psych visual perceptions

accomodation

the automatic adjustment of the shape of the lens to focus on an object from different distances

attention

the process of focusing on specific stimuli while ignoring/ excluding others within a sensory environment

binocular depth cue

requiring two eyes to operate

bottom up processing

the perceptual process starts with raw sensory info (bottom) and is sent up the brain for higher level mental processing

closure

perceptual tendency to mentally ‘close up’ a visual image, perceiving incomplete objects as complete

social factor: closure

influences from the external social environment in which we interact with others

perceptual set: context

the environment in which a perception is made

convergence

the brain detecting and interpreting depth or distance from changes in tension in the eye muscles, occurring when two eyes turn inwards to focus on objects that are close

depth cue

the principles that our brain is going to use (from experience) to determine an object’s distance in the visual field

depth perception

the ability to accurately estimate the distance of objects and therefore perceive the world in 3D

divided attention

the ability to distribute our attention so that two or more activities may be performed simultaneously (NOT SHIFTING)

figure ground

organising visual info by perceptually making visual stimulus a ‘figure’, standing out from its surroundings, the ‘ground’.

gestalt principle

ways in which we organise the features of a visual stimulus by grouping them to perceive a whole

height in the visual field

the location of objects in out field of vision. Objects closer to the horizon are perceived as more distant than objects located further from the horizon

interposition

occurs when one object partially blocks another, the partially blocked is further away than the obscuring one (and vice-versa)

linear perspective

apparent convergence of actual or imagined parallel lines as they recede into the distance

perceptual set: memory

interpreting what we see in a meaningful way. Memory is the process of storing and retrieving this perceived info as needed

monocular depth cue

requiring only one eye to operate

perceptual set: motivation

processes which activate and sustain purposeful, or goal directed behaviour

influenced by psychological, biological and social factors

perceptual set: past experience

everything learnt intentionally and unintentionally throughout our lives

perception

the process by which we interpret and give meaning to sensory info

perceptual set

a temporary readiness to perceive something in accordance with what we expect it to be

pictorial depth cue

used by artists to create a 3D perception of a 2D surface

proximity

the tendency to perceive parts of a visual image which are positioned close together as belonging in a group

relative size

tendency to visually perceive the object that produces the largest image on retina as being closer, the smallest image being further away

retinal disparity

very slight difference in the location of the images on the retinas which enables us to make judgements about the depth or distance of an object

selective attention

involves choosing and attending to a specific stimulus while at the same time excluding other stimulus

similarity

the tendency to perceive parts of a visual stimulus that have similar features as belonging in a group

sustained attention

maintenance of attention on a specific stimulus or task for a continuous period of time without distraction

texture gradient

the gradual reduction of the detail that occurs in an object or surface as it recedes in to the distance

top-down processing

the perceptual process starts ‘at the top’, with higher level processing and then works down to the details

agnosia

loss or impairment of the ability to recognise and identify objects, people and sounds using one more sense

visual agnosia

loss or impairment of the ability to recognise visual stimuli