Object Recognition and Perception Theories

What is the Template Matching Theory?

It suggests that our brains have a database of templates for object recognition, matching incoming information with stored templates.

What is a major advantage of the Template Matching Theory?

It is straightforward and resembles early recognition machines.

What is a major disadvantage of the Template Matching Theory?

It requires massive storage capacity and has immense redundancy for any given object.

What does the Feature Analysis Theory propose?

It suggests that we recognize objects based on several key features stored in our memory.

What is an advantage of the Feature Analysis Theory?

It is less complicated than template matching and aligns with neuroscience findings.

What is a disadvantage of the Feature Analysis Theory?

It is limited to letter recognition and fails with more complex objects.

What is the Recognition By Components (GEONS) theory?

It proposes a limited number of common shapes (geons) can be arranged to form objects.

How many geons can form over 10 million 2-geon objects?

24 geons.

What is the primary advantage of the Recognition By Components theory?

It explains how we can recognize many objects with few representations.

What is a disadvantage of the Recognition By Components theory?

It does not clearly specify how we recognize very complex objects.

What is Bottom-Up Processing?

A data-driven approach that constructs a perceptual representation based solely on raw inputs.

What is Top-Down Processing?

A conceptually-driven approach that constructs a perceptual representation based on raw inputs plus expectations.

What is Change Blindness?

The inability to detect changes in a scene or object.

What study is associated with Change Blindness?

The Door Study by Simons and Levin (1998).

What is Inattentional Blindness?

The inability to detect changes in a part of a stimulus due to attention being directed elsewhere.

What is the McGurk Effect?

A phenomenon where visual perception affects auditory perception, causing observers to hear different sounds based on lip movements.

What are the two types of stimuli in perception?

Distal Stimulus (out in the world) and Proximal Stimulus (on the retina).

What is the 'WHAT pathway' in the brain?

The pathway responsible for object identification.

What is the 'WHERE pathway' in the brain?

The pathway responsible for object location in space.

What is the 'HOW pathway' in the brain?

The pathway responsible for object location and grasping in space.

Who proposed the 'WHAT pathway'?

Leslie Ungerleider.

Who proposed the 'HOW pathway'?

Mel Goodale.

What is the significance of the Foveal Blind Spot?

It demonstrates how our brains fill in gaps in visual information.

What does the term 'perception' refer to in cognitive psychology?

The process of translating external stimuli into mental representations.