cortical competition

Answer 38

As cortical territories dedicated to older functions are invaded by novel cultural objects, their prior organization should slightly shift away from the original function

Question 39

Mirror invariance

Answer 39

Objects maintain their identity across a left - right inversion

ex:. p is not = q –> for literate people
p = q –> for illiterate people

Question 40

Phonological awareness

Answer 40

Skill that allows us to recognize and work with sounds of spoken language

Question 41

Border ownership

Answer 41

The border separating the figure from the ground appears to belong to the figure

Question 42

To what do the different visual areas of the temporal respond best ?

(V1, V2, V3)

Answer 42

V1 - Low level vision
–> responds best to lines + edges

V2 - Middle level vision
–> responds best to border ownership + illusory contours

V3 - High level vision
–> responds best to complex attributes

ex.: warmer + darker colors

Question 43

Naïve template theory

Answer 43

The visual system recognizes objects by matching the neural representation of the image, with a stored representation of the same ‘shape’ in the brain

Question 44

Recognition by components model

Biederman

Answer 44

Objects are recognized by separating them into their main component parts