1. Perceptual Organization
Gestalt-Looking at the BIG picture- instead of focusing on the smaller parts – the focus is on the “whole”.
4 types of Gestalt Organization
Similarity- Grouping things that look like each other
Proximity- The closer items are too each other, the more likely we are to group them
Closure- The Brain fills in any gaps in our perceptual field (why we don’t see our blind spots) because it prefers a complete picture to bits and pieces
Continuity- Once a moving object has been noticed- the brain assumes it will continue moving in that direction

2. Visual Cliff Experiment
DEPTH PERCEPTION
Ability to see in 3D and acurately judge distances.
Depth perception is a vital skill- catching something thrown at your face, driving at a safe distance, how far away the poisonous snake is…
Early Psychologists wanted to know if this was a function of nature or nurture..
Visual Cliff Experiment
Visual Cliff #2

3. Depth Perception cont.
There are both Binocular and Monocular clues to depth
2 Binocular Clues – Retinal Disparity and Convergence
Retinal Disparity- Retinas in the eyes are about 2 -3 inches apart so each eye sees a slightly different view – Our brain takes the two images and combines them into one with the differences allowing it to account for depth (better for close-up environments)
Convergence – the brain tracks the amount of muscle tension in the eyeballs needed to track an object as it moves closer- the greater the tension the closer it is. The difference between the two eyes tells the brain where and how far the object is.

4. Clarity, height, linear perspective
Monocular Clues
4 Monocular Ways
1. Relative- when we see things larger or smaller than they are IRL- we can determine their approx. distance
2. Texture Gradient- Objects that are close are seen in detail, while farther objects get smoothed out and blurred.
3. Visual Overlap- Objects blocking out other objects tells us which is closer
4. Relative Motion- closer objects appear to move faster than farther objects even when moving at the same speed. cars on the road
Clarity, height, linear perspective
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5. Visual Constancy
3 Types of Constancy 1. Size Constancy – the brain expects size of an object to remain constant, even if it appears to change 2. Lightness Constancy (color too)- the brain expects the visual lightness/color of object remains constant despite lighting conditions 3. Shape Constancy – the brain expects the shape of objects to remain constant despite differences in angle of view

6. Context
Perceptual Set- The brain’s interpretation of an event/object based on previous experiences, information or mental expectations Horror Film Romantic Comedy Psychological Thriller Teen Scarefest