Perception AP Psychology Flashcards

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Questions and Answers

What does the perceptual process involve?

Selecting data from our senses

Organizing data from our senses

Interpreting data from our senses

All of the above (correct)

What is bottom up processing?

Begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain.

Define top down processing.

Brain to sense receptors, filling in gaps using experience.

What does the theory of constructive perception state?

We create perceptual constructs out of pieces with the involvement of higher cognitive functions. Signup and view all the answers

What is direct perception?

Sensations based on environment; we only need sensory context. Signup and view all the answers

What does adaptation refer to?

Unconscious, temporary change in response to environmental stimuli. Signup and view all the answers

What is habitualization?

Being accustomed to stimuli if repeated. Signup and view all the answers

Define dishabituation.

A change in stimuli causes us to notice it again. Signup and view all the answers

What is attention?

Focusing awareness on a narrowed range of stimuli or events. Signup and view all the answers

What is selective attention?

The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus. Signup and view all the answers

What is the cocktail party effect?

Ability to attend to only one voice among many. Signup and view all the answers

What is change blindness?

Unaware of changes in the environment. Signup and view all the answers

What are filter theories?

Stimuli must pass through some form of filter measuring importance to enter into attention. Signup and view all the answers

Define attentional resource theory.

People have a set amount of attention they can allocate according to task requirements. Signup and view all the answers

What is divided attention?

Concentrating on more than one activity at the same time. Signup and view all the answers

What does illusion refer to?

Misinterpretations of actual external stimuli. Signup and view all the answers

What is visual capture?

The tendency for vision to dominate other senses. Signup and view all the answers

What does gestalt psychology emphasize?

We often perceive the whole rather than the sum of the parts. Signup and view all the answers

Define figure ground relationship.

The principle by which we organize perceptual field into stimuli that stand out and those left over. Signup and view all the answers

What does proximity refer to in perception?

We group nearby figures together. Signup and view all the answers

What does similarity refer to?

We group similar things together. Signup and view all the answers

What is continuity?

We perceive smooth and continuous patterns. Signup and view all the answers

What does connectedness mean in perception?

We perceive sets of uniform and linked elements as one unit. Signup and view all the answers

Define closure in perception.

Filling in of details so that a partially perceived entity appears complete. Signup and view all the answers

What is the law of Pragnanz?

Every stimulus pattern is seen in the simplest way possible. Signup and view all the answers

What is a visual cliff?

Lab device for infants testing depth perception. Signup and view all the answers

What is depth perception?

The ability to see objects in three dimensions and judge distance. Signup and view all the answers

What are binocular cues?

Depth cues that depend on the use of two eyes. Signup and view all the answers

What is retinal disparity?

A binocular cue for perceiving depth by comparing images from two eyes. Signup and view all the answers

Define convergence.

A binocular cue for perceiving depth based on the inward angle of eyes. Signup and view all the answers

What are monocular cues?

Depth cues available to either eye alone. Signup and view all the answers

What does relative size refer to?

If two objects are similar in size, we perceive the one that is closer as larger. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Perceptual Processes

Perception involves selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory data.
Bottom-Up Processing: Starts from sensory receptors to brain; slower but more detailed.
Top-Down Processing: Begins in the brain; utilizes prior experience to fill gaps in sensory information.

Theories of Perception

Theory of Constructive Perception: Suggests perception is built from sensory elements using cognitive functions; infers whole structures from parts.
Direct Perception: Relies on immediate environmental context; emphasizes intuition over complex interpretation.

Adaptation and Attention

Adaptation: Temporary, often unconscious adjustments to environmental stimuli.
Habitualization: Process of becoming accustomed to repeated stimuli.
Dishabituation: Renewed attention to stimuli after a change.

Focused Awareness

Attention: Concentrated focus on a narrow range of stimuli.
Selective Attention: Involves prioritizing one stimulus over others.
Cocktail Party Effect: Ability to focus on a single conversation in a noisy environment.

Perceptual Changes

Change Blindness: Difficulty noticing changes in visual scenes; exemplified by individuals failing to recognize changes when directing others.
Filter Theories: Suggest stimuli must pass through a filter to capture attention based on significance.
Attentional Resource Theory: People have a limited amount of attention to allocate across tasks.

Divided Attention

Divided Attention: Engaging in multiple activities simultaneously can split focus and hinder performance.

Illusions and Visual Processing

Illusion: Misinterpretations of external stimuli can lead to altered perceptions.
Visual Capture: Vision often overrides other senses, influencing perception of sound direction in media.

Gestalt Principles

Gestalt Psychology: This approach emphasizes wholes over individual components in perception.
Figure-Ground Relationship: Differentiating between focal points (figure) and background elements.
Proximity: Grouping nearby elements together visually.
Similarity: Clustering similar shapes or patterns as single entities.
Continuity: Preference for smooth, continuous lines over abrupt changes.
Connectedness: Perceiving connected figures as single units.
Closure: Completing incomplete figures by filling in gaps.

Laws of Perception

Law of Pragnanz: Stimuli are perceived in the simplest form possible.

Depth Perception

Visual Cliff: Experimental setup to test depth perception in infants.
Depth Perception: Understanding three-dimensional space; crucial for judging distances.

Binocular and Monocular Cues

Binocular Cues: Depth perception cues requiring both eyes, like retinal disparity and convergence.
Retinal Disparity: Brain's method of calculating depth based on differences in images from both eyes.
Convergence: The inward angle of eyes when focusing on nearby objects.
Monocular Cues: Depth cues observable with a single eye, including interposition and linear perspective.
Relative Size: Perception that influences our judgment based on known sizes of objects.

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Description

Test your knowledge of key concepts in perception with these AP Psychology flashcards. This quiz covers the perceptual process, bottom-up and top-down processing, and other related theories. Ideal for students looking to enhance their understanding of how we interpret sensory information.