AP Psych Sensation and Perception: Selective Attention/Perceptual Organization

Cocktail Party Effect

The ability to concentrate on one voice in a sea of many voices

Visual Capture

The fact that when vision competes with our other senses vision usually wins

Retinal Disparity

A binocular cue of depth perception where a humans two retinas send the brain two different pictures, the brain tells the differences and judges depth.

Convergence

A binocular cue when objects are close the eyes move together but when an object is far the eyes move far apart

Light and Shadow

A monocular cue where bright things seem close and dark things seem far

Relative Clarity

A monocular cue where clear things seem close, far things are fuzzy.

Texture Gradient

A monocular cue where detailed things seem close

Interposition

A monocular cue where if one thing blocks another it looks closer

Relative Height

A monocular cue where object high in field of vision seems close

Linear Perspective

A monocular cue where parallel lines merge in the distance

Relative Size

A monocular cue where the larger an object is, the closer it seems

Relative Motion

A monocular cue where when moving things above a point move with you, below moves far away

Depth Perception

Allows us to judge differences

Monocular Depth Perception

Depth perception with one eye

Binocular Depth Perception

Depth perception with two eyes

Figure/Ground

Figure = what you're concentrating on Ground = everything in the background

Gestalt Principles of Organization

Grouping proximity - close things are grouped together Similarity - of things look alike Continuity - things that start seem like they could continue Connectedness - if things are connected they look important Closure - things that are almost finished are finished by the mind

Visual Cliff

Help point to the fact that infants have depth perception

Motion Perception

Objects travelling towards us tend to grow in size, while objects moving away tend to shrink in size

Perceptual Constancy

Perceiving objects as unchanging even as illuminations and retinal images change

Examples of Perceptual Constancy

Size remains constant (Size Constancy) Lightness/Brightness remains constant (Light Constancy) Color Constancy - Stays the same

Perception

The process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory information, which enables us to recognize meaningful objects and events

Selective Attention

We, as human beings, can only pay attention to a few thousands of sensory stimulation going on every second.

Phi Phenomenon

When lights flash at a certain speed they tend to present the illusion of motion

Change Blindness

When you fail to notice that something has changed

Inattentional Blindness

When you fail to see an object that is in your line of vision