Perceptual constancy

(noun)

The tendency to see familiar objects as having standard shape, size, color, or location regardless of changes in the angle of perspective, distance, or lighting; stability in perception despite gross instability in stimulation.

Examples of Perceptual constancy in the following topics:

  • Perceptual Constancy

    • Perceptual constancy is perceiving objects as having constant shape, size, and color regardless of changes in perspective, distance, and lighting.
    • Thanks to perceptual constancy, we have stable perceptions of an object's qualities even under changing circumstances.
    • There are many common visual and perceptual constancies that we experience during the perception process.
    • Our eyes aren't the only sensory organs that "trick" us into perceptual constancy.
    • This is thanks to auditory perceptual constancy!

  • Organization

    • This law posits that when we perceive a collection of objects we will perceptually group together objects that are physically close to each other.
    • This law states that people will perceive similar elements will be perceptually grouped together.
    • Many optical illusions play on this perceptual tendency.
    • We develop perceptual schemas in order to organize impressions of people based on their appearance, social roles, interaction, or other traits; these schemas then influence how we perceive other things in the world.
    • For example, you might have a perceptual schema that the building where you go to class is symmetrical on the outside (sometimes called the "symmetry heuristic," or the tendency to remember things as being more symmetrical than they are).

  • Perceiving Depth, Distance, and Size

    • Depth perception relies on the convergence of both eyes upon a single object, the relative differences between the shape and size of the images on each retina, the relative size of objects in relation to each other, and other cues such as texture and constancy.
    • For example, shape constancy allows the individual to see an object as a constant shape from different angles, so that each eye is recognizing a single shape and not two distinct images.

  • Selection

    • Perceptual expectancy, also called perceptual set, is a predisposition to perceive things in a certain way based on expectations and assumptions about the world.
    • A simple demonstration of perceptual expectancy involves very brief presentations of non-words such as "sael."

  • Cluster A: Paranoid, Schizoid, and Schizotypal Personality Disorders

    • People with cluster A personality disorders display a personality style that is odd or eccentric; they are often described as having a pattern of acute discomfort in close relationships, cognitive or perceptual distortions, and eccentricities of behavior.
    • People with STPD usually underestimate the maladaptiveness of their social isolation and perceptual distortions; they tend to consider themselves to be simply eccentric, creative, or nonconformist.

  • Unconscious Perception

    • The perceptual learning of unconscious processing occurs through priming.

  • Cognitive Development in Childhood

    • Cognitive development refers to the development of a child in terms of information processing, conceptual resources, perceptual skill, and language learning.

  • Conscious vs. Unconscious Emotion

    • In humans, the low road and high road can work simultaneously to provide both fear response and perceptual feedback.

  • Classification and Categorization

    • Studies have shown that categories at the middle level are perceptually and conceptually the most salient.

  • IQ Tests

    • The WAIS uses a variety of components to determine a person's IQ score, including verbal, memory, perceptual, and processing skills.