What You See is What You’ve Learned

Talya Brooks and Rada Lowery

Background Continued…

Perceptual Constancies: characteristics of objects stay the same even though sensations may change

Ex: Shape Constancy Size-Constancy: perceive a familiar object as being the

same size, regardless of distance Questions leading to study:

– Is size-constancy learned or born? – What experiences allow us to have these abilities?

Background

Sensation: Refers to the information you are constantly receiving from your environment through your senses.

Ex: Slamming a door or a car going by. Perception: Refers to how we take a large amount of

sensations and create meaning to them. Ex: Figure-ground, used to divide sensations into

figure and ground relationships.

Explanation of Study

In 1962, Anthropologist Colin Turnbull studied the life and culture of the BaMbuti Pygmies.

Primary method of research was naturalistic observation. Kenge and Turnbull found Ishango National Park and

they saw buffalo in the distance which looked very small like insects.

Turnbull brought Kenge closer to the buffalo and Kenge believed it was magic that made them bigger when getting closer to them.

Perceptual constancies and size-constancy was needed to understand that the buffalo was the same size as it had been farther away.

Findings and Conclusions

Certain skills we have are necessary for our survival, but everyone’s development is not in the same situations

They are learned by experience—influenced by our culture and environment

Some of the perceptual abilities we have may be present at birth they are given by nature without having to learn anything

Turnbull’s study has concluded that size-constancy is learned rather than being born with it.

Historical Significance

The study addressed the question of the influence of biology vs. environment on our behavior

It influenced the field of anthropology

Blakemore & Cooper Study

They raised kittens in the dark; the only difference was the exposure to either vertical or horizontal stripes

When they were taken out of the dark, the ones who had been exposed to certain lines responded to those lines

Cat’s ability to see wasn’t hurt but some of the perceptual abilities were affected