Chapter 6: Perception

Perception
 The organization and interpretation of our
sensations. It is how we create meaning for
what we see, touch, hear, feel and smell.
 Perception

 Selective Attention:
the idea that we are
only aware of a small
percentage of what
we experience.
 Selective Attention

 The most famous

example to
illustrate
selective
attention is
known as the
“cocktail party
effect.”
 The Stroop Effect
Red Blue Blue
Green Yellow Red
Blue Orange
Orange
Yellow Yellow
Red Green
Orange
Red Black Blue
Yellow Green Green
Black Red Yellow
 The Stroop Effect
Selective Attention Theory: the interference
occurs because naming colors requires more
attention than reading words.
 Selective Attention

 Change Blindness*
 Inattentional Blindness*
 Perception
 Visual Capture:
refers to the tendency
for vision to dominate
the other senses.

Does this picture help you

remember the example
from your book?
 Perceptual Organization
 Gestalt: an organized
whole.

 Gestalt psychologists
emphasize humans’
tendencies to integrate
pieces of information into
meaningful wholes.

 Things are not seen as sum

of parts but immediately as
wholes.
 Gestalt Principle: Mind Always
Wants to Make Stimuli Meaningful.
 The fact that you can read this sentence…
“it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the
ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprometnt
tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at
the rghit pclae”

…illustrates gestalt principles are at work to make

things a meaningful whole.
 Gestalt Principle: Mind Always
Wants to Make Stimuli Meaningful.*
 Gestalt Psychology
 Grouping: the perceptual tendency to
organize stimuli into coherent groups

 Gestault/Grouping Principles:
 Proximity
 Similarity
 Continuity
 Closure
 Connectedness
Proximity: tendency to group
nearby figures together

Similarity: tendency to group
figures that are similar

 Continuity: tendency to
perceive continuous patterns

Closure: tendency to fill in the
gaps in visual information.
Connectedness: spots, lines and
areas are seen as a unit when
connected

 Perceptual Organization

 Figure-Ground
Relationship:
tendency to organize
information into
objects (figure) that
stand out from their
background(ground)
Figure Ground Illusion
The Big Ten collegiate conference has eleven
schools but they didn’t want to change their name.
However, they used their logo to hide the numerical
“11” in the name.
 Toblerone Chocolate

One of my favorite chocolates…yummy!! But trust me I never noticed

the brilliant logo while enjoying my bar. You must be thinking what is
there to find out as it clearly shows the Swiss Alps? Let me
explain…Toblerone originated in Bern, Switzerland - A city whose
name is rumored to mean, “City of bears.” When you look at it
again you will find a bear in the logo.
 Depth Perception
 Depth Perception:
the ability to see objects
in three dimensions.
Allows us to gauge
distance.

 Visual Cliff:
illustrated that crawling
infants and newborns
perceive depth.
 Types of Depth Perception
 Binocular Cues: depth cues that rely on the
use of two eyes.

 Examples of Binocular Cues:

 Retinal Disparity: idea that images of an
object from the two eyes differ. The closer the
object, the larger the difference (disparity.)
 Convergence: extent to which the eyes
converge inward when looking at an object
that brain keeps track of to measure distance.
Retinal Disparity and the Sausage
Illusion
 Types of Depth Perception
 Monocular Cues: distance cues that are
available to either eye alone. Often used in art.

 Examples of Monocular Cues

 Relative size: smaller image is more distant
 Interposition: closer object blocks distant
object
 Relative Clarity: hazy object seen as more
distant
 Texture: coarse=close; fine=distant
 key name

James J. GIBSON

 Among the first to discover the importance

of texture gradient for
perceiving depth. Most surfaces
have a texture but it becomes less detailed
as the surface recedes into the background.
 Types of Depth Perception
 Examples of Monocular Cues Continued:
 Relative Height: higher objects seen as more
distant
 Relative Motion: closer objects seem to move
faster
 Linear Perspective: parallel lines converge with
distance
 Relative Brightness: closer objects appear
brighter
 Light and Shadow: nearby objects reflect more
light to our eyes.
Monocular Cue?
 Monocular Cue?

Who is closer: Snoopy or

Woodstock?
Woodstock
How do you know?
Woodstock blocks part of Snoopy. In
other words, INTERPOSITION.
 Monocular Cue?

More detail Less detail
Monocular Cue?

Closer Further away

 Monocular Cue?

Highlights and shadows can provide information about an

object's dimensions and depth.
Because our visual system assumes the light comes from above,
a totally different perception is obtained if the image is viewed
upside down.
 Real Quick: Phi Phenomenon
 Motion Perception: Illusion of Movement
with Blinking Lights
 Perceptual Constancy
 Perceptual Constancy: perceiving objects
as unchanging despite changes in retinal
image
shape
size
Interplay Between Perceived
Size and Distance
 Using monocular cues for distance can
often cause us to perceive incorrect
information.
 Muller-Lyer Illusion Involves
Misperception of Line Segments
Muller-Lyer Illusion is Culturally
Specific to Western Architecture
 Poggendorf's
Optical Illusion*

The single line if

continued joins with
the _______ line.

One explanation for this illusion is

that the lower right end of the line
appears nearer than the upper left;
that is, the line is seen as receding in
space.
Impossible Object
Sensory Deprivation and
Perception
Kittens raised without
exposure to horizontal lines
later had difficulty
perceiving horizontal bars.

Remember that sensory

deprivation affects infants
worse than older animals
and humans.
 Perceptual Adaptation
 Perceptual
Adaptation

 (vision)ability to
adjust to an
artificially displaced
visual field

prism glasses
 Perceptual Set – the power of
expectancy

 Perceptual Set

A situation where a person is

predisposed (more likely) to
perceive one thing over another.
Bill Clinton and ?
Power of Expectancy/Set
Perceptual Set
Usually See Saxophone Player
Now Instead of…
Woman
 Perceptual Set*

Provide punctuation that will make the words

below meaningful:

TIME FLIES I CANT THEYRE TOO FAST

 Is there Extrasensory
Perception?
 Extrasensory Perception: claim that
perception can occur apart from sensory input.
 Telepathy
 Clairvoyance
 Precognition

 Parapsychology: study of paranormal

phenomenon, including ESP and psychokinesis.