Gestalt Psychology and Perception

These flashcards cover key concepts associated with Gestalt Psychology and perception as discussed in the lecture.

Gestalt

An organized whole; our tendency to perceive things in their entirety.

Closure

A Gestalt principle that refers to our tendency to see incomplete visual images as whole.

Figure Ground

A Gestalt principle that describes our perceptual tendency to separate images into a foreground and a background.

Proximity

A Gestalt principle stating we perceive things that are closer together as more related than those further apart.

Similarity

A Gestalt principle where we tend to group similar objects together and treat them as a whole.

Monocular Depth Cues

Cues the brain uses to determine depth that require only one eye.

Binocular Depth Cues

Cues the brain uses to determine depth that require both eyes.

Relative Clarity

A monocular depth cue where clearer images are perceived as closer and blurry images as farther away.

Texture Gradient

A monocular principle stating that texture appears finer as it gets further away.

Relative Size

A monocular depth cue that assumes two similar objects will cast a smaller retinal image as the further one.

Linear Perspective

A monocular depth cue where parallel lines appear to converge as they recede into the distance.

Interposition

A monocular depth cue stating that if one object obstructs another, the obstructed object is perceived as further away.

Convergence

A binocular depth cue where the eyes physically move inward as an object approaches.

Retinal Disparity

A binocular depth cue where the brain computes the difference between the images received by each eye.

Relative Motion

A binocular depth cue where stationary objects that move past us more quickly are perceived as closer.

Phi Phenomenon

When a series of stationary images give the impression of movement.

Perceptual Constancy

The brain's ability to maintain a constant perception despite changes in sensory input.