AP Psychology Unit 2 Vocab Quiz 1

Bottom-up Processing

Analysis of the stimulus begins with the sense receptors and works up to the level of the brain and mind

Top-down Processing

Information processing guided by high level mental processes as we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations.

Schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

perceptual set

the predisposition, or 'readiness', to perceive something in accordance with what we expect it to be

Gestalt Psychology

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

figure-ground

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

similarity

Objects that are similar in appearance are more likely to be perceived as belonging in the same group.

attention

a state of consciousness in which a person can respond to a stimulus or stimuli

selective attention

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

closure

the tendency to complete figures that are incomplete

proximity

refers to how close elements are to one another

cocktail party effect

refers to the ability to focus one's attention a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli (i.e., noise)

inattentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

change blindness

failing to notice changes in the environment

binocular depth cues

a depth cue that depends on the use of two eyes

retinal disparity

Images from the two eyes differ...the greater the difference between the two objects, the closer the object

convergence

When two eyes move inward (towards the nose) to see near objects, and outward (away from the nose) to see far away objects...object is perceived as closer the more eyes turn inward

monocular depth cues

depth cue that is available to only one eye

relative clarity

a monocular cue that helps people judge the distance of objects by their apparent sharpness and detail

relative size

perception that occurs when objects that a person expects to be of a certain size appear to be small and are, therefore, assumed to be much farther away

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.

interposition

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

apparent movement

a psychological phenomenon where a person perceives movement when there is none

prototypes

A mental image or best example that incorporates all the features we associate with a category

Assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

accommodation

adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information

Algorithms

very specific, step-by-step procedures for solving certain types of problems

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts or "rules of thumb" that often lead to a solution (but not always).

representativeness heuristic

judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes; may lead us to ignore other relevant information

avaliability heuristic

estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume such events are common

mental set

a tendency to approach a problem in one particular way, often a way that has been successful in the past

priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response

framing

the way an issue is posed; how an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments.

Gambler's Fallacy

the belief that the odds of a chance event increase if the event hasn't occurred recently

sunk cost fallacy

a framing effect in which people make decisions about a current situation based on what they have previously invested in the situation

executive functions

higher order thinking processes that include planning, organizing, inhibition, and decision-making

creativity

The ability to make or bring a new concept or idea into existence; marked by the ability or power to create.

divergent thinking

expands the number of possible problem solutions (creative thinking that diverges in different directions)

convergent thinking

a process of using logic and established rules to find a single, best solution to a problem

functional fixedness

the tendency to perceive an item only in terms of its most common use