Perception (College Board AP® Psychology): Flashcards
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Define perception.
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Cards in this collection (25)
Define perception.
Perception is the process by which the brain recognizes, interprets, and organizes sensory information.
True or False?
Perception is the first step in processing sensory information, occurring before sensation.
False.
Sensation happens first and detects raw stimuli; perception is the second step, giving that raw stimuli meaning.
Define bottom-up processing.
Bottom-up processing builds a perception by starting with the individual features of a raw stimulus and working upward toward a complete interpretation.
Which type of processing starts with prior knowledge, expectations, and experience to interpret incoming sensory data?
Top-down processing starts with prior knowledge, expectations, and experience to interpret incoming sensory data.
Define schema.
A schema is an organized mental framework or unit of knowledge about a subject, event, or concept, built up through experience.
What term describes a readiness to perceive something in a particular way based on prior experience, expectations, and context?
A perceptual set is a readiness to perceive something in a particular way based on prior experience, expectations, and context.
Cultures that do not use rectangular buildings or right angles in their art and architecture are less susceptible to the ____________________ illusion.
Cultures that do not use rectangular buildings or right angles in their art and architecture are less susceptible to the Müller-Lyer illusion.
Define attention.
Attention is the process of selectively focusing cognitive resources on a particular stimulus or task while filtering out others.
What is the name for the phenomenon where a person focused on one conversation still notices their own name spoken elsewhere in a noisy room?
This is the cocktail party effect, in which a person focused on one conversation still notices their own name spoken elsewhere in a noisy room.
True or False?
Inattentional blindness is failing to notice a change in something already present in a scene.
False.
That describes change blindness; inattentional blindness is failing to notice an unexpected stimulus in plain sight because attention is focused elsewhere.
Define change blindness.
Change blindness is failing to notice changes in the environment because attention was not directed at the aspect of the scene that changed.
Define figure-ground relationship.
The figure-ground relationship is the brain's automatic separation of a visual scene into a figure, the object that stands out, and a ground, the background behind it.
Which Gestalt principle explains why three pairs of vertical lines are perceived as pairs rather than six separate lines?
Proximity explains why three pairs of vertical lines are perceived as pairs, since the lines within each pair are closer together than to lines in other pairs.
Define similarity.
Similarity is the Gestalt principle that objects sharing similar features, such as shape, color, or size, are perceived as belonging to the same group.
True or False?
The CED identifies continuity as one of the four key Gestalt principles students must know.
False.
The CED names only four Gestalt principles: closure, figure-ground, proximity, and similarity; continuity is not required knowledge.
Define closure.
Closure is the Gestalt principle in which the brain fills in missing information to perceive a complete, recognizable object even when parts of it are absent.
What term describes the brain's tendency to perceive ambiguous or complex images in their simplest, most organized form?
The Law of Prägnanz describes the brain's tendency to perceive ambiguous or complex images in their simplest, most organized form.
Define retinal disparity.
Retinal disparity is a binocular depth cue in which the brain compares the slightly different images received by each eye to calculate depth and distance.
Which binocular depth cue involves the brain detecting the muscle tension required to turn the eyes inward to focus on a nearby object?
Convergence is the binocular depth cue in which the brain detects the muscle tension required to turn the eyes inward to focus on a nearby object.
The monocular depth cue of __________________________________ causes parallel lines, such as railway tracks, to appear to converge at a vanishing point in the distance.
The monocular depth cue of linear perspective causes parallel lines, such as railway tracks, to appear to converge at a vanishing point in the distance.
Which monocular depth cue describes a surface's texture appearing finer and denser the farther it recedes into the distance?
Texture gradient describes a surface's texture appearing finer and denser the farther it recedes into the distance.
True or False?
Size constancy means an object's retinal image stays the same size as the object moves farther away.
False.
The retinal image actually shrinks with distance; size constancy is the brain still perceiving the object as the same size regardless.
Define shape constancy.
Shape constancy is the brain's ability to perceive an object as the same shape even when it is viewed from a different angle.
The ____________________ effect is the perception of movement that occurs when a stationary point of light is viewed in a completely dark room.
The autokinetic effect is the perception of movement that occurs when a stationary point of light is viewed in a completely dark room.
What term describes the illusion of smooth, continuous movement created by a rapid sequence of still images, as used in film and animation?
The stroboscopic effect, or phi phenomenon, describes the illusion of smooth, continuous movement created by a rapid sequence of still images.
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