Understanding Perceptual Interpretation and Attention

Selective Attention

Selective Attention

Focusing on one stimulus while ignoring others.

Cocktail Party Effect

Ability to focus on one conversation in noise.

Selective Inattention

Failing to notice obvious stimuli in focus.

Inattentional Blindness

Missing obvious events due to focused attention.

Change Blindness

Not noticing changes in visual environment.

Subliminal Stimulation

Stimuli below threshold, not consciously perceived.

Perceptual Organization

Brain's process of organizing stimuli into patterns.

Visual Capture

Vision dominates other senses in perception.

Gestalt Principles

Whole perception exceeds the sum of parts.

Figure-Ground

Separating objects from their background.

Proximity

Grouping objects that are physically close.

Similarity

Grouping objects based on shared characteristics.

Continuity

Perceiving smooth, continuous patterns.

Connectedness

Linked objects perceived as a single unit.

Enclosure

Elements within a border seen as a group.

Closure

Filling in gaps to perceive complete objects.

Symmetry

Perceiving symmetrical arrangements around a center.

Perceptual Set

Mental predisposition influencing sensory interpretation.

Depth Perception

Ability to perceive three-dimensional space.

Visual Cliff

Experiment testing depth perception in infants.

Binocular Cues

Depth perception requiring both eyes.

Retinal Disparity

Difference in images from each eye for depth.

Convergence

Eyes turning inward to focus on close objects.

Perceptual Constancy

Perceiving objects as stable despite sensory changes.

Size Constancy

Perceiving constant size despite distance changes.

Size-Distance Relationship

Understanding size perception changes with distance.

Lightness Constancy

Perceiving constant lightness under varying lighting.

Color Constancy

Consistent color perception despite lighting changes.

Nature vs. Nurture

Debate on innate vs. learned perception.

Immanuel Kant

Believed perception aspects are innate.

John Locke

Argued experiences shape perception interpretation.

Sensory Deprivation

Lack of sensory input affects perceptual development.