Perception

Question 1

What is perception?

Answer 1

Perception is how we interpret or make sense of the sensory information that we receive.

Question 2

What are the two main theories of perception?

Answer 2

• Gibson’s direct theory of perception
• Gregory’s constructivist theory of perception

Question 3

What is sensation?

Answer 3

Information we receive through the senses is known as a sensation.

Question 4

What is transduction?

Answer 4

The process by which sensory organs detect information from the environment and convert it into electrical signals.

Question 5

What is the difference between bottom-up and top-down processes in perception?

Answer 5

• Bottom-up process: Perception based solely on information received by the eyes
• Top-down process: Perception influenced by expectations and prior knowledge

Question 6

What are monocular depth cues?

Answer 6

Depth cues that can be used with one eye to perceive distance, including height in plane, relative size, occlusion, and linear perspective.

Question 7

What are binocular depth cues?

Answer 7

Depth cues that require two eyes, including convergence and retinal disparity.

Question 8

What is height in plane?

Answer 8

A monocular depth cue where objects further away appear higher in the visual field.

Question 9

What is relative size?

Answer 9

A monocular depth cue where closer objects appear larger than those further away.

Question 10

What is occlusion?

Answer 10

A monocular depth cue where one object overlaps another, indicating that the overlapping object is closer.

Question 11

What is linear perspective?

Answer 11

A monocular depth cue involving parallel lines converging at a vanishing point to indicate depth.

Question 12

What is convergence?

Answer 12

A binocular depth cue that detects differences in eye muscle focus when viewing objects at different distances.

Question 13

What is retinal disparity?

Answer 13

A binocular depth cue comparing the two slightly different images received by each eye to judge distance.

Question 14

What is motion parallax?

Answer 14

The effect where objects closer to us appear to move faster than those further away when we are in motion.

Question 15

What does Gibson’s direct theory of perception propose?

Answer 15

We perceive using the information received through our senses, which is sufficient for understanding the world.

Question 16

What is an ecological theory of perception?

Answer 16

Gibson’s theory that perception evolved to help organisms interact effectively with their environment.

Question 17

What is visual perception?

Answer 17

The process of interpreting visual information received by the eyes.

Question 18

What is a visual illusion?

Answer 18

A phenomenon where visual perception is misled, causing us to see something inaccurately.

Question 19

What is ambiguity in visual illusions?

Answer 19

When an image can be interpreted in multiple ways, leading to confusion in perception.

Question 20

What is the Ponzo illusion?

Answer 20

An illusion where two lines appear to be different lengths due to the influence of linear perspective.

Question 21

What is the Müller-Lyer illusion?

Answer 21

An illusion where two lines of equal length appear different due to the orientation of arrowheads at their ends.

Question 22

What is the Rubin’s vase illusion?

Answer 22

An example of ambiguity where an image can be seen as either a vase or two profiles.

Question 23

What is the Necker Cube?

Answer 23

An ambiguous figure that can be perceived from multiple perspectives.

Question 24

What is the Kanizsa triangle?

Answer 24

An illusion where a triangle is perceived to be present even though it is not explicitly drawn.

Question 25

What is the Ames Room illusion?

Answer 25

An illusion that plays with size constancy, making objects appear different sizes due to distorted room geometry.

Question 26

What does Gregory's constructivist theory of perception emphasize?

Answer 26

The importance of past knowledge and experience in interpreting sensory information.

Question 27

What is perceptual set?

Answer 27

A tendency to perceive things in a certain way based on expectations and prior experiences.

Question 28

What factors can affect perception?

Answer 28

* Culture * Motivation * Emotion * Expectation

Question 29

Fill in the blank: Gibson’s theory suggests that sensation and perception are the _______.

Answer 29

[same processes]

Question 30

True or False: Gregory's theory argues that perception is solely based on sensory input without influence from past experiences.

Answer 30

False

Question 31

What is the perceptual set?

Answer 31

A state of readiness for the information we receive from the environment.

Question 32

What factors affect perception according to the GCSE specification?

Answer 32

* Culture * Motivation * Emotion * Expectation

Question 33

How does motivation influence perception?

Answer 33

Motivation can affect how we perceive images and situations, as seen in Gilchrist and Nesberg's study.

Question 34

What did Gilchrist and Nesberg's 1952 study investigate?

Answer 34

How motivation affects a person's perception.

Question 35

What was the main finding of Gilchrist and Nesberg's study on hunger?

Answer 35

Hungry participants perceived images of food as brighter.

Question 36

What is one limitation of Gilchrist and Nesberg's 1952 study?

Answer 36

The small sample size makes generalization difficult.

Question 37

What is the influence of emotion on perception?

Answer 37

Emotions can lead us to perceive things in a way that aligns with how we feel.

Question 38

How does expectation affect perception?

Answer 38

When we expect something, we are more likely to notice it.

Question 39

What did Bruner and Minturn's study on expectation find?

Answer 39

Participants interpreted an ambiguous figure differently based on their expectations.

Question 40

Fill in the blank: The __________ set helps us anticipate what is coming so we can act effectively.

Answer 40

[perceptual]

Question 41

What role does culture play in perception according to the text?

Answer 41

Culture influences how children perceive and draw objects, like animals.

Question 42

How do emotions affect the interpretation of ambiguous pictures?

Answer 42

People in a negative mood are more likely to interpret ambiguous images negatively.

Question 43

What is the aim of Bruner and Minturn's 1955 study?

Answer 43

To investigate how expectations can direct perception.

Question 44

True or False: Participants in Bruner and Minturn's study saw the test stimulus only once.

Answer 44

False

Question 45

What is one way that motivation can manifest in behavior?

Answer 45

Physical motives like hunger can drive us to eat.

Question 46

What did the study find about children from traditional tribal societies compared to those from Western societies?

Answer 46

Children from tribal societies draw animals flat and spread out, while Western children draw them from the side.

Question 47

Fill in the blank: Our cognitive processes such as memory and decision-making can be affected by the __________ set.

Answer 47

[perceptual]

Question 48

What did participants in Gilchrist and Nesberg's study adjust based on their hunger?

Answer 48

The brightness of images of food.

Question 49

What was the task for participants in Bruner and Minturn's study?

Answer 49

To draw the letter or number as soon as they could recognize it.

Question 50

What were the two groups in Gilchrist and Nesberg's study?

Answer 50

* Experimental group (went without food) * Control group (had normal meals)

Question 51

What conclusion can be drawn from Bruner and Minturn's study?

Answer 51

Expectations directly influence how we interpret ambiguous stimuli.