Perception
DO YOU REMEMBER THIS?
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
• Even though the way we perceive some objects or situations might vary, some similarities exist in how
we perceive the world around us!
PERCEPTION
• The method by which the sensations experienced at any given moment are interpreted and organized
in some meaningful fashion
• Or the ways in which we select, organize, and interpret sensory input to achieve a grasp of our
surroundings
• Can we gather all the stimuli in the world?
• Or does our attention have a role to play in all of this?
P E R C E P T I O N V S . S E N S AT I O N
Sensation Perception
• The process that occurs when special • The brain’s interpretation of the sensation
receptors in the sense organs are activated, information, to turn it into a meaningful experience
allowing various forms of outside stimuli to
become neural signals in the brain
• Makes an individual aware of the stimuli • Gives a meaning to the stimuli/interprets the stimuli
• Sensation occurs first • Perception follows immediately
Example: You see white random pattern on a Example: Your brain realised it is a blackboard
black colored board with class notes
You skin receptors detect water droplets Your brain realised it is raining
falling on your body
P E R C E P T UA L C O N STA N CY
• The psychological tendency for people to perceive objects as having stable properties of size, shape,
and color, even when the sensory input from the object changes due to factors like distance, angle, or
lighting conditions.
• A person walking toward you doesn’t appear to grow taller, even though their image on your retina
becomes larger. [Size]
• A coin viewed from an angle still looks round, even though it may project an oval image on your retina.
[Shape]
• A red apple looks red in both sunlight and under indoor lighting, even though the lighting changes the
wavelengths reaching your eyes. [Colour]
T H E G E STA LT P R I N C I P L E S
• The whole is more/other than the sum of its parts.
T H E G E STA LT P R I N C I P L E S
• The whole is more/other than the sum of its parts.
T H E G E STA LT P R I N C I P L E S
• The whole is more/other than the sum of its parts.
T H E G E STA LT P R I N C I P L E S
• The whole is more/other than the sum of its parts.
T H E G E STA LT P R I N C I P L E S
• The whole is more/other than the sum of its parts.
T H E G E STA LT P R I N C I P L E S
• The whole is more/other than the sum of its parts.
DEPTH PERCEPTION
PERCEPTUAL ILLUSIONS
An illusion is a perception that does not
correspond to reality
Illusions are not hallucinations: an illusion is a
distorted perception of something that is really
there, but a hallucination originates in the brain,
not in reality.
PERCEPTUAL ILLUSIONS
An illusion is a perception that does not
correspond to reality
Illusions are not hallucinations: an illusion is a
distorted perception of something that is really
there, but a hallucination originates in the brain,
not in reality.
ILLUSIONS IN MOTION
[Link]
[Link]
OTHE R FACTO R S IN F LU E N CIN G P E R CE P TIO N
• Perceptual Set or Perceptual expectancy: Tendency to perceive things a certain way because their
previous experiences or expectations influence them.
Although expectancies can be useful in interpreting certain stimuli, they can also lead people down the wrong path.
PERCEPTUAL BIAS AND ERRORS
• Systematic tendencies to perceive people or situations in a certain way, often based on assumptions
or stereotypes.
• Halo Effect --- Horn Effect
• Stereotyping
• Projection Bias
• Contrast effect
• Recency Effect
• Primacy Effect
F U N D A M E N TA L AT T R I B U T I O N E R RO R A N D
AT T R I B U T I O N T H EO R Y
• Two types of attribution: Internal and External
• The Fundamental Attribution Error is the tendency to overestimate internal factors and underestimate
external factors when explaining other people’s behavior.
• Attribution Theory: Three key factors (or dimensions) that people consider when trying to determine
whether a person’s behavior is caused by internal or external factors.
• Consensus
• Consistency
• Distinctiveness
Do others behave the same way in this situation?
High External
Consensus
Low Internal
Does this person always behave this way in this situation?
High Internal
Consistency
Low External
Does this person behave differently in other situations?
High External
Distinctiveness
Low Internal