AP Psychology - Unit Two

Cognition

Perception

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information to make it meaningful

Bottom-Up Processing

Analysis that starts at the sensory level and works up to higher levels of processing

Top-Down Processing

Information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experiences and expectations

Schema

A concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

Perceptial Set

A predisposition to perceive things in a certain way

Gestalt Psychology

An approach to psychology that emphasizes that the whole is different from the sum of its parts

Closure

The perceptual tendency to fill in gaps in order to perceive a complete image

Proximity

Objects that are close to each other tend to be perceived as belonging together

Similarity

Objects that are similar in appearance are more likely to be perceived as belonging together

Figure and Ground

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

Attention

Focusing awareness on a narrowed range of stimuli or events

Selective Attention

The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Cocktail Party Effect

The ability to focus one’s auditory attention on a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli, much like tuning into a single voice at a noisy party

Inattentional Blindness

Failing to see visible objects when our 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 the two eyes, the brain computes distance — the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object

Convergence

A binocular cue for perceiving depth; 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 Size

If two objects are known to be of similar size, we perceive the one that casts a smaller retinal image as farther away

Texture Gradient

Tendency for surfaces to appear more textured when they are closer and smoother and less detailed as distance for the viewer increases

Linear Perspective

Parallel lines, such as railroad tracks, appear to converge with distance. The more the lines converge, the greater their perceived distance

Interposition

If one object partially blocks our view of another, we perceive it as closer

Perceptual Constancies

Perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change

Apparent Movement

The paerception that a stationary object is moving

Prototypes

A mental image or best example of a category. Matching new items to a prototype provides a quick and easy method for sorting items into categories

Assimilation

Interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schemas

Accommodation

Adapting one’s current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information