Module 2.1 – Sensation and Perception

Q: What is change blindness?

Failure to notice changes in the environment due to inattention.

Q: What is apparent movement?

The perception of movement when objects aren't actually moving.

Q: What are visual perceptual constancies?

Perceptions of objects stay the same even when the visual image changes.

Q: What do monocular depth cues help with?

They create the illusion of depth on flat surfaces using one eye.

Q: What is the cocktail party effect?

The ability to focus on important info (like your name) in a noisy setting.

Q: What are binocular depth cues?

Depth perception from both eyes using retinal disparity and convergence.

Q: What is retinal disparity?

The difference between each eye’s image used to perceive depth.

Q: What is convergence?

The brain merging images from both eyes to perceive depth.

Q: What is Gestalt psychology known for?

Explaining how we organize perception using principles like closure and proximity.

Q: What are examples of Gestalt principles?

Closure, figure and ground, proximity, and similarity.

Q: What is bottom-up processing?

Perception starting from sensory input.

Q: What is top-down processing?

Perception shaped by expectations and prior knowledge.

Q: What are schemas and perceptual sets?

Mental frameworks that filter how we perceive the world.

Q: What influences attention?

Both internal and external processes.

Q: How do context and culture affect perception

They act as external filters shaping how we interpret sensory input.