Untitled Flashcards Set

Perception

The process of interpreting sensory information.

Bottom-up Processing

Relies on sensory information for perception.

Top-down Processing

Relies on prior knowledge and expectations to interpret sensory information.

Schemas

Mental frameworks that help organize and interpret information.

Assimilation

Interpreting new experiences based on existing schemas.

Accommodation

Adapting schemas when new information cannot fit existing ones.

Perceptual Sets

Mental predispositions to perceive things in a certain way.

Selective Attention

Focusing on specific sensory input while ignoring others.

Divided Attention

Focusing on multiple sensory inputs simultaneously.

Cocktail Party Effect

The ability to focus on a specific stimulus while filtering out others.

Inattentional Blindness

Failing to notice a stimulus because attention is directed elsewhere.

Change Blindness

Failing to notice a change in the environment.

Gestalt Psychology

A theory that explains perception based on patterns.

Closure (Gestalt Principle)

The ability to fill in gaps to form a complete object.

Figure & Ground (Gestalt Principle)

Organizing visual information into objects distinct from their background.

Proximity (Gestalt Principle)

Grouping objects that are close to each other.

Similarity (Gestalt Principle)

Grouping objects based on similar characteristics.

Depth Perception

The ability to perceive distance and three-dimensionality.

Monocular Cues

Depth cues that require only one eye.

Relative Clarity

Perceiving depth based on the clarity of an object.

Relative Size

Judging depth based on the size of an object in relation to others.

Linear Perspective

Parallel lines appear to converge with distance.

Interposition

When one object partially blocks another, indicating depth.

Texture Gradient

Depth perception based on the texture of surfaces.

Constancies

Perceiving objects as stable despite changes in sensory input.

Size Constancy

Perceiving an object's size as constant despite changes in distance.

Color Constancy

Perceiving the color of an object as constant despite changes in lighting.

Stroboscopic Motion

Perception of motion from rapidly changing static images.

Cognition

Mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, and remembering.

Metacognition

Thinking about one's own thinking processes.

Concepts

Mental groupings of similar objects, events, or ideas.

Prototype

The ideal example of a given concept.

Critical Thinking

Assessment based on evidence and reason.

Creative Thinking

The ability to generate original and valuable ideas.

Divergent Thinking

Expanding the number of possible answers to a question.

Convergent Thinking

Narrowing down to one correct answer.

Executive Functions

Cognitive processes that help in goal-directed behaviors.

Algorithms

Methodical, logical procedures that guarantee a solution.

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts that expedite decision-making.

Hindsight Bias

Overestimating the ability to have predicted an outcome after it has occurred.

Illusory Correlation

Believing a correlation is causation when it is not.

Availability Heuristic

Judging based on easily recalled information.

Mental Set

Tendency to approach problems in habitual ways.

Functional Fixedness

Inability to think of objects in novel ways.

Anchoring Effect

Cognitive bias where initial information unduly influences opinions.

Explicit Memories

Memories that require conscious thought to recall.

Episodic Memories

Personal memories of past events.

Semantic Memories

Factual information not tied to personal experience.

Implicit Memories

Memories retained without conscious effort.

Long-term Potentiation

Strengthening of synaptic connections with frequent activation.

Cognitive Perspective

Studies mental processes such as perception, thinking, memory, and intelligence, and how they impact behavior.

George Miller

A key figure in cognitive psychology known for his work on memory and information processing.

Jean Piaget

A prominent developmental psychologist known for his theory of cognitive development across childhood.

Gestalt Psychology

A school of thought that emphasizes the importance of patterns and context in perception.

Perception

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information.

Bottom-up Processing

Perception that relies on sensory information, where sensory receptors send signals to the brain.

Top-down Processing

Perception influenced by prior knowledge, expectations, and assumptions.

Schemas

Mental structures that organize and interpret information.

Assimilation

Interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schemas.

Accommodation

Adapting schemas to incorporate new information.

Perceptual Sets

Mental predispositions that lead us to perceive things in a certain way based on context and past experiences.

Selective Attention

The process of focusing on a specific portion of sensory input while ignoring other stimuli.

Divided Attention

Focusing on multiple sensory inputs simultaneously, which can disrupt perception.

Cocktail Party Effect

The ability to focus on specific stimuli, such as a name, while filtering out other distractions.

Inattentional Blindness

Failing to notice a stimulus when attention is directed elsewhere.

Change Blindness

A specific form of inattentional blindness where one fails to notice a change in the environment.