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