Unit 4b: perception Flashcards
analysis that begins with sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information, this enables the detecting of lines, angles and colors, (sensory)
bottom-up processing
info processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experiences (more interpretation)
top-down processing
the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them
psychophysics
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time (studied by gustav fetchner)
absolute threshold
a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation
signal detection thoery
below one’s threshold of conscious awareness
subliminal
activation, often unconsciously, of a certain association, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response
priming
the minimum differences between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time. jnd=just noticeable difference
difference threshold
the principle that to be percieved as different, 2 stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percent
weber’s law
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
sensory adaptation
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
perceptual set
the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
selective attention
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
intentional blindness
failing to notice changes in the environment
change blindness
an organized whole. these psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes
gestalt
the organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroudnings
figure-ground
the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
grouping
the ability to see objects in 3d, although images that strike the retina are in 2d
depth perception
a lab device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals
visual cliff
depth cues, such as retinal despairity that depend on the use of 2 eyes
binocular cues
a binocular cue for perceiving depth, compares images from retinas in the 2 eyes, the brain computes the distance
retinal disparity
depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone
monocular cues
an illusion of movement created when 2 or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession
phi phenomenon
percieveing objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images may change
perceptual constancy
