AP Psychology Unit 2 Complete Flashcards

mostly for 2b

Perception

the process by which our brain organizes and interprets sensory information, transforming into meaningful objects and events

Bottom-Up Processing “ details to big picture”

Is a way our brain makes sense of information by starting with the small details and then building up to a bigger picture

Top-Down Processing “ Big Picture to Details”

involves interpreting sensory information based on the larger context, prior knowledge and expectations 

Selective attention 

the process of focusing on a specific aspect of information while ignoring others 

Cocktail Party Effect

our ability to focus on a single conversation in a noisy environment, like a crowded party, while tuning out other stimuli 

Intentional Blindness

an individual fails to notice an unexpected stimulus in their visual field when their attention is focused to something else 

Change Blindness

the failure to notice large changes in one’s environment when the change occurs simultaneously with a visual disruption

Schemas

mental frameworks that help us organize and interpret information in the world around us 

Perpetual Set 

a tendency to perceive or notice some aspects of the available sensory data and ignore others 

Gestalt Psychology

we perceive whole objects or figures ( gestalts) rather than just a collection of parts

Figure-Ground

the ability to distinguish an object ( figure) from its surroundings ( ground)

Binocular Depth Cues

visual information that requires both eyes to perceive depth and distance

Retinal Disparity

when each eye sees a slightly different picture because of their separate positions on our face

Convergence 

when our eyes move inward toward each other to focus in a close object 

Monocular Depth Cues

visual indicators of distance and space that can be perceived using just one eye

• relative clarity’

• relative size 

• texture gradient

• linear perspective

• interposition 

Relative Clarity

a depth cue where objects that are clearer and more detailed are perceived as closer, while objects that are hazier or less clear seem further away 

Relative Size

a visual cue where objects closer to us appear larger, while objects further away appear smaller

Texture Gradient

the way we perceive texture to become denser and finer as it recedes into the distance

Linear Perspective

a depth cue where parallel lines appear to converge as they recede into the distance

Interposition

occurs when one object overlaps another, leading us to perceive the overlapping objects as closer

Perpetual Constancies 

our brains ability to see objects as unchanging, even when the image on our retina, ( size, shape or color changing)

Shape Constancy

our ability to perceive an object as having the same shape, even when our angle of view or the distance from which we see the object changes

Size Constancy

our perception that an object remains the same size, even when its distance from us changes, causing the image on our retina to grow/shrink 

Color Constancy

ability to perceive colors of various objects as stable under varying lighting conditions

Apparent Movement

the perception of motion when there isn’t any actual movement

Metacognition

thinking about ones own thinking processes

Executive Functions

cognitive processes that allow individuals to generate, organize, plan and carry out goal-directed behaviors and experience critical thinking 

Prototypes

a mental image or best example of a category that aids in reorganizing and categorizing objects or concepts 

Schemas 

cognitive frameworks or blueprints that help organize & interpret information based on past experiences and knowledge 

Assimilation

interpret new information in terms of an existing schema

Accommodation

adapt their existing schema to incorporate new information

Convergent Thinking

the type of thinking is more executive and open-ended. it involves generating multiple possible solutions to a problem 

Functional Fixedness

a cognitive bias that limits a person to using an object only in the way it is traditionally used. it restricts the ability to see alternate uses for an item 

Algorithms

systematic step-by-step problem solving method that guarantees a solution if followed correctly

Divergent Thinking

a thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions

• creativity 

Heuristics

a mental shortcut or rule of thumb that helps to simplify decision-making but doesn’t guarantee a correct solution

Representative Heuristics