PSYC 3100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Extrastriate Cortex, Agnosia, Voice-Onset Time
24 Jan 2013
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Document Summary
Purpose of perception is not only knowledge but to guide action. Evolutionary psychologist perception is for moving around in space not for judging distances. Trail marker: perceptual abilities evolved to guide actions that lead to fitness. Avoid bumping into things- use the rate of expansion of visual image (image projects onto retina grows larger at rapidly increasing rate as we near even when speed constant. When about to collide the image explodes on retina causes stop short of object. Natural selection requires ever organ in body to pay own way by increasing our fitness. Every organ of body costs valuable energy to build and maintain- energy otherwise spent growing bigger, finding mate, tending offspring, escaping predator. Senses magnificent examples biological engineering thus must provide correspondingly valuable increases in ability to reproduce. More than half brain devoted to processing sensory info. Perception cant just to gain knowledge has to help us behave increase fitness.
