Sternberg Chapter 3 Flashcards
Perception
set of processes by which we recognize, organize, and make sense of the sensations we receive from environmental stimuli. Perception encompasses many psychological phenomena, but visual perception is the most widely studied perceptual modality.
Distal Object
(aka far) is the object in the external world
Information Medium
Proximal Stimulation
Perceptual Object
Sensory Adaptation
is a phenomenon where receptor cells adapt to constant stimulation by ceasing to fire until there is a change in stimulation. Basically, we stop detecting a stimulus after a while unless it changes
What does Ganzfeld mean and what does it refer to?
german for “complete field”it refers to an unstructured visual field
Percept
Human can only perceive what range of wavelengths?
380-750 nanometers
Cornea
protective clear dome covering the eye, that light passes through
Pupil
Opening at the center of Iris, which light passes through
What is a gel-like substance that makes up the majority of the eye?
Fovea
small think region of the retina, where vision is most acute
How many layers is the retina made up of?
Three: Gangalion, neuronal cells and photoreceptors
Ganglion Cells
first level on the outward-facing surface of the eye. Their axons make up the optic nerve
Neuronal Cells
Amacrine Cells, Horizontal Cells, and Bipolar Cells
“interneuron cells”
They make a single horizontal connection among adjacent areas of ht eretina in the middle layer of cells. The bipolar cells make dual connections forward and outward to the ganglion cells, as well as backward and inward to the third layer of retinal cells (the photoreceptors)
Photoreceptors
this is the third layer of the retina. Photoreceptors convert light energy (light wavelengths) into electrochemical energy that is transmitted by neurons to the brain. There are two types of photoreceptors
Name the two types of photoreceptors
Rods: 120 million per eye, are long and thin shaped photoreceptors that are more concentrated in the periphery of the retina. They are responsible for night vision and are sensitive to light and dark stimuli.
Cones: 8 million per eye, are short and thick photoreceptors that allow for the perception of color. They are more highly concentrated in the foveal region of the retina
Both rods and cones contain
“photopigments,” or chemical substances that react to light and transform physical electromagnetic energy into an electrochemical neural impulse that can be understood by the brain
What forms the optic nerve and where do they cross?
The axons of the ganglion cells in the eye collectively form the optic nerve for that eye.
The optic nerve then go to the brain (where they cross at the optic chiasma) and extend to the opposite hemisphere of the brain
Pathways to Perceive the What and the Where?
visual pathways are the path that information takes from its entering the human perceptual system through to eyes to its being completely processed
Name the 2 pathways to perceive the what and the where.
- The Dorsal Pathway, aka the “where” pathway- responsible for processing location and motion information.
- The Ventral Pathway, aka the “What” Pathway- responsible for processing the color, shape, and identity of visual stimuli.
Name the alternative to the what/where process.
An alternative to the above “what/where hypothesis” is the “What/How” hypothesis.
- The What Pathway: like before, is found in the ventral stream and is responsible for the identification of objects.
- The How Pathway: is located in the Dorsal stream (instead of the above “where” hypothesis), and controls movements in relation to the objects that have been identified through the “what pathway.”
Name the two theories that explain HOW we perceive the world.
Bottom-Up Theories describe approaches where perception starts with the stimuli whose appearance you can take in through your eye. Perception happens when light information is transported to your brain. They’re Data- Driven (aka Stimulus-Driven) theories.
-Top-Down Theories believe that perception is driven by high-level cognitive processes, existing knowledge, and the prior expectations that influence perception. These theories then work their way down to considering the sensory data, such as perceptual stimuli. You perceive building as big in the background because you already know these buildings are bigger than they appear. From this viewpoint, expectations are important.
Name the 4 main bottom-up theories
- Direct Perception
- Template Theories
- Feature Theories
- Recognition-by-components theory
Describe the theory of direct perception
Direct Perception: aka Gibson’s theory of Direct Perception, it holds the information in our sensory receptors, including the sensory context, is all we need to perceive anything
we don’t need higher cognitive processes or anything else to mediate between our sensory experiences and our perceptions. Existing beliefs or higher-level though processes are not necessary for perception.
Define Ecological Perception and under what theory is that term from?
As the environment supplies us with all of the information we need for perception, this is also sometimes
Theory: Direct Perception
What is Hoffding function?
a problem that asks “how do we connect what we perceive to what we have stored in our minds?
What are Texture Gradients?
Cues for depth and distance that let us perceive proximity, distance and parts of object
Describe the Template Theories
these suggest that we have stored in our minds myriad sets of templates.
Templates are “highly detailed models for patterns we potentially might recognize.
we recognize a pattern by comparing it with our set of templates. We then choose the EXACT template that perfecting matches what we observe.
-examples: fingerprint matching (must be exactly the same) and Chess players who recall previous games.
Describe Feature Matching Theories
Feature-matching theories holds that we attempt to match features of a pattern to features stored in memory rather than to match a whole pattern to a “template” or prototype
What is the Pandemonium Model and under which theory does it come from?
is a feature-matching model that says, metaphorical demons with specific duties receive and analyze the features of a stimulus
theory: feature-matching
In this, there are four kinds of demons: image demons, feature demons, cognitive demons, and decision demons
Define Global Precedence Effect and from which theory is it under?
when local letters are small and positions close together participants can identify stimuli at the global level (aka the big picture that the little letters make up)
theory: feature-matching theories
Define Local Precedence and under which theory doe it fall?
the opposite- when little letters are more widely spaced, a local precedence appears where the participants more quickly identify the small letters instead of the overall big picture that they make up
theory: feature-matching
What is another name for the Gnostic Units?
Grandmother Cells and can recognize a complex object, such as recognizing your grandmother.
What does recognition-by-componenets theory mean?
This theory explains our ability to perceive 3-d objects.
Biederman suggested we perceive 3-d objects by manipulating a number of simple 3d geometric shapes called “Geons” aka “Geometrical ions.
we quickly recognize objects by observing the edges of them and then decomposing the objects into geons
Name the 4 top-down theories
- Constructive Perception
- The Configural-Superiority Effect
- Object-Superiority Effect
- Word-Superiority Effect
What does the Constructive Perception theory say
the perceiver builds (constructs) a cognitive understanding (perception) of the stimulus. The concepts of the perceiver and his cognitive processes DO influence what he sees. The perceiver uses sensory information as the foundation of the structure, but also uses other sources of information to build the perception
The Intelligent Perception is another name for
Constructive Perception
It is called this because it states that higher-order thinking plays an important role in perception. It also emphasizes the role of learning in perception
According to constructivists, we form perceptions by quickly forming and testing various hypotheses regarding percepts, and the percepts are based on three things
- What we SENSE (sensory data)
- What we KNOW (knowledge stored in memory)
- What we can INFER (using higher-level cognitive processes)
Define Context Effects
the influences of the surrounding environment on perception
Define Configural-Superiority Effect
where objects presented in certain configurations are easier to recognize than objects presented in isolation, even if the objects in the configurations are more complex than those in isolation
Define Object-Superiority Effect
Define Word-Superiority Effect
indicated that when people are presented with strings of letters, its easier for them to identify a single letter if the string makes sense and forms a word instead of just a nonsense sequel of letters
How do bottom-up theories and top-down theories go together
these theories should be seen as considering the approaches to be complementary. That said, current theories regarding perception explain some, but not all. It is a complex process
