Perception and Consciousness Introduction to Psychology

First Semester / SY. 2018-2019 Ms. Rheo M. Paguibitan, RPsy, RPm

through the organizing characteristics of

Perception:
our perception, we see the meaningful
The process through which sensations are
whole.
organized and interpreted, using
knowledge and understanding of the
There are two basic principles which
world, so that they become meaningful
guide our organization of our perceptual
experiences.
environment: figure-ground processing
The building blocks of perception is
and grouping.
sensation.
Figure-Ground
We process the information and create a
We see the objects that fill our
coherent world, often by filling in missing
everyday perceptions as
information and using part experience to
standing out from the general
give meaning to what we see, hear or
background of our experience.
touch.
We note that the figure has
some object quality while the
Illusions: ground tends to be formless.
Illusion – a perceptual experience in Grouping:
which we perceive a stimulus as being so Our mind automatically group
strangely distorted that, in reality, it perceptual elements into
cannot and does not exist. meaningful wholes.
Optical illusions – involve The Gestalt psychologists
perceiving a visual proposed a number of laws or
characteristic or feature principles that describe how
not actually present in the perceptual systems organize
visual stimulus. an array of raw sensations into
a world of meaningful wholes.
Perceptual Constancies: a. Proximity: The closer the
1. Size constancy–Nomatter what object, the more closely
changes occur in the size, our they are perceived as
perceived size of the object remains belonging together.
the same. b. Similarity: Similar elements
2. Shape constancy – Ourperception of perceived to be belonging
the shape remains the same to a group.
irrespective of the angle from which c. Continuity: Sensations that
we view the object. seem to create continuous
3. Brightness constancy – Nomatter how form are perceived as
the amount of light striking an object belonging together
changes, the perceived brightness d. Closure: Incomplete
remains constant. patterns which suggest
completeness are
Organization in Perception: perceived as complete.
The sensory information that we perceive
consists of varied bits of information but

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Perception and Consciousness
First Semester / SY. 2018-2019
e. Texture: Stimulus with the
same texture tend to be
grouped together.
f. Simplicity: People tend to
organize the stimulus that
provides the simplest
interpretation of the
world.
g. Symmetry or good figure:
Organize stimuli to form a
balanced or symmetrical
figure.
Perception of Depth
Depth perception – the ability to see three-
dimensional patterns and to accurately judge
distances.
Depth cues – are features of the environment
that impart information about distance and
space.
Monocular Cues:these are cues that operate
with one eye
a. Interposition – an object that blocks our
view of another thing is perceived as
closer.
b. Relative size – two objects of the same
size: the one that casts a larger image is
perceived as closer
c. Texture gradient – texture appears less
detailed as its distance increases
d. Linear perspective – parallel lines seem to
converge as they move to a far distance.
e. Light and Shadow – brightly lit objects
appear closer, while objects in shadows
appear farther away.
f. Atmospheric Perspective – we perceive
clearer objects as being nearer and
perceive hazy or cloudy objects as being
farther away.
g. Motion Parallax – we perceive objects
that appear to be moving at high speed as
Introduction to Psychology
Ms. Rheo M. Paguibitan, RPsy, RPm
closer to us than those moving more
slowly or appearing stationary.
Binocular cues: these are cues requiring two
eyes
Binocular disparity – the difference
between the images of an object falling
on the two retinas; increases with
increasing distance.
Factors that affect Perception
Learning
Perceptual habits – ingrained patterns of
organization and attention.
Selective attention – we give messages
priority while we others on hold
Intensity, repetition, contrast, change, or
movement, incongruity and novelty
Motives and emotions
Ways of Processing Perception
Bottom-up processing – analyzing
information starting at the “bottom” with
small features and building upward to
perceive a whole;
Top-down processing – application of
higher level knowledge to rapidly
organize information into meaningful
whole;
Can be influenced by our perceptual
expectancies
Extrasensory Perception
Joseph Banks Rhine – coined the term
extrasensory perception; the purported
ability to perceive events in a manner that is
beyond the capabilities of our senses
Parapsychologists – people who study ESP
and other psi phenomena, the events that
defy accepted scientific laws.
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Perception and Consciousness
First Semester / SY. 2018-2019
Psi Phenomena
Clairvoyance – the ability to see events or
information from objects without direct
contact with the senses.
Telepathy – the ability to perceive the
thoughts or emotions of others.
Precognition – the ability to predict
future events.
Psychokinesis – the ability to exert
influence over inanimate objects by using
mind power.
Altered State of Consciousness:
Consciousness – mental awareness of our
sensations, perceptions, memories and
feelings.
Altered state of consciousness (ASC) – a
distinct change in the quality and pattern of
mental activity. These are changes in
perceptions, emotions, memory, sense of
time, thinking, self-control and suggestibility.
Fatigue, delirium, hypnosis, psychoactive
drugs, ecstacy are common factors that may
cause ASC.
Forms of Altered State of
Consciousness
I. Sleep
A naturally recurring state
characterized by reduced or
absent consciousness, relatively
suspended sensory activity, and
inactivity of nearly all voluntary
muscles.
Electroencephalograph (EEG) – a
machine invented by Hans Berger
which is used to measure electrical
activity of the brain.
Nathaniel Kleitman and Eugene
Aserinsky – recorded brain waves
Introduction to Psychology
Ms. Rheo M. Paguibitan, RPsy, RPm
during sleep and discovered that we
pass through REM (rapid eye
movement) sleep and four other
sleep stages which are non-REM.
Stages of Sleep
Stage 1 – a transitional phase
between wakefulness and sleep; a
period described as drowsiness;
presence of theta waves in the EEG
Stage 2 – sleep occupies about 50% of
an adult’s sleep. The EEG records
sleep spindles or bursts of activity
Stage 3 and 4 – known as slow-wave
or delta sleep. Waking someone from
these stages of deep sleep is quite
difficult, and if awakened, the person
is likely to be disoriented and groggy.
REM stage – last stage of sleep
characterized by random movements
of the eye; signs of internal body
activity are present (e.g. irregular
heart beat and wavering blood
pressure and breathing); the skeletal
muscles are inactive as if in paralysis;
“true unconscious” dreams start to
appear at this stage.
The entire cycle from Stage 1 to REM
is one sleep cycle which takes about
90 to 120 minutes. The sleep cycle
repeat itself, with some changes, four
to six times a night.
Sleep Disorders:
Insomnia – difficulty in getting to sleep or
staying asleep.
Hypersomnia – excessive daytime
sleepiness.
Narcolepsy – sudden, irresistible, daytime
sleep attacks that may last anywhere
from a few minutes to a half hour.
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Perception and Consciousness
First Semester / SY. 2018-2019
Sleep apnea– pauses in breathing during
sleep; most prevalent in overweight
males
REM behavior disorder – a failure of
normal muscle paralysis leading to violent
actions during REM sleep.
Nightmares – vivid, recurrent bad dreams
during REM sleep
Night terrors – violent episodes of panic
during non-REM sleep when body is not
immobilized
Somnambulism – sleepwalking; occurs
during Stages 3 and 4; may reflect
immature nervous system.
Somniloquy – sleeptalking which occurs
during non-REM sleep.
Nocturnal enuresis – bedwetting; not
considered a disorder unless the child is
at least 5y/o; may reflect immature
nervous system.
Other Sleep Disorders:
Kleine– Levin syndrome or Sleeping
Beauty syndrome - is a neurological
disorder characterized by recurring
periods of excessive amounts of sleeping
and eating.
Sign and Symptoms:
o During the episodes of excessive
sleepiness, the affected person
may sleep for hours, days, and
even weeks at a time.
o They are often difficult to awaken
and may lose weight as they are
unable to stay awake long enough
to eat.
o When they do briefly awaken,
they seem to be in an almost
dream-like state.
Somniphobia is an abnormal fear of sleep
which is also referred to as Hypnophobia.
A sleep disorder causing Sleep
Deprivation. Like all phobias, the fear isn’t
Introduction to Psychology
Ms. Rheo M. Paguibitan, RPsy, RPm
usually rational although it can be caused
by Nightmares.
Signs and symptoms:
o Panic Attacks
o Drowsiness
o Daytime fatigue
o Reduction in memory
o Low energy levels
o Mood Changes
o Irritability
o Anxiety
o Reduced mental performance,
awareness and control
o Increase in common illnesses e.g.
colds or flu - feeling generally 'run
down'
Sleep deprivation
Maureen Weston– holds the longest
period of wakefulness: 449 hours or 18
days and 17 hours without sleep.
Effects of sleep deprivation: confusion,
disorientation, delusions and hallucinations
Dreaming
A dream, as described by Calvin Hall, is a
succession of visual images experienced
during sleep and most of the time reflects
everyday events.
Sigmund Freud believed that dreams
have both manifest content (the dream
as reported) and latent content (the real
meaning).
Activation-synthesis hypothesis –
proposed by J. Allan Hobson and Robert
McCarley which explains that brain is
activated during sleep and synthesizes its
own sensory and motor information.
II. Drug Altered Consciousness
Psychoactive drugs – substances that are
capable of altering attention, memory,
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Perception and Consciousness Introduction to Psychology
First Semester / SY. 2018-2019 Ms. Rheo M. Paguibitan, RPsy, RPm

judgment, time sense, self-control, mood and

perception. Major types are depressants,
stimulants, opioids and hallucinogens.
1. Depressants – reduce the activity of
the nervous system and they cause
disorientation, loss of consciousness
or lack of coordination. They also
cause impaired motor and intellectual
performance. Examples are alcohol
and barbiturates.
2. Stimulants – drugs that speed up the
activity of the central nervous system.
These drugs also increase alertness
and motor activity but can have
adverse consequences as building
anxiety, paranoia and suspiciousness.
Examples are amphetamines, caffeine
and cocaine.
3. Opioids (opium) – group of naturally
occurring and synthetic drugs taken
to reduce pain. Effects include
sleepiness, euphoria and relief from
anxiety and stress. These can also
cause failure of the respiratory
system. Examples of these are
morphine, codeine and heroin.
4. Hallucinogens – can cause changes in
perceptions such as hallucinations,
time and space distortions, and
symptoms similar to those found in
severe psychological disorders.
Examples of these are LSD (lysergenic
acid diethylamide) and marijuana.