Unit 2.1: Cognition

These flashcards cover key concepts related to cognition, perception, and the various principles influencing how we perceive stimuli in our environment.

Selective Attention

Focusing conscious awareness on a particular stimulus while ignoring others.

Inattentional Blindness

Failing to see visible objects when attention is directed elsewhere.

Change Blindness

Failing to notice changes in the environment, a form of inattentional blindness.

Perceptual Set

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another.

Top-down Processing

A cognitive process where the brain applies what it knows to interpret sensory information.

Bottom-up Processing

A cognitive process that begins with sensory input and builds up to a final perception.

Gestalt Principles

Principles that explain how we organize visual scenes and interpret visual information.

Binocular Cues

Depth cues that depend on the use of both eyes.

Monocular Cues

Depth cues available to either eye alone.

Perceptual Constancy

Perceiving objects as unchanging despite changes in illumination and retinal images.

Color Constancy

Perceiving an object as having consistent color even under changing lighting conditions.