AP Psych unit 3

Internal Motives

Personal values and motivations that drive individuals from within.

External Motives

Influences from societal expectations and environmental factors that motivate individuals.

Experimental Results

Findings from studies that may not apply universally due to demographic limitations.

Psychological Concepts

Theoretical frameworks that help in understanding human behavior and actions.

Perception

The process by which individuals interpret sensory information.

Bottom-Up Processing

A type of processing that begins with sensory input and builds to a final perception.

Top-Down Processing

Processing that uses pre-existing knowledge and expectations to interpret sensory input.

Internal Factors

Influences originating from within an individual, affecting perception and behavior.

Perceptual Set

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing over another based on expectations.

Schemas

Cognitive frameworks that organize and interpret information based on past experiences.

External Factors

Influences from the environment affecting perception, behaviors, and experiences.

Context

The circumstances surrounding an event that influence perception and meaning.

Experiences

Past interactions that shape current understanding and perception.

Culture

Shared beliefs and practices of a group that influence their worldview.

Expectations

Beliefs about future events that shape experiences and perceptions.

Gestalt Principles

Psychological principles describing how people organize visual elements into wholes.

Figure-Ground

The ability to distinguish an object from its background.

Similarity

The principle that we group similar items together in perception.

Proximity

The principle that suggests items close together are perceived as belonging to the same group.

Closure

The tendency to perceive incomplete figures as complete.

Monocular Cues

Depth perception cues that require only one eye to gauge distance.

Relative Clarity

A monocular cue where clearer objects are perceived as closer.

Relative Size

A monocular cue suggesting smaller objects are perceived as farther away.

Texture Gradient

A monocular cue where texture appears finer as distance increases.

Interposition

A monocular cue where one object blocking another is perceived as farther away.

Linear Perspective

A monocular cue based on the convergence of parallel lines indicating depth.

Binocular Cues

Depth perception cues that rely on both eyes working together.

Retinal Disparity

The difference in images between the two eyes that indicates distance.

Convergence

A binocular cue from the inward turning of the eyes when focusing on nearby objects.

Size Constancy

The understanding that an object's size remains constant despite distance.

Shape Constancy

The recognition that an object's shape remains constant regardless of the view angle.

Brightness Constancy

The perception that an object's brightness does not change with lighting variations.

Apparent Movement

The illusion of motion created by a sequence of still images.

Selective Attention

Focusing on a specific object while ignoring other stimuli.

Cocktail Party Effect

The ability to focus on a particular conversation in a noisy environment.

Divided Attention

The ability to process multiple sources of information or perform multiple tasks simultaneously.

Change Blindness

Not noticing a change in a visual stimulus due to a lack of attention.

Inattention Blindness

Failing to notice visible objects when focusing attention elsewhere.

Priming

A phenomenon where exposure to one stimulus influences the response to another stimulus.

Signal Detection Theory

A framework for distinguishing between important information and noise.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum stimulus energy needed for detection 50% of the time.

Difference Threshold (Just Noticeable Difference - JND)

The smallest detectable difference in stimulation.

Subliminal Threshold

The level of stimulation below which a stimulus cannot be consciously detected.

Weber’s Law

The principle stating the change needed to notice a difference is proportional to the original stimulus.

Sensory Adaptation

Decreased sensitivity to a constant stimulus over time.

Sensory Interaction

The principle that one sense can influence another.

Synesthesia

A condition where stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to involuntary experiences in another.

Retina

The light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye that processes visual information.

Blind Spot

An area of the retina with no photoreceptors, causing a lack of vision.

Rods

Photoreceptor cells in the retina responsible for low-light vision.

Peripheral Vision

The outer areas of the visual field sensitive to motion.

Lens

The transparent structure in the eye that focuses light onto the retina.

Accommodation

The process whereby the lens changes shape to focus on objects at various distances.

Nearsightedness (Myopia)

A condition where close objects are seen clearly, but distant objects appear blurry.

Farsightedness (Hyperopia)

A condition where distant objects are seen more clearly than close objects.

Pupil

The adjustable opening in the center of the eye regulating light entry.

Cornea

The clear front surface of the eye assisting in light focusing.

Iris

The colored part of the eye controlling pupil size.

Fovea

The central region of the retina with the highest concentration of cones.

Cones

Photoreceptor cells responsible for color vision and visual acuity.

Color Vision

The ability to perceive differences in light wavelengths as colors.

Wavelengths

The distance between peaks of a light wave affecting color perception.

Opponent Process Theory

A theory suggesting color perception is controlled by opposing color pairs.

Afterimage

A visual illusion experienced after staring at an image and then looking away.

Ganglion Cells

Neurons in the retina transmitting visual information to the brain.

Trichromatic Theory

A theory positing the retina contains three types of color receptors for red, green, and blue.

Photoreceptor Cells

Cells in the retina that convert light into electrical signals.

Prosopagnosia

Inability to recognize faces, often due to brain damage.

Blindsight

Responding to visual stimuli without conscious perception.