Perception: The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information PERCEPTION

Top-Down Processing : using our past experiences and expectations to organize and interpret situations Principles of Perceptual Organization “Gestalt”- organizing bits of pieces into a whole

Seeing is believing  / / /   on1.html

I. GESTALT PRINCIPLES pg 224  Proximity-  Similarity  Closure  Continuity  Simplicity

1. Proximity: The tendency to group objects that are close together

2. Similarity: The tendency to group items that look similar

3. Closure: the tendency to fill in gaps in order to perceive disconnected parts as a whole object

Continuity- we see continuous patterns not disrupted ones Simplicity- see the simplest shape

II. Figure Ground Perception

Figure-Ground: The tendency to view stimuli as objects (or figures) that stand out from the background (or ground) Figure ground is important in hearing as well.. Following a voice at a meeting (figure) the rest is ground Melody =figure other music = ground  The figure is the object that draws one’s attention.  Ex: islands in the ocean

III. Perceptual Inference Filling in the gaps in what our senses tell us

IV. Learning to Perceive Subliminal messages- brief auditory or visual messages that are presented below the absolute threshold rOFt-0-e0

V. Depth Perception The ability to see in “3-D” and judge distances

A. Visual Cliff  A laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants  Infants are reluctant to crawl past the “edge” of the visual cliff  Other animals had similar results.  Suggests that depth perception, to some extend, is inborn

Visual Cliff

B. Binocular Cues: depend on the movement of both eyes B. Binocular Cues: depend on the movement of both eyes Retinal Disparity – the somewhat different images our two eyes receive of the same object, helps us perceive depth

Binocular Depth Cues: Finger Sausage

C.Monocular Depth Cues – perceive distance and depth. Cues using one eye only

1. Relative Size: The larger the object appears, the closer the object is to the viewer 2. Relative Height: Objects that are higher in our field of vision appear farther away than lower ones

3. Relative Motion  Farther objects appear to move in the same direction as the viewer.  Closer objects appear to move in the opposite direction.

Relative Motion

4. Interposition: “Overlap” of closer objects over distant ones 5. Texture Gradient: Distant objects have a smoother texture than nearby ones

6. Relative Clarity: closer objects appear clearer and more distinct than distant ones 6. Relative Clarity: closer objects appear clearer and more distinct than distant ones 7. Linear Perspective: parallel lines appear to converge in the distance 8. Motion parallax the apparent movement of stationary objects relative to one another when you move your head from side to side.

VI. Constancy The tendency to perceive certain objects in the same way regardless of the changing angle, distance or lighting

VII. Illusions  incorrect perceptions

VIII ESP  the ability to gain information by some means other than the ordinary senses