Unit 2 AOS 2 Flashcards
visual perception
Visual perception occurs through the interaction of numerous
factors, many of which automatically influence assist our
interpretation of what we are looking at.
biological factor of visual perception
Visual perception starts at the eye where light is received, converted
into neural signals then sent to the brain for interpretation.
All of the anatomical structures and processes of the eye and brain,
neural pathways that connect them and the genetics that underlie and
shape their maturation and development over time, are just some of the
biological factors that can influence visual perception
depth cues
to locate objects in a space. Without this ability, we would find it difficult to navigate and
interact with our world. In order to locate objects in space, we need to judge
whether one object is above, below, or to the left or right of another. We also
need to judge how far away objects are from each other and ourselves.
binocular depth cues
Those that require the use of both eyes working together in
order to provide information to the brain about depth and
distance.
Important in determining the distance of objects that are close.
2 types
- Retinal disparity
- Convergence
convergence
Convergence involves the brain detecting and interpreting depth
or distance from changes in tension in the eye muscles that occur
when the two eyes turn inwards to focus on objects that are
close.
The brain interprets greater tension in the eye muscles as an
object gets closer and less tension as an object gets further
away.
retinal disparity
Retinal disparity refers to the very slight difference (‘disparity’) in the location of
the images on the retinas (due to their slightly different angles of view), which
enables us to make judgments about the depth or distance of an object.
When the two different retinal images are combined in the brain, the images received
from each eye are compared. Any disparity or difference between the two images
provides information about the depth of the object or its distance from the
viewer.
monocular depth cues
- require the use of only one eye to provide information to the brain about depth and distance, but they also operate with both eyes
Many monocular cues are referred to as pictorial cues because artists use
them to create depth and distance on two-dimensional surfaces such as paper
and canvas.
accommodation
-the automatic adjustment of the shape of the eye lens
to focus an object in response to changes in how far away the object is.
-The brain monitors the movement of the ciliary muscles that control the
shape of the lens. These muscles contract to enable the bulging of the lens,
and expand to allow it to elongate (flatten)
pictorial depth cues
Linear Perspective
Interposition
Texture gradient
Relative size
Height in the visual field
linear perspective
Linear perspective is the apparent convergence of actual or imagined parallel
lines as they recede (‘go back’) into the distance
interposition
also called overlap, occurs when one object partially blocks/ covers another, and the partially blocked object is perceived as further away than the object that obscures it (and vice versa).
texture gradient
refers to the gradual reduction of the detail that occurs in an object or surface as it recedes into the distance, compared with an object
or surface that is close and perceived in fine detail
relative size
refers to the tendency to visually perceive the object that
produces the largest image on the retina as being closer, and the object that
produces the smallest image on the retina as being further away.
However, the objects being perceived must be expected to be about the same size
in real life.
height in the visual field
refers to the location of objects in our field of
vision, whereby objects that are located closer to the horizon are perceived
as being more distant than objects located further from the horizon
Psychological factors
involve the many and varied mental processes and
influences on visual perception. These are sourced within the individual and
therefore significantly influence top-down processing of incoming sensory
information.
gestalt principles
In relation to visual perception, Gestalt principles refers to ways in
which we organise the features of a visual stimulus by grouping them to perceive a whole, complete form. The ‘principles’ are like ‘rules’ that we apply
to visual information to assist our perceptions.
We tend to automatically use these Gestalt principles, without any conscious
effort or awareness that we are doing so
4 main gestalt principles
Figure-ground
Closure
Similarity
Proximity
figure ground and example
perceptual set
temporary readiness to perceive something in accordance with what we expect it to be
context
setting or environment in which perception is made
B/13 experiment
Bruner and Minturn investigated the effect of context on peoples perception of a visual stimulus. Participants were either shown a series of a letters or numbers however within each series was an ambiguous figure
motivation
internal processes within us which activate behavior’s that we direct towards achieving a particular goal
- can be influenced by psychological factors such as interests
past experience
refers to our personal experience throughout our lives
memory
storing and retrieving this perceived info for use when needed
social factors
involve influences from the external social enviroment in which we interact with others. For example experience with or in a particular culture can influence the way we process an interpret visual info
culture
biological factors (taste perception)
Taste perception starts with the physical stimulation of taste
receptor cells located within taste buds, most of which are in the
mouth.
genetics
People vary in their ability to taste. One reason is that genetic
differences make us more or less sensitive to the chemical molecules in different foods. Our genes can therefore influence how sensitive we are to
bitterness, sweetness, umami or any other tastes.
what is a supertaster
a person who is more sensitive to certain tastes than most others, often experience taste with far greater intensity than ‘average person’
- caused by having denser bumps on tounge that contain tastebuds
- often are picky eaters and experience pain in mouth more intensely than others
spatial neglect
disorder which causes problems with attention. Neurological disorder where individuals are unable to notice anything on their left or right side even though there may be no sensory loss.
- common in stroke accident victims or when someone has had extensive to the cerebral cortex
judgement of flavor
sensory receptors in your mouth that can detect sensations. A crucial component is smell. There are sensory receptors in your mouth that can detect temp ( hot, cold), pain and the tactile sensation of texture etc
flavor
multi sensory nature
what can influence our senses
-Perceptual set (more information about this on the next slide).
-Colour intensity.
-Texture.
The pleasure of food and beverages is critically dependant on all the
sensory components being ‘right’. - This means that food can be ruined
simply if it has an inappropriate colour or texture.
perceptual set
the flavor we experience is influenced by expectations based on pre conceived ideas about how foods should look and taste and formed through past experiences
- specific colours associate with flavor eg brown-choc
colour intensity
changing the intensity of a colour can exert a dramatic impact on our expectations. The more intense the colour the more intensely flavoured
texture
the texture that is felt in the mouth contributes to the flavor along with other senses. Stimulates tactile sensations and therefore can affect the flavor by how much surface area comes into contact with taste receptors (carrot chunks or grate) and length of time the food is in the mouth , affects how strong the flavor, thicker liquids and rich foods coat mouth
what is synesthesia
is a perceptual experience in which stimulation of one sense produces additional sensations in another, without replacing the initial sense.
- someone may experience multiple senses at once eg smell, taste, touch
what is the most common type of synesthesia
and other types
-graphic colour, when a person sees colours looking at letters, numbers or words
mirror touch- someone watching another being touched feels a tactile sense on their body
pain synesthesia- experiencing pain when observing or imaging another person in pain
characteristics of synesthesia
involuntary and occurs automatically in response to relevant stimulation
causes of synesthesia
-neurological condition
- an inherited condition
-a familial condition
- a combo of two or more of those above
tricomponent model
ABC’s of attitudes
affective0 emotional reaction and feelings towards
behavioral- attitude expressed through actions
cognitive- belief’s we have about an object
cognitive dissonance
an unpleasant psychological state where there behavior’s conflicts their cognitions eg smoking when they know its bad for them
cognitive bias
a systematic error, essentially a distorted or mistaken way of thinking that leads to inaccurate or unreasonable conclusions
anchoring bias
rely heavily on first bit of info when making decisions
attentional bias
prioritize attention to certain stimuli over other
confirmation bias
interpret information supporting beliefs while rejecting or ignoring contradictory evidence
false consensus bias
overestimate the extent to which others like them
two ways to reduce cognitive dissonance
actor observer bias- attributes their own actions to external factors and others to internal, breaking glass
-self serving bias- attributing failure to external factors and success to internal, distance from failure
heuristics
short cut when making jusdgments
-not a lot of info, not alot of time, too much info
availability heuristic
judment based on how easy or difficult it is to bring exampels to mind, info available
anchoring heuristic
judgment formed based on first bit of info
representative heuristic
catagorising object, event etc by judging how closely it matches member of catagory
affect heuristic
influenced by emotion experienced at the time
type of power
reward
coercive
legitimate
referent
expert
informational
reward and coercive power
r- power through control over rewards, employer give pay rise
c- through control over punishments, teacher give detention
legitimate power
referent power
l- through right to demand obediance eg police
r- through respect, celeb
expert and informational power
e- through superior abilities, classroom teacher
i- access to and use of info resources, specialist
groupthink
way of thinking characterized by a strong tendency to seek agreement
conditions for groupthink
- group is isolated from outside forces
-strong leader
symptoms of groupthink
- moral correctness- belief that the group will make the morally right decision
-illusion of unanimity- distorted belief that everyone is in agreement
-collective rationalisim- group spends more time justifying than reflecting on possible oversights
prevent groupthink
-make group aware of groupthink
-appoint leader who will be impartial
factors affecting obediance
-legitimacy of authority figure- perceived as being legitimate and having power
- group pressure- little or no group support for resisting authority figure
