Psychology Chapter: Perception and Attention

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Questions and Answers

What is the definition of perception?

The act of memorizing visual stimuli.

The process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory information. (correct)

The ability to recognize and recall previous experiences.

The ability to hear sounds from different sources.

What phenomenon describes the failure to notice an object in our visual field?

Inattentional blindness (correct)

Change blindness

Perceptual adaptation

Selective attention

How does change blindness specifically manifest according to the provided content?

Through an inability to recall visual information.

Through a failure to notice changes in the immediate environment. (correct)

By reducing sensitivity to bright light.

By altering the processing of sounds.

What concept explains how our expectations influence our perception?

Perceptual set Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a perceptual illusion?

Seeing a 3D image from a flat surface. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Necker cube illustrate about perception?

Variability in form perception. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes perceptual constancy?

The ability to perceive objects as unchanging, despite changes in sensory input. Signup and view all the answers

What type of perception is demonstrated when an individual fails to notice a gorilla-suited assistant in a ball passing game?

Inattentional blindness Signup and view all the answers

What does the figure on the right represent in the illusion discussed?

Identical blue lines Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon describes the tendency for vision to overpower other senses?

Visual capture Signup and view all the answers

What is the main role of grouping principles in perception?

To organize visual stimuli into meaningful forms Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following correctly describes depth perception?

The ability to judge distances Signup and view all the answers

Who suggested that crawling infants possess depth perception?

Gibson and Walk Signup and view all the answers

What can sometimes happen when using grouping principles?

They may distort reality Signup and view all the answers

What term describes the organization of the visual field into objects that stand out?

Form perception Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of Gestalt psychologists in understanding perception?

They demonstrated how figures form a whole from surroundings Signup and view all the answers

What effect does the convergence of lines have on perceived distance?

It increases the apparent distance of objects. Signup and view all the answers

What visual cue suggests that a dimmer object is farther away compared to a brighter object?

Light and shadow Signup and view all the answers

What happens to objects in relation to size perception as they move toward or away from an observer?

They grow in size when approaching. Signup and view all the answers

The phi phenomenon is best described as which of the following?

The illusion of motion created by flashing lights. Signup and view all the answers

What is perceptual constancy concerned with?

Objects appearing unchanging amidst varied stimuli. Signup and view all the answers

What is size constancy?

Stable perception of size despite distance changes. Signup and view all the answers

How do distance cues affect the perception of objects' sizes, such as in the example of a distant monster?

Distant objects appear larger because of visual cues. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Ames room demonstrate?

The size-distance illusion in spatial arrangements. Signup and view all the answers

What does color constancy allow us to do?

Perceive familiar objects as having consistent color Signup and view all the answers

What difficulty did blind adults face after regaining sight, as noted in the content?

Identifying familiar faces Signup and view all the answers

Sensory deprivation research indicated that kittens raised without exposure to horizontal lines struggled with what?

Perceiving horizontal bars Signup and view all the answers

What is perceptual adaptation?

Adjusting to changes in the visual field Signup and view all the answers

According to Immanuel Kant, knowledge is derived from what?

Innate ways of organizing sensory experiences Signup and view all the answers

In the context of perceptual set, what does one’s mental predisposition influence?

What is perceived in ambiguous images Signup and view all the answers

What challenge did individuals with restored vision face according to studies?

Recognizing shapes like circles and triangles Signup and view all the answers

Which philosophical viewpoint emphasized experience as the primary source of knowledge?

Locke's theory Signup and view all the answers

What term refers to concepts that organize and interpret unfamiliar information?

Schemas Signup and view all the answers

Which facial features are especially important for face recognition?

Eyes and mouth Signup and view all the answers

What effect does cultural context have on perception?

It alters the interpretation of observed scenarios. Signup and view all the answers

How do human factor psychologists contribute to design?

By assisting natural perceptions Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary cause of two-thirds of airline crashes according to perceptions?

Errors of perception Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for perception without sensory input?

Extrasensory perception (ESP) Signup and view all the answers

Which scenario illustrates a context effect in perception?

Deciding if a cabinet is on the floor or ceiling Signup and view all the answers

What is one way NASA uses human factor psychologists?

To address monotony, stress, and weightlessness Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Perception

Perception involves selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory information to enable us to recognize meaningful objects and events.

Selective Attention

Perceptions of objects change from moment to moment.
We can perceive different forms of the Necker cube, yet we can only pay attention to one aspect of the object at a time.
Inattentional blindness refers to the inability to see an object or person in our midst.
Change blindness is a form of inattentional blindness in which an individual fails to notice a change in another individual, such as in clothing or appearance, often due to focused attention on a different aspect.

Perceptual Illusions

Illusions provide good examples of how perception is organized.
They are useful to study to understand both faulty and accurate perceptions.

Perceptual Organization

Perceptual organization is the process of forming meaningful perceptions from sensory information.
The Gestalt psychologists showed that a figure forms a "whole" different than its surroundings.

Form Perception

Form perception is the organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings.

Grouping

Grouping is a process of creating a meaningful form by organizing a figure into a meaningful structure.

Depth Perception

Depth perception enables us to judge distances.
Human infants at a crawling age and even newborn animals show depth perception.

Monocular Cues

Monocular cues are depth cues that can be perceived with one eye.
Light and shadow: Nearby objects reflect more light into our eyes than more distant objects. Given two identical objects, the dimmer one appears to be farther away.

Motion Perception

Motion perception involves the perception of objects traveling towards or away from us, or the observer's own movement towards or from an object.
Objects traveling towards us appear to grow in size, while objects moving away shrink in size.

Apparent Motion

The Phi Phenomenon: When lights flash at a certain speed, they tend to create illusions of motion.
Neon signs use this principle to create motion perception.

Perceptual Constancy

Perceptual constancy refers to perceiving objects as unchanging, even when illumination and retinal images change.
Perceptual constancies include constancies of shape and size.

Size Constancy

Size constancy refers to the stable perception of an object's size, even when the size of the stimuli changes.

Size-Distance Relationship

The distant monster in a picture appears bigger than the top red bar because of distance cues.
Both girls standing in different corners of a room are of similar heights, but we perceive them to be of different heights because of distance cues.

Ames Room

The Ames room is designed to demonstrate the size-distance illusion.

Lightness Constancy

Lightness constancy refers to perceiving the same color and brightness of an object, even though the illumination changes the light reflected by the object.

Color Constancy

Color constancy refers to perceiving familiar objects as having a consistent color even when changing illumination filters the light reflected by the object.

Perceptual Interpretation

Immanuel Kant argued that knowledge comes from our inborn ways of organizing sensory experiences.
John Locke argued that we learn to perceive the world through our experiences.

Restored Vision

After cataract surgery, blind adults were able to regain sight.
These individuals could differentiate figure and ground relationships but had difficulty distinguishing a circle and a triangle.
Although able to recognize distinct features, they could not recognize faces.

Sensory Deprivation

Kittens raised without exposure to horizontal lines later had difficulty perceiving horizontal bars.

Perceptual Adaptation

Visual ability to adjust to an artificially displaced visual field, such as with prism glasses.

Perceptual Set

Perceptual set is a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another.
What you see in the center picture is influenced by flanking pictures.

Schemas

Schemas are concepts that organize and interpret unfamiliar information.
Children's schemas represent reality as well as their abilities to represent what they see.

Features on a Face

Face schemas are accentuated by specific features on the face.
Students recognized a caricature of Arnold Schwarzenegger faster than his actual photo.

Eye and Mouth

Eyes and mouth play a dominant role in face recognition.

Context Effects

Context can radically alter perception.
The "magician cabinet" on the floor or hanging from the ceiling is an example of how context influences perception.

Cultural Context

Context instilled by culture also alters perception.
For example, to an East African, the woman sitting is balancing a metal box on her head, while the family is sitting under a tree.

Perception and Human Factors

Human Factor Psychologists design machines that assist our natural perceptions.
For example, the knobs for the stove burners on the right are easier to understand than those on the left.

Human Factors and Misperceptions

Understanding human factors enables us to design equipment to prevent disasters.
Two-thirds of airline crashes caused by human error are largely due to errors of perception.

Human Factors in Space

To combat conditions of monotony, stress, and weightlessness when traveling to Mars, NASA engages Human Factor Psychologists.

Is There Extrasensory Perception?

Perception without sensory input is called extrasensory perception (ESP).

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Description

Explore the fascinating world of perception, including how we select, organize, and interpret sensory information. This quiz delves into concepts such as selective attention, inattentional blindness, and perceptual illusions. Test your understanding of these key psychological principles and their implications in recognizing meaningful objects and events.