REVIEW: Perception on Computer: A Diverse Pedagogical Package 

Author: Theodore Hirota

Perception: A Computerized Approach Bayport, NY: Life Science Associates, 1991.[software package] $395.00

Review by Bernard C. Beins SUMMARY RATINGS

Ease of use: Student-Easy; Instructor-Easy

Module: Grade: Energy, Light & Color A ; The Visual System A; Demonstrations of Visual Phenomena A+; Theory & Methodology in Perception A; Experiments in Perception & Psychophysics A+

Overall Grade: A+

This computerized package continues the evolution of pedagogical software that began with the early data collection programs and relatively simple demonstrations. The graphics in those programs were fairly limited and quite primitive; the information was largely text oriented. In addition, the programs were small enough for a machine with 32 kilobytes of memory

Perception: A Computerized Approach shares very little with those early approaches to computerized pedagogy. This package is impressively large, highly graphic, and diverse in its content. In fact, this software is probably unmatched by any other single package. It is not simply a series of demonstrations at an introductory level; it does not merely put the student in the role of the experimental subject. It provides information in a coherent context that can later be experienced in the modules containing perceptual demonstrations and experiments (See Beins, 1990, or Hornby & Anderson, 1990, for a comparison with recent introductory software.) The set comprises five modules whose scope rivals some popular undergraduate texts (e.g., Matlin's 1988, Sensation and Perception or Goldstein's, 1989, Sensation and Perception) in their presentation of sensory and perceptual aspects of vision.

The five major categories are (a) "Energy, Light and Color," (b) "The Visual System," (c) "Demonstrations of Phenomena," (d) "Theory and Methodology," and (e) "Experiments in Perception and Psychophysics." The package itself is easy to use. The modules are menu driven; each segment has menus that progress from general to specific information. The user can move through the layers of selections very easily. It is easy to summarize this software: The instructor should find it easy to use and the students should find both the experimental and the demonstrational segments captivating. The material in some segments (e.g., cortical pathways in vision) is sometimes difficult, but a student who persists or who augments the software with a text should be able to master the information.

The programs are of uniformly high quality, and the mixture of text and graphics seems pedagogically sound. When background information requires text, relatively short paragraphs appear. The user typically signals the computer to continue after one or two points are made. Furthermore, graphics are liberally interspersed with text, minimizing the tedium of reading prolonged passages on the monitor. For some segments, sound accompanies text and graphics, but its role seems to be to hold the user's attention rather than to contribute to the substance of the information. The sound could be bothersome to others working in the vicinity. Fortunately, the student can deactivate the sound prior to entering a segment.

The five major modules are all excellent. "Demonstrations of Visual Phenomena" and "Experiments in Perception and Psychophysics" are unquestionably excellent. The remaining three modules do not fall far behind and will be consistently useful to students. An instructor could feel confident that, with some guidance through the material, students will benefit greatly from the computerized presentations.

The complexity and sophistication of the material is appropriate for an upper level sensation and perception course. The documentation accompanying the software asserts that students can use it individually or in groups. The first four modules would be amenable to either approach. However, these programs could probably be used to good advantage if incorporated into a lecture rather than simply being used as reading or study assignments to supplement classroom presentation of material. When working alone, students can use their texts to find the information they seek. However, the instructor could generate more active learning and responding by students by using these programs in the classroom. Because the screens contain information built incrementally from preceding material, instructors could induce students to anticipate upcoming information. Naturally, this would necessitate careful organization of lectures, but all good teachers know that effective pedagogy extracts the price of careful thought and advance planning. It is true that students could be exposed to the information in the programs individually, outside of class. Such an approach, however, would undermine the strengths and potential of these programs.

The fifth module, "Experiments in Perception and Psychophysics,'' is of necessity individualized. It involves setting parameters for a single user and subsequent data collection in the different tasks. With respect to these individualized experiments, students are likely to need considerable guidance; they will also need to reserve a relatively large block of time to complete such segments as "Mapping Visual Acuity in the Retina" or "Optimizing Phi." The activities are quite interesting, but they share a common feature of most psychophysical studies: They require extended time and numerous trials.

Documentation for these exercises is presented on screen, or it can be printed out. The instructor will need to read the manuals carefully and help students set up the activities appropriately; students will also understand the structure of the studies better if they attend to the manuals. In some cases, students also need to refer to the experimental literature to benefit fully from the exercises.

Students will benefit most from this package as part of an entire classroom experience consisting of lecture, discussion, text, and software. As with any pedagogical tool, it will be useful only when implemented thoughtfully. If Perception: A Computerized Approach is used properly, students will experience an added dimension to their learning.

References: Beins, B. C. (1990). Computer software for introductory psychology courses [Review of Experiments in psychology: A microcomputer laboratory; CAPS IV; Psychlearn, Psychware, SIMLABS; Psychology on a disk; and Discovering psychology computer simulations]. Contemporary Psychology, 35, 421-427.

Goldstein, E. B. (1989). Sensation and perception (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Hornby, P., & Anderson, M. (1990). A review of software for introductory psychology instruction. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 22, 184-193.

Matlin, M. W. (1988). Sensation and perception (2nd ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

 Theodore Hirota is associate professor of psychology at the University of Windsor (Ontario, Canada). Bernard C. Beins, associate professor of psychology at Ithaca College (New York), has served as editor of the Computers in Teaching section of the journal Teaching of Psychology since 1987 and is author of the chapter "Constancy and Change: Teaching as Depicted in Journals" in the forthcoming A.E. Puente, J. Matthews, and C. L. Brewer (Eds.) Teaching Psychology in America: A History.