AP Psych Unit 2

Top down processing

Takes what you already know about the particular stimulation, to give meaning to your perceptions.

Bottom up processing

Sensory receptors detect external stimulation and send this data to the brain for analysis.

Schema

A concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.

Perceptual sets

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another.

Gestalt principles

An organized whole, emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.

Cocktail Party effect

Attending to the mention of relevant information in loud or distracting environments.

Inattentional blindness

Failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere.

Binocular depth cues

A depth cue, such as retinal disparity, that depends on the use of two eyes.

Retinal disparity

Binocular cue for perceiving depth; the greater the disparity between two retinal images, the closer the object.

Convergence

A cue to nearby objects’ distance, enabled by the brain combining retinal images.

Monocular depth cues

A depth cue, such as interposition or linear perspective, available to either eye alone.

Assimilation

Interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas.

Accommodation

Adapting our current schemas to incorporate new information.

Algorithms

Methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem.

Heuristics

A simple thinking strategy that allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but more error-prone.

Availability heuristic

Judging the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind, we presume such events are common.

Representative heuristic

Judging the likelihood of events in terms of how well they seem to represent particular prototypes.

Gambler's fallacy

Occurs when individuals believe past events will influence future probabilities, despite no logical relationship.

Sunk-Cost fallacy

Individuals continue to pursue a goal or invest resources into a project due to prior investments, even when it no longer makes rational sense.

Executive functions

Cognitive skills that enable us to generate, organize, plan, and implement goal-directed behavior.

Creativity

The ability to produce new and valuable ideas.

Divergent thinking

Expanding the number of possible problem solutions; creative thinking that diverges in different directions.

Convergent thinking

Narrowing the available problem solutions to determine the single best solution.