Visual Perception

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts related to visual perception.

Sensation

The initial process of detecting environmental stimuli through sensory organs.

Perception

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information to make it meaningful.

Photoreceptors

Specialized cells in the retina; includes rods (detect light/dark, movement) and cones (detect color and fine detail).

Occipital Lobe

Part of the brain located at the back; receives and processes visual signals.

Visual Constancies

Allow us to perceive objects as stable and unchanging, even when sensory input changes.

Shape Constancy

The perception that an object has a constant shape, even when viewed from different angles.

Size Constancy

The perception that objects are the same size, despite changes in distance.

Colour Constancy

The perception that objects have a constant color, even under different lighting conditions.

Depth Cues

Visual indicators that allow us to perceive the world in three dimensions and judge distance.

Gestalt Principles

Principles explaining how we organize visual information into meaningful wholes.

Figure-Ground

The organization of a visual scene into a main object (figure) and its background (ground).

Proximity

A Gestalt principle where objects that are close together are perceived as a group.

Closure

The tendency to fill in missing gaps to see complete shapes.

Continuity

The preference for smooth, continuous lines rather than sharp changes.

Relative Brightness

A depth cue where brighter objects are perceived as closer.

Texture Gradient

A depth cue that refers to the change in texture detail from near to far objects.

Superimposition

The depth cue that perceives one object as closer when it blocks another.

Height in the Visual Field

A depth cue indicating that higher objects appear further away than lower objects.