Thinking About Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behavior

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Thinking About Psychology The Science of Mind
and Behavior

• Charles T. Blair-Broeker
• Randal M. Ernst

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Perception

• Module 10

Fact/Fiction Handout 10-1
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Perception

• The process of organizing and interpreting
  sensory information

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Sensation Versus Perception
We sense the colors Of blue, red, and White, but
our brain Perceives a Beautiful firework Display.
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HO 10-1Sensation v Perception
Dots and Splotches Fraser Spiral
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Speed of PerceptionOften perception arrives so
fast that we don't notice the sensation stage
before it. But when the sensory data is vague, we
would realize the effort it takes to yield
perception. For example
Can you raed tihs? Reersachers hvae fuond that
no mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod
are, eevn if tehy are a toatl mses, as lnog as
the frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae,
we can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is
bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but
precieve the wrod as a wlohe. Isn't that
intreestnig?
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Organizational Principles

• Module 10 Perception

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Gestalt

• The whole, or the organizational patterns that
  we tend to perceive
• Gestalt psychologists stressed that the whole is
  greater than the sum of its parts.
• By breaking experiences into their basic parts,
  something important is lost.

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A Gestalt Visual Illusion
Instead of seeing 8 circles with arrows, we see
the WHOLE
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HO 10-4 Gestalt Object Recognition
Look at the top visual. What do you see? Your
senses see a blob?? (Bottom up Processing)
Top-Down Processing Hint It is a drawing of an
animal you have seen many times.
Look at the picture on the bottom of the
page. What do you see? SquintMove the picture
closer. farther
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Object Recognition
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HO 10-5 Gestalt Law of Pragnanz
Supplies HO 10-5, pen/pencil, and a scrap of
paper

• Look at the figures on HO 10-5 for a moment.
• Turn the paper over
• Reproduce the figures on the piece of scrap paper
• Compare to the originals.

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Organizational Principles Figure-Ground
Relationships

• Module 10 Perception

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Figure-Ground

• The perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into
  objects (the figures) that stand out from their
  surrounding (the ground)
• The figure is the object(s) that stands out or
  draws ones attention.
• The ground is the background.

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Text example page 185
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Figure Ground
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Handout 10-3 Figure Ground
1 Stare at box. Discuss with a partner any
patterns that you see emerging.
2 a-b What words or phrase do you see in
these Figure-Ground visuals??
3 a-b Your brain perceives a white rectangle
in the STOP which does not really exist.
It also perceives a white triangle in figure
b which also does not really exist.
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Organizational Principles Grouping Principles

• Module 10 Perception

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Grouping

• The perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into
  understandable groups
• Several principles of grouping include
• Similarity
• Proximity
• Closure
• Continuity

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Grouping - Similarity

• The tendency to place items that look similar
  into a group

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HO 10-3 Similarity
4 b and c Do you notice any distinct patterns
within the figures??
4b A triangle of black dots appears against
a background of Xs.
4c The two halves of the circular field
appear to be separate.
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Grouping - Proximity

• The tendency to place objects that are physically
  close to each other in a group

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HO 10-3 Proximity
G H How many groups of lines do you see?
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HO 10-3 Proximity
4a How many groups of dots do you see?
The circles are organized into two groups
illustrating the principle of proximity.
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Grouping Closure

• The tendency to look at the whole by filling in
  gaps in a perceptual field

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HO 10-3 Closure
4 e and f Describe the figures you see
to your partner.
4e The visual is seen as a diamond between
two vertical lines. If not for the concept
of Closure, you would see (1)
the letter W stacked on the letter M, or
(2) K faced by a mirror image.
4f is seen as a triangle. If not for Closure,
you would see 3 separate acute angles.
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Grouping Continuity

• The tendency to perceive that movement of an
  object continues once it appears to move in a
  particular direction.

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Depth Perception

• Module 10 Perception

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Depth Perception

• The ability to see in three dimensions and judge
  distances

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Visual Cliff

• Visual Cliff (ex. Page 187 in text)

• A laboratory device for testing depth perception
  in infants and young animals
• Infants are reluctant to crawl past the edge of
  the visual cliff
• Other animals had similar results.
• Suggests that depth perception, to some extend,
  is inborn

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Visual Cliff Visual 1
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Visual Cliff Visual 2
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Depth Perception Binocular Depth Cues

• Module 10 Perception

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Binocular Cues

• Depth cues that require the use of both eyes
• Enables people to see in three dimensions.

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Retinal Disparity

• A binocular depth cue resulting from slightly
  different images produced by the separation of
  the retinas in the left and right eye
• Is most effective when the item is quite close to
  the person

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Binocular Depth Cues Finger Sausage
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Retinal Disparity Text example page 189
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Autostereograms
Materials Needed HO-10-7 and 10-8
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Retinal Disparity Demo

• Roll a piece of scrap paper into a tube shape.
• Hold it to your right eye as if it were a
  telescope
• Look through the tube focusing on an object
• on a blank wall in front of you.
• Keeping both eyes open, hold your open left
• hand beside the tubecontinue to focus on
• the object on the wall.
• 5. The images should fuse and .

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Pulfrich Pendulum EffectDemonstration
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Convergence

• A binocular depth cue related to the tension in
  the eye muscles when the eyes track inward to
  focus on objects close to the viewer
• The more tension in the eye muscle, the closer
  the object is
• Works best at close distances

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Depth Perception Monocular Depth Cues

• Module 10 Perception

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Monocular Cues

• Depth cues that require the use of only one eye

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Components of Monocular Cues

• Monocular depth cues include
• relative size
• relative motion
• interposition
• relative height
• texture gradient
• relative clarity
• linear perspective

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Monocular Depth Cues 1. Relative Size

• Using the perceived size of a familiar object to
  determine depth
• The larger the object appears, the closer the
  object is to the viewer

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Monocular Depth Cues 2. Relative Motion

• A person who is moving can determine depth by
  focusing on a distant object.
• Objects further away than the object of focus
  will appear to move in the same direction as the
  subject is moving.
• Objects closer than the object of focus will
  appear to move in the opposite direction.

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Relative Motion Illustration
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Monocular Depth Cues 3.
Interposition

• Method of determining depth by noting that closer
  objects partially obstruct the more distant
  objects
• Also called overlap

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Monocular Depth Cues 4. Relative Height

• Method of determining depth by noting that
  distant objects appear higher in your field of
  vision than do closer objects

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Monocular Depth Cues 5. Texture Gradient

• Method of determining depth by noting that
  distant objects have a smoother texture than
  nearby objects

Can see individual blades of hay, but in
the Distance, the hay seems to have a
smoother Texture.
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Monocular Depth Cues 6. Relative Clarity

• Method of determining depth by noting that
  distant objects are less clear than nearby
  objects
• Tends to work outdoors

Paris Street A Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte
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Monocular Depth Cues7. Linear Perspective

• Method of determining depth by noting that
  parallel lines appear to converge in the distance
• The lines appears to eventually merge on the
  horizon.

As parallel lines become more distant from us,
they appear to get closer together - like the
sides of the gray bit at left.  Their apparent
closeness is therefore a cue to their relative
distance from us.
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Binocular v MonocularActivity

• Materials needed HO 10-6, bean bags
• Procedure
• Divide into groups of 3
• Rotate roles of pitcher, catcher, and recorder
• Catcher and pitcher stand about 10 feet apart
• Toss the bean bag to the catcher a total of 20
  times
• The FIRST TEN TIMES, the catcher must
• Catch as many throws as possible with one hand
  using one eye
• Catch as many throws as possible with on hand
  using BOTH eyes
• Recorder records the results
• Switch roles, repeat
• Switch roles, repeat

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PsychQuest Activity
How Do Athletes Use Perceptual Cues?
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Motion Perception

• Module 10 Perception

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Motion Perception
Survival Depends on the detection Of motion.
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Motion Perception Demonstration

• Focus on a point straight ahead.
• Hold your right pointer finger directly in front
  of you
• at eye level.
• 3. Move your finger slowly to the right until you
• can just no longer see it.
• 4. (Keep staring at the point straight ahead.
• 5. Wiggle your finger rapidly.
• What do you see??

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Stroboscopic Motion

• The illusion of motion by the rapid projection of
  slightly changing images
• The concept a motion picture uses
• Ex. Flip Book
• See page 193 for visual example shown here

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Phi Phenomenon

• The illusion of motion when fixed lights are
  turned on and off in a sequence

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Perceptual Constancy

• Module 10 Perception

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Perceptual Constancy

• Perceiving the
• 1. size,
• 2. shape,
• 3. lightness
• of an object as unchanging, even as the
  retinal image of the object changes
• The understanding that objects usually remain the
  same

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Perceptual Constancy 1. Size

• A persons understanding that as an object moves
  further or closer to them its actual size stays
  the same
• As an object appears to become larger we realize
  it is getting closer, not bigger.
• As an object appears to become smaller we realize
  it is moving farther away, not getting smaller.

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Size Distance Relationship
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Size Distance Relationship
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Size Distance Relationship
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Demonstration of Retinal Imaging and Size
Constancy

• Hold hand out at arms length
• Move it towards away from
• your head.
• You should seen no change
• in size of your hand Soooo now

• Hold you left pointer finger 8 inches in front of
  your
• face and focus on it.
• 2. Hold your right hand behind it at arms
  length..
• still focusing on your left fingertip.
• Move your right hand toward away from your face
• Notice the change in size of your hand now!!

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Perceptual Constancy Shape Constancy

• Module 10 Perception

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Perceptual Constancy 2.Shape

• The understanding that an objects shape remains
  the same even though the angle of view makes
• the shape
• appear
• changed

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Shape Constancy Example
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Perceptual Constancy 3. Light

• The ability to see an object as having a constant
  level of lightness no matter how the lighting
  conditions change

butterfly can be trained to land on a yellow
portion of the colored grid. Moreover,
butterflies have color constancy (like humans)
and will still recognize yellow even if the
illuminating light changes considerably (color
constancy).
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Perceptual Constancy and Color Light
Which is the black Pair of socks? Which is the
blue Pair of socks? Do we know at 6AM? Do we
CARE at 6AM?
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Illusion of the Camera

• Play Lights, Camera, Magic! (1253) Segment 10
  from Scientific American Frontiers Video
  Collection for Introductory Psychology (2nd
  edition).

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Perceptual Set

• Module 10 Perception

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Perceptual Set

• A mental predisposition to perceive something one
  way and not another
• Example of top-down processing
• Influence of the power of suggestion
  (subliminal perception)
• Guided by schemas concepts or mental frameworks
  that organize and interpret information

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Perceptual Set Sound
What do these letters spell?

• Say these words softly to yourself as soon
• as they they appear on the screen

SOAK
FOLK
CROAK
What do we call the white part of an egg?
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Subliminal Perception

• Play Studying the Effects of Subliminal
  Stimulation on the Mind (446) Segment 9 from
  The Mind Psychology Teaching Modules (2nd
  edition).

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Subliminal Activities

• Urban Legends Myths

• Psychological Hollywood excerpts

• Backmasking Listening DVD

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Excerpt 1 Artist Led ZeppelinSong Black
Dog
Forward Started tellin her friends
she gonna be a star.
Backward Oh Satan want ya near
bless my soul
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Excerpt 2Artist Backstreet BoysSong
Everybody
Forward Alright, alright, now throw your
hands up in the air
Backward (Not school appropriate. Youll
have to hear it for yourselves.)
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Excerpt 3Artist ELOSong Eldorado
Forward Here it comes, another lonely day in
the dream. Ill sail away on a
voyage of no return.
Backward He is the nasty one, Christ youre
infernal. It is said were dead
me, everyone who has the
mark will live.
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Excerpt 4Artist Rolling StonesSong Tops
Forward Im sorry for a breath of your sweet
love
Backward I love you, said the devil.
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Excerpt 5Artist?? Marilyn MansonSong The
Anti-Christ Superstar
Forward The horrible people, the horrible
people, its all been.
Backward Love Evil. I Love Evil
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Excerpt 6Artist MinistrySong Just One Fix
Forward Never trust a junkie
Backward Christ is so stupid.
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Excerpt 7Artist Ozzy OsborneSong Suicide
Solution
Forward Get your gun and do it.shoot, shoot,
shoot, shoot, shoot
Backward When the last shoot is played
backward, it says
Satan This song was blamed for causing
suicide among teenagers.
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Excerpt 8Artist ??Song The Pokemon Rap
Forward Gotta catch em all, Gotta catch em
all, Gotta catch em all, Gotta
catch em all.
Backward O Satan, O Satan, O Satan, O Satan
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ContextPreview Activities HO 10-1(Next slide)
Anagrams 10-11

• Module 10 Perception

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HO 10-1
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Context

• The setting or environment in which we interpret
  sensory stimuli

If I started off saying, In this picture Of a
man playing saxophone You would be hard
pressed to see the picture Of the woman.
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Context Classic Picture Example
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Context Example
One student will volunteer to say the following
words as quickly as possible
MACDONALD
MACHENRY
MACMAHON
MACHINERY
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MORE Context Examples
1945 Allport Postman Study College Letter
Context
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Illusions

• Module 10 Perception

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Illusions

• Misinterpreting sensory stimuli
• Help researchers understand how sensation and
  perception normally works

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Light Shadow Illusiontext p 201

• There appears to be ripples
• although it is on a flat paper.
• Turn your book upside down
• and the figure reverses.

• Using light shadows, the
• small circle inside the top-
• right ball appears to bulge out,
• while the small circle inside the
• bottom left circle appears to
• dip in.
• Turn your book around it
• Reverses!

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Müller-Lyer Illusion
Which line segment is longer?? Line AB or Line
BC??
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Müller-Lyer Illusion
Most people think segment AB equals BC. In
reality AB is much longer than BC.
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Müller-Lyer Illusion
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Müller-Lyer Illusion
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Müller-Lyer Illusion
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Ames Room Illusion Secret Revealed
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Other Optical Illusions

• Arrows
• Wundt-Jastrow Illusion
• Poggendorf Illusion
• Illusions Packet Worksheet
• PsychSim Computer Illusions

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The End