PHSYC QUIZ

Perception

Organizing and interpreting sensory information

Bottom-up processing

begins with the senses and works up (sensation)

Top- down processing

view things based on experience or expectations and work down.

Gestalt

an organized whole.. the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

Proximity

groups objects that are close together as a being part of the same group

Similarity

object similar in appearance are perceived as being part of same group

Closure

like top-down processing, we fill gaps in if we can recognize it.

Figure- ground

what you are looking at becomes you figure, the rest is the ground

monocular cure

is a depth cue that is available to either eye-gives illusion of depth on flat or two dimensional surfaces

Relative size

things that are closer look bigger

Interposition

when one thing blocks another, it has to be closer

Texture gradient

the more detail something has, the closer it looks

Relative clarity

distant objects are more hazy

Linear perspective

parallel lines seem to come together in the distance.

binocular cue

is a depth cure that depends on the use of two eyes.

retinal disparity and convergence

Retinal disparity

the difference in the images produced by your two eyes

retinal sausage

Convergence

tendency for eyes to turn inward when looking at something close- merging retinal images by the brain.

Perceptual constancy

is the ability to perceive objects as Unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change

Size constancy

knowing the size of something doesn't change

Shape constancy

knowing that the shape doesn't change

Lightness (color) constancy

knowing that something is the same color even when the lighting changes.

Stroboscopic Effect

a rapid series of slightly varying images perceived as moving images

Phi Phenomenon

illusion of movement created when two or more lights next to each other blink on and off

Autokinetic Effect

perceptual phenomenon where a stationary point of light appears to move in a dark Environment due to small eye movements.

Visual Cliff

used to measure babys depth perception

Muller- Lyer illusion

we live in perfectly carpentered world; see example.

Perceptual Set

a mental predisposition to perceive something one way or the other.

Context effect

the context that we see something in alters our perception of it.

Cognition

refers to all the mental actives associated with thinking, knowing remembering, and communicating

Concepts

mental groups of events ideas or people

Prototype

the best example for a category category

Schema

Mental frameworks to organize information

Assimilation

fitting info into existing schema

Accommodation

adapting schema for new information

Algorithm

step by step procedure that GUARANTEES an answer

Heuristic

a short cut to solve the problem.. faster, but does not guarantee answer

Representative Heuristic

  judging the likelihood of something in terms of how well it represents or matches what you think (reads a lot, so he must be a professor, not a truck driver)

Availability Heuristic

 estimating likelihood of events based on how available they are in our mind (crime rates, diseases)

Executive functions

 mental skills that help us learn, work, and manage daily life, including working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control

Divergent thinking

brainstorming, thinking of possible answers

Convergent thinking

narrowing down choices.

Fixation

the inability to see something from a fresh perspective (connecting the dots)

Functional fineness

 think of things only in terms of their normal uses (two string problem

Mental - set

type of fixation…approaching problem in a particular way—usually one that has worked in the past  

• Confirmation bias

:  we look for information that confirms what we already think (boys are more aggressive)

• Priming

:  opening up associations   Examples

• Framing

:  the way an issue is posed affects judgment (75 percent lean/25 percent fat)