Perception Flashcards
(20 cards)
Perception
Define perception.
AO1
sensation and perception
The organisation and interpretation of sensory information; a combination of information received by a sense receptor, and the brain’s interpreation of what it means.
Perception
Define sensation.
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sensation and perception
Stimulus detected in the environment and processed by sense receptors.
Perception
What is the difference between perception and sensation?
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sensation and perception
Sensation is what we experience through our senses; physical changes in the environement detected by our receptors, whereas perception is how the brain organises and interprets those sensations.
Perception
Define visual cues.
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visual cues and constancies
Features of our environment that give us information about movement, distance, and where things are in realtion to one another.
e.g. depth cues
Perception
What is the difference between monocular depth cues and binocular depth cues?
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sensation and perception
Monocular depth cues allow judgement of depth and distance using just one eye, whereas binocular uses both.
Perception
Explain what is meant by height in plane.
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monocular depth cues
Objects that are higher up in the visual field appear to be further away.
Perception
Explain what is meant by relative size.
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monocular depth cues
When objects appear smaller in the visual field than known objects of a similar size, they are perceived as being further away.
Perception
Explain what is meant by occlusion.
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monocular depth cues
Objects that are behind or obscured by other objects are perceived as being further away.
Perception
Explain what is meant by linear perspective.
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monocular depth cues
Lines that are parallel, like on a road or railway track, appear to get closer together and come to a point in the distance, which shows that point is further away.
Perception
Name two examples of binocular depth cues.
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binocular depth cues
- Retinal disparity
- Convergence
Perception
Define size constancy.
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visual illusions
The brain’s ability to perceive familiar objects as the same size, despite changes in size of the image on the retina.
(relative size)
Perception
Define ambiguity and provide an example.
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visual illusions
Ambiguity relates to an ambigous figure, which is when there are two possible interpretations of the same image, and the brain cannot decide which one to choose.
For example, the Necker Cube, which can be perceived as either pointing upwards to the right or downwards to the left.
+ Rubin’s vase
Perception
Outline Gibson’s direct theory of perception. (6)
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theories of perception
- Gibson’s direct theory claims that perception happens ‘directly. We perceive things accurately using sensory information from the environment, therefore sensation and perception are the same.
- Perceptual abilities are innate, meaning they do not have to be learnt through experience.
- An example of how the brain perceives information directly is optic flow. This is where the point we are moving towards stay stationary, whilst the rest of the view seems to push away from it. This sensory information directly informs our brain that we are moving.
- Gibson also identified motion parallax as an example of direct perception. This refers to the fact that when we are moving, objects that are closer appear to be moving faster than objects that are further away.
- Our eyes are highly sophisticated and have evolved to detect very fine changes in the environment. Everything in our optic array provides enough information to judge depth, distance, and movement without needing to make inferences (interpretations) using past experiences.
- Perception is due to nature rather than nurture (learning)
Perception
Briefly evaluate Gibson’s direct theory of perception.
AO3
theories of perception
S: Research to support Gibson’s theory was conducted by Gibson and Walk. They created a ‘visual cliff’ and placed 6-month-old babies on the edge, which to them appears to be a severe drop…
W: There is an alternative explanation from Gregory. Gregory states perception is not direct, as it involves drawing inferences, from the environment, rather than innate…
Perception
Outline Gregory’s constructivist theory of perception. (6)
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theories of perception
- Gregory claims that perception is not direct. Perception is an active process and involves drawing inferences
- Perception is a process of construction, combining information our brain receives from our eyes with what we already know about the world (schemas, influence of nurture)
- The information we receive through our senses is incomplete, so the brain fills in the gaps using ‘inference’ (assumptions). Stored knowledge and expectations come from past experiences which will be individual depending on the nurturing environment.
- Gregory argues that perception is learned. The brain uses visual cues to perceive depth, distance, and movement. Sometimes, we interpret these cues incorrectly such as in visual illusions. Gregory calls this a mistaken hypothesis , meaning that our brain has drawn the wrong conclusion from the available evidence.
- We learn our understanding of some visual cues from our environment. It will therefore become more sophisticated the more we interact with the world.
- This means people raised in different environments and culture might perceive things differently, which strongly suggests that perception is due to nurture, not nature.
Perception
Outline the study of motivation as a factor affecting perception.
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perceptual set
Gilchrist and Nesburg
* The aim of this study was to investigate what effect food deprivation would have on the perception of food-related pictures.
* 26 undergraduates volunteered to go without food for 20 hours (experimental group). The control group were not food deprived.
* It was conducted in a lab. Participiants were shown a slide of a meal (e.g. spaghetti) for 15 seconds. Then the projector was turned off and back on showing the same slide but dimmer.
* Participants were asked to adjust the lighting so that the image looked the same as before. This process was repeated four times for different meals
* Participants in the control group adjusted the lighting more indicating they had perceived the food as brighter than they actually were. This did not occur with the control group.
* This suggests hunger is a motivating factor that affects perception as food deprivation heightened sensitivity to food-related pictures, making them appear brighter and more appealling.
Perception
Outline the study of expectation as a factor affecting perception.
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perceptual set
- The aim of Bruner and Minturn’s study was to investigate whether expectation affects perceptual set when it comes to interpreting ambiguous figures.
- Using an independent groups design, participants were shown the sequence of letters ABC from left to right and the sequence of numbers 11, 12, and 13 from top to bottom. In each case the stimulus in the middle was the same. Participants reported what they saw.
- The group was shown the sequence of letters were more liekly to perceive the ambigous figure as the letter ‘B’, whereas the group that was shown the sequence of numbers were more likely to perceive the figure as ‘13’.
- These findings suggest that expectation down influence perceptual set. Altering the context in which visual information is presented can lead to changes in the way information is perceived.
Perception
Outline culture as a factor affecting perceptual set.
AO1
Culture refers to the beliefs, attitudes, and expectations that surround us. We are not necessarily conscious of living in a culture yet it powerfully influences us and our perception. Culture affects perceptual set because the environment we grow up in shapes how we interpret sensory information. People from different cultures may perceive visual information in different ways because of differences in learning, language, and everyday experiences. This supports the idea that perception is not just about what we see, but also what we expect to see based on our cultural background. For example, if someone grows up in a society that commonly uses two-dimensional images with depth cues, they may interpret pictures differently from someone who does not.
Perception
Outline motivation as a factor affecting perceptual set.
AO1
perceptual set
Motivation refers to forces that drive our behaviour. If we are motivated to see or find something, we are more likely to notice it. Motivation can come from things like hunger, thirst, or wanting to achieve a goal. This creates a perceptual set where we are biased toward perceiving things that help satisfy that motivation. For example, a hungry person might perceive pictures of food as more appealing or noticeable. This therefore influences the way we perceive and interpret visual stimuli.
Perception
Outline emotion as a factor affecting perceptual set.
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perceptual set
Emotion is a strong feeling or mood that has motivational properties. Emotion affects perceptual set because how we feel can influence what we expect to see. When we are in a particular emotional state, our perception can be biased toward seeing things that match that emotion. For example, someone who is anxious may be more likely to perceive threats in ambiguous situations. Emotions act as a filter, making us more sensitive to certain stimuli that match our mood or feelings. Emotion can also increase our sensitivity to certain aspects of the environment. This can help when dealing with threatening situations, for example an attack by a lion. However, at other times emotions can decrease sensitivity.
