Tutorial 4 - Perception

Question 1

Why do you think someone is getting closer, as opposed to getting larger?

Answer 1

size constancy (part of perception)

Question 2

the environmnetal depth cue responsible for making lines of a road appear closer as they get further away?

Answer 2

linear perspective

Question 3

soldiers wearing camoflage is an example of what?

Answer 3

figure-ground discrimination

Question 4

what is figure ground discrimination?

Answer 4

• need to be able to distinguish a figure from a background
• ie. evolutionarily need to see the predator
• shows that perceptual systems are categorical - can only see one thing at a time (ie. can see the vase or the faces, not both at the same time)

Question 5

embedded figures test, what is it?

Answer 5

• related to personality
• field dependance –> hard to find simple images, prefer social sciences, socially motivated
• field independance –> easy to find simple images, prefer natural sciences, good at determining important aspects of a situation

Question 6

how does personality influence perception?

Answer 6

• introverts more perceptually sensitive than extraverts (detect touch, smell etc. more easily)
• personality forms framework for passions/interests, which influences what one may recognize more easily and thus perceive

Question 7

t/f: disturbed self-perceptions underlie many disorders

Answer 7

true; new field

Question 8

sex differences in perception?

Answer 8

• females smell, taste and sound better

- males mental rotation/ visuospatial abilities better, linked to testosterone levels

Question 9

t/f: differences between individuals are much larger than differences between sexes, when it comes to perception?

Answer 9

true

Question 10

any cultural differences with culture?

Answer 10

• one reliable finding = phoneme identification
• under 12 months children can identify phonemes from all languages
• after 12 months cannot identify phonemes from different languages

Question 11

monocular depth cues? (8 of them)

Answer 11

interposition, relative size, height of visual field, gradient of texture, linear perspective, clarity, light and shadow, motion parallax

Question 12

binocular depth cues?

Answer 12

?

Question 13

perceptual constancy?

Answer 13

change in retinal image is interpreted as change in distance - size, shape, color etc. is constant

Question 14

perceptual constancy?

Answer 14

change in retinal image is interpreted as change in distance - size, shape, color etc. is constant

Question 15

why do people believe in extra-sensory perception?

Answer 15

• anecdotal information hits a lot harder than science
• individual experience a lot more persuasive
• escape from own mortality
• failure to recognize chance occurrences as chance occurrences