Module - 3 Perception

Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences
Cognitive Psychology
(PSYC612)
Ms. Ria Mahanty

PGDGC, M.Phil Clinical Psychology RCI
Visiting Faculty
Department of Psychology, AIPS
Module III Perception
• Perceptual learning and development

• Perception of shape, space and movement
• Implicit perception and sensory integration theory
Sensation
Sensation refers to the process of sensing our environment through five
sensory system: touch, taste, sight, sound and smell.
Each of these systems maintains unique pathways with the brain which
allow them to transfer information from the environment to the brain very
rapidly. Without sensation, we can not enjoy the sunny spring day in the
park.
“Sensations is the process of detecting and encoding stimulus
energy in the world” . Santrock 2000
These five sense are as follows:

• The Sense of Sight (Eyes) - eye is the organ which is
responsible for vision. it is most used than any other sense.
• The Sense of Hearing (Ears) - Ears are used for the
purpose of hearing.
• The Sense of Smell (Nose) - Nose is use for Breathing and
smelling .
• The Sense of Taste (Tongue) - It is used to thought of the

taste, Flavour of any thing which we eat. There are five tastes
which the tongue recognizes, these are Sweetness,
sourness, saltiness, bitterness and savory.
• The Sense of Touch (Skin) - It is the sense which we feels
whenever our body is touched somewhere. This Sense deals
with the outer atmosphere means through skin we come to
feel the temperature, pain, etc.
These 5 senses govern our association with this world around us. It is
important to comprehend the eminence of the fact that, right here, of the
five senses is the root of all understanding.
All knowledge stems from what we perceive through the five senses guide
our understanding of all that surrounds us. Therefore, the significance of
this is never trivial.
The human perceptual system is wired for accuracy, and people are exceedingly good
at making use of the wide variety of information available to them. (Stoffregen &
Bardy, 2001)
In many ways our senses are quite remarkable:
The human eye can detect the equivalent of a single candle

flame burning 30 miles away and can distinguish among more
than 3,00,000 different colors.
The human ear can detect sounds as low as 20 hertz

(vibrations per second) and as high as 20,000 hertz, and it can
hear the tick of a clock about 20 feet away in a quiet room.
In many ways our senses are quite remarkable:
We can taste a teaspoon of sugar dissolved in 2 gallons of water,

and we are able to smell one drop of perfume diffused in a three-
room apartment.
We can feel the wing of a bee on our cheek dropped from 1

centimetre above (Galanter, 1962).
Perception
Perception is the process by which we organise and interpret patterns of stimuli
in the environment. Atkinsion & Hilgard 1983
Perception (from the Latin perceptio) is the organization, identification, and
interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the
presented information, or the environment. Schacter, Daniel (2011)
Perception is active , selective and cognitive mental process through which a

person gain immediate experiences of his own internal organ as well as object
present in external environment.
Characteristics of Perception:
• Stimulus is essential for perception.
• In perception immediate experiences of object take place.
• Perception is an active mental process.
• Perception is a cognitive process.
• In perception stimuli are organised.
• Perception is a selective process.
Steps in the Perceptual Process

• The Environmental Stimulus
• The Attended Stimulus
• The Image on the Retina
• Transduction
• Neural Processing
• Perception
• Recognition
• Action
https://youtu.be/60zgiB1aGZY
Visual Depth Perception

Depth perception is the visual ability to perceive the world in
three dimensions, coupled with the ability to gauge how far
away an object is. Depth perception, size, and distance are
ascertained through both monocular (one eye) and binocular
(two eyes) cues. Monocular vision is poor at determining depth.
Monocular Cues:
• These cues are also known as Psychological Cues.
• These cues of depth perception are effective when the objects are viewed
with only one eye.
• These cues are often used by artists to induce depth in two dimensional
paintings, hence they are also called Pictorial Cues.
• If you close one eye, your vision becomes much less three-dimensional, but
there are still many cues that allow you to judge distances. You are still able
to pick up a pen, move around without crashing into things and even catch
a ball.
• Learn from Experiences
Interposition or Overlay: (overlapping) – is a visual phenomenon

in which the view of an object is partially blocked by another object.
The object being blocked must be behind the object that is blocking
it.
Size of Retina Image:

Close Object: Size of retina image is Big
More Distance Object: Size of Retina Image is Small
Liner Perspective: When objects of known distance appear to

grow smaller and smaller, the perception is that these objects
are moving farther away.
For example: Railway Track (Converge)

Relative Size :
• The relative size of an object serves as an important monocular cue for depth
perception. It works like this: If two objects are roughly the same size, the
object that looks the largest will be judged as being the closest to the
observer.
• This applies to three-dimensional scenes as well as two-dimensional images.
Two objects on a piece of paper are the same distance away, yet size
difference can make the larger object appear closer and the smaller object
appear farther away.
Texture Gradient:
Texture Gradient: close objects will have a lot of detail and
definition apparent. More distant objects will not appear with as
much detail. This is very noticeable when looking at a field of grass.
Close up, the blades of grass will be noticeable. Further away, the
grass is more of a sea of green.
• If texture size is very small and dense we perceive it in distance.
• If texture size is big and not dense we perceive it in close.
Light & Shadow

Light & Shadow: Shadows can provide clues to an object’s
depth and dimensions.
Relative Brightness:
• More Brightness Object - Close
• Less Brightness Object - Far away in Distance
Aerial Perspective:
Objects that are farther away seem to be blurred or slightly hazy
due to the atmosphere. As you look off into the horizon, closer
objects seem more distinct while those in the distance might be
obscured by dust, fog, or water vapor. Because objects in the
distance tend to appear hazier, this cue tells us that blurry objects
tend to be further away.
Height Cue or Atmospheric Perspective:

Motion Perception:
• This is what happens when you stand face to face with
someone and move your head side to side. The person in
front of you moves quickly across your retina, while objects
that are farther away do not move very much at all. This
helps your brain to calculate how far an object is from you.
• We perceive distance and depth in the movement of object.
For example: Running Train
Binocular Cues:
Binocular depth information is dependent on information
from both eyes, not one.
• Physiological Cues
• Inborn Cues
1. Accommodation:
• When we perceive the closet things, lens decreased and the
curvature increased.
• When we perceive the farthest things, lens increased and
curvature decreased.
(This process is known as Accommodation)
2. Convergence and Divergence:
When objects are very near to us, we converge our eyes to fixate
on them; as the object moves further away, the eyes diverge to
maintain fixation.
3. Binocular Disparity or Retinal Disparity:

Your two eyes are separated (by about 6.3 cm), each eye
receives a somewhat different perspective of the same
object. The closer an object is to you, the greater
difference in the retinal image that results from each
eye’s perspective.
https://youtu.be/LLS47QAxtm0
Perceptual constancy
The tendency to perceive objects as maintaining stable
properties, such as size, shape, brightness, and colour,
despite differences in distance, viewing angle, and
lighting.
Size constancy
– Perceiving objects as being about the same size when they
move farther away. ( even changes in the size of retinal image)
Theoretical Mechanism of Size Constancy:
– Real Size, Distance already known (Holway & Boring, 1940)
– Simultaneous changes in the object texture and background
texture. (Gibson, 1950)
Continue..
• Shape constancy
– Tendency to perceive objects as having a stable or unchanging
shape regardless of changes in the retinal image resulting form
differences in viewing angle.
Example: Door
Theoretical Mechanism of Shape Constancy:
– Shape Slant invariance hypothesis
• Colour constancy
– Perceiving objects as the same colour even though they are
different in shades.
– Example: Red Apple
https://youtu.be/SIm_E6oXZm8
Movement Perception
• Apparent Movement:
Perceptions of motion that are psychologically constructed in
response to various kinds of stimuli (When objects are not in
movement position, still we perceive it in movement)
 Phi Phenomena / Stroboscopic movement :

An apparent motion illusion occurring when two or more
stationary lights are flashed “On” and “Off” in sequence, giving
the impression that one light is actually moving from one spot to
the next. (Wertheimer, 1912)
 Induced Movement:
 Autokinetic effect:
 Movement after-effect:
 Movement in picture:
Factors influencing Perception

• Effect of physical need and Psychological need upon perception
(osgood,1953) 4OOD
• Effect of value of objects on perceiver (Bruner & Goodman, 1947)
• Social Attitude Eg: Exercise (Zellig, 1952)
• Social Norms Eg: Cow, 13 No.
• Social Suggestions Eg: Autokinetic Movement
• Propaganda
Principle of Organisation
One Gestalt principle is the figure-ground relationship. According to this

principle, we tend to segment our visual world into figure and ground.
Figure is the object or person that is the focus of the visual field, while the
ground is the background. As shows, our perception can vary
tremendously, depending on what is perceived as figure and what is
perceived as ground. Presumably, our ability to interpret sensory
information depends on what we label as figure and what we label as
ground in any particular case.
Figure-ground perception
Proximity: Another Gestalt principle for organizing sensory stimuli

into meaningful perception is proximity. This principle asserts that
things that are close to one another tend to be grouped together
The Gestalt principle of proximity suggests that you see (a) one block of dots on the left side and (b)
three columns on the right side.
Principle of similarity: We might also use the principle

of similarity to group things in our visual fields. According to this
principle, things that are alike tend to be grouped together. For
example, when watching a football game, we tend to group
individuals based on the colors of their uniforms.
When looking at this array of dots, we likely perceive alternating rows of colors. We are grouping these dots
according to the principle of similarity.
Law of continuity : Another Gestalt principles are the law

of continuity (or good continuation). The law of continuity suggests
that we are more likely to perceive continuous, smooth flowing lines
rather than jagged, broken lines.
Good continuation would suggest that we are more likely to perceive this as two overlapping lines, rather than
four lines meeting in the center.
Principle of closure : The principle of closure states that we

organize our perceptions into complete objects rather than as a
series of parts.
Closure suggests that we will perceive a complete circle and rectangle rather than a series of
segments.
According to Gestalt theorists, pattern perception, or our ability to

discriminate among different figures and shapes, occurs by following
the principles described above.
You probably feel fairly certain that your perception accurately
matches the real world, but this is not always the case. Our
perceptions are based on perceptual hypotheses: educated
guesses that we make while interpreting sensory information.
These hypotheses are informed by a number of factors, including
our personalities, experiences, and expectations. We use these
hypotheses to generate our perceptual set.
https://youtu.be/b08GpNEZ8JU
Extrasensory perception
In one way or another, it’s likely that you’ve heard of the term “sixth
sense.”
• Although this topic is highly debated in the scientific community, it is

oftentimes referred to as “ESP” or extrasensory perception.
• Extrasensory literally means “outside the senses” — the 5 senses of sight,
touch, hearing, smell, and taste.
• ESP is the ability to receive and process information independent of
our five senses.
Telepathy
Have you ever become so close to someone that it seems like you can
tell what they are thinking? Or, have you ever repetitively said the
same exact sentences at the same time as another person?
• Although you may not be a full-on telepath, if you’ve experienced
this strange phenomenon, then you have a good idea of what
telepathy is.
• Telepathy is the ability to know another person’s thoughts.
• A telepath is able to communicate with another person by using only
their mind — no other sensory input.
Precognition
Precognition is the ability to see into the future.
• Generally, people who possess the gift of precognition can
perceive information about events, people, locations, and
scenarios before they actually occur.
Precognition comes from 2 Latin words:
• Pre, meaning “prior to”
• Cognito, meaning “getting to know.”
Retro cognition
Retro cognition is the opposite of precognition — it’s the ability to see into
the past. People with this type of extrasensory perception can recognize
people, places, and events of the past that they had nothing to do with.
Like the word “precognition,” retrocognition comes from two Latin
words:
• Retro, meaning “backward” (retrogress)
• Cognito, meaning “getting to know.”
Clairvoyance
• Clairvoyance - Awareness of unknown objects or hidden materials
without any prior contact or knowledge of the same.
• This type of extrasensory perception is generally strongest during
practiced meditation, but can also happen unintentionally.
The term “clairvoyant” is comprised of two French words:
• Clair, meaning “clear”
• Voyant, meaning “seeing”
Illusion of Objects
An instance of a wrong or misinterpreted perception of a sensory experience. An
illusion is a sensory distortion that can fool a person's senses. Illusions can
involve any of the senses, but visual (optical) illusions are the best understood by
science.
– R. L. Gregory
• Believed that susceptibility to the Müller-Lyer and other such illusions is not
innate.
• Believed that the culture in which people live is responsible to some extent
for the illusions they perceive.
– Segall and others

• Tested 1,848 adults and children from 15 different cultures to
see if susceptibility to illusions is due to experience.
• Study revealed that experience was a factor.
– Stewart
• Did a study to see if race offered an explanation for the
cultural differences in observing illusions.
• No significant differences were found in susceptibility to the
illusions based on race.
Understanding Hallucinations & Illusions

https://youtu.be/wBsZ0iKOVuw
Types of illusion
• Physical Illusion : due to distortion in information
Example: Railway track, Stick in water, Sky & land etc.
(Also known as Universal Illusion , Permanent Illusion)
• Perceptual Illusion: Misleading cues
Example: Electric pole (Personal Illusion)
Types of Illusion
• Muller-Lyer Illusion: (A)
• Ponzo illusion: (B)
• Horizontal-Vertical illusion: (C)
• Jastrow illusion: (D)
• Delboef illusion: (E)
• Ehrnstein illusion: (F)
• Orbison illusion: (G)
• Wundt illusion: (I)
Theories of Illusion
• Eye-movement theory (Over,1968) - Horizontal-Vertical illusion
• Emotional Theory (Liips, 1897) - Muller-Lyer Illusion
• Field Theory (Gestalt Psychologist) - Ehrnstein illusion: (F) /
Orbison illusion: (G)
• Confusion theory: Muller-Lyer Illusion
• Incorrect Comparison theory: Muller-Lyer Illusion
(Experiment by Coren & Girgus, 1972)
Differences between Illusion & Hallucination

Illusion
1. Illusion is a kind of wrong perception.
2. In illusion, an external stimulus is always present. In other
words, illusions are caused by external stimulations.
3. Illusion is almost universal.
4. Normal persons suffer from illusions.
5. The same situation arouses the same type of illusion in most
people.
Hallucination
• Hallucination is a false perception.
• In hallucination, no external stimulus is present. Hallucinations are
caused by internal stimulations.
• Hallucination is a personal experience.
• Hallucinations are mostly confined to mentally ill persons and to those
people under the influence of drugs.
• The same situation may not arouse hallucination in all. There are
individual differences with regard to hallucination. The same individual
may experience different hallucinations at different occasions.
Question & Answer Session
THANK YOU !

Module - 3 Perception

Uploaded by

Module - 3 Perception

Uploaded by

Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences

Ms. Ria Mahanty

Module III Perception

• Perceptual learning and development

These five sense are as follows:

• The Sense of Taste (Tongue) - It is used to thought of the

In many ways our senses are quite remarkable:

The human eye can detect the equivalent of a single candle

The human ear can detect sounds as low as 20 hertz

In many ways our senses are quite remarkable:

We can taste a teaspoon of sugar dissolved in 2 gallons of water,

We can feel the wing of a bee on our cheek dropped from 1

Perception is active , selective and cognitive mental process through which a

Steps in the Perceptual Process

Visual Depth Perception

Interposition or Overlay: (overlapping) – is a visual phenomenon

Size of Retina Image:

Liner Perspective: When objects of known distance appear to

For example: Railway Track (Converge)

Light & Shadow

Height Cue or Atmospheric Perspective:

3. Binocular Disparity or Retinal Disparity:

 Phi Phenomena / Stroboscopic movement :

Factors influencing Perception

One Gestalt principle is the figure-ground relationship. According to this

Proximity: Another Gestalt principle for organizing sensory stimuli

Principle of similarity: We might also use the principle

Law of continuity : Another Gestalt principles are the law

Principle of closure : The principle of closure states that we

According to Gestalt theorists, pattern perception, or our ability to

• Although this topic is highly debated in the scientific community, it is

– Segall and others

Understanding Hallucinations & Illusions

Differences between Illusion & Hallucination

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