Visual perception

Question 1

How is visual perception influenced?

Answer 1

By biological, psychological and social factors

Question 2

How does visual perception occur?

Answer 2

Through the interaction of numerous factors, many of which automatically influence and assist the interpretation of what we are looking at

Numerous factors interact, assisting and influencing how we interpret.

an image

Question 3

What is reception?

Answer 3

When receptors in the eye detect and respond to light

Question 4

What is transduction?

Answer 4

When light is converted from electromagnetic energy in the form of action potentials

neural impulses.

Question 5

What are the two main depth cues?

Answer 5

Binocuar and monocular depth cues

Question 6

What are binoclar depth cues?

Answer 6

The use of both eyes to provide information about depth and distance

Especially important for objects that are close.

Question 7

What are monocular depth cues?

Answer 7

Only require one eye to distinguish depth,
- Linear perspective, interposition, texture gradient, relative size, height in visual field

Question 8

What are the two cues for binocular depth cues?

Answer 8

Retinal disparity and convergence.

Question 9

Binocular depth

What is retinal disparity?

Answer 9

Difference or ‘disparity’ between different retinal images received by either eye.
- closer object is, greater disparity.
- when perceiving object, use combination of images
- brain takes note of differing images and creates combined, cohesive image

Question 10

Binocular depth

What is convergence?

Answer 10

When the brain detects depth and distance from the change in tension to eye muscles that occurs when eyes turn inwards

Question 11

Monocular depth:

What is accomodation?

Answer 11

Involves automatic adjustment of the shape of lens to focus on an object in response to how far away it is.

How shape of lens adjusts to focus on how far away an object is

Question 12

What happens to the lenses of the eyes for accomodation?

Answer 12

Lens bulges to focus on light from a nearby object, and elongates (flattens) to focus on light for a further away object.

Question 13

What are pictoral depth cues?

Answer 13

Linear perspective, interposition, texture gradient, relative size, height in visual field

Question 14

What is linear perspective?

Answer 14

convergence of paralell lines as they recede into distance

paralell lines look like they get closer, the further away they are.

e.g train tracks

Question 15

What is interposition?

Answer 15

Occurs when one object partially covers, overlaps or blocks another object, and therefore the one behind is further away

e.g if apple overlaps orange, apple looks like it is infront

Question 16

What is texture gradient?

Answer 16

Reduction of detail in a surface as it recedes into distance

Further away something is, less detail it has.

Question 17

What is relative size

Answer 17

Tendency to visually perceive object that produces larger image on retina as being closer

if something is bigger, it is closer.

Question 18

Height in visual field

Answer 18

Refers to location of object in fov, where objects closer to horizon are further away

close to horizon, far away. Far from horizon, closer.

Question 19

What do the Gestalt principles of vision refer to?

Define

Answer 19

Refers to the way we organise features of an image by grouping them to perceive them as a whole

Question 20

What are the four Gestalt principles?

Answer 20

• Figure-ground
• Proximity
• Closure
• Similarity

Question 21

Gestalt principles:

What is figure-ground?

Answer 21

Ability to recognise objects (figures) by distinguishing them from the background (ground)

Question 22

Gestalt principles: Figure-ground

What does figure-ground involve?

Answer 22

Automatically focusing on some objects at the exclusion of others
- what we focus on - figure
- everythig else fades into background

Perceptions are in the eyes of the beholder.

Question 23

Gestalt principles:

What is proximity?

Answer 23

Parts of an image that are near one another tend to be grouped together.

Closer objects are together, more likely to be perceived as a unit.

Question 24

Gestalt principles:

What is closure?

Answer 24

Tendency to fill gaps in a figure

Allow us to mentally fill gaps of an image.

Question 25

Gestalt principles:

What is similarity?

Answer 25

Parts of an image that look alike tend to be grouped together.

Question 26

What is a perceptual set?

Answer 26

Readiness (predisposition) to percieve something how we expect it to be.

Question 27

How does perceptual set affect how something is interpreted?

Answer 27

Expectations of what object or event will be make us more likely to interpret object or event in a predetermined way.

Question 28

Perceptual set:

What are the 5 factors influencing perceptual set?

Answer 28

• Context
• Motivation
• Past experience
• Memory
• Culture

Question 29

Perceptual set:

What is context?

Answer 29

Refers to setting or environment to which perception is made

Question 30

Perceptual set:

How does context effect perceptual set?

Answer 30

Context has ‘focusing’ role, assists in making quick and accurate interpretation of what you look at.

e.g light in sky may be perceived as different things depending on setting. In battle, could be a flare; at NYE, a firework.

Question 31

Perceptual set:

What is motivation?

Answer 31

Refers to internal processes which activate behaviour we use to achieve a goal.

Question 32

Perceptual set: Motivation

How does motivation influence perceptual set?

Answer 32

Motives influenced by biopsychosocial factors. Visual perception is influenced by motives when we see what we WANT to see, rather than what is actually there.

Question 33

Perceptual set:

What are past experiences?

Answer 33

Personal experiences throughout our lives.
- everything learnt both intentionally and unintentionally.

Question 34

Perceptual set: Past experience

How does past experience influence perceptual set?

Answer 34

Unique combination of past experiences can lead to individual differences in perception.

Question 35

Perceptual set:

What is memory?

Answer 35

Knowledge and past experiences stored in long-term memory, and can remain relatively intact for lifetime.
- things stored in long-term memory, used to identify, interpret and understand meaning of new visual information.

Question 36

Perceptual set: Memory

How does memory influence perceptual set?

example

Answer 36

When seeing something using top-down processing, sensory information compared with pre-existing information. When match found, enables us to recognise what we at looking at.

If memory of something is negative, can cause us to perceive something negatively.

Question 37

Perceptual set:

What is culture?

Answer 37

Way of life of a particular community or group that sets it apart from other communities or groups.

customs beliefs, traditions, values, etc.

Question 38

Gestalt principles:

Who do gestalt principles affect?

Answer 38

Psychologists argue gestalt principles only relevant to people who have studied geometrical concepts in formal education system

Contemporary psychologists suggest experience with two-dimensional drawings on sheet of paper may also be factor that explains results.