Perception and Memory Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is Perception?
The way in which the brain analyses and interprets (makes sense of) incoming sensory information. Perception can vary between individuals.
What does our visual perception allow us to do?
1) Segregate objects from one another and from their background.
2) Judge distance
3) Recognise objects
In what ways can we segregate objects?
Segregation of figure from ground.
Organisation into coherent patterns
- proximity / similarity / closure / orientation
Se Torrance page ~226
What are the (monocular) visual cues that help us to judge distance?
Relative size - smaller = more distant.
Superimposition - object partially obscured? it is distant.
Relative Height in horizontal field - e.g. look at the base of fence posts.
Texture Gradient - distance is blurry.
Linear perspective - parallel lines merge.
What is Binocular Disparity?
Both eyes have a slightly different view of a given object. The brain combines the 2 images to create a binocular image (3D image). 3D glasses and stereoscopes use this principle.
What is Perceptual Constancy?
A persons perception remains constant despite the changing images received by the brain.
Size constancy - e.g. we perceive that a dog doesn’t actually shrink as it runs away chasing a ball (despite appearing to do so).
Shape constancy - e.g. we perceive that a door is always rectangular despite appearing to change shape as it opens and closes.
How do we go about recognising shape?
Focus on shape rather than colour or texture.
Subconsciously match new shape to ‘shape descriptions’ stored in memory.
Use ‘Inference’ to identify relationships between related objects e.g. an unfamiliar breed of dog is inferred to be ‘a type of dog’ due to similarity with other dog breeds known.
Can you explain Perseptual Set?
Tendency of a person to perceive some pieces of sensory information but ignore others.
Affected by: Expectation, context and past experience.
e.g. Letter B or number 13, ‘ratman’ and duck-rabbit.
Torrance Textbook ~p235
What is memory?
The storage, retention and retrieval of information.
What are the 3 levels of memory?
Sensory - short lived - 0.5 seconds
Short term -30 sec / 7 items
Long Term - retained long term / indefinitely.
What term describes the conversion of a piece of information into a form the brain can store?
Encoding.
How can information be lost from Short Term Memory
Displacement - pushing out of old information to make way for new information.
Decay - breakdown of the fragile ‘memory trace’
What is the benefit of chunking?
Increases Short Term Memory Span by combining several items/objects into a single meaningful unit e.g 0141 456 7890. 11 items to remember but can be chunked (0141) (456) 7890 now only 6 items to remember.
Explain the serial position effect.
Due to limited short term memory span, objects at the start and end of a list are better remembered.
Primacy effect- more time to rehearse the early objects.
Recency effect - no time to forget.
What is ‘Working memory’?
An extension of the short term memory. Processing, manipulating and controlling information in the STM to allow a cognitive task to be performed
e.g. totaling up a shopping list.
How to extend the time in Short Term Memory?
Rehearsal - repetition over and over again.
How to transfer information from Short Term Memory into Long Term Memory?
Rehearsal - repetition / revisiting past concepts
Organisation - into logical categories.
Elaboration of Meaning - analyse the meaning and combine with other information
(e.g. mind mapping combines organisation and elaboration so is great for transferring to LTM)
Shallow encoding vs Elaborative encoding.
Rehearsal = shallow encoding.
Elaboration of meaning = elaborative (deeper) encoding
How can retrieval from LTM be aided?
By the use of ‘contextual cues’ - these are memory triggers often relating to the conditions or circumstances present at the time the original memory was encoded. (e.g. a piece of music might be a ‘contextual cue’)
Know where the different types of memories are stored in the brain…
Episodic - personal facts - cerebral cortex
Semantic - non personal facts - cerebral cortex
Procedural - skills… - cerebellum
- motor area of cerebral cortex
Emotional - cerebral cortex and limbic system.
Spatial - limbic system.
