Perceptual Constancies- Shape Constancy

This is when we perceive a certain shape to be different at certain angles.

 Like when we look at a plate- we know it is a circle, but when we observe it at a certain angle it looks like a half-moon.

Another example is when we look at a door. Unopened, it is a rectangle. But as it opens more and more, it gets thinner and thinner.

Perceptual Constancy- Brightness Constancy

This concept allows us to know that a color is the same color, regardless of what kind of lighting it is under.

We know that we wore blue jeans this morning, but on the bus on the way to school they appear black because of the dim lighting on the bus.

Brightness Constancy also explains how we may perceive colors to be different at certain times. Like in a dimly lit store (cough cough Hollister cough) we may see this awesome brown shirt, but when we walk out it is actual maroon.

Perceptual Constancies- Size Constancy

Have you ever stood at the base of a really tall building, such as the empire state building, and looked up? It's gigantic, so tall that you almost can't see the top of it. 

Then, as you are walking away, the building gets smaller and smaller, but we know that it stays the same size?

This is Size Constancy. This is our ability to see objects and maintain the notion that they are the same size, even when our distance towards the object make the object appear larger or smaller.

This is seen with all of our senses. For example, when you are going into a bakery. The closer you get to the bakery, the more you can smell the aroma of fresh baked cookies. But as you leave, the smell diminishes. You know the smell is still there, but you just can't smell it anymore. 

Any Two Monocular Cues

Shadowing lets us see the position of an object's shadow in relation to the object. Shadows can used to judge the distance from light and the size of the object. If a shadow is not attached to the object the object is not on the ground so we would not be able to tell the size of the object.

Motion Parallax is the tendency to think objects are closer to us when in motion seem to move faster than objects far away. This varies depending on the object's position and the observer's place of observation.

Motion Perception

Motion Perception, for some reason, uses a lot of big words to define.
According to the Wiley Online Dictionary, it is:

 "Motion perception is important for figure–ground segregation, three-dimensional vision, and visual guidance of action. Specialized brain cells detect image motion. Adaptation in these cells leads to illusory motion, such as the motion after-effect."

I have no idea what that's supposed to mean.

SO this is how I look at it:

Imagine you are looking at an optical illusion, or just look at the one below. It is one of those that you know it is not moving, because it is just a picture, but yet it appears to be moving and it could even give you a headache.

By detecting changes in small and large objects, or a change in size of objects, our brain automatically believes it is motion. 

Rules of Perceptual Organization

Closures are when we organize stimuli  into groups together and we tend to fill in missing parts of a figure to make the figure appear full.

Continuity is when we organize stimuli into groups in which we see a continuous straight or curving line that follows a smooth path. 

Similarity is when we organize stimuli into groups together by similar shape, dimension, size, color etc. 

Proximity is when we organize stimuli into groups by how close they are together.

Figure-ground perception is when we organize stimuli, we automatically distinguish a figure from its background.

A Binocular cue

Alrighty.
On to Binocular Cues.
These are also known as "Depth Perception", or cues that require both eyes.
See, humans are able to identify objects that are far and near, and we have the ability to understand that they are far away or near.
An example of this would be shooting a basketball. It takes both of our eyes to locate the target, and we start to calculate how hard we should throw the ball depending on how far away the target is. We would not be able to make the basket if we did not have the depth perception to do so.