All Flashcards
How do artists use linear perspective?
To create a sense of depth in paintings by making parallel lines converge.
How is the Phi phenomenon used in advertising?
To create the illusion of movement with blinking lights to attract attention.
Give an example of perceptual adaptation.
Getting used to wearing new glasses that initially distort your vision.
How do magicians use Gestalt principles?
To manipulate our perception by creating illusions that exploit how we group and organize visual information.
How does retinal disparity help us in everyday life?
It allows us to accurately judge distances, like when reaching for a cup or catching a ball.
How does brightness constancy help us?
It allows us to identify objects regardless of lighting conditions.
What is the main idea behind Gestalt principles?
The brain actively constructs our perceptions, not just passively receive information; we naturally organize sensations into wholes.
Explain the Gestalt principle of similarity.
We group similar figures together (e.g., seeing team jerseys as a single unit).
Explain the Gestalt principle of proximity.
We group nearby figures together (e.g., seeing people sitting together as a group).
Explain the Gestalt principle of continuity.
We perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones.
Explain the Gestalt principle of closure.
We fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object.
Explain the Gestalt principle of connectedness.
We perceive uniform and linked spots, lines, or areas as a single unit.
Describe the monocular cue of relative height.
We perceive objects higher in our field of vision as farther away.
Describe the monocular cue of relative size.
We interpret smaller objects as being more distant.
Describe the monocular cue of interposition.
If one object partially blocks our view of another, we perceive it as closer.
Describe the monocular cue of linear perspective.
Parallel lines appear to converge in the distance, implying depth.
Describe the monocular cue of light and shadow.
Shadows create a sense of depth, allowing us to perceive form.
Explain how shrinking objects are perceived in motion perception.
Shrinking objects are usually interpreted as moving away from us.
Explain how enlarging objects are perceived in motion perception.
Enlarging objects are usually interpreted as moving closer to us.
Describe color constancy.
Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object.
Describe size constancy.
Perception of an object as the same size regardless of the distance from which it is viewed.
Define sensation.
Bottom-up processing; detecting stimuli.
Define perception.
Top-down processing; interpreting stimuli.
Define Gestalt.
An organized whole; our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.
Define figure-ground.
The organization of visual field into objects (figures) that stand out from their surroundings (ground).
Define depth perception.
The ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance.
Define monocular cues.
Depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone.
Define binocular cues.
Depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes.
Define retinal disparity.
A binocular cue for perceiving depth. By comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance—the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object.
Define stroboscopic movement.
The brain's perception of continuous movement in a rapid series of slightly varying images.
Define Phi phenomenon.
An illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession.
Define perceptual constancy.
Perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, lightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change.
Define perceptual adaptation.
In vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field.