Comprehensive Flashcards for Unit 2: Perception in AP Psychology

cognition

all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

figure-ground

The Gestalt perceptual organizational principle that the brain organizes sensory information into the center of attention and the less distinct background.

perception

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

bottom-up processing

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information

perceptual set

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

Gestalt

an organized whole. This type of psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.

apparent movement

An illusion that occurs when we perceive objects moving that are standing still

selective attention

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

sensation

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

inattentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

change blindness

a form of inattentional blindness in which we fail to notice changes in the environment

closure

the Gestalt principle that describes a person's tendency to supply missing information in order to perceive a holistic image

schema

mental framework that organizes and interprets information.

proximity

Gestalt principle of perception that states that parts of a visual stimulus that are close together are perceived as belonging together

monocular depth cues

cues of depth perception that are available to each eye alone

depth perception

the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance

binocular cue

a depth cue that depends on the use of two eyes

convergence

A binocular cue for perceiving depth; the extent to which the eyes move inward when looking at an object

retinal disparity

a binocular cue for perceiving depth by comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance—the greater the difference between the two images, the closer the object.

relative clarity

a monocular cue for perceiving depth; hazy objects are farther away than sharp, clear objects

relative size

a monocular cue for perceiving depth; the smaller retinal image is farther away

similarity

the Gestalt principle that we tend to group together objects that share physical characteristics that are alike

top-down processing

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, drawing on our experience and expectations

interposition

if one object partially blocks our view of another, we perceive it as closer

texture gradient

the tendency for textured surfaces to appear to become smaller and finer as distance from the viewer increases

linear perspective

A monocular cue for perceiving depth; the more parallel lines converge, the greater their perceived distance.

visual perceptual constancies

tendency to perceive objects as stable and unchanging despite changing sensory info (size, shape, brightness, color)

cocktail party effect

Ability to concentrate on one voice amongst a crowd

context

external factors related to a stimuli that help filter perceptions of the world

attention

the focusing of mental resources on select information

perceptual set

mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another