iNSIGHT Experiments 4+

iNSIGHT is a curriculum supplement for experimental psychology, sensation and perception, vision science, and optometry lab classes. EXPERIMENTS are real psychophysical procedures (NOT simulations) that generate real data. Each app is complete with a quick-start guide, detailed instructions, background information, and one or more guided classroom exercises.

Global Precedence - A reaction-time procedure is used to measure different types of information processing by the visual system. This procedure demonstrates how the speed and sequence of visual processing can be measured, and shows the relative importance of different attributes of visual images (we see the forest before the trees).

Scaling Vision - A magnitude estimation procedure is used to measure our perception of the magnitude of different types of stimuli. Students make predictions based on conflicting theories, and test their results against their predictions. A number of variables known to influence the results of a magnitude estimation procedure can be manipulated.

Feature Analysis - A reaction-time procedure is used together with a visual search task to measure the speed of cognitive operations (visual and other “thought” processes). Some types of visual information are processed in parallel, while other types require focused attention and are processed serially. This experiment demonstrates the types of visual features that are processed serially and in parallel.

Depth Perception - A magnitude estimation procedure is used to measure the apparent distance between a reference point and a figure that appears to be either in front of or behind it. The results illustrate the relation between the difference between the two eyes’ views and the perception of depth. REQUIRES red-green or red-blue glasses.

Signal Detection - A rating scale procedure is used with different stimuli to demonstrate basic concepts of signal detection theory—response criterion, d-prime, and ROC curves.

Measuring Illusions - A Yes-No procedure combined with the method of limits are used to measure the size of different visual illusions. This provides the student with tools to experimentally determine the features of the stimulus that produce the illusion.

Also available, in a separate app bundle, are iNSIGHT Interactive Demonstrations which illustrate various visual phenomena and allow students to manipulate the effects. To see how iNSIGHT works, try the FREE iNSIGHT Color Mixing app.

A printable PDF Student Guide that contains the exercises and other supporting materials, and a Teacher Guide are available at www.polyhedronlearning.com/see_apps_insight.html