Perception – AP Psych Exam | Fiveable 3/8/25, 11:26 PM

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AP Psychology (2025) All Study Guides AP Psychology (2025) Unit 2 – Cognition Topic: 2.1

AP Psych Skills

Unit 1 – Biological Bases ap psychology (2025) review

of Behavior

Unit 2 – Cognition
2.1 Perception
Verified for the 2025 AP Psychology (2025) exam • 4 min read • Last Updated on March 5, 2025
Unit 2 Overview:
Cognition

2.1 Perception Perception is how we make sense of what our senses pick up. It's a mix of bottom-up
2.2 Thinking, Problem- processing (starting with raw sensory data) and top-down processing (using what we
Solving, Judgments, already know to interpret things).
and Decision-Making
Our perception is shaped by mental shortcuts (schemas), what we expect to see
2.3 Introduction to
Memory (perceptual sets), and outside factors like context and culture. Gestalt principles explain
how we organize visual info, and attention determines what we focus on and process.
2.4 Encoding
Memories

2.5 Storing Memories

2.6 Retrieving
Memories

2.7 Forgetting and

Other Memory
Challenges

2.8 Intelligence and

Achievement
Unit 3 – Development and
Learning

Unit 4 – Social
Psychology and Personality

Unit 5 – Mental and

Physical Health

Practice Quizzes Influences on perception

Bottom-up vs top-down processing

Bottom-up processing begins with sensory input from the environment, while top-down
processing starts with our existing knowledge and expectations. These two processes
work together to create our perceptual experiences.

Key aspects of each type:

Bottom-up processing:

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Relies on sensory receptors detecting stimuli

Focuses on details and individual elements

Processes raw sensory data

Top-down processing:
Draws on prior knowledge and expectations

Uses context and memory

Helps interpret ambiguous information

Schemas and perceptual sets

Schemas are organized patterns or frameworks of thought that help us categorize and
interpret information. They develop through experience and learning, becoming more
complex over time.

Perceptual sets influence how we interpret sensory information by creating expectations

about what we will perceive. These predispositions can:

Cause us to see what we expect to see

Lead to selective attention

Result in misinterpretation of ambiguous stimuli

Be influenced by motivation and emotion

External factors in perception

Our environment and experiences significantly shape how we perceive the world.
Context plays a crucial role in interpretation, as the same stimulus can be perceived
differently depending on its surroundings.

Cultural influences affect perception through:

Social norms and values

Cultural expectations

Communication styles

Interpretation of symbols and gestures

Personal experiences shape perception by:

Creating expectations

Forming biases

Developing emotional associations

Building knowledge frameworks

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Perception – AP Psych Exam | Fiveable 3/8/25, 11:26 PM

Gestalt principles of perception

The Gestalt approach emphasizes that we perceive whole patterns rather than individual
elements. These principles explain how we organize visual information into meaningful
patterns.

Key principles include:

Closure: completing incomplete figures mentally

Figure-ground: distinguishing objects from their background

Proximity: grouping nearby elements together

Similarity: grouping similar elements together

Additional organizational principles:

Continuity: perceiving continuous patterns

Common fate: grouping elements that move together

Good form: organizing elements into simple and regular figures

Attention in perception
Attention acts as a filter that helps us focus on relevant information while ignoring
distractions. This process is essential for effective perception and processing of
information.

Types of attention include:

Selective attention: focusing on specific stimuli

Divided attention: processing multiple inputs

Sustained attention: maintaining focus over time

Attention limitations can lead to:

Change blindness (missing big changes in a scene)

Inattentional blindness (not seeing something obvious because we're focused

elsewhere)

Missed important information

Reduced processing accuracy

Visual perception processes

Binocular depth cues

Depth perception relies heavily on info from both eyes working together. This binocular

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Perception – AP Psych Exam | Fiveable 3/8/25, 11:26 PM

vision gives us crucial info about distance and spatial relationships.

The two main binocular cues are:

Retinal disparity: differences in images between eyes

Convergence: inward turning of eyes for close objects

Monocular depth cues

Monocular cues allow us to perceive depth using just one eye. These cues are
particularly important for creating depth in 2D representations like paintings and
photographs.

Primary monocular cues include:

Relative clarity (distant mountains appearing hazier than nearby trees)

Relative size (a car looking smaller when far away than when close by)

Texture gradient (grass appearing more detailed up close but blending together in
the distance)

Linear perspective (railroad tracks appearing to converge as they extend toward

the horizon)

Interposition or objects in front blocking objects behind (a person standing in front

of a building partially hiding it from view)

These cues work together to create convincing depth perception, even when viewing flat
images or using only one eye.

Exclusion Note: The AP Psych exam will only include monocular depth cues listed here.

Visual perceptual constancies

Perceptual constancies help us to maintain stable perceptions despite changing sensory
input. This helps us recognize objects and navigate our environment effectively.

Three main types of constancy:

Size constancy: maintaining perceived size regardless of distance

Shape constancy: recognizing objects from different angles

Brightness constancy: accounting for different lighting conditions

Perception of apparent movement

The perception of movement can occur even when viewing static images or discrete
stimuli. This phenomenon underlies many forms of visual media and entertainment.

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Perception – AP Psych Exam | Fiveable 3/8/25, 11:26 PM

Two key types:

Stroboscopic movement: created by rapid succession of still images

Phi phenomenon: illusion of movement between stationary stimuli

These principles are the foundation for:

Film and animation

Digital displays

Electronic signage

Visual effects

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