Depth Perception and Color Vision

These flashcards cover key concepts related to depth perception, color vision theories, and the distinction between top-down and bottom-up perception.

Relative size

Smaller objects appear farther away.

Height in field

Objects higher in the visual field appear farther away.

Shading & aerial perspective

Depth is perceived from light and scatter.

Texture gradient

Dense texture indicates distance.

Motion parallax

Closer objects move faster across the retina.

Convergence

Eye muscles signal depth for near objects.

Retinal disparity

Each eye receives slightly different images, which the brain fuses.

Horopter

The arc of zero disparity in binocular vision.

Random-dot stereograms

Visual displays that create depth perception from disparity alone.

Trichromatic Theory

Theory stating that there are three types of cones for color vision: red, green, and blue.

Opponent-Process Theory

Theory that describes color vision as existing in pairs: red-green, blue-yellow, black-white.

Color Constancy

The perception of colors remains constant despite changes in illumination.

Land’s Retinex theory

Theory suggesting context and ratios are more important than raw wavelength in color perception.

Bottom-Up Processing

Data-driven perception that starts with sensory input to the cortex.

Top-Down Processing

Perception shaped by expectations and prior knowledge.

Change blindness

Failure to notice significant changes when attention is diverted.

Moon illusion

The moon appears larger on the horizon due to contextual cues.