perception

# GCSE Psychology - Perception Flashcards

## Basic Concepts

Q: What is sensation?

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

Q: What is perception?

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

Q: What is transduction?

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

## Depth Cues

Q: What are the 4 monocular depth cues?

A: 1. Height in plane

2. Relative size

3. Occlusion

4. Linear perspective

Q: What is height in plane?

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

Q: What is relative size?

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

Q: What is occlusion?

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

Q: What is linear perspective?

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

Q: What are the two binocular depth cues?

A: 1. Retinal disparity

2. Convergence

Q: What is retinal disparity?

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

Q: What is convergence?

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

## Gibson's Direct Theory

Q: What is Gibson's Direct Theory of Perception?

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

Q: What is motion parallax?

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

Q: What are affordances in Gibson's theory?

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

## Visual Illusions

Q: What are the 4 explanations for visual illusions?

A: 1. Misinterpreted depth cues

2. Ambiguity

3. Fiction

4. Size constancy

Q: What is the Ponzo illusion?

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

Q: What is the Muller-Lyer illusion?

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

Q: What is Rubin's vase?

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

Q: What is the Kanizsa triangle?

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

Q: What is the Ames room?

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

## Gregory's Theory

Q: What is Gregory's Constructivist Theory of Perception?

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

Q: What are perceptual hypotheses?

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

## Factors Affecting Perception

Q: What are the 4 factors that affect perceptual set?

A: 1. Culture

2. Motivation

3. Emotion

4. Expectation

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

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

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

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

## Evaluation Points

Q: What is a strength of Gibson's theory?

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

Q: What is a criticism of Gibson's theory?

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

Q: What is a strength of Gregory's theory?

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

Q: What is a limitation of the Gilchrist and Nesberg study?

A: Small sample size of only university students limits generalizability.