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Flashcards in Problem 2 Deck (29)
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1
Q

Sensation

A

Refers to the processing of basic information from the external world by

a) sensory receptors
b) brain

2
Q

Perception

A

Process of organizing + interpreting sensory information about the world around us

3
Q

Preferential looking technique

A

Method for studying visual attention in infants

–> two different visual stimuli are displayed on side by side screens

=> if the infant looks longer at one, one can infer the baby prefers this stimulus and can discriminate

(enables the researchers to asses the infants visual acuity)

4
Q

Habituation

A

Procedure that involves repeatedly presenting a stimulus until the infants response to it habituates/declines

5
Q

Contrast sensitivity

A

Infants can only detect a pattern when it is composed pf highly contrasting elements

–> this is due to the immaturity if infants cones, which are light sensitive neurons involved in detail vision

6
Q

Structure of cones in infancy

A
  1. different size + shape
  2. spaced farther apart
    - -> cones only catch 2% of the light striking the fovea

=> 8months: vision approaches that of adults
6y/o: full visual acuity

7
Q

Visual scanning in infancy

A
  1. start scanning their environment right away

BUT: have trouble tracking moving stimuli because their eye movements are jerky

  1. 2/3months: able to track slowly moving objects
  • ->visual scanning is restricted for complex shapes
  • -> only outer edges are scanned ( concept conservation)

ex.: triangle –> only the corners are looked at
face –> only hairline or chin due to high contrast

8
Q

Pattern (Face) perception in Infancy

A

<6months: are able to discriminate between individual faces

–> also monkeys/animals

> 9months: they rely on a detailed prototype of the human face to discriminate between people

–> this prototype is not applicable to animals

9
Q

The other race effect

A

Individuals find it easier to distinguish between faces of individuals from their own racial group than between faces from other racial groups

–> features from the infants immediate environment drive this effect

10
Q

Perceptual constancy

A

We perceive a constant shape and size

–> although our retinal image of the person changes in shape and size, we d not have the impression the person changes

11
Q

Empiricist view on perceptual constancy

A

Perceptual constancy develops as a function of spatially experiencing our environment

12
Q

Nativist view on perceptual constancy

A

Perceptual constancy stems from inherent properties if the nervous system

13
Q

Object segregation

A

The perception of the boundaries between objects

–> motion is an important cue indicating the boundaries between objects

14
Q

Optical expansion

A

Visual image of an object increases in size as the object comes toward us, occluding more and more of the background

–> infants blink in response, can’t attack

15
Q

Binocular disparity

A

The retinal image of an object is never quite the same in both eyes

–> two slightly different signals are sent to the brain

16
Q

Stereopsis

A

The visual cortex computes the degree of disparity between the eyes different neural signals and thus produces the perception of depth

17
Q

Monocular depth

A

Depth cues that can be perceived by one eye alone

–> infants will reach for whichever object is nearer

18
Q

Auditory perception in infancy

A

The auditory system is better developed relative to the visual system

19
Q

Auditory localization

A

The perception of the spatial location of a sound source

–> to localize a sound, listeners rely on differences in sounds that arrive at both of the ears

=> infants have more difficulty using this information because head is smaller, thus the spacing of the 2 ears
(timing + loudness of info arriving at each ear is smaller)

20
Q

Music perception in infancy

A
  1. infants have detailed memory of music including pitch, tempo, timbre
  2. preference for consonant music

–> with experience there is a process of perceptual narrowing which leads infants to loose the ability to make distinctions the he/she could make earlier

21
Q

Smell in infancy

A

Smell helps infants to recognize their mothers

22
Q

Touch in infancy

A
  1. Oral exploration dominates their first months

–> sucking fingers/objects to learn about their bodies

  1. Increasing manual control facilitates visual exploration

–> infants can hold objects to examine them more closely

23
Q

Intermodal perception

A

Combining of information from 2 or more sensory systems

24
Q

Piagets view on intermodal perception

A

Information from different sensory modalities is initially separate until after some months they can make associations between 2 or more senses

25
Q

Spatial frequency

A

The number of cycles per degree of visual angle of the grating

–> A measure of how fine the bar pattern is on the retina
(one cycle = one light bar + one light bar)

–> finer bars = higher spatial frequencies
BUT: moving loser to the grating decreases this

26
Q

Color perception in infancy

A

Perception of a light stimulus can vary on

a) chromatic color
b) brightness

–> color vision develops at 3-4 months

27
Q

Binocular fixate

A

When both eyes are looking directly at the object, both foveas are directed at exactly the same place

–> Requirement for the operation of binocular disparity

28
Q

Familiar size

A

Infants sensitive to a familiar size will perceive an object to be closer if they remembered from the familiarization period that this shape was smaller than the other one

–> response is based on what is perceived + what is remembered

29
Q

Social referencing

A

Process of communication whereby people actively seek and use others’ perception and interpretations of ambiguous situations to form own interpretations of those situations