chapter2exp

Sensation

info from the outside world to the brain

Distal stimulus

the actual object or event in the environment

Proximal stimulus

the pattern of sensory receptor activation caused by a distal stimulus Visual Processing

Primary Visual Cortex

first visual processor, located in occipital lobe, communicates info to other brain regions

Sensory Memory

large-capacity, temporary storage of incoming sensory info before further processing

Visual Sensory Memory

brief storage of visual info until relevance determined

Auditory Sensory Memory

brief storage of auditory info (about 4 seconds), allows note-taking while listening

Figure-Ground Relationship

Gestalt Principles

perceptual organization based on rules like proximity, similarity, continuity, closure Illusory

Contour

perceived edges or shapes that aren’t physically present, brain fills in missing info

Bottom-Up Processing

processing based on characteristics of the stimulus itself

Top-Down Processing

processing based on concepts, expectations, memory, and context

Word Superiority Effect

context facilitates recognition of letters/words in sentences Change Blindness

Inattentional Blindness

failure to notice an unexpected but visible object

Top-Down Error

Top-down processing can cause errors like change blindness or inattentional blindness

Individual Differences

Cultural and personal experiences influence top-down processing interpretations

Template Theory

object recognition by matching stimulus to stored patterns (not strongly supported)

Feature-Analysis Theory

object recognition by identifying distinctive features Recognition-by-Components Theory

Viewer-Centered Approach

stores multiple views of an object rather than a single viewpoint

Special Stimuli

Faces are treated differently and recognized holistically

Holistic Face Recognition

processing a face as a whole rather than individual features Fusiform Gyrus

Prosopagnosia

neurological condition with inability to recognize faces

Preferred Face Patterns

Newborns show preference for face-like stimuli (Johnson & Bolhuis, 2000)

Accuracy in Faces

Recognition accuracy improves when facial features are in context (Richler et al., 2011)

Auditory Perception

processing sensory info as sound vibrations

Speech Perception

determining if vibration patterns are perceived as speech, mapping to stored words, separating speaker from background

Word Boundaries

identifying where one word ends and another begins in continuous speech

Pronunciation Variability

different speakers pronounce words differently, yet recognition remains accurate

Use of Context

Top-down processing helps interpret ambiguous speech sounds

Use of Visual Cues

lip movements and gestures assist speech perception

Special Mechanism Approach

speech perception relies on a specialized, innate mechanism

General Mechanism Approach

speech perception relies on general auditory processing skills

Distal vs Proximal Stimulus

Distinction Brain converts distal stimuli into internal representations via receptors

Perceptual Refresh Rate

visual system updates information constantly; eyes refresh roughly every 500ms

Context Effects

Context influences perception, e.g., seeing letters faster in words or sentences

Foreground vs Background Brain

Focus Attention selects figure while blurring other elements to background

Negative Space Perception

brain can perceive alternative objects/shapes in background (e.g., two faces looking at each other)

Ecological Validity

Top-down errors reflect rational strategies that work most of the time in real-world environments

Holistic vs Feature-Based Face Recognition

Faces recognized as a whole; objects often recognized feature-by-feature Illusions and Brain Filling-In brain creates perception beyond sensory input, e.g., completing triangles or rings with missing lines

Perception

Is Interpretation what we perceive is constructed by the brain, not a literal copy of the environment