Lecture 13

Perception

1. Top Down Processes
1. Bottom Up: Whole=Parts
2. Top Down: Whole>Parts
3. Context
2. Gestalt Psychology
1. Interdependence
2. Figure & Ground
3. Laws of Perceptual Organization
4. Perceptual Schemas & Sets
3. Perceptual Illusions

Overview

According to Locke and the associationists, the whole is = to the sum of the parts. Gestalt psychologists objected to this assumption, arguing that the whole is > than the sum of the parts. In making this assertion, the Gestalt psychologists sought to underscore the degree to which perception is a top-down, theory driven process, rather than a bottom-up, data driven one.

Specifics

1. Distinguish bottom-up from top-down processes.
2. Identify the central assumptions Gestalt psychology makes
3. Be familiar with four laws of perception.
4. Be familiar with perceptual constancy, especially as it pertains to the apparent size of figures near and far from the eye.