Chapter 6 Perception

Perception:
selecting, organizing and
interpreting our
sensations
Selective Attention
Definition: the focusing of conscious awareness on a
particular stimulus.
i.e. - our conscious attention is selective
We may know that alternative interpretations are
possible, but are able to experience only one at a
time.
When we focus our awareness on something, it is only
a limited aspect of all we experience
Selective Attention

We can only experience one

at a time.
It is not possible to see both
the word and the face
simultaneously
Selective attention
Change Blindness: When there are brief visual
interruptions (object goes away, colour of an object
changes) in our surroundings, they are often unnoticed.
Stimuli that we do not notice can still affect us. Perception
requires attention; however, unattended stimuli can have
subtle effects on our subconscious

Inattentional blindness failure to notice that which is

fully obvious when your attention is engaged with
someone or something else
Perceptual Illusions
We see illusions
even when we
know better
Illusions can come
from colour
contrasts and
shape position
Perceptual Illusions

Visual Capture: If vision must compete with the

other senses, vision is dominant.
e.g.: sounds at the movies comes from a projector
behind us, however we perceive it as coming from
the screen because we see the actors speaking.
Perceptual Organization
Gestalt: German for form or whole that
emphasizes our tendency to integrate pieces
of information into meaningful
wholes/patterns/forms.
The whole may exceed the sum of its
parts, means a unique perceived form
emerges from an objects components.
Means several distinct individual pieces,
when correctly arranged, will be perceived as
a single complete object.
Form Perception
Figure-ground: the organization of the visual
field into objects (figures) that stand out from
their surroundings (ground).
We see objects as distinct from their
surroundings. The figure is the dominant object
& the ground is the natural & formless setting
for the figure

Grouping: the perceptual tendency to organize

stimuli into coherent groups.
Form Perception: Grouping

We use a number of rules to group

stimuli together.
1) proximity
2) similarity
3) continuity
4) connectedness
5) closure
These five rules help us to construct
reality.
Proximity principle of
organization
DEMON DAY BREAK FAST
You probably read it as 4 words
demon, day, break, and fast instead
of Monday, daybreak, or breakfast.
This happened because of proximity
the nearness of objects to each
other = organizing principle
Closure principle of
organization
Ex. When someone writes an o without
closing it or writes a t without crossing
the t, we will know what the letter is
Ex. Not limited to vision if someone
started singing, Happy Birthday to.., we
might still be able to finish it in our mind
Similarity principle of
organization
Like stimuli tend to be perceived as parts of the same
pattern
Continuity Principle of
Organization
We tend to group stimuli into forms that follow
continuous lines or patterns
(A) These Xs are organized as two groups, not as four rows or four columns,
because of proximity. (B) Here we see two columns of Os and two columns of Xs
because of similarity. (C) We tend to see this figure as two intersecting linesone
curved, the other straightbecause of continuity. (D) This figure is perceived as
the letter R, not because it is a well-drawn representation, but because of closure.
Four Gestalt examples of grouping.
 Depth Perception
Our brain transforms the
A visual cliff is a laboratory device
used to test the depth perception of
infants and young animals. It has an
apparent, but not actual drop from
one surface to another.
If the child stops when it gets to the
edge of the platform, looks down,
and either is reluctant to cross or
refuses to cross, then the child has
depth perception.
two dimensional images
on our retinas into three
dimensions which allows
us to judge distance.
Surviving in a 3d world
requires us to determine
the distances of objects
around us.
Through many
experiments it has been
found that depth
perception is instinctive.
 How do we perceive depth?

You interpret visual cues that tell you

how near or far away objects are.
Cues are either:
1. Binocular cues
Depth cues that depend on the use
of two eyes
2. Monocular cues
Depth cues that depend one eye
alone
 Binocular Cues
Retinal disparity
the slightly diff view the 2 eyes have of the same object because
the eyes are a few cm apart
You can experience retinal disparity by extending your arm
directly in front of you with your thumb up. Close 1 eye while
looking at your thumb w the other. Then close the open eye and
open the closed eye. Your thumb appears to move w respect to
the background.
our brains combine the images from both eyes and use the
disparity to determine distance
the larger the disparity the closer object
Convergence
the more we turn our eyes inwards (Ex. When looking at tip of
our nose) to look at an object, the closer it must be to us brain
notes the angle of convergence
Convergence less imp cue than retinal disparty & cant be used
for objects beyond ~ 8 metres
Monocular Cues
Relative size When two objects are
assumed to be similar in size the smaller
object is perceived as farther away.
Interposition If one object
blocks our view of another
we perceive it as closer

Relative clarity We
perceive hazy objects
as farther away than
clear objects
Texture gradient coarse
defined textures are
perceived as closer
than fine indistinct
textures.

Linear perspective Lines are perceived as getting farther away when they
converge.
Relative height areas that are higher up in your visual field
are perceived as farther away. Lowest objects in our field
of vision generally seem the closest.
Relative Motion objects that move faster are perceived as closer

Light and Shadow

Objects that reflect
more light are
perceived as closer
 Motion Perception
Motion is perceived by using depth cues to sense when
an object is changing position.

Larger objects often appear to

move slowly than smaller objects.

Phi phenomenon illusion of

movement created by two
or more adjacent lights
blinking on and off in
succession (illusion of movement created by presenting visual
stimuli in rapid succession) - e.g. moving sign boards, TV
screens
 Perceptual Constancy
Perceiving objects as unchanging despite
changes in size shape, brightness, and colour

Shape and size constancies:

- Familiar object remain
constant in size
- Size can indicate
distance, and distance
can indicate size
Perceptual Constancy
Perceiving objects as unchanging despite
changes in size shape, brightness, and colour

Shape and size constancies:

- Familiar object remain
constant in size
- Size can indicate
distance, and distance
can indicate size
 Lightness Constancy
We perceive an object
as having a constant
lightness despite
changes in
illumination
Relative luminance is
the amount of light
an object reflects
relative to its
surroundings

Perceived
lightness
changes with context
 When Constancy Fails
Illusions experiences in which
our perceptions are at odds with
what we know as physical reality
Illusions remind us that
perception is a higher level
process than sensation!
Illusions

Which line
appears longer?
 A few classic geometrical illusions.

(A) Are the vertical and horizontal lines the same length? (B) Is the brim
of the hat as wide as the hat is tall? (C) Are the two horizontal lines the
same length? (D) Are the two horizontal lines the same length? (E) Are
the two diagonals part of the same line? (F) Are the long diagonal lines
parallel? (G) Are the two center circles the same size?
Old or young
woman?
Perceptual Set
A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
Influenced by experience, culture, and context

Flying saucers or
clouds?
 Perceptual Set
Doyou notice
anything wrong
with these
photos of
actress Julia
Roberts?
Perceptual Set

Our perceptual set

for a face fools us.
Toddlers use the face
instead of the body
for identification
(schema for body
isnt developed)
https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=n46umYA_4dM

Perceiving is Believing -
Crash Course Psychology #7