Perception Flashcards
Perception
Understanding and interpreting sensations from a stimulus
Absolute threshold
The least amount of stimulus that is observable
Difference threshold
The smallest amount a stimulus must change so that an observer can perceive a just noticeable difference
Weber’s law
The size of difference threshold is proportional to the stimulus intensity
Perceptual constancy
We see qualities of an object as constant (size, shape, brightness)
Visual depth perception
The perception of cues that indicate the distance is an object
Monocular cues
Cues that do not use two eyes
Interposition
Objects in front are closer
Size
Larger objects are closer
Linear perspective
Objects produce smaller retinal image as they are farther away
Texture gradients
Detail of texture is greater if the surface is closer
Binocular cues
Cues that use two eyes
Binocular or retinal disparity
The difference between the two eyes views. Binocular disparity increases the farther the object is from the observer
Motion parallax
As you move your head,images of close things change position more quickly on the retina then images of distant ones
Gestalt rules
Laws that the brain uses to group or organize elements of a scene
Proximity
Objects near eachother belong together
Similarity
Objects that resemble eachother belong together
Continuity
Objects that form a continuous line belong together
Closure
Objects that make up something we recognize belong together
Common fate
Objects moving in the same direction belong together
Processing
The way in which we recognize and organize stimuli
Bottom-up processing
Starts with the smaller, specific elements of a scene and uses them to create the larger units or context
Top-down processing
Starts with a larger context or units to recognize smaller, specific elements of the scene, uses schemata
Schemata
Mental representations of our expectations of the world
