Perceptual Constancies - My notes

Constancy

  • Definition: Perceiving stability despite changing conditions.

Contrast

  • Definition: Perceiving objects relative to their surroundings/environments.

Color Constancy

  • Definition: Perceiving stability in color under changing conditions.

Color Assimilation

  • Definition: Colors adopt the appearance of their surroundings. - Specific phenomena under Color Assimilation:

    • Colors will spread in particular ways, leading them to look similar to each other.

    • The region's color is
      as an alternative to "pulled" toward blending without the surrounding or “inducing” color.

    • This is the opposite effect of color contrast, where the perceived color shifts away from the surrounding color.

    • Bezold Effect:

    • A specific instance of color assimilation seen with interspersed (stripes) color.

    • Confetti Illusion:

    • Another specific instance of color assimilation seen with multiple interspersed colors.

Color Contrast

  • Definition: Color regions are perceived as “separate wholes,” with shifts away from surrounding color.

Size Constancy

  • Definition: The perception that an object remains the same size regardless of the amount of space it occupies on the retina. - The perception can change based on proximity (i.e., how close or far the observer is).

Waking Consciousness

  • Definition: The subjective awareness of internal and external states, which changes from moment to moment and varies from person to person. - Characteristics:

    • The ability to direct attention.

    • Awareness of both internal and external states, as well as thoughts on these states and the self as a whole individual.

Measuring Conscious States

  • Nature of Conscious States: - Subjective

    • Private

    • Dynamic

    • Related to self

  • Challenges: - Self-reports are subjective and hard to verify.

    • Physiological and behavioral measures are indirect.

Sophisticated Ways to Measure Consciousness

  • Concept: Consciousness exists on a continuum of various cognitive, behavioral, and physiological states within an individual.

  • Important Factors: - Presence or absence of vividness of contents.

    • Level of consciousness relates to vigilance, wakefulness, or arousal.

    • Contents of consciousness can be modulated by various physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral states.

Controlled vs. Automatic Attentional Processing

  • Controlled Processing: - Voluntarily directing attention to something; this process is effortful.

  • Automatic Processing: - Requires much less effort; for example, a person can talk on the phone while driving once they are comfortable with the activity.

Divided Attention

  • Definition: The capacity to attend to more than one activity at a time.

  • Method: Utilizes automatic processing.