Human Visual System Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary function of the retina in the human visual system?

To interpret and analyze stimuli

To sort out visual information before reaching the brain

To detect only black and white images

To provide the most acuity in vision (correct)

Which cells in the retina are primarily responsible for color vision?

Ganglion cells

Rods

Cones (correct)

Neurons

How does the human visual system process color?

Through a combination of activities from the three cone types (correct)

Through the use of optical illusions

By interpreting light intensity alone

By assessing the activity of a single cone type

What role does the brain play in sensation and perception?

To process and interpret sensory information Signup and view all the answers

What is a critical aspect of the sensory system in relation to the outside world?

It selects relevant and significant information for further processing Signup and view all the answers

What effect suggests that holding an object can impact the perception of similar objects?

Body-mind effects Signup and view all the answers

In the study by Tucker & Ellis, what was the main task given to participants?

Judge if the object is natural or man-made Signup and view all the answers

Which study involved subjects holding a gun or ball to observe responses based on the object held?

Witt & Brockmore (2012) Signup and view all the answers

What does embodied cognition primarily argue?

Cognition is grounded in sensory and motor systems Signup and view all the answers

What is representative of mind-body effects based on Tucker & Ellis' study?

Response difficulty varies with object size and grip type Signup and view all the answers

What was the main prediction regarding observed actions in Helbig et al's study?

They activate motor representations related to action Signup and view all the answers

In the experiments on body-mind effects, how did participants respond to the presence of a gun?

Their response was biased based on holding a shoe Signup and view all the answers

What type of effect is primarily discussed as a result of action observation?

Priming effect of action on recognition Signup and view all the answers

What does colour constancy allow us to perceive?

Consistent color despite changes in lighting Signup and view all the answers

In depth perception, what is the role of internal cognitive processing?

To interpret a 2D image as a 3D scene Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following cues is NOT typically used for depth perception?

Smell Signup and view all the answers

What is size constancy in perception?

Recognizing that object size remains constant despite changes in distance Signup and view all the answers

At what age do infants start showing a preference for normal faces over negative faces?

At 12 weeks Signup and view all the answers

What role does eye direction play in human interaction?

Acts as a communicative signal Signup and view all the answers

Which effect demonstrates that face processing differs significantly from object processing?

Thatcher effect Signup and view all the answers

What is prosopagnosia commonly referred to as?

Face blindness Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the 'inversion effect' in face processing?

It highlights the configuration of faces is harder to process upside down Signup and view all the answers

What do the structural encoding steps in Bruce & Young's model of face recognition begin with?

Recognizing the face as a face Signup and view all the answers

What is the main focus of embodied cognition?

Sensory and motor systems interact to form representations Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about priming and activating representations in embodied cognition is true?

Activating one representation can trigger related components Signup and view all the answers

What concept explains our tendency to perceive patterns as organized wholes?

Gestalt Signup and view all the answers

How does cognition refine the process of perception?

By elaborating on the processed sensory information Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Sensation and Perception

Stimulus: Any physical energy that triggers a response in a sense organ.
Sensation: The reception of physical energy by a sense organ.
Perception: The brain's interpretation, analysis, and integration of stimuli. This is a multi-stage process involving the sense organs and the brain.
Stimulus energy is transformed into neural impulses and processed by different brain areas.

Brain and Perception

Different brain areas are responsible for processing different senses
Visual processing, for example, is specialized, with different areas within the visual cortex handling specific aspects.

Critical Role of Sensation and Perception

The world offers a vast amount of sensory input.
Our sensory and perceptual system is tasked with selecting and focusing on relevant information.
This prioritization allows for efficient processing within individual senses such as vision.

Visual Perception

Human vision only processes a specific range of wavelengths.
Retina: A layer of photoreceptor cells in the eye.
Fovea: A small pit in the retina providing the sharpest vision.
Cones: Photoreceptor cells sensitive to color, functioning well in bright light.
Rods: Photoreceptor cells sensitive to dim light, mainly used for black-and-white vision.

Colour Perception

A single cone type's activity alone is insufficient for color identification.
The pattern of activity across the three cone types is crucial for colour perception.
The brain processes this pattern to interpret colors.

Is Sensation and Perception Enough?

Colour constancy: The ability to perceive object colours as consistent, even when the reflected light changes.

Gestalt Psychology

Emphasizes how we organize pieces of information into meaningful wholes.
Perception is not simply the sum of individual parts but involves a more organized interpretation.

Sensation-Perception-Cognition

Sensation provides raw data to the brain.
Perception processes this data.
Cognitive processes elaborate on this perceptual interpretation.

Perceiving Depth

Depth perception allows us to experience the world in three dimensions.
Retinal images are inherently two-dimensional.
Depth perception involves a complex interplay between sensation and internal cognitive processing.

Cues for Depth Perception

Relative size
Light and shadow
Interposition (overlap)
Texture

Size Constancy

Our perception of an object's size remains consistent, even with changes in distance.
It is another way we gain a cognitive awareness of our surroundings and can act as a cue for depth perception.

Face Perception

Humans have a strong preference for faces, evident from a young age.
Valenza et al (1996): Infants showed a preference for face-like patterns compared to scrambled patterns.
Mondloch et al (1999): Young infants show a preference for normal versus abnormal/inverted faces. By 12 weeks, this preference becomes more pronounced.
Faces are vital for communication. Indicators such as facial expressions, eye contact, and eye direction impart meaning. Field et al (1982): Demonstrated newborns can discriminate and imitate facial expressions observed in live displays.

Face Recognition

Inversion effect: Upside-down faces are more difficult to recognize than upright faces; configural information is affected. Yin (1996) and the Thatcher effect (Thompson, 1980) support this.
Holistic processing: The brain processes faces differently from other objects, relying on configuration rather than individual features. Bruce and Young (1986) proposed a model explaining the face recognition process.
Prosopagnosia: A condition affecting the ability to recognize faces, referred to as "face blindness."

Embodied Cognition

Cognition is grounded in our sensory and motor systems. No separate mental representations are needed.
Representations are distributed across sensory and motor areas of the brain, allowing connections between perceived actions and sensory input.
"Mental simulation" is a key component of embodied cognition.

Interaction between Body and Mind

Body-mind effects: Witt & Brockmole (2012) showed that holding specific objects during a task can influence how easy or difficult it is to perceive another stimulus.
Mind-body effects: Tucker and Ellis (2004) showed that the size of an object perceived influenced the appropriate response switch, demonstrating how perception influences our actions.

Action Observation

Observing actions activates related sensory and motor representations, making specific objects more easily recognized; Helbig et al (2010).

Traditional vs. Embodied Cognition

Traditional cognition proposes separate mental representations for sensory, motor, and cognitive functions.
Embodied cognition stresses that these functions are interconnected within the brain.

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Description

This quiz explores key concepts related to the human visual system, including the functions of the retina, color vision, and the roles of the brain in sensation and perception. Test your knowledge on how we perceive colors and interact with the outside world through our sensory system.