AP Psych Unit 3

Sensation

Sensation

raw data we recieve from our senses

Perception

process of interpreting the information we recieve from our senses

Gestalt psychology

Field of psychology that looks at human mind and behavior as a whole.

Gestalt principles

Figure and Ground

Continuation

Closure

Similarity

Proximity

Symmetry

Figure and Ground

Tendency of our visual system to place some objects into focus and others in the background

Continuation

Tendency of our visual system to percieve objects in smooth patterns, even if they are separate objects

Closure

Tendency of our visual system to automatically fill in the gaps and see whole objects, even when they are not complete.

Similarity

When objects look similar, we group them together and characterize them as one thing.

Proximity

Principle that when we see objects that are close together, we group them together.

Symmetry

When separate objects are organized around a center, we will perceive them as one object.

Depth perception

Ability to see relative distance of objects in our visual field.

Binocular cues

Information recieved from both eyes that help inform the brain about how far an object is from a person.

Monocular cues

Information about the distance of an object that is obtained with only one eye.

Relative size

Objects that are closer to us appear larger, while objects that are farther away appear smaller.

Interposition

When objects are blocked by other objects they’re farther away, but if the object is blocking another object, it’s closer.

Relative height cue

Objects that are higher appear to be farther away, while objects that are lower appear to be closer

Shading and contour

An object that has more detail appears to be closer, and an object that has less detail seems to be farther.

Linear perspective

When parallel lines appear to converge at a point in the distance, this helps us understand our positioning and depth.

Motion parallax

Objects closer to you appear to be moving faster, while objects farther away seem to be moving slower.

Signal detection theory

Predicts if you will percieve a weak signal

Absolute threshold

Weakest signal that alerts the senses.

Sensory Adaptation

When a stimulus is prolonged, our body’s are no longer conscious to it.

Habituation

When a stimulus is repeated continuously, it begins to lose it’s effect

Difference threshold

Minimum amount of change between two stimuli to be percieved as different

Weber Fechner

To notice a difference in stimuli, the stimuli must change by a constant percent, not a constant amount.

Size constancy

The tendency of the brain to perceive objects as the same size

Color constancy

The tendency of the brain to perceive objects as the same color

Shape constancy

The tendency of the brain to perceive objects as the same shape, even if its moving

Lightness constancy

The perception of blackness, whiteness and grayness of an object

Perceptual Set

A predisposition to perceive things a certain way.

Schema

A collection of basic knowledge that guides the perception of situation

Sclera

White tissue that forms the eye, outside layer

Cornea

Transparent, protects eye, allows light to bend and focuses vision

Aqueous humor

Made up of water and salt, helps maintain pressure in the eye and provides nourishment

Iris

Ring shaped membrane behind cornea - determines eye color and controls how much light enters the eye by contracting or expanding

Pupil

Dark part of eye, hole that light goes through.

Lens

Allows for eye to change focus, curved on both ends

Vitreous Humor

Clear gel like fluid in the vitreous cavity, between lens and retina

Retina

Located in the back of the eye, made up of photoreceptors that convert light into neural impulses.

Choroid

Supports cells in the eye by providing oxygen from blood vessels

Optic Nerve

Neural impulses travel through this to the brain to provide vision

rods

perceive black and white

cones

perceive color

Astigmatism

Occurs if the cornea is irregularly shaped and could impact one’s ability to focus

Cataracts

Lens of the eye becomes cloudy, so vision becomes blurry

Trichromatic Theory

Different wavelengths of light stimulate combinations of three different color receptors - red, green and blue

Opponent Processing Theory

States that information from cones is sent to ganglion cells, activates 3 color pairings - red-green, blue-yellow, black-white

Achromatism

Condition where you can only see black, white, and gray

Dichromatism

Type of color blindness where one is missing one of the three cone pigments

Synesthesia

Medical condition where stimulation of one sense also elicits another sense to fire.

Top-Down Processing

Using prior knowledge to interpret information you are perceiving

Bottom-Up Processing

When you interpret information that is unfamiliar by examining it as is

Kinesthesis

The sensory information that allows us to control our movements through our sensory receptors in the muscles and joints of the body

Proprioceptors

Sensory receptors in our body that are sensitive to our body’s movements and positions

Vestibular sense

Our sense of balance that is enabled by the vestibular canals of the ear

Sensory interaction

How our senses interact to help us perceive the world