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Perception
The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information.
Bottom-up processing
When perception starts with raw sensory input and builds up to complex understanding.
Top-down processing
When perception is influenced by prior knowledge, experiences, and expectations.
Perceptual set
A mental tendency to perceive something in a certain way based on past experiences.
Context, expectations, culture
Factors that shape how we perceive things based on our surroundings, beliefs, and traditions.
Gestalt psychology
A theory that the brain organizes information into meaningful wholes rather than separate parts.
Closure
The brain's tendency to fill in missing parts of an image to see it as a whole.
Figure and ground
The ability to distinguish an object (figure) from its background (ground).
Proximity
Objects close to each other are perceived as a group.
Similarity
Objects that look alike are perceived as belonging together.
Attention
The ability to focus on certain stimuli.
Selective attention
Focusing on one particular stimulus while ignoring distractions.
Cocktail party effect
The ability to focus on a single conversation in a noisy environment.
Inattentional blindness
Failing to see an unexpected object because attention is focused elsewhere.
Change blindness
Not noticing changes in a visual scene when attention is directed elsewhere.
Visual perceptual process
The steps the brain takes to interpret what the eyes see.
Depth perception/visual cliff
The ability to judge distance and see the world in three dimensions (tested in infants with the 'visual cliff' experiment).
Binocular depth cues
Depth perception cues that require both eyes.
Retinal disparity
The slight difference in images between both eyes that helps judge depth.
Convergence
The inward movement of the eyes when focusing on a close object.
Relative clarity
Objects that are clearer appear closer; hazy objects seem farther away.
Relative size
Larger objects appear closer, smaller ones seem farther.
Texture gradient
Objects with more detail are seen as closer, while blurry ones seem farther away.
Linear perspective
Parallel lines appear to meet in the distance, creating depth.
Interposition
When one object blocks another, the blocked object is perceived as farther away.
Perceptual constancies
Recognizing that objects stay the same even when appearance changes (size, shape, color).
Apparent movement
When still images shown in rapid succession create the illusion of motion (e.g., flipbooks).
Convergent thinking
Thinking that focuses on finding one correct solution to a problem.
Divergent thinking
Creative thinking that generates multiple possible solutions.
Functional fixedness
The tendency to see objects only in their usual way, limiting problem-solving.
Testing effect
Memory improves when information is actively retrieved rather than just reviewed.
Metacognition
Thinking about one's own thinking and learning processes.
Prototypes
The best example of a category (e.g., a robin as a typical bird).
Concepts
Mental groupings of similar objects, ideas, or people (e.g., 'cars' includes sedans, trucks, and SUVs).
Algorithms
Step-by-step procedures that always lead to a correct solution.
Heuristics
Mental shortcuts that simplify decision-making but can lead to errors.
Representativeness heuristic
Judging something based on how similar it is to a prototype rather than logic.
Availability heuristic
Judging likelihood based on how easily examples come to mind.
Mental set
The tendency to approach problems in a familiar way, even if a new method would work better.
Priming
Exposure to certain stimuli influences later thoughts or behaviors (e.g., seeing a word related to kindness makes you behave more kindly).
Framing
The way information is presented affects decisions (e.g., 90% success sounds better than 10% failure).
Gambler's fallacy
The belief that past random events affect future ones (e.g., thinking a coin flip is 'due' for heads after several tails).
Sunk-cost fallacy
Continuing a failing effort because of past investment, even when it's better to quit.
Executive functions
Cognitive processes like planning, problem-solving, and self-control.
Creativity
The ability to generate new and original ideas.
