Perceptual Distortions

Our sensory systems, such as vision and taste, are entirely accurate and make very little errors in perception

• True

• False

Visual illusions are

• A distortion in visual perception

• A distortion in visual sensation

Which of the following are explanations for why visual illusions occur? (Select all that apply)

• We do not receive images correctly with our eyes.

• Something in our physical environment makes the interpretation process of visual perception difficult.

• Something biological within our eyes or brain makes the perceptual process difficult.

• Something psychological means that the way we uniquely perceive and interpret an image makes it appear different from reality.

When judging flavour, the texture of food causes us to experience perceptual distortions

• True

• False

Synaesthesia is a perceptual phenomenon. It occurs when a sensory stimulus first undergoes ____ within one sensory system, but then during ____, perceptions from another sensory system are integrated and this causes the synaesthete to experience unusual or abnormal perceptual experiences.

Perceptual distortions, errors of judgement, and synaesthesia occur only in brains that are damaged or have some sort of mental disorder

• True

• False

Which of the following sentences is most correct?

• Synaesthesia is a perceptual disorder and involves the experience of unusual sensory perceptions in a sensory system that has not experienced any sensations.

• Synaesthesia is a mental disorder and involves the experience of hallucinations of a sensory stimulus after it has been received and transmitted to the brain.

Which of the following sentences is most correct?

• Perceptual distortions occur when we perceive sensory information, such as a flavour or an image, that has strange or abnormal properties

• Perceptual distortions occur when we make an error of judgement in the way that we interpret and understand sensory information, such as a flavour or an image.

A visual illusion is

• a misunderstanding of an image due to the way visual information is received at the eye during sensation.

• a misunderstanding of an image due to the way visual information is transmitted during sensation.

• a perceptual distortion of an image due to the way visual information is understood during perception, caused by environmental, biological or psychological factors

• a perceptual distortion of an image due to the way the image actually is in physical reality, caused by environmental, biological or psychological factors.

Whenever Neeha reads certain words, she is able to taste them. For example, the word ‘boat’ tastes like peanut butter and the word ‘cat’ tastes like fairy floss. It is most likely that Neeha is experiencing

• flavour distortions, due to her perceptual set.

• visual illusions, due to her past experience.

• synaesthesia, with her sensory system of taste being unusually activated by certain words

• synaesthesia, with her sensory system of vision being unusually activated by certain words