Attention and Perception

Question 1

What is sensation?

Answer 1

Stimulus detection system by which our sense organs respond to + translate environmental stimuli into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain

Question 2

What is perception?

Answer 2

Active process of organising the stimulus output + giving it meaning

Question 3

Explain the difference between top-down and bottom-up processing.

Answer 3

Bottom-up: recognising + processing info. from individual components of a stimulus to make a unified perception
Top-down: prior knowledge, expectations or thoughts act on this info. to influence our final perceptual state

Question 4

What are perceptual schemas?

Answer 4

A component of top-down processing: schemas provide mental templates allowing us to identify + classify sensory input, as each of our perceptions is essentially a hypothesis about the meaning of the sensory info.

Question 5

What is assimilation?

Answer 5

Incorporating new experiences into existing schema

Question 6

What is accommodation?

Answer 6

The difference made by the process of assimilation

Question 7

Describe Humphrey and Riddoch’s hierarchical model of object recognition.

Answer 7

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

Question 8

What are the factors affecting perception of physical symptoms?

Answer 8

Attention  
Past experiences
Current drive/ Arousal state 
Environmental cues  
Individual values + expectations
Emotion
Cultural background

Question 9

What are the two different types of attention and how are they different?

Answer 9

Focused attention: ability to respond discretely to specific visual, auditory + tactile stimuli
Divided attention: highest level of attention, ability to respond simultaneously to multiple tasks

Question 10

What are figure ground relations?

Answer 10

Our tendency to organise stimuli into foreground + background

Question 11

What is the Gestalt law of continuity?

Answer 11

When the eye is compelled to move through 1 object + continue to another object

Question 12

What is the Gestalt law of similarity?

Answer 12

Similar things are perceived as being grouped together

Question 13

What is the Gestalt law of proximity?

Answer 13

Objects near each other are grouped together

Question 14

What is the Gestalt law of closure?

Answer 14

Things are grouped together if they seem to complete some entity

Question 15

What is apperceptive agnosia?

Answer 15

Failure to integrate perceptual elements of the stimulus

Individual elements perceived normally but can’t organise into a whole

Question 16

What is associative agnosia?

Answer 16

Failure of retrieval of semantic info.

Shape, colour, texture perceived normally

Question 17

What 2 processes are required for attention?

Answer 17

Focus on a certain aspect

Filter out other information

Question 18

What 5 stimulus factors influence attention?

Answer 18

Intensity
Novelty
Movement
Contrast
Repitition

Question 19

What 5 personal factors influence attention?

Answer 19

Motives
Interests
Threats
Mood
Arousal

Question 20

Describe the cocktail party effect

Answer 20

Can focus attention on 1 persons voice in spite of all other conversations
But attention caught if we overhear our name in another conversation

Question 21

At what point is pain considered to be chronic?

Answer 21

> 3 months

Question 22

How does the gate theory explain chronic pain?

Answer 22

Pain signals compete to get through a ‘gate’
‘Gate’ can be opened or closed by psychological + physical factors
In chronic pain, gate remains open, allowing pain to still be perceived despite sensory parts no longer being damaged

Question 23

Describe the fear-avoidance model seen in chronic pain

Answer 23

Long term experience of pain may cause patient to avoid stimulus that may provoke the pain
This impacts their day to day behaviour
Both elements impact their mood, thoughts + stress, which further exacerbate the pain + avoidant behaviour