Psychology Chapter on Vision and Social Cognition

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Questions and Answers

What type of vision do rods primarily support?

Vision in bright light with color information

Vision in dim light without color information (correct)

Vision with fine details in bright light

Vision in bright light with low detail

What is the photopigment contained in rods?

Iodopsin

Chlorophyll

Melanin

Rhodopsin (correct)

Which statement is true regarding cones?

They are responsible for vision in dim light.

They contain rhodopsin as their photopigment.

They provide color information and details in bright light. (correct)

They are located exclusively in the fovea.

What characteristic defines dichromatic color blindness?

The presence of only two types of iodopsin. Signup and view all the answers

For individuals with dichromatic color blindness, what types of iodopsin might be present?

Blue and green or blue and red Signup and view all the answers

What is the effect of combining different types of iodopsin breakdown?

It produces sensation of distinct colors. Signup and view all the answers

What type of color blindness occurs when an individual has only one type of iodopsin?

Monochromatic color blindness Signup and view all the answers

What was the impact of changing the descriptor from 'polite' to 'blunt' on participants' ratings?

Participants rated the polite person more favorably than the blunt person. Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of a schema in the context of social cognition?

A set of expectations about world interactions. Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary outcome when participants were instructed to suppress thoughts of white bears?

They experienced an increase in thoughts about white bears. Signup and view all the answers

How does a central trait influence social perception according to the study?

It significantly alters the ratings individuals receive. Signup and view all the answers

What method was used to measure participants' thoughts about white bears?

Participants rang a bell every time they thought of white bears. Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon describes the ability to perceive a complete image despite missing pieces?

Degraded figures Signup and view all the answers

Which principle refers to the tendency to perceive lines converging in the distance?

Linear perspective Signup and view all the answers

The Ames room illusion demonstrates the impact of which perceptual phenomenon?

Size constancy Signup and view all the answers

How do perceptual set and prior experience influence interpretation of stimuli?

They enable readiness to interpret stimuli in a certain way. Signup and view all the answers

What does apparent motion rely on?

Successive motionless images Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the phi-phenomenon in perception?

Illusion of continuous movement Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best explains degraded figures in visual perception?

Missing pieces and identifiable context Signup and view all the answers

What does occlusion lead to in perceptual organization?

Interpretation of depth due to overlap Signup and view all the answers

In which situation would an observer likely misperceive motion?

When stationary objects are adjacent to moving ones Signup and view all the answers

What allows you to perceive successive notes in a melody effectively?

Proximity Signup and view all the answers

Which principle explains the phenomenon of perceiving an object as moving when it is in fact stationary?

Perceptual ambiguity Signup and view all the answers

What does closure allow in terms of perception?

Filling in the gaps in incomplete stimuli Signup and view all the answers

In sound perception, what role does the figure-ground distinction play?

It distinguishes the speaker from the ambient sounds. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following illustrates the grouping principle of good continuation?

Tracing a path of a winding river. Signup and view all the answers

What is a key function of feature analysis in perception?

It activates different feature detectors based on sensory input. Signup and view all the answers

What describes the perceptual phenomenon where the background appears to interfere with receiving clear information?

Background noise perception Signup and view all the answers

How do Gestalt principles relate to memory formation?

They allow for filling in missing pieces based on past experiences. Signup and view all the answers

What is NOT a factor in creating flashbulb memories?

Visual clarity Signup and view all the answers

Which principle helps to identify the dominating melody in a complex arrangement of sounds?

Figure-ground Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of acquisition in the memory process?

Attending to and encoding stimuli Signup and view all the answers

Which type of memory is characterized by its very short duration and includes iconic memory?

Sensory memory Signup and view all the answers

What are schemas primarily used for in memory?

Organizing and interpreting information Signup and view all the answers

How does retrieval differ from retention in the memory process?

Retrieval is the process of accessing stored information. Signup and view all the answers

What limits the capacity of short-term memory according to Miller's findings?

The average ability to remember 7 items Signup and view all the answers

Which type of memory is linked with the significant detail associated with specific events?

Long-term memory Signup and view all the answers

What results from semantic priming in memory retrieval?

Improved processing of related words Signup and view all the answers

What is a common misconception about trace-driven memory retrieval?

It is always a literal replay of the event. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes shallow processing in memory?

Focusing on superficial features of information Signup and view all the answers

Which process is exemplified by encoding knowledge about associated concepts, such as 'dog' and 'fur'?

Schema formation Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Early Psychology

Cartesian Dualism: Separation of mind and body
Malevolent demon: A controlling influence on senses, suggesting a deception of reality
Brain in a vat: A philosophical concept suggesting that our existence may be simulated
Wilhelm Wundt: Founded first experimental psychology lab in 1879. Pioneer of structuralism and introspection.
William James: Pioneer of functionalism. Author of the first psychology textbook "Principles of Psychology." His work was influenced by Darwin's theory of evolution.
Psychodynamic perspective: Focuses on unconscious motivating forces influencing behavior. Key figures include Freud and Jung. Emphasizes psychosexual stages and structures like the Id, Ego, and Superego
Humanistic perspective: Focuses on freedom, growth, self-actualization. Influenced by Rogers and Maslow. Emphasis on people's needs and free will. Rogers’ client-centered therapy focuses on the self and unconditional positive regard. Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
Behavioral perspective: Scientific study of observable behavior. Influenced by Pavlov, Watson, and Skinner. Pavlov's dogs (classical conditioning) and Skinner's operant conditioning.
Cognitive perspective: Focuses on mental processes like memory, learning, and problem-solving. Key figure Ebbinghaus.

Science of Psychology

Evolutionary approach: Suggests behavior is determined by genes and survival, and is influenced by sexual selection, reproduction strategies based on sex
Biological approach: Behavior is rooted in physical causes, including brain and nervous structures. Cognitive neuroscience explains how structures influence behavior. Broca's area and Wernicke's area are key brain regions.
Psychometric: Measures of senses.
Noise: random neuron excitations or inhibitions affecting perceived stimulus intensity. Absolute threshold: Lowest intensity for stimulus detection 50% of time. Weber's Law: change in intensity of stimulus is proportional to intensity of standard

Sensation and Perception

Senses: Touch: 3 receptors (temperature, pressure, pain). Taste: main sensors are taste buds + other factors contributing to flavour. Olfaction: Olfactory bulb receives sensory signals. Hearing: place theory (different places vibrate differently) and frequency theory (hair cells vibrate at same speed).
Measuring the Senses: Psychometrics is concerned with thresholds and the relationship between stimuli and sensations produced
Temperature: Relative. At 32 degrees Celsius, there's no feeling of warmth or cold. Above, warmth below, cold.
Pressure: Large adaptation rate, we don't constantly feel pressure from things like watches.
Pain: Pain pathways with neurotransmitters like substance P and endorphins are involved. Some pain mechanisms are learned.

Visual System

Two types of photoreceptors: Rods (dim light, no color) and cones (bright light, color). Retina contains photoreceptors. Photopigments are substances in photoreceptors that break down when light hits them. Photopigment breakdown initiates information transmission to the brain.
Wavelengths and Colors: Different wavelengths produce different colors. Iodopsins are photopigments in cones, responsible for color vision (three types).
Trichromatic Theory: Three types of cones sensitive to different wavelengths creating all the colors.
Olfaction: closely linked to taste, but some aspects of taste can happen even if you’re unable to smell.

Early Perception and Vision

Top-down processing: Use of memory, context, expectations to interpret stimulus. Influences judgements
Perceptual constancy: Relatively constant perception of objects despite changes in sensory data (e.g., size, shape, color).
Visual illusions: (Muller-Lyer illusion, Ponzo illusion) demonstrating how perceptual interpretation can deviate from reality based on cues like depth
Depth cues: (binocular depth cues-convergence, retinal disparity; monocular depth cues- relative size, motion parallax, aerial perspective, linear perspective) enable judges of distance; binocular cues use both eyes
Depth perception: Ability to judge distance. Absolute distance (observer and object) relative distance (objects relative to each other)
Motion perception: Detection and perception of movement.
Figure-Ground Distinction: Organising stimulus into figure (foreground/ object) and ground (background).
Grouping principles: Proximity (close objects grouped), good continuation (continuous lines perceived as whole), closure (gaps filled to create complete image).

Memory

Stages of memory: Acquisition, retention, and retrieval
Sensory memory: Initial processing of stimuli, short duration, different type for vision (iconic memory) and hearing (echoic memory).
Short-term memory (STM): Limited capacity and duration; can be increased with chunking.
Long-term memory (LTM): Large capacity and relatively permanent storage of information. Passive and active memory retrieval, and schemas.
Types of long-term memory: semantic, episodic, procedural.
Multi-store model of memory: Sensory Memory → Short-term Memory → Long-term Memory

Social cognition: Focuses on how individuals perceive and interpret social stimuli
Self-knowledge: Sources self-fulfilling prophecies, social comparison and self-perception
Impression formation: Assigning characteristics to others, Asch configural model, centrality of traits, and biases (e.g., primacy effect, negativity bias).
Schemas: Knowledge structures that organise and process social information
Attributional biases: actor-observer effect, fundamental attribution error (correspondence bias), and the false-consensus effect
Social influence: Compliance (responses to requests) , obedience (to authority figures), conformity (matching others' Behaviour)
Cognitive biases and heuristics: availability heuristics, representativeness heuristic, anchoring heuristics.
Group processes: Bystander effect, diffusion of responsibility, pluralistic ignorance
Interpersonal conflict and group processes: How conflicts are observed /how groups influence individuals, and how these processes influence individual behaviour

Health Psychology

Stressors: Real or perceived events or circumstances that challenge well being
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS): A three-stage physiological response to stress: alarm, resistance, exhaustion
Cognitive appraisal: Personal interpretations of stressors, influencing stress response
Coping: Adaptive strategies to manage stress, including problem-focused and emotion-focused coping
Health psychology: Studies the relationship between psychological factors and physical health
Social support: Role of social interactions and relationships impacting stress reaction, mortality.

Clinical Psychology

Mental disorders: Pattern of maladaptive behaviors causing distress to the individual.
Classification of mental disorders Use of DSM, various categories to organise disorders.
Anxiety disorders: Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, Phobias, generalised anxiety disorder, and specific phobias
Somatoform disorders: physical symptoms with no apparent physical cause like somatization, Conversion disorder
Dissociative disorders: Disruptions in consciousness eg-Amnesia, Fugue, Dissociative Identity Disorder
Personality disorders: Unusually persistent and maladaptive patterns of behaviour that deviate from societal norms, cluster based on patterns observed
Schizophrenic disorders: Positive symptoms (excesses, delusions, hallucinations), negative symptoms (deficits, apathy, withdrawal), and cognitive symptoms (attention, memory, etc).
Mood disorders: Extreme mood states like depression or mania, usually associated with changes in thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. This includes classifying subtypes of bipolar and other mood related disorders

Developmental Psychology

Cognitive development: Piaget's theory of stages like sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational.
Sociocultural theory: Vygotsky's emphasis on social interaction and the zone of proximal development in cognitive development.

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Description

Explore key concepts of vision, including the roles of rods and cones, types of color blindness, and the effects of cognitive processes on social perception. This quiz covers various topics from photopigments to schemas and the influence of central traits. Test your understanding of these fundamental principles in psychology.