Perceptual Set: To perceive something based on expectations or prior experiences

Selective Attention: Ability to focus on things.

Inattentional Blindness/Change Blindness: Inability detect changes when focusing on something

Gestalt: An organized whole

Figure Ground: Tendency to organize things into figures and their background

Gestalt Grouping Principles (Be able to recognize and apply examples): Ability to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes

1. Proximity

2. Continuity

3. Closure

4. Connectedness (see notes)

5. Similarity (see notes)

Depth Perception: Ability to gauge distance in 3D.

Visual Cliff: Proved that infants can perceive depth

Binocular Cues: Depth cues that relies on the use of 2 eyes.

1. Retinal Disparity: Images of an object differs between 2 eyes

2. Convergence (see notes or look online): Extent to which the eyes converge inward when looking at an object that brain keeps track of to measure distance.

Monocular Cues (Be able to recognize and apply examples): Distance cues that are available to either eye alone

1. Relative Height

2. Relative size

3. Interposition

4. Linear Perspective 

Phi Phenomenon: Illusion of Movement with Blinking Lights

Perceptual Constancy: Perceiving objects as unchanging despite them changing (swiveling door)

Color Constancy: Difference in lighting does not effect our perception of an object’s color

Perceptual Adaptation: Ability to adjust to an artificially displaced visual field

Audition: Sense of hearing

Frequency: The length of each wavelength

Pitch: Tone, effected by the frequency of waves

Intensity: Loud/brightness, effected by amplitude.

Middle Ear: Amplifies sound, contains the ossicles

Cochlea: Fluid filled membrane in the inner ear that transmits neural impulses

Inner Ear: Change sound waves into neural impulses

Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Can’t amplify sound, damage to eardrum and ossicles, solution is hearing aids.

Conduction hearing Loss: Damage to the cochlea's hair cells or auditory nerves

Cochlear Implant: Solution to Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Place theory: Different pitches trigger activity at different places in the cochlea's membrane. Explains low pitches
Frequency theory: Pitches are sensed by the basilar membrane in cochlea vibrating at the same rate as the sound. Explains low pitches

Gate-control theory: There is a "gate" in the spinal cord that blocks or allows pain signals to pass

Sensory interaction: Multiple senses interact with each other

Kinesthesia Sense: Ability to feel body position when eyes are closed, transduction is in the proprioceptors located in skin, joints, and tendons.

Vestibular Sense: Sense of balance, transduction is in the semicircular canals.