What is a perceptual hypothesis?

A perceptual hypothesis is the brain's best guess about what it is seeing. The guess is tested against incoming information and changed if it does not fit.

Why is Gregory's theory linked to nurture?

Gregory argued that perception depends on knowledge gained through experience. People learn how to interpret visual cues as they grow up, so perception is largely learned.

How does the Necker cube support Gregory's idea of hypothesis testing?

The Necker cube offers two equally good hypotheses about which face is at the front. The brain keeps switching between them because neither can be confirmed.

AQA GCSE Psychology 8182

Memory

Topic overview Processes and types of memory The multi-store model of memory Primacy, recency and Murdock's serial position curve Reconstructive memory, Bartlett and factors affecting accuracy

Perception

Topic overview Sensation, perception and depth cues Gibson's direct theory of perception Visual illusions Gregory's constructivist theory of perception Perceptual set and factors affecting perception

Development

Topic overview Early brain development, nature and nurture Piaget's stage theory of cognitive development Piaget in education, naughty teddy and policeman doll studies Dweck's mindset theory, learning styles and Willingham

Research Methods

Topic overview Hypotheses and variables Sampling methods Experimental designs and types of experiment Interviews, questionnaires, case studies and observations Research procedures, reliability and validity Ethical issues in psychological research Types of data, calculations and averages Correlation, graphs and the normal distribution

Social Influence

Topic overview Conformity and Asch's study Obedience, agency theory and the authoritarian personality Bystander intervention and Piliavin's subway study Crowd and collective behaviour

Language, Thought and Communication

Topic overview Language, thought and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis Animal communication and von Frisch's bee study Non-verbal communication Explaining non-verbal behaviour: Darwin and Yuki

Brain and Neuropsychology

Topic overview The nervous system, fight or flight and the James-Lange theory Neurons, synaptic transmission and Hebb's theory Brain structure, localisation and Penfield's study Brain scanning, Tulving's gold memory study and brain damage

Psychological Problems

Topic overview An introduction to mental health Effects of mental health problems Clinical depression Explaining and treating depression Addiction Treating addiction

Perception

Gregory's constructivist theory of perception

3 things to know
Paper 1

Overview

Top-down processing, perceptual inference and hypotheses, the evidence from illusions and cross-cultural research, and how the theory compares with Gibson's.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What is the main claim of Gregory's constructivist theory of perception?

Process

What is top-down processing?

Key term

Why did Gregory believe the brain has to make inferences?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is the main claim of Gregory's constructivist theory of perception?
Model answer
Gregory claimed that perception is an active process of construction. The brain combines what the eyes deliver with stored knowledge to form a best guess about the world.
2
What is top-down processing?
Model answer
Top-down processing means perception is guided by knowledge, expectations and past experience. Stored information shapes how incoming sensory data is interpreted.
3
Why did Gregory believe the brain has to make inferences?
Model answer
The image reaching the eye is often incomplete, ambiguous or lacking detail. The brain must fill the gaps using what it already knows.
4
What is a perceptual hypothesis?
Model answer
A perceptual hypothesis is the brain's best guess about what it is seeing. The guess is tested against incoming information and changed if it does not fit.
5
Why is Gregory's theory linked to nurture?
Model answer
Gregory argued that perception depends on knowledge gained through experience. People learn how to interpret visual cues as they grow up, so perception is largely learned.
6
How does the Necker cube support Gregory's idea of hypothesis testing?
Model answer
The Necker cube offers two equally good hypotheses about which face is at the front. The brain keeps switching between them because neither can be confirmed.

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Memory

Perception

Development

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