AP Psych: Unit 2.1- Perception

Based on AP Course Guide

Perception

Involves organizing and interpreting sensory information

Botton-up Processing

Individual elements —> whole

Top-Down Processing

Whole —- > Individual elements

Schemas

A mental framework for organizing and understanding our world

Perceptual Sets

Readiness to perceive something in a particular way or having an expectation for a stimulus

Context, Experiences, Cultural Expectations

External factors that filter perceptions of the world

Gestalt Psychology

Explains how humans organize their perceptual world

Closure

The principle of making a whole or completed object by filling in the gap

Figure Ground

The principle in which the figure is the object and the ground is the surroundings

Proximity

The principle that items close together group more easily than items far apart

Similarity

The principle that items more alike are more easily grouped

Attention

An interaction of sensation and perception that is affected by internal and external processes

Selective Awareness

Focused attention for certain stimuli in the environment

Cocktail Part Effect

People attend to mentions of their names or specific topics in loud or distracting environments

Inattention

Leads to a type of blindness to aspects of the environment, when attention is focused on one part of the visual field, you may miss other parts

Change Blindness

Occurs when differences in the visual field are not perceived due to inattention or a brief interruption

Binocular Depth Cues

Two eyes

Retinal Disparity

Determining depth based on the difference between what each eye sees

Convergence

Determining depth based on how much both eyes rotate inward

Monocular Depth Cues

Use one eye to give the illusion of depth on flat or two-dimensional services

Relative Clarity

Being able to see part of a photo better based on atmosphere

Relative Size

If two objets are equal in size, the one closes to us is bigger

Texture Gradient

Closer objects have more distinct details

Linear Perspective

Based on whether or not lines converge from the viewer’s perspective

Interposition

A closer object partially blocks a farther away object

Visual Perceptual Constancies

Maintain the perception of an object even when the images of the objects in the visual field change

Color Constancy

An object has the same hue no matter the environment

Brightness Constancy

An object has the same brightness no matter the illumination

Shape Constancy

An object has the same shape despite the angle you’re viewing it in

Size Constancy

An object has the same proportion despite shrinking or getting larger

Apparent Movement

A visual perception that objects are moving even when they are still

Phi Phenomenon

Apparent movement for lights

Stroboscopic Movement

Apparent movement for still images