Gestalt Principles of Visual Perception

Figure-Ground

Primary object on a background

Proximity

Items close together are perceived as being together

Similarity

Similar items are perceived as being together

Closure

Incomplete items are viewed as whole or complete

Continuity

Items are viewed as smooth and continuous

Cornea

Clear dome - where you put a contact lens

Pupil

Dilates/constricts to regulate the amount of light into the eye

Iris

Colored portion of the eye, muscle that controls the pupil

Lens

Changes shape to focus image

Retina

Back of the eye, contains receptor cells - Rods & Cones

Rods

Responsible for peripheral vision, vision in the dark, non-color vision

Cones

Responsible for color vision, visual acuity, require more light

Trichromatic theory

3 different types of cones - Red, Blue, Green

Opponent Process

Paired groups of neurons - Black-White, Red-Green, Blue-Yellow

Color Blindness

Trichromatic vision, Dichromatic vision, Monochromatic vision

Visceral pain

Pain in organs

Somatic pain

Pain in muscles, joints, tendons

Subjective

Sensing pain related to attention, distraction

Gate-Control Theory of Pain

Release of Substance P, Release of Endorphins

Kinesthetic

Body movements, receptors in muscles, tendons, joints

Proprioception

Awareness of body parts and their position in space

Vestibular Sense

Balance, position, and movement relative to gravity's pull

Hearing

Sense organ for soundwaves

Pitch

High, medium, or low frequency of soundwaves

Amplitude

Volume of soundwaves

Outer Ear

Pinna, External auditory canal, tympanic membrane

Middle Ear

Ossicles - Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup

Inner Ear

Oval Window, Cochlea, Basilar Membrane, Organ of Corti

Vision

Eye, light waves, brightness, color, saturation

Sensation

Experience the environment through vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell

Perception

Interpretation of sensations

Signal Detection Theory

Ability to detect stimuli/sensations depends on context

Transduction

Conversion of sensory information to neural information

Absolute Threshold

Bare minimum of a sensation that can be detected 50% of the time

Difference Threshold

Bare minimum amount of change in a sensation that can be detected 50% of the time

Weber's Law

Percentage of change in sensation required to detect a difference

Top-Down

Perception guided by prior knowledge and expectations

Bottom-Up

Perception based on sensory input and building up to a perception

dichromatic vision

Missing one pair/group of receptor cells (Missing red--green)

Monochromatic Vision

Missing two pairs/groups of receptor cells (Missing blue&yellow--red&green)

Trichromatic Vision

can see all colors