2. IB Learning Outcomes
C9- With reference to relevant research
studies, to what extent is one cognitive
process reliable?
Key-Terms:
Bottom-Up and Top-Down processing
4. What is Perception?
The process by which the brain organizes and
interprets sensory information.
Takes in sensory information from our outside world and
gives it meaning.
5. Sensory Receptors
1. Information collected through the Eyes, Ears,
Nose, Skin, Tongue (Sensory Receptors).
2. Information processed in the brain.
9. Bottom-Up Processing
Data Driven Processing
Processing incoming individual pieces of
sensory data and constructing them into a
whole. (Parts into Whole)
Starting point of perception.
11. Bottom-Up Perception
Lets break it down…
Thousands of Yellow and Brown Lego Bricks
Blades of grass
Fences
A crowd of people in the background
Start with a pile of legos at the Bottom (Individual
elements) and you must build them Up (Whole)
13. Schema Theory
A mental representation of knowledge stored in the
brain. A Schema can be seen as a network of
knowledge, beliefs, and expectations about
particular aspects of the world.
We use our schemas to help us process
information from our environments and they
impact how we interpret that information.
25. Segall et al. (1966)
Aim: To determine if perception of the Muller-Lyer
Illusion is universal.
Method: With the help of cultural anthropologists,
showed the Muller-Lyer Illusion to members of 17
different groups and recorded their ability to
identify the length of the lines.
Non-Western Tribes: Uganda, Congo, Central Australia,
Nigeria. (and others)
Western Groups: European South Africans, Americans
26. Segall et al. (1966)
Findings:
Westerners are significantly more susceptible to
the illusion than individuals from non-western
cultures.
Some non-western tribes experienced no
problems with the illusion.
Conclusion: Experiences (not necessarily
culture) impact the ability of individuals to
perceive particular illusions using depth of
field.
27. Carpentered World Theory
Living in a world with many structured angles
make westerns more likely to use depth of field
to guide their perception than non-westerners.
28. Discussion Questions
To what extent is our perception reliable?
If our perception has failed us before, can we ever
trust it again?