Ch 4 Perceptual Processes

A set of vocabulary flashcards focusing on key concepts in the study of perceptual processes, visual systems, and Gestalt principles.

Reversible Figures

A drawing that is compatible with two interpretations that can shift back and forth.

Perceptual Set

A readiness to perceive a stimulus in a particular way.

Inattentional Blindness

Failure to see unexpected objects in a visual display.

Bottom-up Processing

Assembling specific elements into a more complex form.

Top-down Processing

Progression from the whole to individual elements in perception.

Gestalt Principles

The idea that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

Closure

Viewers tend to supply missing elements to close or complete a familiar figure.

Proximity

Elements that are close to one another tend to be grouped together.

Similarity

Elements that are similar tend to be grouped together.

Simplicity

Viewers tend to organize elements in the simplest way possible.

Distal Stimuli

External stimuli outside the body.

Proximal Stimuli

Sensory information that impinges on sensory receptors.

Perceptual Hypothesis

An inference about which distal stimulus could be responsible for proximal stimuli sensed.

Binocular Cues

Cues about distance from both eyes.

Retinal Disparity

The difference in images between the two eyes.

Convergence

The inward angle of the eyes when focusing on a close object.

Monocular Cues

Cues about distance from a single eye.

Pictorial Depth Cues

Visual cues that create an impression of depth in a flat image.

Perceptual Constancies

The experience of stable perceptions amid constantly changing stimuli.

Optical Illusions

Discrepancies between visual appearance and physical reality.