Perception HOW WE SELECT ORGANIZE INTERPRET OUR SENSATIONS

Perception HOW WE SELECT, ORGANIZE, & INTERPRET OUR SENSATIONS

© E. R. Degginger/Animals

Example of Perception • Say thermostat is set at 72 (the “ideal” temperature) • However, some peoples’ perception is that the room temp is “too cold” or “too warm”

Perception § Selective Attention § focus of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus § Basically, it is the ability to focus on some piece of sensory info & ignore others

Cocktail-party phenomenon • cocktail party effect – describes the ability to focus one's listening attention on a single talker among a mixture of conversations and background noises, ignoring other conversations. • Form of selective attention.

Gestalt • German word, meaning: – “form” – “whole” • P. 236 • How we organize visual info into patterns & forms

Gestalt Psychology • Gestalt psychologists focused on how we GROUP objects together. • We innately look at things in groups and not as isolated elements. • Proximity (group objects that are close together as being part of same group) • Similarity (objects similar in appearance are perceived as being part of same group) • Continuity (objects that form a continuous form are perceived as same group) • Closure (like top-down processing…we fill gaps in if we can recognize it)

Depth Perception • Eleanor Gibson and her Visual Cliff Experiment. • If you are old enough to crawl, you are old enough to see depth perception. • We see depth by using two cues that researchers have put in two categories: • Binocular Cues • Monocular Cues

Binocular Cues (2 eyes) • We need both of our eyes to use these cues. • Retinal Disparity (as an object comes closer to us, the differences in images between our eyes becomes greater. • 3 -D • Convergence (as an object comes closer our eyes have to come together to keep focused on the object).

Monocular Cues p. 240 • Used to judge distance. You really only need one eye to use these

Size-Distance Relationship p. 244

Constancy • Objects change in our eyes constantly as we or they move…. but we are able to maintain content perception • Shape Constancy • Size Constancy • Brightness Constancy

Perceptual Adaptation • In vision, it’s the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field

Perceptual Set • A mental predisposition to perceive 1 thing and not another • Our first perceptual decision is what is the image in the figure and what is the background

ESP • Extra. Sensory Perception (ESP) – The controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input • Telepathy – mind 2 mind communication • Clairvoyance – remote events • Precognition – Future events

Why do so many people believe in ESP? • Our understanding of nature is incomplete – Still questions about the world around us… • • Misinterpretations Misperceptions Poor memories Selective recall

Is there Perception w/out Sensation? • Is ESP a verifiable phenomenon? • Parapsychology: – The study of https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=n 46 um para-normal events, including ESP YA_4 d. M & Psychokinesis Conclusion about ESP: • No sound evidence for para-psychological phenomena • No single individual who can demonstrate psychic powers to independent investigators