AP Psychology - Unit 2, Topic 2.1 Perception

attention

the concentration of awareness on some phenomenon to the exclusion of other stimuli

bottom-up processing

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

change blindness

failing to notice changes in the environment

closure

the action taken by the brain to fill in missing pieces of information based on past experiences

cocktail party effect

Ability to concentrate on one voice amongst a crowd

figure-ground

the organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings

gestalt psychology

a psychological approach that emphasizes that we often perceive the whole rather than the sum of the parts

inattentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

perception

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

perceptual set

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

proximity

the way we perceive group-specific things in our lives

schemas

conceptual frameworks a person uses to make sense of the world

selective attention

the ability to focus on only one stimulus from among all sensory input

similarity

the tendency to perceive things that look similar to each other as being part of the same group

top-down processing

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations

apparent motion

the illusory impression of smooth motion resulting from the rapid alternation of objects that appear in different locations in rapid succession

binocular cues

depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depend on the use of two eyes

interposition

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

linear perspective

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

monocular cues

depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone

perceptual constancies

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

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 disparity (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

texture gradient

a monocular cue for perceiving depth; a gradual change from a coarse distinct texture to a fine, indistinct texture signals increasing distance. objects far away appear smaller and more densely packed