AP Psychology Unit 2.1 Save

Perception

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information to make meaning from the environment.

Bottom-Up Processing

Processing that starts with raw sensory input and builds up to perception; data-driven.

Top-Down Processing

Processing guided by experience, expectations, schemas, and prior knowledge; concept-driven.

Schema

A mental framework or concept that organizes and interprets information based on experience.

Perceptual Set

A mental predisposition to perceive something in a certain way due to expectations, context, or culture.

Selective Attention

Focusing on one stimulus while filtering out others (e.g., cocktail party effect).

Inattentional Blindness

Failure to see a visible object because attention is focused elsewhere.

Change Blindness

Failure to notice a change in a visual scene when attention is directed away.

Gestalt Principles

Rules the brain uses to organize sensory input into meaningful wholes.

Gestalt – Figure-Ground

The tendency to separate objects (figure) from their background (ground).

Gestalt – Closure

The tendency to fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object.

Gestalt – Similarity

The tendency to group items together that look alike.

Gestalt – Proximity

The tendency to group items together that are near each other.

Gestalt – Continuity

Perceiving smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones.

Gestalt – Connectedness

Perceiving connected or linked items as a single unit.

Depth Perception

The ability to judge distance and 3D space.

Binocular Cues

Depth cues requiring both eyes.

Retinal Disparity

A binocular cue; the brain compares images from each eye—greater disparity = closer object.

Convergence

A binocular cue; the eyes turn inward more for close objects.

Monocular Depth Cues

Depth cues that require only one eye.

Relative Size

If two objects are similar in size, the smaller image is perceived as farther away.

Interposition

When one object blocks another, the blocked object is perceived as farther away.

Linear Perspective

Parallel lines appear to converge in the distance (strong cue for depth).

Texture Gradient

Textures appear clearer up close and blurrier farther away.

Relative Clarity (Aerial Perspective)

Objects that are hazier are perceived as farther away.

Relative Motion (Motion Parallax)

When moving, objects closer appear to move faster than distant ones.

Perceptual Constancy

Recognizing objects as unchanging even when sensory input changes.

Size Constancy

Knowing an object’s size remains the same despite distance changes.

Shape Constancy

Recognizing an object’s shape stays the same even when viewing angle changes.

Color (Brightness) Constancy

Perceiving objects as having constant color even under different lighting.

Phi Phenomenon

Illusion of movement when lights blink on and off rapidly in succession.

Stroboscopic Movement

Perception of movement from rapid series of slightly different images (used in animation).