Module 19

binocular cues

depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes. (p. 184)

color constancy

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object. (p. 187)

depth perception

the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance. (p. 184)

figure-ground

the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground). (p. 183)

gestalt

an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes. (p. 182)

grouping

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups. (p. 183)

monocular cues

depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone. (p. 185)

perceptual adaptation

in vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field. (p. 191)

perceptual constancy

perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, brightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change. (p. 186)

phi phenomenon

an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession. (p. 185)

retinal disparity

a binocular cue for perceiving depth: By comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance--the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object. (p. 184)

visual cliff

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals. (p. 184)