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Task: Here are some AO1 descriptions about sensation and perception. Use the words at the bottom of the sheet to complete the passages.
If you fancy more of a challenge, complete the passages without looking at the missing words.
The sensation and perception gap fi ll
Handout2.1
Sensations are processed by sense ………………………….. These are our …………………………. senses (eyes, …………………………., sense of …………………………., taste and touch) which allow us to experience the world around us.
Perception is the organisation and interpretation of sensory information. It is the combination of the information received by a sense receptor (e.g. the ………………………….) and the …………………………. interpretation of what that information means.
For example, how do we know what to do with a chair when we see one? It is the brain’s job to first …………………………. information received by the eye and then work out what the chair is for. The brain might use past …………………………. to help it do this.
The difference between sensation and …………………………. might be summed up as the difference between ‘feeling’ and ‘thinking’. Sensation is our body’s way of detecting a
…………………………. in the environment, such as …………………………. waves (vision) or sound waves (………………………….). Perception is how our brain organises and interprets these …………………………..
But the brain sometimes makes mistakes, as in the case of visual …………………………..
The Ponzo illusion is an example of a misinterpreted depth cue. Such misinterpretations are usually to do with size or length. In the Ponzo illusion, the horizontal line higher up in the image appears …………………………. than the horizontal line towards the bottom. Both lines are actually the …………………………. size.
Another misinterpreted depth cue, the ………………………….–…………………………. illusion, is also to do with the distortion of line ………………………….. This time the vertical line with the outgoing ‘fins’ is perceived as longer than the line with the ingoing ‘fins’. Again, both lines are actually the same size.
Rubin’s vase is an …………………………. figure, like the duck–………………………….. After staring at this image for a few seconds, you should be able to perceive it as either a vase or as two …………………………. staring at each other. Both interpretations are ‘correct’ so your brain cannot decide which one to focus on.
The Ames …………………………. is another famous illusion based on a misinterpreted depth cue. If two people are standing on either side of the back wall, one appears to the observer to look like a …………………………. whilst the other appears to be tiny.
light eye rabbit process fi ve stimulus
longer receptors length faces illusions Müller
Lyer experience giant sensations brain’s Room
smell hearing ambiguous perception same ears
Chapter 2: Perception Sensation and perception pages 40–41
Here are several statements related to visual cues and visual constancies.Match up the statements in the left column with the statements in the right column.You could cut these statements up – mix them and sort them out.Once you’ve successfully matched the cards, you can use the information to complete the table.
1. Monocular depth cuesA. Refers to distance between two eyes, each pro-
ducing different images of the world.
2. Binocular depth cuesB. Objects covered by other objects appear to be
further away.
3. Retinal disparityC. Eye muscles work harder when viewing
objects that are close.
4. ConvergenceD. Objects that appear smaller in the visual fi eld than other
objects we know to be of similar size appear to be further away.
5. Height in plane E. These will only ‘work’ with both eyes.
6. Relative sizeF. Parallel lines appear to converge at a point in the
distance.
7. Occlusion G. These ‘work’ even with one eye covered.
8. Linear perspectiveH. Objects higher up in the visual fi eld appear further
away.
Retinal disparity
ConvergenceHeight in
planeRelative size Occlusion
Linear perspective
Monocular depth cues:
Binocular depth cues:
✁
Chapter 2: Perception Visual cues and constancies pages 42–43
ExampleName of cue, type of cue, how does it allow us to
perceive depth?
You hold a pencil close to your face and stare at it. As you open and close one eye at a time, the pencil ‘jumps’ a lot. A friend holds the pencil further away while you repeat the procedure. This time it doesn’t jump much at all.
What cue and what type of cue? This is the result of retinal disparity, a binocular depth cue.
How does it work? Because our two eyes are a few centimetres apart, they receive slightly different images of the pencil. The difference between images is greater when the pencil is closer to your face, so the ‘jump’ is greater too. This is useful information about distance/depth – the smaller the ‘jump’, the further away the object must be.
You take up your pencil again. This time you hold it up close and stare at it as you move it further from your face. As you do so, your eye muscles seem to relax.
What cue and what type of cue?
How does it work?
You are looking at a photo that you took on holiday of the sea. You notice how the horizon where the sea ‘meets’ the sky is a lot higher up than the beach.
What cue and what type of cue?
How does it work?
You are watching the famous clip from Father Ted, in which Father Dougal sees a herd of cows in the far distance and thinks they are very small. You laugh because you know he has made a mistake.
What cue and what type of cue?
How does it work?
You are in the college canteen one day when you hear your friend’s voice. You look and see that there are several other students almost completely blocking your view of her.
What cue and what type of cue?
How does it work?
A child is drawing a picture of a straight road disappearing into the distance. But it doesn’t look right because the road is the same width all the way along its length.
What cue and what type of cue?
How does it work?
The table below gives you some examples of visual cues.
You have to use your knowledge of perception to describe how visual cues allow us to perceive depth in these examples. What cue is being described, what type is it and how does it work? The first one is done for you to get you going. Try to provide the same level of detail in your responses.
Chapter 2: Perception Visual cues and constancies pages 42–43
Task: There are 17 sentences below about visual illusions and how they are explained. Unfortunately each sentence has broken up into two pieces. Your job is to put them back together again.
Jumbled sentences
Handout2.4
Start of sentence End of sentence
1. Our brain knows that people seen from a great height are not really ‘ant-size’ but are instead…
A. … mentally enlarges the top line, making it appear longer than the line at the bottom.
2. When someone walks towards us we know they are not really growing in size, but…
B. … I still know it’s my friend and not a tiny version of them.
3. Size constancy refers to… C. … we perceive one line as closer to us (the one with outgoing
fi ns).
4. Depth cues help us to… D. … just a long way away making them appear smaller than
they are.
5. Things in the distance which appear smaller than they should be are…
E. … the Ponzo and Müller–Lyer illusions.
6. When I see my friend a long way away… F. … applying the rule of size constancy when it should not be
used.
7. Some illusions (e.g. Ponzo and Müller–Lyer) fool the brain into…
G. … the outside corner of a building, which would be projecting out at us.
8. The Ponzo illusion works because… H. … two possible interpretations of the same image.
9. In the Ponzo illusion, our brain applies the rule of size constancy and…
I. … either pointing upwards to the right, or downwards to the left.
10. In the Müller–Lyer illusion the line with outgoing ‘fi ns’ is perceived as longer than the line with ingoing fi ns because…
J. … how our brain perceives objects and people as being of a constant size.
11. In the Müller–Lyer illusion we unconsciously perceive the vertical line with ingoing fi ns as…
K. … illusory contours which create the impression that the overlapping triangle has continuous edges all the way around it.
12. Some illusions are called distortion illusions, and these include…
L. … perceive distance.
13. Some illusions are ambiguous fi gures, such as… M. … converging lines in the image give the impression of
distance (like a road or a railway track).
14. An ambiguous fi gure is where the brain cannot choose between…
N. … the person starts to perceive something in the image that is not actually there.
15. The Necker cube can be perceived as… O. … ‘scaled up’ by our brain to make them look normal size.
16. ‘Fiction’ refers to a visual illusion when… P. … their image on our retina gets larger as they get nearer.
17. The Kanizsa triangle works using… Q. … the duck–rabbit and Rubin’s vase.
Task: Write an answer to the above question. There are three ways to do this. You could follow…
l THE HARD PATH: Write your answer with just the minimal guidance given below.
l THE SLIGHTLY TRICKY PATH: Write your answer with the more extensive guidance given below.
l THE EASY PATH: Write your answer by � lling in the gaps for AO1 and completing the match-up for AO3.
You are currently on…
THE HARD PATHJust remember that the 9 marks are made up of 4 marks for AO1 and5 marks for AO3.The rest is up to you.Next time… aim to maintain this level of performance.
AO1 [4 marks]
l Aim to write about 100 words to describe the main features of Gibson’s theory.
l Start with a sentence explaining what makes Gibson’s theory a ‘direct’ theory of perception.
l The textbook provides four main features of the theory: direct perception, optic fl ow patterns, motion parallax, and the infl uence of nature. One or two sentences explaining each of these is advisable.
l Use appropriate psychological terms.
AO3 [5 marks]
l Aim to write about 120 words, made up of three evaluative statements of about 40 words each.
l Use PEC for each evaluative statement:
• POINT: Identify what the strength or weakness is.
• EVIDENCE: Justify that point with some evidence (either a fact or a research fi nding).
• CONCLUSION: Draw a conclusion about what the evidence shows.
You are currently on… THE SLIGHTLY TRICKY PATH
Next time… try the hard path.
You are currently on…
THE EASY PATHAO1 element – fi ll in the gaps:
Gibson’s theory states that …………….……………. happens directly because the visual …………….……………. gives us all the information
our …………….……………. needs. So, …………….……………. and perception are the same thing. Optic …………….…………….
patterns occur when the point we are moving …………….……………. stays stationary whilst the rest of the view seems to rush away
from it. If there is no ‘fl ow’, the brain knows we are not …………….…………….. Motion …………….……………. is a monocular
…………….……………. cue that helps us understand speed of movement. Objects closer to us in our visual …………….……………. are
moving …………….……………. than objects further away from us. Gibson says we do not …………….……………. to perceive the world
around us. Our perceptual abilities are …………….……………. and allow us to deal with our surroundings without the need for
past …………….……………..
Describe and evaluate Gibson’s direct theory of perception. [9 marks]
a
Chapter 2: Perception Gibson’s direct theory of perception pages 46–47
Task: Below you will find Richard Gregory outlining his theory of perception to a GCSE examiner. Unfortunately the examiner is not impressed because Richard Gregory has not done enough to explain his theory. So you will have to join in. Take each of Professor Gregory’s statements and explain what they mean in words the examiner will understand. Use the column on the right and remember… keep it simple!
Perception is a construction.
Inference is important.
We use visual cues.
Perception is learned.
What does that mean?
Please explain.
I need more than that.
More detail please.
Chapter 2: Perception Gibson’s direct theory of perception pages 46–47
Is it tr ue or is it false?Task: How much do you remember about Gregory’s theory of perception? Below are nine statements about this topic. Write in the middle column whether each statement is true or false. If you think a statement is false, give the correct answer in as much detail as you can. This first is done for you. Try to provide the same level of detail in your responses.
Handout2.8
Statement True/FalseIf it’s false, give the correct answer in as much detail as
you can
According to Gregory, we perceive the world directly.
False
It is Gibson who claims we perceive the world directly. Unlike Gibson, Gregory believes that perception is not the same as sensation. So we perceive the world indirectly because our brain has to interpret and understand what our eyes see.
Gregory’s theory suggests that the environment contains all the information we need to perceive the world accurately.
According to Gregory, the brain perceives the world as it is and has no need for visual cues.
According to Gregory, visual illusions occur because the brain makes mistaken hypotheses and draws the wrong conclusion from evidence.
Gregory says that our perceptual abilities are innate – they are already there at birth.
Research has shown that the way we are raised can be an important infl uence on the way we see things.
One strength of Gregory’s theory is that it correctly argues that perception of cues is the same in all cultures.
A weakness of Gregory’s theory is that it has diffi culty explaining visual illusions.
Another weakness is that Gregory’s theory cannot explain how perception gets started in the fi rst place.
Chapter 2: Perception Gregory’s constructivist theory of perception pages 48–49
Application questions involve you applying your knowledge to explain the behaviour of people in a scenario or case study. These questions can be quite challenging. Here is an example of an application question:
Read the item below and answer the question that follows.
Javari is from a tribe that lives in a remote forest. A psychologist took him to a fl at area of land where he could see for many kilometres. The psychologist asked Javari about a group of buffalo some distance away. ‘They look very tiny, like insects, much smaller than the ones we normally hunt in the forest,’ Javari replied.
Outline the effect of culture on perceptual set. Refer to the conversation between Javari and the psychologist in your answer. [4 marks]
Here are some tips about how to tackle this question:
Step 1 APPLICATION: First, you need to identify something in the scenario that is related to perception.
Step 2 KNOWLEDGE: Second, you need to use your knowledge to explain this. Use psychological terms and concepts to make your answer detailed.
Step 3: Repeat Steps 1 and 2.
Use the guidance above to write your answer (about 70–80 words):
Here are two examples of answers by students:
Javari lives in a remote forest. This means he probably has little experience of seeing things in the distance and may have had little experience of learning about depth cues.
When he sees something in the distance it looks like insects. He is showing that he does not understand size constancy.
Examiner’s comments
Note that the student identifi es elements in the scenario and then relates this to the psychology he (or she) knows.
Some psychological terms have been used (depth cues and size constancy).
Javari sees the buffalo as tiny insects. Your culture affects what you are used to seeing in your environment.
Javari doesn’t realise the buffalo are in the distance. This is because he is not used to seeing them this way.
Examiner’s comments
This is a brief and basic answer. It is not well organised and does not relate well to the scenario. Very little understanding of psychological concepts is shown in the answer.
Here are a number of cards that relate to the study by McGinnies: 13 are ‘aspect’ cards (relating to aim, method, finding, conclusion, strength, weakness) and 13 are ‘detail’ cards. Another six cards are distractor cards and have nothing to do with McGinnies’ study.
Cut out the cards and arrange them face down on the table. One student should choose two cards and turn them over. If the cards match (i.e. a detail card correctly goes with an aspect card), the student keeps both cards. If the cards do not match, they are both turned face down again. The next student repeats the process.
Aim of McGinnies’ study
To find out if we are less likely to notice things that cause us anxiety.
To see if people take longer to recognise words that cause embarrassment.
Finding of McGinnies’ study
The participants were eight male and eight
female students.
The participants were shown a series of neutral and taboo
words.
Weakness of McGinnies’ study
Participants had to say the word out
loud as soon as they recognised it.
Each participant had their level of emotional arousal measured by
GSR.
Aim of McGinnies’ study
Participants took longer to recognise taboo words than
neutral ones.
Taboo words produced larger GSRs than neutral words did.
Finding of McGinnies’ study
Emotion is an important factor influencing
perceptual set.
Perceptual defence means anxiety slows down recognition of