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UNIT 1 PSYCHOLOGY

INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY- PART 2 Visual Perception

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE VISUAL PERCEPTUAL SYSTEM


Consider the following scenario and how the sensory receptors may contribute to the individual interpreting what is occurring in their nearby surroundings. Ruby is cooking some scrambled eggs for breakfast when she hears her mobile ring in a nearby room. When she answers it, she discovers the caller is a guy she met recently at a local club asking her if shed like to catch up soon to see a movie. Caught up in the conversation, Ruby forgets about her scrambled eggs cooking away on the stove and it isnt long before smells of burning egg fill the house. As well as this, Rubys fire alarm is set off by the smoke and begins to make a high pitched beeping sound. Panicked, Ruby tells the caller to hold and she races into a now very smoky and smelly kitchen, finding the pan with some charcoaled egg remains. The scenario above highlights the important the role of the sensory organs and the receptors within each. Without them, Ruby may not have been aware of a potential danger occurring nearby. In particular, her eyes allowed her to see and visually take in her surroundings. QUESTION: What would life be like without our senses? In particular, consider how your life would change without the use of your eyes. QUESTION: What sort of structures make up the human eye?

THE VISUAL PERCEPTUAL SYSTEM


The human eye is a masterful organ, its communication with the brain (specifically the occipital lobe) allows individuals to detect and process their visual world. The process in which light is detected by the eye and sent to the brain for interpretation is outlined below. STEP 1. Light waves (otherwise called electromagnetic energy) enter the eye by passing through the cornea, a transparent, convex shaped protective coating. STEP 2. The light waves travel through to the pupil, the hole in the centre of the eye that assists in regulating the amount of light entering. STEP 3. The iris (a coloured ring of muscles) assists in changing the size of the pupil depending on the amount of light entering. STEP 4. The light waves then continue through to the lens, a structure that helps to focus an image on the back surface of the eye. STEP 5. At the back of the eye is the retina, a layer that contains over 100 million light sensitive cells (photoreceptors) that transmit messages to the brain via the optic nerve for processing.

THE VISUAL PERCEPTUAL SYSTEM: THE STRUCTURE OF THE EYE

http://www.eschoolonline.com/company/examples/eye/eyedissect.html

HOW SIGHT OCCURS: KEY TERMS


C CORNEA- transparent covering which protects the eye and helps focus the field of vision The aqueous humor is a jelly-like substance that a) helps give the eye its shape, and b) helps provide nutrients and oxygen and rid the eye of wastes. P I L PUPIL- a black disc in the centre of the eye, an opening that helps regulate (control) the amount of light entering the eye IRIS- a band of muscles that expands to enlarge the pupil to allow more light in or contracts to reduce the pupil size and minimize the amount of light entering the eye LENS- transparent, flexible, convex structure that focuses light (bulges for near/ close objects and elongates/ stretches for far objects) The vitreous humour as also jelly-like and a) gives the eye its shape, and b) helps to focus light onto the retina. R RETINA- layers of specialized neurons that line the rear inner surface of the eye, it receives and absorbs light, processes images and transmits neural messages to the brain The retina contains two types of photoreceptors (light sensitive receptor cells), called rods and cones.

HOW SIGHT OCCURS: KEY TERMS cont


Images received by the retina are inverted (upside down) and reversed (back to front).

The optic nerve attaches to the retina, causing a blind spot O OPTIC NERVE It is the optic nerve that collects information received by the retina, and transmits it to the occipital lobe of the brain for further processing.

The blind spot is where there is a break in the retina, where the optic nerve begins. There are not photoreceptors located at this spot, and therefore no receptors that can receive light. It is in the brain that the images received by the retina are rearranged, thereby enabling us to see the object as it is in reality.

PROXIMAL STIMULUS (RETINAL IMAGE)

This retinal image is of a woman on the phone. Note that: the blind spot (no photoreceptors)- appears as a round yellow blob the image is upside- down; left and right are reversed; and, the image is crossed by blood carrying capillaries.

VISUAL SENSATION A QUICK INTRODUCTION


Visual sensation is being aware of a visual stimulus. It involves: Reception or detection of visual stimuli in the retina of the eye by sensory neurons called photoreceptors Transduction or conversion of electromagnetic energy (e.g. stimulus or light energy) into electrochemical energy (neural impulses) by photoreceptors Transmission of neural impulses, via one neuron to another up to the brain For example, being able to detect the presence of stimuli such as shapes, colours, texture etc in the environment around you.

VISUAL PERCEPTION A QUICK INTRODUCTION


Visual perception is giving meaning to a visual stimulus. It involves: Selection of features of a stimulus by specialised neurons in the visual cortex called feature detectors Organisation of the stimulus features into patterns or groupings to closely represent the original stimulus Interpretation or understanding of what the stimulus represents in the external world For example, being able to provide meaning to what you are seeing. Such as the shapes, colours and textures all make a tree. Mental (psychological) processes such as motivation, prior experience, perceptual set (expectancy) and perceptual hypotheses influence selection, organisation and interpretation. For example, you and a friend are walking through the quadrangle and see a person walking in the distance. You both take in the same information: brunette hair, slim build, average height etc. You recognise the person as your favourite teacher so say hey theres Mrs Field, lets go say hi. Your friend, who has received the same visual information as you interprets it differently and says Im not saying hi to Mrs Field, I dont like her at all! This scenario highlights how the same visual information can be received ( visual sensation) but its interpretation may be different between people because of our various psychological influences. (visual perception)

STAGES IN VISUAL SENSATION & PERCEPTION: RECEPTION


Reception is the process of detecting and receiving the presence or changes in light energy. Light enter the eye in the form of Light waves or Electro-magnetic energy (neural impulses) The process occurs in the retina by light-sensitive sensory neurons called photoreceptors (rods and cones)... See next slide. For the light stimulus (or a change in it) to be detected, it must be sufficiently intense (or sufficiently different in intensity).

This image shows light waves being received by the retina at the back of the eye.

STAGES IN VISUAL SENSATION & PERCEPTION: RECEPTION cont


PHOTORECEPTORS Photoreceptors are specialised neurons found in the retina that detect and respond to light. There are 2 types of photoreceptors: RODS and CONES. RODS Respond to very low levels of lights Primarily responsible for night vision Poor at detecting the fine detail in an image Not involved in colour vision Enable peripheral vision There are approximately 120 million per eye CONES Respond to high levels of light and do not respond well to low levels of light Primarily responsible for our vision in well-lit conditions Strong at detecting fine detail Responsible for colour vision There are approximately 6 million per eye

When rods and cones detect light, they respond by changing the light energy into a form of energy that can be sent to the brain for further processing.

STAGES IN VISUAL SENSATION & PERCEPTION: RECEPTION cont


The photoreceptors (rods and cones) are located at the back of the eye, in the retina.

STAGES IN VISUAL SENSATION & PERCEPTION: TRANSDUCTION


When the light reaches the photoreceptors, it arrives in a form of physical energy which cannot be transmitted to or be processed by the brain- it is therefore necessary to convert this energy into a form that can be transmitted along the neural pathways to the brain. Transduction is the process by which photoreceptors change electromagnetic energy (light waves) into electrochemical energy (neural impulses) which the brain and nervous system can use. If transduction did not occur, the incoming stimuli would travel no further than the site of the sensory receptors in the eye.

Electromagnetic energy (light waves) Cannot be understood by the brain.

Electrochemical energy (neural impulses) Can be understood by the brain

STAGES IN VISUAL SENSATION & PERCEPTION: TRANSMISSION


Transmission involves sending and receiving information in the form of electrochemical energy from neuron to neuron along a nerve pathway to different parts of the primary visual cortex in the brain.
The photoreceptors do not transmit the information straight to the brain, but it goes through a series of neurons (like a tag team) that leaves the eye at the optic nerve to transmit the neural impulses to the visual cortex in the occipital lobe of the brain.

STAGES IN VISUAL SENSATION & PERCEPTION: SELECTION


Selection involves the detection and coding of particular features of a stimulus (such as its size, colour or shape). This occurs anywhere in the neural pathway from the receptors to the brain. Feature detectors are neurons that respond to specific features of a simple (eg. Spot of light) or complex stimuli (eg. Horizontal lines). A complete retinal image is not transported in one piece to the brain. Rather, it is broken down into tiny sections of visual stimuli for transmission and then reassembled in the brain. This is similar to a puzzle (made up of many different pieces) being put together to make a whole.

STAGES IN VISUAL SENSATION & PERCEPTION: ORGANISATION AND INTERPRETATION


When sensory messages reach the brain, they are organised and interpreted. Perceptual organisation is the reassembling of elements or features of incoming visual stimuli in an appropriate or meaningful way. The way a person organises a visual stimuli is based partly fixed mental processes (that are the same for all people), as well as individual differences (e.g. stored memories, values and experiences) unique to a particular person.

STAGES IN VISUAL SENSATION & PERCEPTION: ORGANISATION AND INTERPRETATION cont


Interpretation is the process of assigning meaning to sensory information detected by visual receptors and transmitted by the brain. Interpretation mainly relies on the influence of mental processes which may vary between people. Examples include a persons: Attitude Memory Intelligence Motivation Emotional state Personality If a visual stimulus is ambiguous or unclear, an educated guess or perceptual hypothesis is made based on our previous experiences with similar stimuli, as well as any expectations we may have.

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This patient has just organised and interpreted the optometrists message!

SENSATION: AN OVERVIEW

Stage 2: Transduction Electromagnetic energy (light) is converted to electrochemical energy (neural impulses) by the rods and cones.

Stage 1: Reception Light enters is detected by photoreceptors Occurs in retina

Stage 3: Transmission Electrochemical energy travels from the eye to the brain via the optic nerve.

PERCEPTION: AN OVERVIEW

Stage 4: Selection Picking the pieces of the visual stimuli to attend to.

Step 6: Interpretation Working out what the pieces make/ mean when reassembled into a whole.

Step 5: Organisation Putting the pieces together ready for interpretation.

COMPARING VISUAL SENSATION & PERCEPTION


VISUAL SENSATION Generally the same for everyone (except those with a form of visual impairment) Mainly physiological (involving the eyes and brain) Does not involve interpretation and assigning meaning VISUAL PERCEPTION May be different for each person Involves both physiological and psychological processes Involves interpreting meaning

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER SO FAR?


1. 2. 3. Name all the stages in visual sensation and visual perception. Brainstorm as many facts as you can about rods and cones (see picture below for help). In what form of energy does light initially enter the eye? What does it get changed (transduced) into? Why does this happen? Sketch and label all the key parts of the eye. Explain how the processes of visual sensation and perception are different.

4. 5.

VISUAL PERCEPTION PRINCIPLES


Visual Perception Principles are defined as rules that we automatically apply to visual stimuli to assist organisation and interpretation of the visual stimuli in consistent and meaningful ways. These rules are essentially innate (or learned at an early age) Help to make sense of visual info which is often inconsistent or incomplete Divided into three broad categories: 1. Gestalt Principles 2. Depth/Distance Principles 3. Perceptual Constancies

Figure-ground organisation Closure

GESTALT PRINCIPLES
German word means organisation

Similarity Proximity

Grouping individual parts into a whole, usually in the simplest way E.g. if part of what we are looking at is obscured or missing, we mentally fill in the parts in an attempt to make the object complete Gestalt belief The whole is greater than the sum of the parts

What do you see??? Why?

GESTALT PRINCIPLES: CLOSURE


CLOSURE Refers to the process of mentally completing an object which is visually incomplete. Sometimes, in the process of visual perception, when the sensory information is being reconstructed, there are gaps in the overall form of the object. In order to make sense of the incomplete figure, we perceive it as a whole by mentally filling in the gaps.

GESTALT PRINCIPLES: CLOSURE

GESTALT PRINCIPLES: CLOSURE

The principle of closure applies when we tend to see complete figures even when part of the information is missing.

GESTALT PRINCIPLES: SIMILARITY


SIMILARITY Based on the idea that elements of a stimulus pattern which have similar features such as size, shape, brightness or colour tend to be grouped together. For example, school uniforms, team sport uniforms, police and military uniforms, fast food chains. Based on similar characteristics of stimuli

GESTALT PRINCIPLES: SIMILARITY


Gestalt theory states that things which share visual characteristics such as shape, size, color, texture, or value will be seen as belonging together in the viewers mind.

GESTALT PRINCIPLES: PROXIMITY


PROXIMITY Based on the idea that elements which are near each other are generally perceived to form part of an overall figure or as belonging together. Proximity occurs when elements are placed close together. They tend to be perceived as a group.

The nine squares above are placed without proximity. They are perceived as separate shapes. However, when the squares are given close proximity, unity occurs and they are more likely to be perceived as one group.

GESTALT PRINCIPLES: PROXIMITY


The Gestalt law of proximity states that "objects or shapes that are close to one another appear to form groups". Even if the shapes, sizes, and objects are radically different, they will appear as a group if they are close together.

GESTALT PRINCIPLES: FIGUREGROUND


FIGURE-GROUND Refers to organising visual sensations by perceptually separately objects from other stimuli- by making the object the centre of our focus, it becomes the figure whilst all other visual information becomes the ground or background. This is achieved by the observer separating the figure from the ground using an existing or perceived line- this line of separation is known as the contour- this is always perceived as belonging to the figure. Reversible figures occur when the contours are reversible, creating a figure-ground which is interchangeable.

GESTALT PRINCIPLES: FIGUREGROUND: Escher

GESTALT PRINCIPLES: FIGUREGROUND: camouflage

DEPTH PERCEPTION PRINCIPLES


Depth perception is the ability to accurately estimate the distance of objects and therefore perceive the world in three dimensions. Depth cues are sources of information from the environment (external cues) or from within our body (internal cues) that help us to perceive how far away objects are and therefore to perceive depth. Depth cues can be categorised into two groups: Binocular (requiring the use of two eyes) or Monocular (requiring the use of only one eye).

THE IMPORTANCE OF DEPTH PERCEPTION


Consider the different principles in use that allow us to perceive the depth shown in the picture of Grommit below. Why is it important to be able to perceive depth?

DEPTH PERCEPTION PRINCIPLES: BINOCULAR DEPTH CUES


CONVERGENCE Refers to the inward turning of both eyes to focus on an object. Operates up to 7 meters Distant object- less convergence (less muscle tension) Near object- more convergence (more muscle tension) Eye muscles relay information to the brain based on the amount of movement required to maintain focus. This information helps us to judge depth and distance.

Eyes focussing on a nearby object

Eyes focussing on a distant object

DEPTH PERCEPTION PRINCIPLES: BINOCULAR DEPTH CUES


RETINAL DISPARITY Based on the fact that our eyes are 6-7cms apart and each retina receives a slightly different image due to different angles of view. As such, each eye receives a slightly different view of the world. Two images are sent to the brain where they are fused together to provide one overall image- stereo scopic vision. Three dimensional images are perceived because of the slight difference between what the left and right eye sees. Disparity or differences in the two images increases as the distance between the object and the eye decreases. For example, the closer an object is, the greater is the difference between the two retinal images. As the retinal disparity decreases, your brain perceives the object to be more distant.

RETINAL DISPARITY EXAMPLE

NOTE the difference in the Retinal Disparity between a distant object F compared to that of a close object X.

DEPTH PERCEPTION PRINCIPLES: MONOCULAR DEPTH CUES


ACCOMODATION Involves the automatic focusing mechanism of the lens The lens bulges to focus on nearby objects The lens elongates to focus on distant objects The brain monitors the movement of the muscles controlling the shape of the lens and uses this information to perceive depth and distance.

Works up to 1.3 metres Ability of the lens to accommodate accurately may be impaired by drugs, alcohol or degeneration of muscles with old age.

DEPTH PERCEPTION PRINCIPLES: MONOCULAR PICTORIAL DEPTH CUES


Many monocular depth cues are referred to as pictorial cues. These are applied by artists to portray a 3D world on a 2D surface. LINEAR PERSPECTIVE- the apparent convergence of two parallel lines as they recede into the distance.

INTERPOSITION- when one object partially obscures another, the partially obscured object will be perceived as being further away that the object that obscures it.

DEPTH PERCEPTION PRINCIPLES: MONOCULAR PICTORIAL DEPTH CUES


TEXTURE GRADIENT- the gradual diminishing of detail that occurs in surfaces as they recede into the distance. Objects that are seen with fine detail are perceived as closer.

RELATIVE SIZE- the tendency to visually perceive the object that produces the largest image on the retina as being closer and the object that produces the smallest image on the retina as being further away. This is largely dependent on our familiarity with objects.

DEPTH PERCEPTION PRINCIPLES: MONOCULAR PICTORIAL DEPTH CUES


HEIGHT IN THE VISUAL FIELD- refers to the location of objects in our visual field whereby objects which are located closer to the horizon are perceived as being further away than objects located further away on the horizon. Objects closer to the horizon are perceived as being further away, despite being lower and higher in the visual field respectively.

WHAT PICTORIAL DEPTH CUES CAN YOU IDENTIFY IN THE PICTURE BELOW?

Size Shape

PERCEPTUAL CONSTANCIES

Orientation Brightness

We perceive the world as a fairly stable place despite it being in a constant state of change Perceptual constancies allow us to perceive a stimulus as remaining constant despite any changes to the image cast on the retina

PERCEPTUAL CONSTANCIES
SIZE CONSTANCY Perceiving that an objects actual size remains the same even though the size of the image cast on the retina changes. This can depend on our familiarity with the object being observed, the depth and distance cues available and our ability to perceive and apply them.

For example, in the picture on the left, do we think the canoeist at the front is a giant? Of course not! We understand that although he may be casting a larger image on the retina than the image of him at the back, he still remains the same size, he is just closer than before.

PERCEPTUAL CONSTANCIES
SHAPE CONSTANCY Perceiving that an object maintains its normal shape despite the changing angles of view received by the retina.

For example, just because the angles of the door are changing on the retina doesnt mean that the door itself is actually shrinking or getting bigger- its shape remains constant (the same).

PERCEPTUAL CONSTANCIES
BRIGHTNESS CONSTANCY Perceiving that an object maintains its level of brightness relative to its surroundings, despite changes in the amount of light being reflected from it to the retina.
For example, sunglasses on/ off. Just because the amount of light being reflected onto the retina changes when we put sunglasses on or take them off doesnt mean that the world around us is actually getting brighter or darker.

PERCEPTUAL CONSTANCIES
ORIENTATION CONSTANCY Visually perceive the true orientation of objects in the environment even though the retinal image of the object may be at a different orientation
For example, when lying on the couch watching TV we perceive the images as they would be in normal upright orientation.

PERCEPTUAL SET
Perceptual Set is a psychological factor that predisposes each individual to perceive visual stimuli in a particular way. It is a subjective and personal experience. Perceptual Set is defined as the predisposition or readiness to perceive stimuli in a particular way or in accordance with expectations. It is often referred to as expectancy. Many factors may lead to Perceptual Set, including: - Context - Motivation - Emotional state

- Past experience

- Culture

Perceptual Set may enhance our visual perception when we correctly anticipate a visual stimulus and interpret it more quickly. E.g. you would interpret rember as remember. Perceptual Set may also lead to errors in our visual perception. E.g. After watching the movie Jaws you go swimming and incorrectly interpret a dark, moving shape in the water as a shark instead of seaweed.

Perceptual Set often involves the formation of a Perceptual Hypothesis. This is a prediction or guess about the meaning of sensory information.

FACTORS INFLUENCING PERCEPTUAL SET


CONTEXT Context refers to the setting or environment in which a perception is made.

Figure 1

The influence of context on Perceptual Set was demonstrated in a famous experiment by Bruner and Minturn (1955). Their research proved that the surrounding environment of a stimulus would influence the way it was interpreted. For example, how do you interpret Figure 1? Does this interpretation change when the stimulus is surrounded by either letters or numbers? Do you see it as the letter B or the number 13?

FACTORS INFLUENCING PERCEPTUAL SET


MOTIVATION Motivation refers to the processes within us that activate, direct and sustain our behaviour towards achieving a particular goal. Motives may be influenced by psychological factors such as interests, ambitions and desires or by psychological factors such as hunger or thirst. Motivation may lead us to see what we want to see rather than what is actually there.
For example, consider two groups of supporters from opposing teams sitting side by side at the footy and they both witness the one incident. However, their interpretation of that incident may be entirely different!

FACTORS INFLUENCING PERCEPTUAL SET


EMOTIONAL STATE Our emotional state refers to how we are feeling. Different emotions can set us to perceive information in a particular way which is consistent with the emotion being experienced.

For example, consider a child who is afraid of being alone in their bedroom (especially in the dark). They imagine shadows as monsters and noises as a creature under their bed.

FACTORS INFLUENCING PERCEPTUAL SET

PAST EXPERIENCE
Past experience refers to our personal experiences throughout our lives. This includes everything we learn through experience, both intentionally and unintentionally. These experiences are subjective in that a given experience may be interpreted in a very personalised way by different people. Consider the research by Toch and Schulte (1961) that involved presenting pairs of illustrations; one being violent, the other neutral. The three groups of participants who observed the pairs were drawn from different backgrounds: Group 1 had completed police style training Group 2 had just begun their police style training Group 3 were university students with no police style training at all. The results indicated that Group 1 participants perceived the violent pictures on 52% of the trials compared with Group 2 on 26% of the trials and Group 3 on 22%. This suggests past experience influenced the interpretation of the illustrations.

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FACTORS INFLUENCING PERCEPTUAL SET


CULTURAL FACTORS Culture refers to a way of life of a particular community or group that sets it apart from other communities or groups.

Culture includes customs, traditions, beliefs, values, attitudes, rules about what is right and wrong, music and food etc. Experience with or in a particular culture can influence the way we process and interpret visual information. This was demonstrated in a famous study with a remote village community in Tanzania, Africa, called the Malawi people. Before the Malawi people had access to photographs, a group of them were shown a black and white photograph of a dog. Despite many of the observers owning dogs, they were unable to identify that it was in fact a dog in the photo. This may be explained by the fact that the Malawi people had very little access to picture books and therefore, may not have seen two-dimensional drawings or photos of dogs on paper (Deregowski, 1980).

VISUAL ILLUSIONS: what do you see?

Did you see the horse or the frog???

VISUAL ILLUSIONS: what do you see?

Woman sitting and looking in mirror or skull???

VISUAL ILLUSIONS: what do you see?

A young or old lady???

VISUAL ILLUSIONS: what do you see?

Profile of Salvador Dali or the woman reading a letter???

VISUAL ILLUSIONS: what do you see?

Swan or squirrel???

St George or the dragon slayer???

Donkey or seal???

VISUAL ILLUSIONS: what do you see?

Duck or rabbit???

Old man or man and woman??? Victory or Defeat???

DISTORTION OF VISUAL PERCEPTION BY ILLUSIONS


VISUAL ILLUSIONS A visual illusion is a: - misinterpretation of real sensory information (stimuli) - mismatch between our perception and what we know as physical reality - mismatch between visual sensation and visual perception Visual illusions demonstrate: - the important role our brain plays in constructing our view of the world. - the effect of context on the formation of our perceptions

Two illusions that you will need to know are: the Muller-Lyer illusion and the Ames Room illusion.

For both of these, you will need to be able to describe each, explain why each is an illusion and explain why the illusion occurs

MULLER-LYER ILLUSION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TITFtgH_TcA The Muller-Lyer illusion consists of two lines of equal length, each of which has opposite shaped ends- one feather tail and the other an arrowhead. The illusion is that the line with the feather tail at each end is perceived as being longer than the line with the arrowhead. It is an illusion because the lines are actually the same length. They actually cast the same retinal image size, yet one is perceived as being longer. Two theories may explain the occurrence of this illusion: 1. Gregorys apparent depth of distance theory and 2. Days perceptual compromise theory.

MULLER-LYER ILLUSION
GREGORYS APPARENT DEPTH OF DISTANCE THEORY Our experience with architectural corners or features in our real 3D world leads us to perceive the arrow headed line as the near outside vertical corner of a building the feather tailed line as a far inside corner of a room

The two lines appear to be at different distances from the observer the feather tail line appears further away. The two lines are the same real length, that is, the retinal images are the same size. We misapply the principle of size constancy- when two lines appear to be at different distances and cast retinal images of equal size, then the line that appears further away (feather tail) must be longer.

MULLER-LYER ILLUSION

MULLER-LYER ILLUSION
DAYS PERCEPTUAL COMPROMISE THEORY

Features of the Feather-tail and Arrow-head figures provide contradicting cues. These are: 1. The length of the horizontal lines in each is equal 2. The length of each whole figure appears different. The ENTIRE length of the Feather-tail figure seems bigger than the Arrow-head figure. 3. The length between the tips from one end to another again appear longer in the Feather-tail figure than the Arrow-head figure. We deal with this conflict by making a compromise. We settle on the best interpretation on basis of all info.
1 2 3 1 2

MULLER-LYER ILLUSION

AMES ROOM ILLUSION


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttd0YjXF0no http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q45diWsVbHY

The Ames room illusion is named after an American psychologist Adelbert Ames (1951) who intentionally designed the room to distort visual perception, particularly the sizes of objects in the room. It is an illusion in which a person at one end may look like a dwarf and the person at the other end may look like a giant, but if they cross the room, they appear to change in size.

AMES ROOM ILLUSION


The person on the right appears to be twice as big as the person on the left; however both people are of normal size. This illusion shows that our perception of size can be distorted by manipulating depth cues.

AMES ROOM ILLUSION


EXPLANATION OF THE ILLUSION- APPARENT DISTANCE HYPOTHESIS Our previous experience with rooms tells us that they are usually rectangular (two back corners are equally distant from the observer) and when we view the Ames room from the peephole (monocular vision is used) it also appears rectangular. However when viewed from above it is shaped as a trapezoid- the left corner is twice as far away as the right corner. This means that the person on the left is actually twice as far away from the observer as the person on the right. Since the room appears rectangular, the observer misperceives the distance cues and thus misperceives the size of the two people. Any person to the right of the observer will make a larger retinal image because they are twice as close to the observer. Outlines of objects on the back wall such as a clock and windows are deliberately distorted in such a way that monocular linear perspective cues are eliminated. However, the illusion still occurs without the objects on the back wall. The ceiling slopes upward from the right upper corner of the room, increasing the height of the ceiling from right to left.

AMES ROOM ILLUSION


In the Ames room illusion, when the apparent distance of two people from the retina is the same, perceived size is determined by the retinal image sizes of the two people. This illusion also demonstrates our tendency to maintain shape constancy at the expense of size constancy. When a person walks from the right corner to the left corner of the room, the observer maintains shape constancy of the room and their ability to maintain size constancy fails. The person walking from the right corner to the left corner is perceived as shrinking. The apparent depth of distance theory holds that retinal size and apparent distance in combination affect judgments of the perceived size (and shape) of objects. This theory can explain the perceived size differences of apparently equidistant objects which project different retinal image sizes.

AMES ROOM ILLUSION

REVISION QUIZ
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. What are the names of the two illusions you have to know? What are the differences between visual sensation and visual perception? Sketch and label as many key structures of the eye as you can. Explain each of the four Gestalt principles. Brainstorm as many facts that you know about rods and cones. Name each of the stages involved in sensation and perception. What form of energy initially enters the eye? What does it get changed (transduced) into? Explain how the depth and distance cue of Convergence works. What is Accommodation? In your answer, provide an example to show what happens to our lens when focussing on a close/distant object. Name as many pictorial depth cues as you can. For each, sketch an example. Define the term Constancy. Name the four types and give an example of each. Explain the meaning of Perceptual Set. Name and explain two factors that may influence an individuals perceptual set. Using one of the theories you learnt about the Muller-Lyer, explain why people still tend to fall for this illusion. Describe the construction of the Ames Room and why it leads people to believe objects appear to be shrinking and growing when crossing from one side of the room to the another.

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