Attention and Perception Flashcards
What is sensation?
The stimulus detection process by which our sense organs respond to and translate environmental stimuli into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain
What is perception?
The active process of organising the stimulus output and giving it meaning
Explain the difference between top-down and bottom-up processing.
Bottom-up processing = a process that consists of recognising and processing information from individual components of a stimulus and constructing a perception of the whole
Top-down processing = prior knowledge, expectations or thoughts act on this information to influence our final perceptual state
What are perceptual schemas?
A component of top-down processing – schemas provide mental templates that allow us to identify and classify sensory input, as each of our perceptions is essentially a hypothesis about the meaning of the sensory information
What is assimilation?
Incorporating new experiences into existing schema
What is accommodation?
The difference made by the process of assimilation
Describe Humphrey and Riddoch’s hierarchical model of object recognition.
Visual perceptual analysis (knowing it is something)
Viewer centred representation (knowing it’s a meaningful object)
Visual object recognition (describing what the object is)
Semantic system (purpose of object)
Naming the object
What is a critical period in perception development?
An important stage in the lifespan where one acquires a particular developmental skill, which is indispensable in their life span and can influence later development
What are the factors affecting perception of physical symptoms?
Attention
Environmental cues
Expectation
Emotion
What are the two different types of attention and how are they different?
Focused attention – ability to respond discretely to specific visual, auditory and tactile stimuli
Divided attention – highest level of attention – refers to the ability to respond simultaneously to multiple tasks or multiple task demands
