The anthropologist Colin Turnbull described an incident in which a pygmy man raised in the thick African jungle was taken to an open plain. As the two men approached a herd of buffalo by car, the pygmy became fearful of the "growing" animals. The pygmy's misperception illustrates the importance of _________ in perception and long-term memory storage.
A) figure-ground
B) prior knowledge
C) proximity
D) stimulus intensity

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The pygmy's misperception of the "growing" animals illustrates the importance of prior knowledge in perception and long-term memory storage. The pygmy, who had never seen a herd of buffalo before and was accustomed to the dense jungle environment, did not have prior knowledge or experience to understand that the buffaloes were far away and appeared larger due to their distance from the observer. This highlights how our prior knowledge and experience can influence our perception and memory.

The Anthropologist Colin Turnbull Described an Incident in Which a Pygmy