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Psych ch.5

Terms

undefined, object
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just noticeable difference
the smallest detectable difference in stimulus energy that can be told 50% of the time
absolute threshold
the minimum amount of stimulus energy that can be detected 50 percent of the time
perceptual constancy
the perception of objects as constant in size, shape, colour, and other properties despite changes in their retinal image
accommodation
the ability of the lens of the eye to change its shape and bend light rays so that the objects are in focus
relative size
a depth cue whereby larger objects are perceived as closer than smaller ones
binocular disparity
a depth cue based on the difference between two retinal images of the world
sensitivity
the ability to detect a stimulus
depth perception
the ability to perceive distance
perception
the process through which people take raw sensations from the environment and interpret them, using knowledge, experience, and understanding of the world, so that the sensations become meaningful experiences
parallel distributed processing (PDP) models
an approach to understanding object recognition in which various elements of the object are thought to be simultaneously analyzed by a number of widely distributed, but connected, neural units in the brain
psychophysics
an area of research focusing on the relationship between the physical characteristics of environmental stimuli and the psychological experiences those stimuli produce
attention
the process of directing and focusing psychological resources to enhance perception, performance, and mental experience
top down processing
aspects of recognition that are guided by higher level cognitive processes and psychological factors such as expectations
response criterion
the internal rule a person uses to decide whether or not to report a stimulus
convergence
a depth cue involving the rotation of the eyes to project the image of an object on each retina
schemas
mental representations of what we know, and have come to expect, about the world
perceptual organization
the task of determining what edges and other stimuli go together to form an object
linear perspective
a depth cue whereby objects closer to the point at which two lines appear to converge are perceived as being at a greater distance
ecological approach
an approach to perception maintaining that humans and other species are so well adapted to their natural environment that many aspects of the world are perceived without requiring higher level analysis and inferences
subliminal stimuli
stimuli that are too weak or brief to be percieved
bottom up processing
aspects of recognition that depend first on the information about the stimulus that comes to the brain from the sensory receptors
computational approach
an approach to perception that focuses on how computations by the nervous system translate raw sensory stimulation into an experience of reality
interposition
a depth cue whereby closer objects block one's view of things farther away
supraliminal stimuli
stimuli that are strong enough to be consistently percieved
weber's law
a law stating that the smallest detectable difference in stimulus energy is a constant fraction of the intensity of the stimulus
signal-detection theory
a mathematical model of what determines a person's report that a near-threshold stimulus has or has not occured
motion parallax
a depth cue whereby a difference in the apparent rate of movement of different objects provides information about the relative distance of those objects
constructivist approach
a view of perception taken by those who argue that the perceptual system uses fragments of sensory information to construct an image of reality
texture gradient
a graduated change in the texture, or grain, of the visual field, whereby objects with finer, less detailed textures are perceived as more distant
height in the visual field
a depth cue whereby objects higher in the visual field are perceived as more distant
stroboscopic motion
an illusion in which lights or images flashed in rapid succession are perceived as moving
looming
a motion cue involving a rapid expansion in the size of an image so that it fills the available space of the retina

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