visual perception glossary
ocularcentrism : deciding that sight has higher importance than all other senses.
'of all the senses, trust only the sense of sight.' aristotle.
homo significants : as meaning makers, we have a desire to create our own meanings for the things we see
preferred interpretation an image that isn't constrained to any
single interpretation, allowing us to see multiple meanings within
the same image, while still being correct.
Sensorium: the balance of our senses, or the priority which we give to some senses compared to others.
Schema Theory: a mental template which we use to make sense of things.
Levelling: selective process where certain details are omitted.
Sharpening: process of focusing in on a few select details.
Relative Size: where objects with a similar shape create the illusion that the smaller objects are further away.
Texture Gradient: a combination of linear perspective and relative size.
Height in field (or plane): the illusion that the object with the higher base is further away.
Interposition: when one object is obscuring part of another and the one that is obscured is seen as being farther away.
Familiar Size:
Perceptual Constancy:
Social Values:
Cognitive Style:
Mental Set:
Tolerance of Ambiguity: One's acceptance of something that has more than one possible meaning/message/perception;
high tolerance generally means that someone favors uniquness; they are less likely to conform to the "norm" (which would be someone that has
low tolerance).
High/Low Prejudice:
Long-term Individual Factors:
Circular culture vs. Carpentered World: Individuals raised/living in circular dwellings have a different visual perception of the world than those raised/living in dwellings that have right angles and a rectangular/square design. For example, Western European/North American buildings vs. African village structures.
Selective Rearing:
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