Hypothesis testing

Reversible figures like the Necker cube indicate that our perceptions are not a static mirroring of visual stimuli. … (gerund) can be thought of as a search for the best interpretation of sensory information, based on our knowledge of the characteristics of objects. From a cognitive viewpoint, a … (participle) object is a hypothesis suggested by the sensory data. The pattern of the Necker cube contains no clue as to which of two alternative hypotheses is correct, so the … system entertains, or tests, first one and then the other hypothesis and never settles on an answer. The problem arises because the Necker cube is a three-dimensional object represented on a two-dimensional surface. If we were to see it in three-dimensional form, there would be many cues to tell us which hypothesis to choose (Gregory, 1970).

The notion of hypothesis testing emphasizes the active nature of … . The … system does not passively sense inputs, but searches for the … that is most consistent with the sensory data. In most situations there is only one reasonable interpretation of the sensory data, and the search of the correct … proceeds as quickly and automatically that we are unaware of it. Only under unusual conditions, as when we view ambiguous figures, does the hypothesis-testing nature of … become apparent.

Exercise 14. Check the word which does not belong.

1. obtain spin rotate

2. reproduce relate record

3. versatility constancy analogy

4. reasonable stable resemble

5. subjective satiated visual superficial

6. determine measure satisfy enrich

Exercise 15. Translate the texts below:

a). Here is the ending of the text “PERCEPTION”. Read it, say what one might expect, then translate.

The fourth experiment is of rather different kind. With ears plugged, their eyes beneath translucent goggles and their bodies either encased in cotton wool, or floating naked in water at body temperature, people are deprived for considerable periods of external stimulation. Contrary to what one might expect, however, such circumstances result not in a lack of perceptual experience but rather a surprising change in what is perceived. The subjects in such an experiment begin to see, feel and hear things which bear no more relationship to the immediate external world than does a dream in someone who is asleep. These people are not asleep yet their hallucinations, or so called ‘autistic’ perceptions, may be as vivid,, if not more so, than any normal percept.

b). OUR PERSONALITY AFFECTS OUR STYLE OF PERCEIVING THE WORLD.

People behave, the circumstances permitting, according to the facts as they see them. How they see the facts is partly determined by their personality characteristics. In a study, people were asked to locate a simple figure hidden in a larger, more complex figure. Some persons found it a time-consuming task. They found the task of separating the simple figure from the background in which it was embedded difficult. It seems that for some people, perceptions are dependent largely on everything they see in their environment. Individuals whose judgments were based more on the visual surroundings took a longer time to find the hidden figures (Witkin, 1950).

In a second study, the subject was seated in a chair that could be tilted. The room, which was darkened, could also be tilted. The subject had to decide when he was in the upright position. This decision could be based on what he saw in the room or on the feelings of the pull of gravity on his body. Subjects who depended on what they saw instead of their bodily feelings were the same ones who took a long time to discover the hidden figures. These subjects were called field-dependent because they depended more on the perceptual field than others (Witkin et al., 1954).

It was found that the field-dependent persons differed from the field-independent with respect to certain personality characteristics. The former were more passive, more submissive, and more dependent on others. They also had lower self-esteem. These results support the idea that our personalities have an effect on how we see the world.