Visual Perception and Attention Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms and definitions related to visual perception, cognitive readiness, and visual attention as discussed in Chapter 4.

Perception

The process by which the visual occipital cortex and other regions try to make sense of incoming sensory information that has been transferred into neural impulses.

Perceptual sets

A cognitive readiness to perceive a stimulus in a particular way, which can be either innate or experience driven.

Visual attention

The process of focusing on specific information coming in via sensory processes, which can influence what a person notices and what they miss.

Change blindness

Failing to notice a seemingly obvious change in a visual display, often due to being focused on a specific task like reading a map.

Inattentional blindness

Failing to see unexpected visual objects or events in the visual display because attention is focused elsewhere, leading the brain to filter out irrelevant stimuli.

Multitasking

A concept relating to divided attention that is characterized in the lecture as a bit of a myth, as focusing on the task at hand is generally more advantageous.