AP Psychology Unit 2 - Perception

apparent movement

an illusion of motion or change in size of a visual stimulus

attention

a state in which an individual is focused on certain aspects of the environment rather than on others

binocular depth cue

Depth cues that depend on the use of two eyes.

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 differences in the environment.

closure

The tendency to complete figures that are incomplete.

cocktail party effect

Ability to attend to only one voice among many.

color constancy

Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object.

constancies

Perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, lightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change.

context

refers to the environment in which a stimulus event occurs (e.g., the location or circumstances surrounding the stimulus); this affects memory, learning, judgment and perception

convergence

The ability to turn the two eyes inward toward each other to look at a close object, enabling the slightly different images of an object seen by each eye to come together and form a single image, allowing us to see depth with the use of both of our eyes.

figure and ground

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

Gestalt psychology

The whole experience is greater than the sum of the individual parts.

inattentional blindness

Failing to see visible objects when our focus is directed elsewhere.

interposition

A monocular cue for perceiving depth; if one object partially blocks our view of another, we perceive it as closer.

linear perspective

Two objects appear closer together as the distance from them increases, as seen in the tracks of a railroad that appear to converge on the horizon.

monocular depth cues

The information in the retinal image that gives us information about depth and distance but can be inferred from just a single eye.

lightness constancy

the tendency to perceive a familiar object as having the same brightness under different conditions of illumination; for example, a piece of white paper appears to have similar brightness in daylight as it does at dusk, even though the energy it reflects may be quite different

perceptual set

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another.

perceptual constancy

the phenomenon in which an object or its properties appear unchanged despite variations in the stimulus itself or in the external conditions of observation, such as object orientation or level of illumination.

proximity

Gestalt grouping principle; we group nearby figures together.

relative clarity

Objects that appear sharp, clear, and detailed are seen as closer than more hazy objects

relative height

We perceive objects higher in our field of vision as farther away; a visual and artistic perspective where distant objects are seen or portrayed as being smaller or higher in relation to items that are closer.

relative size

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

retinal disparity

A binocular 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.

schema

a collection of basic knowledge about a concept or entity that serves as a guide to perception, interpretation, imagination, or problem solving. For example, the schema "dorm room" suggests that a bed and a desk are probably part of the scene, that a microwave oven might or might not be, and that expensive Persian rugs probably will not be.

selective attention

The ability to focus on one stimulus while excluding other stimuli that are present.

shape constancy

A type of perceptual constancy in which an object is perceived as having the same shape when viewed at different angles.

similarity

The tendency to perceive things that look like each other as being part of the same group.

size constancy

The ability to perceive an object as being the same size despite the fact that the size of its retinal image changes depending on its distance from the observer.

texture gradient

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

top down processing

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