CHAPTER 4 COGNITIVE
PSYCHOLOGY
VISUAL
PERCEPTION
Angel Bert Cruz
April Anne Viray
THE TOPIC FOR
THE DAY
A. From sensation to representation
B. Approaches to perception
bottom-up theories
top-down theories
C. Perception of objects and forms
Viewer centered vs object-centered
perception
Gestalt laws
Recognizing patterns and faces
D. Deficits in perception
FROM SENSATION
TO
REPRESENTATION
1. BASIC Perception
CONCEPTS
The set of processes by which we recognize,
organize, and make sense of the sensations
we receive from environmental stimuli.
Percept
Complex mental representation integrating
particular sensational aspects of a figure.
Perceptual experience involves
four elements:
-Distal (far) stimulus
The object in the external world.
-Informational medium
1. BASIC Reflected light, sound waves, chemical
CONCEPTS molecules, or tactile information coming from
the environment.
-Proximal (near) stimulus
Representation of the distal stimulus in
sensory receptors (e.g. picture on the retina).
-Perceptual object
Mental representation of the distal stimulus.
Vision begins when light passes
BASICS OF VISION through the protective covering of the
eye. This covering, the cornea, is a clear
dome that protects the eye. The light
then passes through the pupil, the
opening in the center of the iris. Light
then passes through the crystalline lens
and the vitreous humor.
Vision begins when light passes
BASICS OF VISION through the protective covering of the
eye. This covering, the cornea, is a clear
dome that protects the eye. The light
then passes through the pupil, the
opening in the center of the iris. Light
then passes through the crystalline lens
and the vitreous humor.
The vitreous humor is a gel-like substance that comprises
the majority of the eye. The major role of the vitreous
humor is to provide support for the eye. This process
results in the refraction, a change in direction and speed,
of the light entering the eye. Refracted light focuses on
the retina, a network of neurons extending over most of
the back (posterior) surface of the interior of the eye.
The retina is only about as thick as a
BASICS OF VISION single page in this book, it nevertheless
consists of three main layers of neural
tissue.
The first layer of neuronal tissue-closest to the
front, outward-facing surface of the eye-is the layer
of ganglion cells, whose axons constitute the optic
nerve.
The second layer consists of three kinds of interneuron
cells. Amacrine cells and horizontal cells make single
lateral connections among adjacent areas of the retina
in the middle layer of cells. Bipolar cells make dual
connections forward and outward to the ganglion cells,
as well as backward and inward to the third layer of
retinal cells.
BASICS OF VISION
The third layer of the retina contains the
photoreceptors, which transduce light
energy into electrochemical energy. This
energy then can be transmitted by neurons
to the brain. The transmission enables the
eye to detect visual stimulation.
Ironically,the photoreceptor cells are the
retinal cells farthest from the light source.
Light must pass through the other two
layers first. Messages are then passed back
outward toward the front of your eye
before traveling to the brain
BASICS OF VISION
There are two kinds of photoreceptors:
The rods are long and thin photoreceptors.
-They are more highly concentrated in the
periphery of the retina than in the foveal region of
the retina, where vision is most acute.
The cones are short and thick photoreceptors
-They are more highly concentrated in the foveal
region of the retina than in the periphery.
-The fovea is a small, thin region of the retina, the size of
the head of a pin that is most directly in the line of sight.
THEORETICAL APPROACHES
TO PERCEPTION
1. Bottom-Up Approaches
Start from the bottom, considering
physical stimuli being perceived and then
work their way up to higher-order
cognitive processes (organizing principles
and concepts).
THEORETICAL APPROACHES
TO PERCEPTION
1. Bottom-Up Approaches
• Gibson's Theory of direct perception
The array of information in our sensory
receptors, including sensory context, is all
we need to perceive anything.
We do not need higher cognitive
processes or anything else to mediate
between our sensory experiences and our
perceptions.
THEORETICAL APPROACHES
TO PERCEPTION
2. Top-Down Approaches
The perceiver builds (constructs) a cognitive
understanding (perception) of a stimulus,
using sensory information as the foundation
for the structure but also using other
sources of information to build the
perception.
THEORETICAL APPROACHES
TO PERCEPTION
2. Top-Down Approaches
Constructive Perception (Jerome Bruner)
During perception we quickly form and test
various hypotheses regarding percepts
based on.
• What we sense (sensory data)
• What we know (knowledge stored in memory)
• What we can infer (using thinking)
• What we expect
PERCEPTION OF
OBJECTS AND
FORM
Viewer-centered Perception Object-centered Perception
is the individual’s suggests that the
representation of an object individual stores a stable,
is based on how the object consistent representation
appears to them from their of the object that is
specific viewpoint or independent of the
perspective. observer's viewpoint.
THE PERCEPTION OF
GROUPS—GESTALT LAWS
Gestalt approach to form perception
focuses on how we perceive groups or
parts of objects to form integrated wholes.
Developed in Germany in the early 20th
century
founded by Kurt Koffka (1886–1941),
Wolfgang Köhler (1887–1968), and Max Wertheimer
(1880–1943)
THE PERCEPTION OF
GROUPS—GESTALT LAWS
Gestalt approach to form perception
focuses on how we perceive groups or
parts of objects to form integrated wholes.
Developed in Germany in the early 20th
century
founded by Kurt Koffka (1886–1941),
Wolfgang Köhler (1887–1968), and Max
Wertheimer (1880–1943)
also known as the law of simplicity or the
law of good figure
describes how people perceive visual
information and interpret complex
images as simplified forms
LAW
OF
PRÄGNANZ
OTHER GESTALT
PRINCIPLES
Figure-Ground Perception
Organizes visual information by perceptually
dividing a visual scene into a 'figure' that
stands out from the 'ground', which is its
surroundings. Making an object the center of
our focus becomes the figure, while all other
visual information becomes the (back)ground.
OTHER GESTALT
PRINCIPLES
Proximity
objects that are close together are
perceived as a group, even if they
differ in color, shape, or size
Similarity
when objects share visual
characteristics, such as color, shape,
size, or texture, they are perceived as
related or part of the same group.
OTHER GESTALT
PRINCIPLES
Continuity
is when we perceive visual
elements as continuous forms
rather than separate forms.
Closure
the tendency to perceive
incomplete visual elements
as a complete object
OTHER GESTALT
PRINCIPLES
Symmetry
humans perceive symmetrical
objects and forms as more
visually pleasing, balanced, and
organized than asymmetrical
ones.
Two Different Pattern Recognition
Systems
Martha Farah suggests that
humans have two systems for
recognizing patterns
Feature analysis system - specializes
RECOGNIZING in recognition of parts of objects
and in assembling those parts into
PATTERNS distinctive wholes.
Configurational system - specializes
AND FACES in recognizing larger configurations.
In the study conducted by
Farah et al. (1998),
participants were shown
sketches of faces and
houses, each paired with
the name of a person or the
house owner. After learning
the pairings, they were
asked to recognize parts of
the objects (either parts of
faces or houses) or the
objects as a whole.
Configurational Effect in face recognition occurs
when people stare at distorted faces.
PERCEPTUAL Two of the main
constancies:
CONSTANCY 1. Size Constancy - is the
occurs when our perception that an object
perception of an maintains the same size
object remains the despite changes in the size of
same even when the proximal stimulus.
our proximal 2. Shape Constancy - is the
perception that an object
maintains the same shape
despite changes in the shape
of the proximal stimulus
Depth cues are either
DEPTH 1. Monocular depth cues - can be
is the distance from represented in just two dimensions
a surface, usually and observed with just one eye.
using your own body 2. Binocular depth cues - are based on
as a reference the receipt of sensory information in
surface when three dimensions from both eyes.
speaking in terms of Your two eyes are positioned far
depth perception. enough apart to provide two kinds
of information to your brain:
binocular disparity and binocular
convergence.
Depth cues are either
DEPTH 1. Monocular depth cues - can be
is the distance from represented in just two dimensions
a surface, usually and observed with just one eye.
using your own body 2. Binocular depth cues - are based on
as a reference the receipt of sensory information in
surface when three dimensions from both eyes.
speaking in terms of Your two eyes are positioned far
depth perception. enough apart to provide two kinds
of information to your brain:
binocular disparity and binocular
convergence.
DEFICITS IN
PERCEPTION
The distinct visual
pathways
Agnosia Ataxia
are caused by damage to the Also known as optic ataxia,
border of the temporal and which is an impairment in the
occipital lobes or restricted oxygen ability to use the visual system
flow to areas of the brain, to guide movement
sometimes as a result of traumatic People with this deficit have
brain injury. trouble reaching for things.
deficits that impair people’s ability deficits that impair people’s
to recognize what they see ability to reach for what they
see (where/how).
AGNOSIA
people with agnosia have 1. Simultagnosia - an
normal sensations of what is individual is unable to
in front of them. They can pay attention to more
perceive the colors and than one object at a
shapes of objects and time.
persons but they cannot 2. Prosopagnosia - results
recognize what the objects in a severely impaired
are—they have trouble with ability to recognize
the “what” pathway. human faces
Simultagnosia
DEFICITS IN
PERCEPTION
The distinct visual
pathways
Agnosia Ataxia
are caused by damage to the Also known as optic ataxia,
border of the temporal and which is an impairment in the
occipital lobes or restricted oxygen ability to use the visual system
flow to areas of the brain, to guide movement
sometimes as a result of traumatic People with this deficit have
brain injury. trouble reaching for things.
deficits that impair people’s ability deficits that impair people’s
to recognize what they see ability to reach for what they
see (where/how).
ANOMALIES IN COLOR PERCEPTION
Color perception deficits are more common in men
than women and are genetically linked.
sometimes referred to as a kind of “color blindness.”
Rod monochromacy (Achromacy) - People with
this condition have no color vision at all.
Dichromacy - only two mechanisms for color
perception work, and one is malfunctioning.
1. Red-green color blindness - difficulty in
distinguishing red from green,
a. Protanopia - an extreme form of red-green
color blindness
b. Deuteranopia - trouble seeing greens
c. Tritanopia - blues and greens can be confused,
but yellows also can seem to disappear or appear
as light shades of reds.
THANK
YOU
