U2AOS1 Perception Flashcards
Define attention
Actively focusing on particular info while simultaneously ignoring other information
Internal stimuli
Information or sensations that originate from within the body
External stimuli
Information or sensations that originate from outside the body
What are the three types of attention?
Sustained
Divided
Selective
Sustained attention
Refers to focusing on one stimuli or task across a PROLONGED, CONTINUOUS PERIOD OF TIME. Controlled cognitive processing with a high level of mental effort required.
Example of sustained attention
Looking for a lost item in the house
Doom scrolling on TikTok
Watching a movie
Selective attention
Exclusively focusing on a specific stimulus or task while ignoring all other stimuli or tasks
Selective attention
Exclusively focusing on a specific stimulus or task while ignoring all other stimuli or tasks. Controlled cognitive processing with a lot of mental effort required
Example of selective attention
Cocktail party effect
Divided attention
Distributing one’s attention to allow for the processing of two or more stimuli at the same time. Automatic cognitive processing with little mental effort required
Top down processing
We apply our prior knowledge and expectations to a situation, which changes how we perceive it. Make assumptions based on pre-existing schema
Top-down of visual
Draw on experiences and expectation to shape our visual perceptions. Eg. filling in the part of an object you can’t see
Top- down of gustatory
draw on past experiences and familiarities with how a good or drink tastes, smells and how it has reacted with our body in the past
Bottom- up processing
Perceptions start with our senses picking up salient sensory information and processing to produce meaning
Gustation
The sensory detection of food on the tongue
Salient
Most noticeable or important
Biological depth cues
The ability to see the world in 3d and to judge distance, helps to understand where things are in space
Binocular depth cues
Require both eyes to send information to the brain to perceive depth.
What are the two main binocular depth cues?
Convergence and retinal disparity
Convergence
Inward turning of the eyes which is detected by the brain as tension changes around the eye. Closer the object= more tension
Retinal disparity
Differences in the information being sent from each eye detected by the brain due to our eyes being 6-7cm apart. Greater disparity = object is close
Monocular depth cues
Only require one eye to send information to the brain to perceive depth. Accomodation.
Accomodation
The automatic focusing mechanism of the lens in the eye to adjust the shape of the lens in response to changing distance of view from the object. Cilliary muscles control the lens. Close= cilliary muscles bulge. Far= elongate.
Psychological factors in visual perception
Shaped by perceptual set, visual perception principles and perceptual constancy. Learned mental processes in a highly personal manner.
Perceptual set
Based on past experience, memory, motivation and context. Leads you to view things in a certain way
Memory
Shaped by our experiences of the world, hells is understand how the world works and shapes our expectations of how the world should operate.
Motivation
Individual desire that cause us to perceive certain stimuli that align with our goals as more salient
Context
Situation or conditions in which something occurs.
Perceptual constancy
Brains ability to perceive our visual world with consistency and without distortion even though it may look different
Size constancy
Stimulus’s actual size does not change regardless of the image cast on to the retina. Car size stays the same as it travels along the road.
Shape constancy
Shape remains the same despite it looking different. Eg. Book rotating.
Orientation constancy
Actual orientation remains the same despite the view from a different angle. Eg. Watching tv lying down.
Gestalt principles
Set of principles that explain how we interpret visual information by grouping seperate visual stimuli together to perceive a whole object.
Figure ground
Part of the visual stimuli is more relevant (the figure) and standing out against less relevant surroundings (the ground). These are separated by the contour.
Closure
Ability to close up, fill in or ignore gaps in a visual stimuli to create a meaningful whole.
Similarity
We tend to group together stimuli that are alike in size, shape or colour
Proximity
Perceive the parts of a visual stimulus that are close together, rather than spaced far apart, as belonging to a group
Culture
Cultural norms are the social factor that affect our visual perception of the world
Fallibility
Errors in perception due to the stimulus itself or how our brains interpret the information
Visual illusions
A visual illusion occurs when our perception of the stimulus consistently differed from the objective reality
Muller-lyer illusion
Misinterpretation of two lines of equal length, each with different shaped arrow ends.
<—>
>—<
Gustatory
All bodily systems included in the perception of taste
What biological factors affect gustation?
Age, genetics, illness and hormones
Multisensorial process
Any process or experience that engages more than one sensory system
Lifespan of a tastebud
10 days - 2 weeks
How does age affect taste?
Early in life, regeneration occurs quickly but the process slows over time. By ooh age the taste buds do not regenerate fast enough to replace the old ones they lose.
How do tastebuds regenerate?
New cells constantly form at the bottom of a taste bud to replace the old one
How do genetics affect taste?
Number of taste buds we have changes how bitter or sweet a food tastes.
Spread of taste bud amounts
50% - Average
25% - Fewer taste buds
25% - More taste buds
How does illness affect taste?
A viral infection causes the sense of smell to be compromised causing taste loss. Sense of smell is responsible for around 80% of what we taste.
Relationship between taste and smell
Connected by same airway and work together to create perception of flavour
