Unit 2.1 - Perception

Bottom-up processing

Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information (sensation first)

Top-down processing

Information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experiences and expectations (experience first)

Expectations

Through experience, we come to expect certain results. Those expectations may give us a perceptual set

Perceptual set

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

Context

External factors can impact how we perceive information

Motivation

Like research bias, we can see what we want to see

Emotion

Our feelings at the time can alter what we experience

Gestalt

A German word meaning a “form” or a “whole”

Proximity

Group objects that are close together as being part of the same group

Similarity

Objects similar in appearance are perceived as being part of the same group

Continuity

Objects that form a continuous shape are perceived as the same group

Connectedness

Elements tend to be grouped together if they are connected by other elements and viewed as a single unit

Closure

Like top-down processing, we fill gaps in if we can recognize it

Figure-ground

The organization of the visual field into object (figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the background)

Selective awareness

Focusing our conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Cocktail-party effect

Refers to the ability to focus one’s attention on a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli

Inattentional blindness

Failing to see visible objects when your attention is focused elsewhere

Change blindness

Failing to notice changed in the environment

Depth Perception

Our ability to estimate an object’s distance from us

Monocular cue

A depth cue that is available to either eye

Types of monocular cue

Linear Perspective, Interposition, Relative Size, Relative Height, Relative Clarity, Light/Shadow

Binocular cue

A depth cue that depends on the use of two eyes

Retinal disparity

A binocular cue for perceiving depth by comparing the retinal images from each eye and computing the distance between two images — the greater the difference between each image, the closer the object is

Perceptual constancy

The ability to perceive objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal image change

Object maintain the same-

Color, Shape, Size, and Brightness

Perceptual adaptation

In the event your perception is altered for any reason, your brain will work to overcome this shift using previous memories so you can continue to function normally

Stroboscopic Effect

A rapid series of slightly varying images perceived as moving images

Phi Phenomenon

Illusion of movement created when two or more lights next to each other blink on and off

Autokinetic Effect

Perceptual phenomenon where a stationary point of light appears to move in a dark environment due to small eye movements