AP Psychology, Unit 3

The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

• Sensation

• Top-down-processing

• Bottom-up-processing

• Perception

Nerve endings that respond to stimuli

• Cones

• Sensory receptors

• Dendrites

• Rods

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.

• Selective attention

• Sensation

• Perception

• Accommodation

A process that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brains integration of sensory information.

• Top-down-processing

• Perception

• Sensation

• Bottom-up-processing

constructs perceptions from sensory input by drawing on your experience and expectations

• Top-down-processing

• Perceptual set

• Bottom up-Processing

• Selective attention

The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

• Perception

• Selective attention

• Subliminal

• Inattentional blindness

Failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere.

• Change blindness

• Selective attention

• Sensory adaptation

• Inattentive blindness

Failing to notice changes in the environment.

• Change blindness

• Inattentive blindness

• Selective attention

• Subliminal

The minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time.

• Threshold

• Absolute Threshold

• Difference threshold

• Partial threshold

A theory predicting how and when we detect a faint stimulus amid background stimulation. assumes there is no single absolute threshold, and that detection depends partly on a persons experience, expectations, motivation, and awareness.

• Signal detection theory

• Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory

• Opponent process theory

• Gesalt