AP Psychology Terms Unit 2 Part 1: 44 Terms

The first 44 vocab words of AP Psychology in Unit 2

Perception

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information to give meaning to our environment.

Bottom-up processing

An approach where perception starts with sensory input and works up to the brain's integration of this information.

Top-down processing

Information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, drawing on experience and expectations to construct perceptions.

Schema

A concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.

Perceptual set

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another.

Gestalt psychology

Emphasizes that we often perceive the whole rather than the sum of the parts.

Closure

The perceptual tendency to mentally fill in gaps in a visual image to perceive objects as wholes.

Figure and ground

The organization of the visual field into objects (figures) that stand out from their surroundings (ground).

Proximity

The perceptual tendency to group together visual and auditory events that are near each other.

Similarity

The perceptual tendency to group together elements that seem alike.

Attention

The focusing of mental resources on select information.

Selective attention

The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Cocktail party effect

The ability to focus auditory attention on a particular stimulus while filtering out other stimuli.

Inattentional blindness

Failing to see visible objects when attention is directed elsewhere.

Change Blindness

Failing to notice changes in the environment.

Binocular depth cues

Depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes.

Retinal disparity

A binocular cue for perceiving depth by comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes.

Convergence

A binocular cue for perceiving depth by the extent to which the eyes converge inward when looking at an object.

Monocular depth cues

Depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone.

Relative clarity

A monocular cue for perceiving depth; hazy objects are seen as farther away than sharp, clear objects.

Relative size

A cue that allows determining the closeness of objects to an object of known size.

Texture gradient

A gradual change from coarse to fine texture signaling increasing distance.

Linear perspective

Parallel lines appear to converge with distance.

Aptitude tests

Tests designed to predict a person's future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn.

Fixed mindset

The idea that we have a set amount of an ability that cannot change.

Growth mindset

The belief that one's skills and qualities can change and improve through effort and dedication.

Explicit memory

Memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and 'declare.'

Episodic memory

The collection of past personal experiences that occurred at a particular time and place.

Semantic memory

Memory for factual information.

Implicit memory

Retention independent of conscious recollection.

Procedural memory

A type of long-term memory of how to perform different actions and skills.

Prospective memory

Remembering to perform a planned action or recall a planned intention at some future point in time.

Long-term potentiation

An increase in a cell's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.

Working memory model

A model that suggests that memory involves a series of active, temporary memory stores that manipulate information.

Working memory

A newer understanding of short-term memory that involves conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory.

Central executive

The part of working memory that directs attention and processing.

Phonological loop

The part of working memory that holds and processes verbal and auditory information.

Visuospatial sketchpad

The part of working memory that holds visual and spatial information.

Multi-store model

A model of memory that suggests information passes through three stages: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

Sensory memory

The immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system.

Iconic memory

A momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second.

Echoic memory

A momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds.

Short-Term Memory

Activated memory that holds a few items briefly before the information is stored or forgotten.

Long-Term Memory

The relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.