psychology unit 4 Flashcards
sensation
our sensory receptors and nervous system receive stimulus from our environment
-from our sense organs
perception
process by which the brain organizes and interprets sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful object and events
bottom-up processing
having no prior knowledge: working your way to higher levels of processing
top-down processing
having prior knowledge: start with higher knowledge going to higher knowledge
selective attention
focusing of attention on selected aspects of the environment
cocktail party phenomenon
ability to focus on one conversation ignoring other stimuli
ADHD
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
-focus on all stimuli in an environment
-almost impossible to process information correctly
inattentional blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere.
-EX: walking into clear glass on the phone
change blindness
failing to notice changes in the environment
-EX: person swap
pop out
noticing an angry face in a picture rather than the other happy faces
transduction
conversation of one form of energy into another
absolute threshold
minimum stimulation needed to detect a stimulus
-EX: candle being farther away but you can still see it
signal detection theory
predicts when we will detect weak signals
-EX: you think you are getting a call, but you aren’t
subliminal
below ones absolute threshold for conscious awareness
-EX: putting inappropriate things in kids movies
priming
activation often unconsciously, predisposing ones perception, memory, or response.
-EX: tiktok
difference threshold
minimum difference a person can detect between 2 stimuli
-EX: knowing its your babies cry between 2 babies
weber’s law
to be perceived as different, 2 stimuli must different by a constant % not a constant amount
sensory adaptation
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
-EX: friends house smells, you get used to it, come home and your clothes smell like smoke
perceptual set
perceive one thing but not another
-EX: I see a turtle cloud, my friends don’t
parapsychology
study of paranormal phenomenon
ESP-extrasensory perception
perception can occur apart from sensory input
(extra sense)
telepathy (esp)
mind to mind communication
clairvoyance (esp)
perceiving remote events
EX: I think my friends house is on fire
precognition (esp)
perceiving future events
EX: solace movie (I think that marker will fall, it falls)
