Chapter 6- Selective Attention
phi phenomenon
an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in succession
retinal disparity
a binocular cue for perceiving depth: By comparing images from the two eyeballs, the brain computes distance- the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer object
convergence
a binocular cue for perceiving depth; the extent to which the eyes converge inward when looking at an object
human factors psychology
a branch of psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be adapted to human behaviors
visual cliff
a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals
perceptual set
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
gestalt
an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasize our tendency yo integrate pieces of information into meaningful information
monocular cues
distance cues, such as linear perspective and overlap, available to either eye alone
binocular cues
depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depenf on the use of two eyes
perceptual adaptation
in vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field
perceptual constancy
perceiving objects as unchanging ( having consisten lightness, color, shape, and size) even as illumination and retinal images change
depth perception
the ability to see objects ins three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are 2d; allows us to judge distance
extrasensory perception (ESP)
the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input. Said to include telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition
selective attention
the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus, as in the cocktail party effect
figure-ground
the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground)
grouping
the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent fields
parapsychology
the study of paranormal phenomenon, including ESP and psychokinesis
visual xapture
the tendency for vision to dominate the other senses
