AP exam 2 Flashcards
(87 cards)
Bottom-up processing
when the environment (stimuli) influence our thinking
sensory analysis that begins at the entry level—with what our senses can detect
Top-down processing
when our thinking influences how we see (understand/perceive) the environment
perceiving things based on your prior experiences and knowledge
Schemas
all knowledge/data is organized into units. In our mind a schema is a generalized concept or system for understanding pieces of the world we encounter.
Perceptual sets
we often tend to notice only certain aspects of an object or situation while ignoring other details
Gestalt Principles
rules that describe how the human eye perceives visual elements
Attention
a state of consciousness in which a person can respond to a stimulus or stimuli
Cocktail party effect
the ability to focus one’s attention a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli
Change blindness
person fails to notice significant changes in their visual environment.
Binocular depth cues
the images taken in by both eyes to give depth perception, or stereopsis
Monocular depth cues
visual cues that help you perceive depth and distance using only one eye
Visual perceptual
constancies
the ability to perceive a stimulus as constant, even when the sensation changes
Apparent movement
a person perceives movement when there is none, caused by a visual illusion
Concepts
a verbal or written understanding of abstract thought
Prototypes
a mental representation of an object or concept
Schemas
a mental structure that helps people organize and interpret information
Assimilation
the process of incorporating new information, experiences, or ideas into your existing cognitive structure or belief system
Accommodation
the process we use to adjust and modify our cognitive schemas to incorporate new information and experiences
Algorithms
step-by-step procedure to solve problems
Heuristics
general “rules of thumb” that can be applied to many situations
- educated guesses
- might not always succeed
Mental set
tendency to use same problem-solving strategies that worked in the past
Priming
exposure to a stimulus influences how someone responds to a subsequent stimulus
- For instance, it’s easier to categorize the word “chocolate” after the word “candy” than after the word “stapler”
Framing
how the question/problem is worded
Gambler’s fallacy
someone mistakenly believes that a random event’s likelihood changes based on a previous event or series of events
Sunk-cost fallacy
our tendency to continue with something we’ve invested money, effort, or time into—even if the current costs outweigh the benefits