chapter 6
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CHAPTER 6. PERCEPTION. Selective Attention. Selective Attention: the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus. Selective Attention. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
CHAPTER 6
PERCEPTION
Selective Attention
Selective Attention: the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
Selective Attention
Cocktail-Party Effect: the ability to attend to one of several speech streams while ignoring others (just as one is able to attend to one conversation among others at a cocktail party). In cases such as cocktail parties, the mention of one’s name is processed even if it occurs in an unattended speech stream.
Selective Attention
Inattentional blindness: failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere Change blindness http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBPG_OBgTWg Change deafness Choice blindness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pK0BQ9CUHk&feature=fvst
Perceptual Illusions
Visual CaptureThe tendency for vision to
dominate all other senses. Example?
Perceptual Organization Gestalt:
In German “Gestalt” means whole or form. The Gestalt psychologists studied perception and emphasized the fact that we can not study perception by examining its individual parts because quite often the whole is different (or more) than the sum of its parts.
Form Perception Figure-Ground
Relating to the principle that perceptions have two parts; a figure that stand out in good contour (the main elements of a scene), and an indistinct homogeneous background
Look at the plus sign in the middle, the pink/purple dots will disappear and be replaced by a green ring.
The circles are not moving. If you look at one it remains stationary while the other circles are moving.
Stare at the four black dots in the center of the image for 30 - 60 seconds. Then quickly close your eyes and look at something bright (like a lamp or a window
with sunlight coming through it). You should see a white circle with an image inside it.
An Old Woman or a Young Lady?
Proximity: The closer objects are to one another, the more likely they are to be perceived as belonging together
We perceive the picture figures below as one group of 2 circles, one single circle and another group of 2 circles.
Can you come up with examples of proximity as it relates to real life?
Gestalt Rules of Grouping
Gestalt Rules of Grouping Similarity: Similar elements are perceived
to be part of a group. For instance, all the players wearing blue shirts are from
the University of Michigan, all those wearing red are represent the University of Wisconsin
X O X OX O X OX O X OX O X O
We see two columns of Xs and two columns of Os not four rows of XOXO
Gestalt Rules of Grouping
Continuity: Sensations that appear to create a continuous form are perceived as belonging together
Once an object appears to move in a particular direction, your brain assumes that the movement continues unchanged. On some smaller highways, for example, you can easily miss your turn unless you really pay attention to the signs. We tend to assume that the highway continues in the direction we’ve been moving
Gestalt Rules of Grouping
ConnectednessWe perceive spots, lines, or areas as
a single unit when uniform and linked
Gestalt Rules of Grouping
Closure The tendency to fill in missing contours to
form a complete object
We perceive these objects as a circle and a square.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/brain_explorer/jumping.html
Gestalt Rules of Grouping
Gestalt Rules of Grouping
Common Fate: Sets of objects that move in the same direction at the same speed are perceived together
Examples: A flock of birds flying in a V formation, though separated in space, will be perceived as a group
Depth Perception
Depth Perception: The perception of distance, allowing us to experience the world in three dimensions. Monocular Depth cues Binocular Depth cues
Depth Perception
Visual CliffGibson and Walk
discovered that
6 month old infants
would not crawl to
their mothers if the were
on the “deep” side
Depth Perception
Binocular Cues: Depth cues requiring the use of two eye
Depth Perception
Retinal Disparity: A depth cue based on the difference between the retinal images received by each eye
Closer objects have
more retinal disparity
than objects farther
Depth Perception
As retinal disparity increases, perceived distance _________________.
As retinal disparity decreases, perceived distance _________________.
Depth Perception
Convergence: A depth cue resulting from rotation of the eyes so that the image of an object can be projected on each retina. The rotating of the eyes causes feelings of tension in the eye muscle. This tension is stronger when objects are closer
Depth PerceptionMonocular Depth cues: Depth
cues requiring the use of only one eyeLinear PerspectiveRelative SizeReduced ClarityInterposition/OverlappingTexture GradientRelative Height
Depth Perception
Relative Size: If two objects are assumed to be the same size, the object producing a larger image on the retina is perceived as closer than the one producing a smaller images
Depth Perception
Interposition/Overlapping: Closer objects block the view of objects farther away
Depth Perception
Reduced Clarity: Faraway objects seem less clear and less detailed
Depth Perception
Texture Gradient: A graduated change in the texture, or “grain” of the visual field. Texture appears finer as distance increases and coarser as the distance decreases.
Depth Perception
Relative height: More distant objects are usually higher in the visual field than those nearby
Depth Perception
Linear Perspective: The closer together two converging lines are, the greater the perceived distance
Depth Perception
Light and Shadow
(Relative Brightness)
A depth cue whereby dimmer objects appear to be farther away than bright objects
Depth Perception
Relative Motion (Motion Parallax)
When we are in motion, nearby objects will appear to move by rapidly while objects that are farther away will appear to move more slowly
Motion Perception
Our basic assumption is that shrinking objects are retreating, not shrinking and that enlarging objects are approaching
Stroboscopic Motion: the illusion of movement produced by showing the rapid progression of images or objects that are not moving at all
Phi Phenomenon: An illusion of apparent movement when two lights flash on and off in quick succession. The light appears to move from one location to the other
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAvTTlXyzmE&feature=related
Perception
Perceptual Constancy: The ability to maintain a perception of the properties of an object (e.g. size, shape, color) regardless of changes in the actual stimulus conditions, such as the level of illumination, or image size on the retina
Perceptual Interpretation
Our perception is due to an interaction between nature and nurture
Critical PeriodThe critical period for normal sensory
and perceptual development is in infancy
Perceptual Adaptation
Humans are able to adapt perceptually. When people wear displacement goggles, they manage to adapt their movements and, with practice, to move about with ease. (Although kittens and monkey can also adapt, chicks cannot)
Perception
Perceptual SetA readiness or predisposition to perceive a stimulus in a certain way. Perceptual sets can save us time that is usually consumed by additional detail processing of stimulus features, but they can also lead to perceptual errors.
Once we have formed a wrong idea about reality, we have more difficulty seeing the truth
Rat-Man Illusion
What do these letters spell?
FolkCroakSoakYolk
Perception
Schemas: Mental representation of what we know, and
have come to expect about the world
Perception
Context EffectsA given stimulus may trigger radically
different perceptions because of the immediate context. For example, we discern whether a speaker said “morning” or “mourning” or “dye” or “die” from the surrounding words.
Perception and the Human Factor
Human Factors Psychologists: Explore how people and machines interact and how physical environments can be adapted to human behaviors. They help to
design appliances, machines,
and work settings that fit our
natural perceptions.
Is There Extrasensory Perception?
Extrasensory Perception (ESP): alleged awareness of external events by other means than the known sensory channels.
Parapsychology: the systematic study of alleged psychological phenomena involving the transfer of information or energy that cannot be explained in terms of presently known scientific data or laws
Is There Extrasensory Perception?
Three most testable varieties of ESP Telepathy: mind reading, thought
transference Clairvoyance: the alleged ability to “see”
beyond the normal range of sight, such as distant or hidden objects or events in the past or future
Precognition: the purported ability to see or experience future events
Is There Extrasensory Perception?
Psychokinesis: the alleged ability to control external events and move or change the shape of objects through the power of thought. An example is bending a piece of metal by exerting “mind over matter”
Anyone who believes in
psychokinesis, raise my hand
Is There Extrasensory Perception?
Premonitions or Pretensions? Research psychologists remain skeptical
because the acts of so-called psychics have typically turned out to be nothing more than the illusions of stage magicians, because checks of psychic visions have been no more accurate than guesses made by others, and because sheer chance guarantees that some stunning coincidences are sure to occur
Is There Extrasensory Perception?
Putting ESP to Experimental TestAn important reason for psychologists
skepticism, is the absence of reproducible ESP results. In addition, to believe in ESP, one must believe that the brain is capable of perceiving without sensory input.