Chapter 2, Perceptual Processes I: Visual and Auditory Recognition Video Solutions, Cognition

Problem 1

Think of a person whom you know well, who has never had a course in cognitive psychology. How would you describe perception to this person? Using details from this chapter, describe how this person accomplishes two visual tasks and two auditory tasks that he or she performs frequently.

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00:32

Problem 2

Imagine that you are trying to read a sloppily written number that appears in a friend's class notes. You conclude that it is an 8, rather than a 6 or a 3. Explain how you recognized that number, using the template-matching and featureanalysis theories.

Brandon Fox

Numerade Educator

02:46

Problem 3

Look up from your book and notice two nearby objects. Describe the characteristics of each "figure" in contrast to the "ground." How would Biederman's recognition-by-components theory describe how you recognize these objects?

Devin Lea

Numerade Educator

01:38

Problem 4

Distinguish between bottom-up and top-down processing. Explain how topdown processing can help you recognize the letters of the alphabet in the word "alphabet." How would the word superiority effect operate if you tried to identify one letter in the word "alphabet" if it were presented very quickly?

Emily Himsel

Numerade Educator

01:17

Problem 5

This chapter emphasized visual and auditory object recognition. How does topdown processing (e.g., prior knowledge) operate when you smell a certain fragrance and try to identify it? Then answer this question for both taste and touch.

Joanna Quigley

Numerade Educator

00:43

Problem 6

According to the material in this chapter, face recognition seems to be "special," and it probably differs from other recognition tasks. Discuss this statement, mentioning research on the comparison between faces and other visual stimuli. Be sure to describe material from neuroscience research on this topic, as well as difficulties encountered by people with schizophrenia.

Joanna Quigley

Numerade Educator

03:12

Problem 7

Our visual world and our auditory world are both richly complicated. Describe several ways in which the complexity of the proximal stimuli presents challenges when we try to determine the "true" distal stimuli.

Caroline Jones

Numerade Educator

Problem 8

Both our visual system and our auditory system are designed to impose organization on our perceptual world. How does the gestalt approach help in visual perception? What factors help us overcome the difficulties in recognizing speech?

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Problem 9

What kinds of evidence supports the general mechanism approach to speech perception? Contrast this approach with the special mechanism approach. How is the special mechanism approach to speech similar to the findings about perceiving faces?

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Problem 10

Throughout this book, we will emphasize that the research from cognitive psychology can be applied to numerous everyday situations. For example, you learned some practical applications of the research on face perception. Skim through this chapter and describe at least five other practical applications of the research on visual and auditory recognition.

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