LECTURE 18 - cognition and sensation sensation - the basic process of external stimuli stimulating a sense organ perception - process by which the brain selects, organizes, and interprets sensory information from sense organs - prior experience has an impact on perception - reliable differences · susceptibility to optical illusions · pictoral depth perception · object vs field focus reT susceptibility to optical illusions - OI reflect different aspects of the physical environment - creates differences in susceptibility · mueller lyer · horizontal-vertical illusion - more susceptible for people who live in more open environments -> foreshortening hypothesis brain must interpret 3-D information projected onto a 2D plain Visual perception - western education influences how we interpret pictorial information - western education leads to 3D perception of the hunter line drawing . less western education leads to a 2D view - train western children to interpret 2D images depth cues 1. relative size 2. object superimposition 3. vertical postion 4. linear perspective 5. texture gradient LECTURE 19 - World Views Visual Perception - do people focus on objects or fields in which the object is placed - assessed using the rod-and-frame task - depends on thinking style · Analytic · Holistic 1
Holistic Thinking - Perceive scenes as integrated wholes paying much attention to the surroundings and context - Leads to Field dependence - paying attention to relationships with objects and environment · correlated with collectivism and interdependence Analytic Thinking - Perceive objects according to specific elements and fixed rules, distinct from its environment - Leads to field independence - paying attention to the characteristics of the ob- ject apart from the environment · correlated with individualism and independence World Views Horizons in art * Masuda et al. 2008 * - low, clear horizon -> evident in more western art - No, high horizon -> eastern art - Children asked to draw pictures from culturally different children - Japanese children drew higher horizons and included more detail than was neces- sary -> more emphasis on relations of objects Where the horizon is forces us to pay attention to different things - Higher horizons -> broader perspective -> better shows the relationships be- tween objects . more indicative of holistic thinkers Differences in analytic and holistic thinkers Attributions - fundamental attribution error · too much emphasis on dispositional attributes even if explicit external con- straints are revealed · actually not that fundamental - associated with analytic thinking styles - Cultural differences in attributions seems to be due to socialization Categorization 2
- Analytic thinking style leads people to categorize items based on common fea- tures (taxonomic) - Holistic thinking style leads people to categorize items based on relationships Dialecticism - how we think about patterns and logical relationships - Traditional greek laws of thought · Law of identity: each thing has its own attributes; A = A; what is, is . Law of non-contradiction: A = B is mutually exclusive to A =/= B; only one can be true . Law