Perception, Gestalt Principles, and Cognitive Heuristics in Psychology

What does the concept of 'perception' primarily refer to in psychology?

The process of interpreting incoming stimuli from the environment.

What is the difference between top-down processing and bottom-up processing in perception?

Top-down processing involves using existing knowledge and expectations to interpret sensory information, while bottom-up processing starts with sensory input and builds up to perception.

In perceptual psychology, what are schemas?

Cognitive frameworks that help organize and interpret information based on prior knowledge and experiences.

What do perceptual sets refer to?

The predisposition to perceive things in a certain way based on expectations and prior experiences.

Which concept in Gestalt psychology explains the tendency to perceive incomplete figures as complete?

The principle of closure.

What does the 'figure and ground' principle describe?

The ability to distinguish an object (figure) from its background (ground).

How is proximity used in Gestalt psychology?

It refers to the tendency to group objects that are close together in space.

What does the cocktail party effect explain about attention?

The ability to focus on a single conversation in a noisy environment while filtering out other stimuli.

What is inattention in the psychological context?

The failure to notice stimuli in the environment due to a lack of focus or attention.

What phenomenon describes failing to notice changes in the environment?

Change blindness.

Which cue is an example of a binocular depth cue?

Convergence.

What does convergence refer to in visual perception?

The inward angle of the eyes when focusing on a close object, providing depth information.

Which is an example of a monocular depth cue?

Relative size.

What does relative size indicate in the context of depth cues?

It suggests that objects that appear smaller are perceived as being farther away.

What psychological mechanism involves altering existing schemas in response to new information?

Accommodation.

What cognitive tool is typically used for finding solutions through trial and error?

Heuristic.

What does the representativeness heuristic involve in decision making?

Judging the likelihood of an event based on how closely it resembles a typical case.

What does the availability heuristic influence in human cognition?

The tendency to judge the frequency or likelihood of events based on how easily examples come to mind.

What is a common cognitive bias in decision making that overestimates the influence of a recent streak on future outcomes?

The gambler's fallacy.

Which concept refers to continuing a doomed project due to significant investment?

Sunk cost fallacy.

What is primarily studied in divergent thinking tests?

The ability to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions.

___________ _____________ can be a

barrier to creativity where one struggles to see new uses for an object.

functional fixedness

What does functional fixedness inhibit?

The ability to see alternative uses for an object, limiting problem-solving capabilities.