perception

What is sensation?

Information we receive through our senses before any processing occurs. Raw sensory input from our environment.

What is perception?

How we interpret and make sense of sensory information received through our senses.

What is transduction?

The process of converting environmental information into electrical signals that can be processed by the brain.

What are the 4 monocular depth cues?

1. Height in plane 2. Relative size 3. Occlusion 4. Linear perspective.

What is height in plane?

Objects that are further away appear to be positioned higher up in our field of vision.

What is relative size?

Objects that are closer appear larger than similar objects that are further away.

What is occlusion?

When one object overlaps or partially covers another object, we perceive the overlapping object as being closer.

What is linear perspective?

Straight lines appearing to converge at a single point on the horizon, helping us understand distance.

What are the two binocular depth cues?

1. Retinal disparity 2. Convergence.

What is retinal disparity?

The slight difference between the images received by each eye, which helps us judge distance.

What is convergence?

How our eye muscles focus differently on close vs distant objects, which our brain uses to judge distance.

What is Gibson's Direct Theory of Perception?

The theory that we perceive the world directly from sensory information without need for interpretation or past experience.

What is motion parallax?

The way our visual field changes with movement - closer objects appear to move faster than distant ones.

What are affordances in Gibson's theory?

The possibilities for action that objects offer us (e.g., a tree stump affords sitting, standing, or using as a table).

What are the 4 explanations for visual illusions?

1. Misinterpreted depth cues 2. Ambiguity 3. Fiction 4. Size constancy.

What is the Ponzo illusion?

An illusion where two identical lines appear different lengths due to converging lines creating false perspective.

What is the Muller-Lyer illusion?

An illusion where lines appear different lengths depending on whether arrows at their ends point inward or outward.

What is Rubin's vase?

An ambiguous image that can be perceived as either a vase or two faces in profile.

What is the Kanizsa triangle?

An illusion where we perceive a triangle that isn't actually there (fiction).

What is the Ames room?

A specially constructed room that creates an illusion of people appearing drastically different sizes due to distorted perspective.

What is Gregory's Constructivist Theory of Perception?

The theory that perception relies heavily on past knowledge and experience to make sense of sensory information.

What are perceptual hypotheses?

Educated guesses about what we are seeing based on past experience and knowledge.

What are the 4 factors that affect perceptual set?

1. Culture 2. Motivation 3. Emotion 4. Expectation.

What was the main finding of the Gilchrist and Nesberg study (1952)?

Hungry participants perceived food-related images as brighter, showing how motivation affects perception.

What was the main finding of the Bruner and Minturn study (1955)?

Participants interpreted an ambiguous figure (13/B) based on their expectations - seeing numbers when expecting numbers and letters when expecting letters.

What is a strength of Gibson's theory?

It is supported by research showing some perceptual abilities (like depth perception) appear to be innate.

What is a criticism of Gibson's theory?

It cannot fully explain visual illusions, which suggest perception isn't always direct.

What is a strength of Gregory's theory?

It can explain how past experience influences perception and why visual illusions occur.

What is a limitation of the Gilchrist and Nesberg study?

Small sample size of only university students limits generalizability.