Sensation and Perception: Chapter 4 - Part 2
Sensation and Perception: Chapter 4 - Part 2
PERCEPTION
CHAPTER 4 – PART 2
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II. VISION
Properties of light + structures of our eyes
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1 . THE VI S UAL
S TI MULUS AND THE EYE
• How do we see?
• Light falls on an object
• This light gets reflected in all
directions
• The reflected light reaches our
eyes
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PROPERTIES OF
LIGHT
• Light is a form of
energy
• Electromagnetic radiation
• Light travels in waves
• Wavelength
• Shorter: more energy
• Longer: less energy
• Color (Hue)
• Visible light (picture)
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PROPERTIES OF LIGHT
• Amplitude
• The height of the wave
• Perceived as the brightness of a visual stimulus
• Greater amplitude = brighter light
• Smaller amplitude = dim light
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PROPERTIES OF LIGHT
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2. STRUCTURES OF THE EYE
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2. STRUCTURES OF
THE EYE
•Sclera
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2. STRUCTURES OF THE EYE
Cornea
• The clear membrane on the outer part of the eye
• The curved surface on the cornea bends light on the
surface of the eye
Lens
• Transparent and somewhat flexible
• When a person is looking at an object far away, the lens
has a relatively flat shape
• When a person is looking at an object that is closer,
more bending of the light is needed
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2. ST R U C T U R E
O F T H E EY E S
• Retina:
• light-sensitive surface
• records what a person
sees
• converts it to a neural
impulse for processing
in the brain
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2. STRUCTURE OF THE EYES
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Visual pathway
Left Visual Field Right Visual Field
Pathway of Visual
Information
Retina
Optic Nerve
Optic Chiasm:
optic nerve fibers
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Thalamus
Visual Cortex
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THE VISUAL
C O RT E X
• Visual Cortex:
• Located in the occipital lobe of the
brain
• Feature detectors:
• Neurons or groups of neurons in the
brain’s visual system
• They are specialized and respond to
particular features of a stimulus
• Lines, angles, movement, size,
shape
• Multiple detectors work together to
form a “whole picture”
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PARALLEL PROCESSING
Parallel processing:
• A simultaneous distribution of information across different neural pathways
• Perceive all things at one time – (color, shape, movement)
• Function: dramatically speeding up its processes
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COLOR VISION
• The Trichromatic(a) Theory:
• States that color perception is produced by three types of receptors in the retina
• 3 receptor systems: red, blue, and green sensitive cones that respond to long, medium, and short
wavelength
• Colorblindness: (supports the Trichromatic Theory)
• Seeing some colors but not others
• Depends on which of three kinds of cones (green, red, and blue) is not working
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COLOR
VISION:
AFTERIMAGES
Color Vision: opponent process theory
• Opponent Process Theory
• complementary color pairs
• Some colors cannot be
perceived at the same time
• Greenish red?
• Blueish yellow?
4. DIMENSIONS OF
PERCEPTION: SHAPE
• The figure–ground
relationship: (part of Gestalt
Psychology)
• Occurs when a person organizes
the perceptual field into stimuli
that stand out (figure)
• And those that are left over
(ground)
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GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY
• Gestalt psychology:
• Perceive an object as a whole rather than the sum of
individual parts
Principals of Gestalt Psychology:
1. Closure:
• When people see a disconnected or incomplete figure,
they see a whole (they see them as complete)
2. Proximity:
• When individuals see objects close to each other, they
tend to group them as together
3. Similarity:
• When objects are similar, individuals tend to group
them together
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Gestalt Principles
Closure Proximity
Similarity
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4. D IME N SIO N S O F V ISU A L
PE R C E PT IO N : D E P T H
• The brain constructs perception of 3D
from 2D images processed by the retina
• Binocular cues:
• Combination of images in our left and right eyes
• Disparity: create perception of depth
• Convergence: two eyes looking at the same object
• Muscle movement provides information about how
near or far
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Monocular Cues: Familiar Size, Overlap
Familiar size:
• Large objects: Closer
• Small objects: Farther
Overlap:
An object that overlaps other objects
is perceived as closer
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Monocular Cues: Shading
Changes in
perception due to
the position of
light and of the
viewer
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Monocular Cues:
Height in Field, Linear Perspective
Height in field
All other things equal, higher
objects are farther
Linear perspective
Parallel lines converge when
an object recedes into the
distance
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Monocular Cues: Texture Gradients
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MOTION
PERCEPTION
• Apparent motion:
• Occurs when an object is stationary, but it is
perceived as moving
• Example: watching an IMAX movie
• Feeling you might fall watching the movie
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PERCEPTUAL
CONSTANCY
• Perceptual constancy:
• The recognition of objects as
remaining stationary and unchanging
even though sensory input about them
is changing
Three types of perceptual constancy
include:
1. Size constancy
2. Shape constancy
3. Color constancy
• Perceptual consistency shows us how
important interpretation is for perception
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• Example: Optical illusions
Sensation and
Perception
III. The
auditory
system
PROPERTIES OF SOUND +
STRUCTURE OF OUR EARS
1. Properties of Sound
• Wavelength: distance between peaks
Determines frequency
Perceived as pitch (hertz)
Some wavelengths cannot be
perceived
• Mixture of Wavelengths:
Complex Sounds
Perceived as timbre/tone saturation
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Sound Waves
2. Structures and
Functions of the
Ears
• 3 parts:
• Outer
• Middle
• Inner
Structure of the Ear:
The Outer Ear
• The ear transmits a high-fidelity version
of sounds in the world to the brain for
interpretation
Outer Ear: (Components)
1. Pinna:
a. The visible outer part of the ear
b. Collects sound and channels them into the
interior of the ear
2. External auditory canal
a. The canal that leads sound into the deeper
parts of the ear
Structure of the Ear:
The Middle Ear
The Middle Ear
• After passing through the pinna:
• Sound waves go through the
auditory canal to the middle ear
• The eardrum vibrates in response to
sound
• Bones:
• The hammer, anvil, and stirrup
• When they vibrate, the sound
waves are transmitted to the oval
window – the opening of the inner
ear
Structure of the Ear:
The Inner Ear
• The Inner Ear:
• Contains the oval window, the
cochlea, and the basilar membrane
1. The sound signal is conducted
from the stirrup (in the middle
ear)
2. To the oval window of the inner
ear
3. Which transmits the sound into
the cochlea
Structure of the Ear
The cochlea:
- Looks like a snail shell
In the cochlea:
- Fluid-filled canals
- Inner wall: basilar membrane
- Tampered
- Basilar membrane is lined with hair
cells (cilia)
- Movement against the tectorial
membrane:
- Movements in fluids
- Electrical impulses
3. Theories of Hearing
• Place Theory of Pitch Perception
• Frequency Theory of Pitch Perception
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Place theory
• Each frequency produces vibrations at a particular spot on
the basilar membrane
location of stimulation is important
only explains perception of high frequencies
Movement of the basilar membrane
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Localization of sounds