Psychology Notes: Sensory Perception and Cognition

A complete set of practice flashcards in question-and-answer format based on psychology notes covering attention, sensory processing, depth perception, Gestalt principles, visual illusions, neurological disorders, synaesthesia, and taste perception.

What is sustained attention?

Sustained attention is the maintenance of attention on a specific stimulus or task for a continuous period of time without being distracted.

What is divided attention?

Divided attention is the ability to distribute attention so two or more activities can be performed simultaneously.

What is selective attention?

Selective attention is choosing and attending to a specific stimulus whilst at the same time excluding other stimuli.

How is attention defined and why is it important?

Attention is the process of focusing on specific stimuli or aspects of the sensory environment whilst ignoring and excluding others. It is important because it allows the brain to organize and interpret relevant stimuli, transforming raw data sensation into meaningful perception.

What is sensation?

Sensation is the biological process of detecting raw sensory stimulus and converting it into neural impulses through receptor cells.

What is perception?

Perception is the process by which meaning is given to incoming sensory information.

What is top-down processing?

Top-down processing is an information processing system where perception is driven by prior knowledge, memories, and expectations to interpret new sensory data.

What is bottom-up processing?

Bottom-up processing is an information processing system where perception is driven by incoming raw sensory data from the environment, building up piece by piece in the brain without the help of prior knowledge.

What is a perceptual set?

A perceptual set is a mental bias or 'readiness' to see, hear, or taste something in a specific way because of what you already expect, acting as a brain shortcut.

How does context affect visual perception?

Context is the setting, situation, or environment where you see something. It gives your brain the clues it needs to guess what an ambiguous object is based on what is around it.

What are depth cues?

Depth cues are sources of info from our body (internal cue) or environment (external cue) that aid perception of how far away objects are.

What are binocular depth cues, and what two examples are described?

Binocular depth cues require the use of both eyes working together to provide info about depth and distance. Examples include convergence (inward turning of eyes to focus on nearby objects) and retinal disparity (the very slight difference in the location of images on the retinas).

What are monocular depth cues and accommodation?

Monocular depth cues require the use of one eye. Accommodation is the automatic adjustment of the shape of the lens to focus on an object in response to how far it is.

What is linear perspective?

Linear perspective is the apparent convergence of actual or imagined parallel lines as they recede into the distance.

What is texture gradient?

Texture gradient is the gradual reduction in detail of an object or surface as it recedes into the distance.

What is relative size as a visual depth cue?

Relative size is the tendency to visually perceive the object that produces the largest image on the retina as the closest.

How does height in the visual field affect perception of distance?

Objects closer to the horizon are perceived as more distant than those further from the horizon.

What are Gestalt principles?

Gestalt principles are the way in which we organise the features of a visual stimulus by grouping them to perceive a whole, complete form.

What is closure in Gestalt psychology?

Closure is the perceptual tendency to mentally close up, fill in, or ignore gaps and to perceive incomplete objects as whole.

What is figure-ground organization?

Figure-ground is isolating a figure which stands out from the ground.

What are similarity and proximity in Gestalt principles?

Similarity is perceiving similar parts of a visual stimulus as a whole. Proximity is perceiving closely positioned parts of a visual image as belonging together in a group.

Which psychological and social factors influence perceptual set?

Psychological factors include context, motivation, memory, and past experience. Social factors include culture.

What is a visual illusion?

A visual illusion is a misperception of external visual stimuli that occurs as a result of distortion or mistake when interpreting the stimuli.

What occurs in the Ames Room Illusion?

In the Ames Room Illusion, people appear smaller or larger in a trapezium-shaped room which appears rectangular when viewing through a peephole with one eye.

What is agnosia and visual agnosia?

Agnosia is the loss or impairment of the ability to recognise and identify objects, persons, sounds, or other sensory stimuli using one or more senses due to brain injury. Visual agnosia is the loss of ability to recognise visual stimuli.

What types of visual agnosia are listed in the notes?

Types of visual agnosia include apperceptive, associative visual, prosopagnosia, simultanagnosia, topographical agnosia, colour agnosia, and agnosic alexia.

What is spatial neglect?

Spatial neglect (also called visual neglect) is a neurological disorder whereby individuals are unable to notice anything on their left or right side even though there may be no sensory loss.

What is synaesthesia?

Synaesthesia is a perceptual experience in which stimulation of one sense involuntarily produces additional sensations in another.

What types and examples of synaesthesia are stated in the notes?

Types include mirror-touch, auditory-tactile, word-gustatory, pain, chromesthesia, chromatic audition, and time-space. An example is believing different subjects are synonymous with different colours.

What is a supertaster?

A supertaster is a person who is more sensitive to certain tastes than most others; taste is experienced with far greater intensity, especially bitter.

What is Miraculin?

Miraculin is a protein found in the fleshy part of a miracle berry that has a taste changing effect.

What is flavour, and what factors influence our perceptual set of food or drinks?

Flavour is a perceptual experience produced by a combination of taste and other sensations, especially smell. Colour intensity and texture can influence our perceptual set of food or drinks.