unit 2: perception & consciousness

Question 1

Sensation

Answer 1

what we sense in our sensory organs (physiological processing)

Question 2

Perception

Answer 2

what we perceive in our minds (psychological processing)

Question 3

Synesthesia

Answer 3

Input from one sensory system → experience in another
-strong synesthesia (rare)
-weak synesthesia (common)
brightness of notes; warmth or softness of colors; sharp tastes
-causes - sensory leakage/crosstalk between brain regions & associations/top-down processing

Question 4

Bottom-up processing

Answer 4

data driven processing:
flow of info from stimulus to neural activity to identification + perception

Question 5

Top-down processing

Answer 5

conceptually driven processing:
expectations, knowledge & surrounding context influence identification & perception

Question 6

What do Gestalt principles help us understand?

Answer 6

-Describe typical grouping tendencies or organization tendencies
-Emphasis on perceiving the whole

Question 7

Law of figure-ground

Answer 7

segregate visual scenes into a background and a figure

Question 8

Law of proximity

Answer 8

closer elements grouped together

Question 9

Law of similarity

Answer 9

similar items grouped together

Question 10

Law of good continuation

Answer 10

continue contours

Question 11

Law of closure

Answer 11

we ignore gaps/fill in missing parts

Question 12

Law of common fate

Answer 12

elements moving together are grouped together

Question 13

global precedence

Answer 13

-“Wholes” often come before “parts”
IVs: “Global” identification (identify large letter), “Local” identification (identify small letter)
Stimuli
-consistent
-conflicting
-neutral
Results
-RTs for global identification were faster than for local identification, showing global precedence
-Conflicting stimuli slowed local identification (because global is processed automatically and interferes)

Question 14

Binocular Cues - Retinal Disparity

Answer 14

images from the two eyes differ

Question 15

Binocular Cues - Convergence

Answer 15

Neuromuscular cues
- eyes turn inward to bring near objects into focus
- eyes turn outward to bring far away objects into focus
- strain on muscle is cue to distance

Question 16

Monocular Cues - Relative Size

Answer 16

If two objects are similar in size, we perceive one that casts a smaller retinal image as farther away

Question 17

Monocular Cues - Interposition

Answer 17

Objects that block other objects tend to be perceived as closer

Question 18

Monocular Cues - Relative Clarity

Answer 18

Hazy objects are perceived as farther away than sharp clear objects

Question 19

Monocular Cues - Texture Gradient

Answer 19

Indistinct (fine) texture signals increasing distance

Question 20

Monocular Cues - Relative Height

Answer 20

We perceive objects higher in our field of vision as farther away

Question 21

Monocular Cues - Linear Perspective

Answer 21

Parallel lines appear to converge with distance

Question 22

Monocular Cues - Motion Parallax

Answer 22

apparent motion is faster for near objects

Question 23

What is the phi phenomenon?

Answer 23

When lights flash in succession, they tend to present illusions of motion

Question 24

Perceptual constancy

Answer 24

perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal image change

Question 25

Shape constancy

Answer 25

we perceive a clock as an unchanging shape despite different viewing angles

Question 26

Lightness constancy

Answer 26

color of squares at two different locations are the same

Question 27

Color constancy

Answer 27

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the light reflected by the object

Question 28

Size constancy

Answer 28

stable size perception despite change in size of the retinal image

Question 29

Explain how context might alter perception

Answer 29

Context can affect how one perceives a situation or visual image depending on the situation or prior knowledge.

Question 30

Ventriloquist Effect

Answer 30

visual cues influence sound localization

Question 31

Cello Study

Answer 31

auditory judgments were influenced by the visual pluck and bow stimuli

Question 32

McGurk effect

Answer 32

visual cues affect how we hear sound (looking at lips while hearing sound)

Question 33

Access Consciousness

Answer 33

-Processing/using info (whether or not we’re aware) -Has the potential to influence your reasoning, communication, or behavior

Question 34

Phenomenal consciousness

Answer 34

Subjective experience/sense of awareness

Question 35

Blindsight

Answer 35

unusual condition in which a person lacks visual awareness (blindness, especially at the level of phenomenal consciousness), but is nonetheless affected by movement in the visual field (evidence of some access consciousness)

Question 36

Priming

Answer 36

enhanced speed of responding due to prior presentation of a related stimulus

Question 37

subliminal perception

Answer 37

-The ability to process sensory information below the level of conscious awareness -The effects of subliminal priming are weak. -No evidence that subliminal messages in self-help tapes actually work.