AP Psych Unit 2- Perception

selective attention

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

inattentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

change blindness

failing to notice changes in the environment; a form of inattentional blindness

perceptual set

a predisposition or readiness to perceive something in a particular way

gestalt

an organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts.

figure-ground

the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground).

grouping

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups

depth perception

ability to judge distance and three-dimensional relations

visual cliff

involves an apparent, but not actual, drop from one surface to another

binocular cue

a depth cue that requires the use of both eyes

convergence

a binocular cue for perceiving depth; the more the eyes strain to turn inwards to view an object, the closer the object is

retinal disparity

a binocular cue for perceiving depth by comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes. Each eye sees a slightly different image.

monocular cue

a depth cue that requires the use of only one eye

stroboscopic movement

the brain's perception of continuous movement in a rapid series of slightly varying images

phi phenomenon

the illusion of movement created by presenting visual stimuli in rapid succession

autokinetic effect

a small, stationary light in a darkened room will appear to move or drift because there are no surrounding cues to indicate that the light is not moving

perceptual constancy

the ability of an observer to perceive familiar objects as unchanging even when observed from various angles, distances, etc.

color constancy

the tendency for a color to look the same under different viewing conditions

perceptual adaptation

the ability to adjust to changed sensory input, including an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field