Chapter 5: Binocular Cues and Visual Perception

Visual Perception

• Binocular cue relies on the use of both eyes to perceive depth.
• Binocular disparity refers to the slightly different view of the world each eye receives.
• Bottom-up processing is a system in which perceptions are built from sensory input.

Eye Structure

• Cornea is the transparent covering over the eye.
• Iris is the colored portion of the eye.
• Lens is a curved, transparent structure that provides additional focus for light entering the eye.
• Pupil is the small opening in the eye through which light passes.
• Retina is the light-sensitive lining of the eye.
• Fovea is a small indentation in the retina that contains cones.
• Rods are specialized photoreceptors that work well in low light conditions.
• Cones are specialized photoreceptors that work best in bright light conditions and detect color.

Depth Perception

• Depth perception is the ability to perceive depth.
• Linear perspective is a way to perceive depth in an image when two parallel lines seem to converge.

Color Perception

• Opponent-process theory of color perception states that color is coded in opponent pairs: black-white, yellow-blue, and red-green.
• Trichromatic theory of color perception states that color vision is mediated by the activity across the three groups of cones.

Sensation and Perception

• Sensation is what happens when sensory information is detected by a sensory receptor.
• Perception is the way that sensory information is interpreted and consciously experienced.
• Bottom-up processing is a system in which perceptions are built from sensory input.
• Top-down processing is an interpretation of sensations that is influenced by available knowledge, experiences, and thoughts.

Other Concepts

• Malleus is the middle ear ossicle, also known as the hammer.
• Optic chiasm is an X-shaped structure that sits just below the brain's ventral surface, representing the merging of the optic nerves from the two eyes and the separation of information from the two sides of the visual field to the opposite side of the brain.
• Optic nerve carries visual information from the retina to the brain.
• Kinesthesia is the perception of the body's movement through space.
• Vestibular sense contributes to our ability to maintain balance and body posture.
• Inattentional blindness is the failure to notice something that is completely visible because of a lack of attention.
• Just noticeable difference is the difference in stimuli required to detect a difference between the stimuli.
• Subliminal message is a message presented below the threshold of conscious awareness.
• Wavelength is the length of a wave from one peak to the next peak.