Perception

What Perception covers

Perception is examined in Paper 2, optional (two of five are studied). It covers depth cues, visual illusions and constancies, Gibson's direct theory and Gregory's constructivist theory, perceptual set and the Haber and Levin and Carmichael studies.

The 4 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Depth cues, visual illusions and constanciesSensation and perception, monocular and binocular depth cues, fictions, ambiguous figures and distortions, and size, shape and colour constancy.Open →
• Gibson's direct theory and Gregory's constructivist theoryThe optic array, optic flow, invariants and affordances, perceptual hypotheses and inference, the Müller-Lyer illusion, and the two theories on nature and nurture.Open →
• Perceptual setHow motivation, expectation, emotion and culture affect perception, with Gilchrist and Nesberg, Bruner and Minturn, McGinnies, Hudson and the carpentered world hypothesis.Open →
• The Haber and Levin and Carmichael studiesHaber and Levin's study of judging distance from familiar and unfamiliar objects, and Carmichael, Hogan and Walter's study of how labels change the drawing of a figure.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Perception further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Monocular cue vs Binocular cue

  Monocular cue: a distance signal available to a single eye. Binocular cue: a distance signal that requires both eyes working together.

• Sensation vs Perception

  Sensation: the detection of stimuli by receptors in the eyes, ears and skin. Perception: the brain's organisation and interpretation of incoming information.

• Direct theory vs Constructivist theory

  Direct theory: an account where rich incoming information is enough to perceive the world without inference. Constructivist theory: an account where the brain builds hypotheses from incomplete input and past experience.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is the difference between sensation and perception?

   Model answer

   Sensation is the detection of stimuli by the sense organs, such as light reaching the eye. Perception is the brain's interpretation of that sensory information.

2. 2

   Why does the brain need depth cues?

   Model answer

   The image on the retina is flat and two-dimensional. Depth cues let the brain work out a three-dimensional world from that flat image.

3. 3

   What is the difference between monocular and binocular depth cues?

   Model answer

   Monocular depth cues can be used with only one eye. Binocular depth cues need both eyes working together.

4. 4

   What is superimposition as a depth cue?

   Model answer

   Superimposition occurs when one object partly hides another. The object doing the covering is seen as closer.

5. 5

   How does relative size act as a depth cue?

   Model answer

   When two objects are known to be a similar size, the smaller-looking one is seen as further away. A row of identical trees seems to shrink into the distance.

6. 6

   What is linear perspective?

   Model answer

   Linear perspective is the way parallel lines appear to converge as they stretch into the distance. Railway tracks seem to meet at the horizon, which signals depth.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Perception revision questions

What does Perception cover in Edexcel GCSE Psychology?

4 subtopics: depth cues, visual illusions and constancies, gibson's direct theory and gregory's constructivist theory, perceptual set and the haber and levin and carmichael studies. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Perception organised?

By the Edexcel 1PS0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.