topic 3- perceptual development

Question 1

what is perception

Answer 1

the process of organising and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognise meaningful objects and events

Question 2

what is depth perception

Answer 2

the ability to see objects in three dimensions which is important for survival
- occurs because our brain can recognise depth cues

Question 3

what are depth cues

Answer 3

features of our environments that give us information about how far away objects are and where they are in relation to eachother

Question 4

evidence that depth perception is nature

Answer 4

• bower et al tested the ability of 8 and 17 day old babies to perceive depth/distance in situations important for survival like an object coming towards them
• they found that babies were able to distinguish between 2 objects even though they were dissimilar in size
• shows that humans are born with some degree of depth perception

Question 5

evidence that depth perception is nurture

Answer 5

Hudson (1960) showed a 2D image to schooled children and non schooled children (a man pointing a spear at an antelope)
- schooled children saw it correctly, whereas unschooled children thought the man was pointing at an elephant
- shows that schooled children have better depth perception