1. KA 2: Perception and Memory
(b) Memory;
Short-term, Long-term and it’s location in the brain.
(a) Perception: segregation, distance and recognition.

2. By the end of this section you will be able to …..
State what perception is.
Describe the 3 area’s of perception and explain how the brain uses them to analyse external stimuli.

3. What colour is this dress?
Perception
Its all to do with how the brain processes and interprets what your seeing.
This is perception.
If you look at the original photo and your eyes pick out the dark back ground colours then you will see cream/gold.
The opposite for blue/black.
What colour is this dress?
Everyone recognises ‘The Dress’ Do you see blue and black or cream and gold? Why do people see it as different colours?

4. Perception
Perception is the process in which the brain analyses and makes sense of incoming information.
The 3 areas of perception are;
Segregation
Perception of distance
Recognition

5. Segregation
The segregation (separation) of objects involve their organisation into:
Figure and Ground (separating the objects from its background)
Coherent Patterns (Proximity, Similarity, Closure, Orientation)

6. Look at these next pictures. What do you see?

7. Black bird or white bird?

8. White cross or black cross?

9. Vase or faces?

11. Even simple patterns of lines or dots fall into ordered relationships.

12. Proximity
If some dots are closer than others then the brain perceives them as a distinct group

13. Similarity
How many groups do you see? Brain organises into groups based on factors such as colour, size, shape and tone.

14. Closure
What shape do you see? Brain fills in the missing elements

15. Orientation
Individual objects moving in the same direction and at the same speed are classed as the same object by the brain.

16. Perception of Distance
The distance of one or more objects from the eye can help be determined by 3 things:
The presence of one or more visual cues:
Relative size of the object
Superimposition
Relative height in field
Binocular disparity (difference)
Perceptual constancy

17. How have film makers made Elijah Wood look so small?
Relative size – the further away an object is the smaller it is perceived

18. Father Ted: On Holiday

19. Which peak is further away?
Superimposition – when one object partially blocks the view of another the blocked object is perceived to be further away.

20. How can you judge depth in this photo?
Linear perspective as parallel lines of walk way get closer together AND relative height in horizontal field as posts get smaller towards horizon.

21. Neither, this is an optical illusion.
Muller-Lyer Illusion
Neither, this is an optical illusion.
Which of these diagrams has the shorter central line? A B

22. How can having 2 eyes effect how we perceive an object?

23. Task
Hold your pen a rulers length away from your nose, tip pointing towards you. Close one eye and then the other. What happens?

24. The movement of the pen tip is due to both our eyes seeing the pen from slightly different perspectives.

25. Binocular Disparity
Each eye looks at an object from a slightly different position relative to the other eye, therefore a slight difference occurs between the images of the same object formed by the 2 eyes.
The closer the object is to the viewer, the greater difference between the 2 images.
The 2 images are then merged into one by the brain to produce a binocular image.
This image indicates depth and distance more effectively than a monocular image.

26. Perceptual Constancy
A persons visual perception of their surroundings remains the same despite the constant change of visual stimuli.
E.g. a book may look smaller if you stand further away but it will always be the same size and shape – it is simply the viewing angle that changes.

27. Recognition

28. Which fruit is this?

29. Recognition
Shape is extremely important when it comes to the recognition of objects.
A subconscious attempt is made to match the shape to a ‘shape description’ stored in the memory.
If the object is similar but not identical to a ‘stored description’ then the brain infers that the object may be related in some way.

30. What do you think this is?

31. Perceptual Set
Perceptual set is the tendency of a person to notice certain aspects of available sensory information and ignore others.
This can be affected by;
Context
Expectation
Past experience

32. Expectation and Context
Cover over letters A and C, what do you read?
Cover over numbers 12 and 14, what do you read?
If the letters A and C are covered then you will read 13, If 12 and 14 are covered you will read B
In each case the stimulus is the same but it is perceived differently because the viewer expects to see letters with letters and numbers with numbers.

33. Past Experience
Write down what you see in this picture.
If you have had the picture of the old man on your desk since the start of the period then you are more likely to see an old man with glasses.
If you have had the picture of a rat on your desk, you are more likely to see a rat.
In each case, perceptual set, brought about by previous experience has influenced the data perceived.

34. Perception of Distance
Perception is the process in which the brain analyses and makes sense of incoming information
Segregation
Perception of Distance
Recognition
The segregation (separation) of objects involve their organisation into:
Figure and Ground (separating the objects from its background)
Coherent Patterns (Proximity, Similarity, Closure, Orientation)
The distance of one or more objects from the eye can help be determined by 3 things:
> Shape is extremely important when it comes to the recognition of objects.
A subconscious attempt is made to match the shape to a ‘shape description’ stored in the memory.
If the object is similar but not identical to a ‘stored description’ then the brain infers that the object may be related in some way.
> Perceptual set is the tendency of a person to notice certain aspects of available sensory information and ignore others.
This can be influenced by:
Context
Expectation
Past experience
Visual Cues
Binocular Disparity
Perceptual Constancy
> Relative size of the object
> Super-imposition
> Relative height in field
Each eye looks at an object from a slightly different position relative to the other eye, therefore a slight difference occurs between the images of the same object formed by the 2 eyes.
The closer the object is to the viewer, the greater difference between the 2 images.
The 2 images are then merged into one by the brain to produce a binocular image.
This image indicates depth and distance more effectively than a monocular image.
A persons visual perception of their surroundings remains the same despite the constant change of visual stimuli.
E.g. a book may look smaller if you stand further away but it will always be the same size and shape – it is simply the viewing angle that changes.