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and touch sensors–are examined。
CASE STUDY LECTURE LAUNCHER
Five months before her second birthday； Helen Keller was stricken with a mysterious illness that
deprived her of both sight and hearing。 Helen’s other senses became highly developed—a
phenomenon experienced by many people who suffer long…term sensory deprivation—and her
sensory experiences were eloquently documented： “I cannot recall what happened during the first
months after my illness。 I only know that I sat in my mother’s lap or clung to her dress as she went
about her household duties。 My hands felt every object and observed every motion； and in this way；
I learned to know many things。 。 。 。 Sometimes I stood between two persons who were conversing
and touched their lips。 I could not understand； and was vexed” （Keller； 1902； pp。 26—27）。
In her seventh year； Helen Keller became the pupil of Annie Sullivan； a young woman whose vision
was partially impaired。 In letters to a matron at the Perkins School in Boston where Annie had been
educated； she wrote of the pleasure Helen derived from her remaining senses： “On entering a
greenhouse her countenance bees radiant； and she will tell the names of the flowers with which
she is familiar； by the sense of smell alone。 。 。 。 She enjoys in anticipation the scent of a rose or a
violet； and if she is promised a bouquet of these flowers； a peculiarly happy expression lights her
face” （Sullivan； 1954； p。 294）。
Helen herself wrote about the way that her sense of smell gave her advance warning of storms。 “I
notice first a throb of expectancy； a slight quiver； a concentration in my nostrils。 As the storm draws
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PSYCHOLOGY AND LIFE
near my nostrils dilate； the better to receive the flood of earth odors； which seem to multiply and
extend； until I feel the splash of rain against my cheek。 As the tempest departs； receding farther and
farther； the odors fade； bee fainter and fainter and die away beyond the bar of space。” （Keller；
Ackerman； 1990； p。 44）。
Annie Sullivan reported that Helen’s “whole body is so finely organized that she seems to use it as
a medium for bringing herself into closer relations with her fellow creatures。” Annie was puzzled
at first by Helen’s “inexplicable mental faculty” for picking up emotions and physical sensations。
She soon realized； though； that Helen had developed an exquisite sensitivity to the muscular
variations of those around her。 “One day； while she was out walking with her mother； 。 。 。 a boy
threw a torpedo； which startled Mrs。 Keller。 Helen felt the change in her mother’s movements
instantly； and asked； ‘What are we afraid of？”’ （Sullivan； 1908； p。 295）。 During a hearing test； Helen
astonished a roomful of people when “she would turn her head； smile； and act as though she had
heard what was said。” However； when Annie let go of Helen’s hand and moved to the opposite
side of the room； Helen remained motionless for the rest of the test。 Although she could neither see
nor hear； Helen Keller extracted a great deal of sensory information from the world。 She did not
perceive color； light； and sound through ordinary channels。 Instead； she “heard” symphonies by
placing her hands on a radio to feel the vibrations； and she “saw” where a person had been by
picking up the scent of his or her clothes。 Her ability to pensate for her sensory disabilities hints
at the intricate coordination within human sensory systems and the interaction of sensory and
brain processes。 It also makes us aware of the extent to which our senses work in unison to weave
experience of the world around us into the fabric of our very being。
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CHAPTER 5
Perception
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
On pletion of this chapter； students should be able to：
1。 Understand the relationship between sensation and perception
2。 Explain the perceptual concepts of reality； ambiguity； and illusion
3。 Describe the roles（s） played by attention in the processes of perception
4。 Define the concepts of preattentive processing and guided search
5。 Explicate the Gestalt principles of figure； ground； and closure； and be able to give examples
of each
6。 Describe the principles of perceptual grouping
7。 Define the concepts of motion and depth perception
8。 Explain the importance of perceptual constancy in perceptual processes
9。 Describe the significance of identification and recognition in the overall process of
perception
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I。 Sensing； Organizing； Identifying； and Recognizing
A。 The Proximal and Distal Stimulus
1。 Perception is the set of processes that organize information in the
sensory image and interpret that information as having been
produced by objects or events in the external world
2。 Perceptual organization refers to the internal representation of an
object
3。 A distal stimulus is a physical object in the world
4。 A proximal stimulus is the optical image of a distal stimulus that
appear on the retina
B。 Reality； Ambiguity； and Illusions
1。 Ambiguity means that a single image at the sensory level can result in
multiple interpretations at the perceptual and identification levels
2。 When your perceptual systems deceive you into experiencing a
stimulus pattern in a manner that is demonstrably incorrect； you are
experiencing an illusion
C。 Approaches to the Study of Perception
1。 Helmholtz argued for the importance of experience； or nurture； in
perception
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CHAPTER 5： PERCEPTION
2。 Gestalt psychology put greater emphasis on the role of innate
structures； or nature； in perceptual experience
3。 The Gibsons suggested that perception could be better understood
through an analysis of the immediately surrounding environment
a） Gibson’s theory of ecological optics focused attention on
properties of external stimuli rather than on the mechanisms
by which you perceive the stimuli
II。Attentional Processes
A。 Selective Attention
1。 In 1958 Donald Broadbent proposed that the mind functions as a
munications channel； like a telephone line or puter modem；
that has a limited capacity to process information
2。 The brain’s limited processing capacity makes it impossible to attend
to everything and makes the filtering of information to the brain
necessary
3。 Broadbent’s Filter Theory of Attention asserted that this filtering
occurs early in the process； before the input’s meaning is assessed
4。 Dichotic listening tasks were used to test filter theory； and it was
found that not all information is filtered
5。 The cocktail party phenomenon occurs when an individual hears
their own name mentioned across a noisy room although the
individual is participating in an unrelated conversation。 Thus； even
information to which an individual is not attending is processed to
some extent。
6。 As a general rule； information that is not attended to will not make its
presence known； unless it is very distinct or personally relevant
B。 Attention and Objects in the Environment
1。 One of the main functions of attention is to help you find particular
objects in a noisy visual environment
2。 plex processing oc