Sensation, Perception, and Visual Illusions Notes

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to perception and sensation in psychology, providing definitions to enhance understanding of the concepts.

Sensation

The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment.

Perception

The process by which the brain organizes and interprets sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.

Perceptual Constancy

The ability to perceive objects as unchanging despite changes in sensory input, such as light and perspective.

Monocular Depth Cues

Visual cues that can be perceived with one eye, such as relative size and linear perspective, which help in judging distance.

Binocular Depth Cues

Visual cues that require both eyes, such as retinal disparity and convergence, to perceive depth accurately.

Illusion

A perceived image or event that does not match reality; can be caused by several factors affecting perception.

Top-down Processing

Perception that is driven by cognition; your brain applies what it knows to interpret sensory information.

Bottom-up Processing

Perception that starts with an incoming stimulus and builds upward until a representation of the object is formed in our minds.

Visual Cliff

A depth perception experiment that shows infants' ability to perceive depth; used by Gibson.

Perceptual Set

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another, influencing perception based on expectations and experiences.

Color Constancy

The tendency for a color to look the same under varying lighting conditions.

Size Constancy

The perception that an object remains the same size despite changes in distance.

Shape Constancy

The perception that an object maintains the same shape, even when viewed from different angles.

Retinal Disparity

The difference in images between the two eyes that helps to gauge depth perception.

Convergence

The inward angle of the eyes focusing on a near object, providing a cue for depth perception.

Ambiguity (in perception)

A phenomenon where a single stimulus can produce multiple interpretations.

Fiction (in perception)

The perception of an object that is not present in reality, such as in visual tricks.

Gestalt Psychology

A psychological approach that emphasizes holistic processing and how individuals perceive patterns and objects.

Cultural Influence on Perception

The impact that cultural background has on the way one perceives and interprets sensory information.