Module 23 Visual Organization and Interpertation Flashcards
Gestalt
an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.
figure-ground
the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground). (p. 233)
grouping,
the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups.
Proximity
We group nearby figures together. We see not six separate lines, but three sets of two lines.
Continuity
We perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones. This pattern could be a series of alternating semicircles, but we perceive it as two continuous lines—one wavy, one straight.
Closure
We fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object. Thus we assume that the circles on the left are complete but partially blocked by the (illusory) triangle. Add nothing more than little line segments to close off the circles and your brain stops constructing a triangle.
depth perception.
Allows us to see three dimension objects
binocular cues
a depth cue, such as retinal disparity, that depends on the use of two eyes
Retina disparity
a binocular cue for perceiving depth. By comparing retinal images from the two eyes, the brain computes distance—the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object
Monocular cues
a depth cue, such as interposition or linear perspective, available to either eye alone.
Relative Motion
Objects that are actually stable may appear to move
Interposition
One object is partially blocked we perceive it as closer
Linear perspective
Parallel lines appear to converge to meet in the distance
Light and Shadow
Shade produces depth because we assume light comes from above
Perceptual Constancy
perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent color, brightness, shape, and size) even as illumination and retinal images change
