PSYC 230 UIUC COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE 2026
FULL QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
● bottom-up processing. Answer: process where physical stimuli influence how they
perceive them
● top-down processing. Answer: process where our existing knowledge of objects
influences how they perceive them
● recognition. Answer: ability to match a presented item with an item and memory
● representation. Answer: the storage/reconstruction of information when it is not in use
● perceptual organization. Answer: allows you to recognize/organize objects (i.e. grouping,
segregation)
● grouping. Answer: organizing into groups (i.e. chairs, lights, plates, etc.)
● segregation. Answer: making sense of different surfaces in a scene (what is behind, what
is in front, etc.)
● gestalt psychology. Answer: whole is greater than sum of its parts
● structuralism. Answer: whole = sum of parts
● figure-ground organization. Answer: distinguishing background vs foreground of a scene
(top vs bottom, background vs foreground)
● figure-ground organization rules. Answer: symmetry, convexity/concavity
● gestalt laws. Answer: good continuation, proximity, similarity, common region,
connectedness, common fate
● receptors used for edge detection. Answer: V1 detectors
● role of angles and edges. Answer: carry meaning - "Y'-shaped edge means a corner -
"T"-shaped edge means an occlusion - angles show good continuation
● geon. Answer: basic component of an object
, ● recognition by components thoery. Answer: (Biederman) objects are recognized by the
relation of its geons
● viewpoint invariance. Answer: recognition of an object is independent of one's viewpoint
● problems wit recognition by components. Answer: - viewpoint invariance is not foolproof
(preferred viewpoint leads to faster recognition) - many geon combinations can be perceived
as multiple things - faces/letter recognition
● template theory. Answer: recognition is a point-by-point comparison to a stored "average
or ideal" representation
● problems with template theory. Answer: - multiple stored representations with all possible
variations (requires lots of memory space!) - separate representations needed for all
viewpoints
● Where are shapes representations located in the brain?. Answer: V4
● Where is object recognition located in the brain?. Answer: inferotemporal area
● fusiform face area (FFA). Answer: - temporal lobe area w/many neurons - responds to
ALREADY KNOWN faces
● occipital face area (OFA). Answer: - occipital lobe area - responds to face-like images
● propagnosia. Answer: inability to recognize faces
● parahippocampal place area (PPA). Answer: - selective area in temporal lobe - scene
recognition
● topographic agnosia. Answer: inability to recognize landmarks/spatial layouts
● extrastriate body area (EBA). Answer: recognizes body parts
● inferotemporal (IT) cortex. Answer: part of the cerebral cortex in the lower portion of the
temporal lobe, important in object recognition - includes PPA, EBA, FFA
● capgrass syndrome. Answer: - "Label" recognition intact, "emotional" recognition missing
- think people are imposters/fake
● criterion for recognizing human face. Answer: 65% human -> judge to be alive, feeling,
having a mind
FULL QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
● bottom-up processing. Answer: process where physical stimuli influence how they
perceive them
● top-down processing. Answer: process where our existing knowledge of objects
influences how they perceive them
● recognition. Answer: ability to match a presented item with an item and memory
● representation. Answer: the storage/reconstruction of information when it is not in use
● perceptual organization. Answer: allows you to recognize/organize objects (i.e. grouping,
segregation)
● grouping. Answer: organizing into groups (i.e. chairs, lights, plates, etc.)
● segregation. Answer: making sense of different surfaces in a scene (what is behind, what
is in front, etc.)
● gestalt psychology. Answer: whole is greater than sum of its parts
● structuralism. Answer: whole = sum of parts
● figure-ground organization. Answer: distinguishing background vs foreground of a scene
(top vs bottom, background vs foreground)
● figure-ground organization rules. Answer: symmetry, convexity/concavity
● gestalt laws. Answer: good continuation, proximity, similarity, common region,
connectedness, common fate
● receptors used for edge detection. Answer: V1 detectors
● role of angles and edges. Answer: carry meaning - "Y'-shaped edge means a corner -
"T"-shaped edge means an occlusion - angles show good continuation
● geon. Answer: basic component of an object
, ● recognition by components thoery. Answer: (Biederman) objects are recognized by the
relation of its geons
● viewpoint invariance. Answer: recognition of an object is independent of one's viewpoint
● problems wit recognition by components. Answer: - viewpoint invariance is not foolproof
(preferred viewpoint leads to faster recognition) - many geon combinations can be perceived
as multiple things - faces/letter recognition
● template theory. Answer: recognition is a point-by-point comparison to a stored "average
or ideal" representation
● problems with template theory. Answer: - multiple stored representations with all possible
variations (requires lots of memory space!) - separate representations needed for all
viewpoints
● Where are shapes representations located in the brain?. Answer: V4
● Where is object recognition located in the brain?. Answer: inferotemporal area
● fusiform face area (FFA). Answer: - temporal lobe area w/many neurons - responds to
ALREADY KNOWN faces
● occipital face area (OFA). Answer: - occipital lobe area - responds to face-like images
● propagnosia. Answer: inability to recognize faces
● parahippocampal place area (PPA). Answer: - selective area in temporal lobe - scene
recognition
● topographic agnosia. Answer: inability to recognize landmarks/spatial layouts
● extrastriate body area (EBA). Answer: recognizes body parts
● inferotemporal (IT) cortex. Answer: part of the cerebral cortex in the lower portion of the
temporal lobe, important in object recognition - includes PPA, EBA, FFA
● capgrass syndrome. Answer: - "Label" recognition intact, "emotional" recognition missing
- think people are imposters/fake
● criterion for recognizing human face. Answer: 65% human -> judge to be alive, feeling,
having a mind
