Simon and Chabris - Background & Theory Flashcards
What is visual perception?
a cognitive process in which an individual interprets, organises, and elaborates on information that enters the brain via the eyes
How does the brain perceive or interpret visual information?
via the optic nerve
Why is visual perception often criticised?
- too much information to process
- selective nature
How is the brain selective with information?
it filters out what is relevant and essential & omits what is not
What highly influences what people see?
the brain as it subjectively decides what to focus on
What is in-attentional blindness?
refers to not noticing something because attention is focused on something else
What does this study show?
that if someone is focused on a particular task (involving visual perception) other events (even unusual or unexpected) go unnoticed
What are the main types of theory for this study?
- Focused Visual Attention
- Change Blindness
- In-attentional Blindness
- Divided attention
What does the theory of focused visual attention say about our environment?
there is too much going on in every day life simultaneously than can be perceived at any one time
What are the mechanisms of attention meant to do?
select objects of interest for further processing
What does vision do as a mechanism of attention?
- provided by eye movements
- fixate on particular regions so they benefit from the greater activity of the fovea
What is the fovea?
region at the back of the eye responsible for central and sharp vision
What does vision allow?
us to fixate on things of importance in our environment
Why is attention necessary?
to detect environmental change
What does the change blindness theory suggest about people?
that individuals do not detect large and obvious changes in the environment when they are not in the scene of centre interest
What do people remember and perceive according to the change blindness theory?
only objects and details that receive focused attention
Why do people have in-attentional blindness even when fixated on something?
because a visually demanding task ‘loads’ the brains attention so an individual becomes blind to distractions and performance improves
What is a result of not paying attention to distractions?
improved performance