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Module16: Perceptual Organization

and Interpretation

Gestalt Psychology- an organized whole

Figure and Ground- the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that

stand out from their surroundings (the ground)

Grouping- perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent wholes

Similarity- we group together figures similar to each other

Continuity- we perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous

ones

Connectedness- when objects are uniform and linked, we perceive spots, lines, or

areas as a single unit

Proximity- we group nearby figures together as part of one form

Closure- we fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object

Depth Perception- ability to see objects in 3D even though image is in 2D (distance)

Visual Cliff- a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and younganimals

How do we transform two 2D images into single 3D perception? Two depth cues:

Binoculars Cues: depends on use of both eyes

Monocular Cues: available to each eye separately

Binocular Cues

Retinal Disparity- comparing images from both retinas to compute distance

Neuromuscular Cue- caused by they eyes greater inward turn when viewing nearbyobjects

Monocular Cues

Relative Size- if we assume two objects are similar in size, we perceive the one that

casts the smaller retinal images as farther away

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Interposition- if one object partially blocks our view of another, we perceive it as

closer

Texture Gradient- gradual changes from a coarse texture to a fine texture, this

signals increasing distance

Relative Clarity- we perceive objects that appear hazy as farther away than clear

objects

Relative Height- objects higher in our field of vision seem farther away

(Negative field, objects close, positive field, objects further away)

Relative Motion- as we move, objects that are stable appear to move

Linear Perspective- parallel lines appear to converge with distance

Light and Shadow- nearby objects reflect more light to our eyes so a dimmer objectseems to be farther away

Perceptual Constancy- perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and

retinal images change. There are three main types:

Color Constancy- we see an objects color as constant even as the

surrounding light changes

Shape Constancy- objects whose actual shape cannot change may seem to

change based on the angle of our view

Size Constancy- perceiving objects as having a constant size even though our

distance from them varies

Size-Distance Relationship- given an objects perceived distance and the size of its

image on our retinas; we instantly and unconsciously infer the objects size

Sensory Deprivation and Restored Vision

It is not the actual eye that is hinder, it is the visual cortex that is unable to send

information to the brain. If you are unable to see at a young age, you lose the

important developmental stage, which cause it to be almost impossible to retrieve

those stages of sight back that lead to future problems, however, it is not the same

vise-versa. If you had sight through development and then lose it but still able to

regain it after surgery, you will see normally unless there was something wrong insurgery.

Perceptual Set

Our experiences, assumptions, and expectations may give us a perceptual set or

mental predisposition that greatly influences what we perceive. This is due to our

schemas/ top-down processing.

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