Sensation and Perception - Exam 3

Question 1

Charlie Chaplin optic illusion main point

Answer 1

spinning mask video
brain “corrects” to show convex face on inside of mind (can’t perceive the concave face)

Question 2

what is the role of sensation and perception?

Answer 2

how we make sense of the world, have specialized cells for specific stimuli

Question 3

sensation

Answer 3

activation of receptors by stimuli in environment

Question 4

perception

Answer 4

interpreting info so that it makes sense
**subjective

Question 5

how is perception subjective?

Answer 5

individual thoughts and experiences affect perception

Question 6

levels of processing

Answer 6

top-down or bottom-up

Question 7

top-down processing

Answer 7

brain constructs meaning from sensations using our experiences and expectations
*expectations change perception

Question 8

perceptual sets

Answer 8

mental predisposition to perceive one thing over another
ex: duck/bunny photo
some sensations -> dif interpretations/perceptions (ex: fireworks -> PTSD)

Question 9

what types of things affect perception?

Answer 9

assumptions, expectations, experiences, contexts

Question 10

bottom-up processing

Answer 10

sensory receptors register info from environment and send to brain
ALL sensations begin with sensory receptors

Question 11

transduction

Answer 11

process by which receptors change the energy they receive into a form that can be used by NS

Question 12

selective detectors

Answer 12

specific cells have specific functions
ex: ears can’t detect light

Question 13

receptors in eye

Answer 13

transform light that enters the eye
2 distinct receptor cells - rods and cones

Question 14

rods

Answer 14

sensitive to light, almost no role in color
helps us see at night
great motion detector - more rods in periphery

Question 15

cones

Answer 15

densely packed in fovea (center of retina) - critical role in visual tasks
allow us to perceive color, best for visual activity (work best in daylight)

Question 16

color afterimages

Answer 16

sensation that remains after stimulus is removed
involves color pairs in vision (R/G, Y/Blue, W/Bl)
ex: flag picture, caste picture

Question 17

visual organization

Answer 17

we tend to organize the info we experience into something we can understand
figure and ground, closure, continuity

Question 18

figure and ground

Answer 18

tendency to separate whole figures from their backgrounds
can be stable/easy (tree vs gorilla and lion), unstable/difficult (young/old lady), or camouflage (blends figure and ground)

Question 19

closure

Answer 19

we fill in gaps to create complete images, we see complete figures even when info is missing
(ex: spikey ball, cube and dots/arrows)

Question 20

continuity

Answer 20

tendency to move through one subject and continue to another
we perceive smooth continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones
ex: lochness monster or 3 random lines

Question 21

size/distance effect

Answer 21

perceived size is a function of both bottom up and top down processing
bottom-up - size of image on retina
top-down - perceived distance of object, size of object relative to other objects in environment

Question 22

size illusions

Answer 22

relative, Muller-Lyer, Ames room

Question 23

relative size illusion

Answer 23

things look smaller/bigger based on their surroundings
ex: circles, animals on train tracks

Question 24

muller-lyer illusion

Answer 24

lines illusion
corners

Question 25

Ames room illusion

Answer 25

corners -> room is shrinking ex: Charlie and chocolate factory, lord of the rings heights

Question 26

depth perception

Answer 26

binocular cues, ability to see objects in 3D

Question 27

convergence

Answer 27

when both eyes focus on one object, makes one image from both retina images

Question 28

binocular cues

Answer 28

info taken in by both eyes brain integrates slightly dif info collected from both eyes to make a single perception

Question 29

retinal disparity

Answer 29

see image pop out ex: hot dog fingers

Question 30

monocular cues

Answer 30

info that can be perceived using only one eye relative height, relative size, linear perspective

Question 31

relative height

Answer 31

objects closer to horizon are perceived further away (art pieces)

Question 32

relative size

Answer 32

the bigger an object is on the retina the closer it is ex: standing next to Eiffel tower

Question 33

linear perspective

Answer 33

ex: drawing railroad tracks

Question 34

motion perception

Answer 34

we perceive motion when it isn't really there

Question 35

apparent motion

Answer 35

perception that a stationary object is moving ex: cartoon movies, weird circles

Question 36

is perception a projection of the world as it actually is?

Answer 36

NO we disassemble sensations into bits of info which is then reassembled into perceptions by our brain perception and memory are faulty - can create different reality/easily trick them