Psychology - How do we see our world?

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Ambiguous Figure
a stimulus with two possible interpretations, in which it is possible to perceive only one of the alternatives at a time e.g. the rabbit/duck figure
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Bar chart
a graph with separate bars, usually used with a bar for each condition in an experiment
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Binocular depth cues
information about distance that needs two eyes, for example stereopsis
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Blind Spot
the area of the retina where the optic nerve leaves - it has no rods or cones so cannot detect light
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Closure
lines or shapes are perceived as complete figures even if parts are missing
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Colour after-effects
an illusion caused by focusing on a coloured stimulus and perceiving opposite colours immediately afterward
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Cones
light-sensitive cells in the retina that can detect colour
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Continuity
straight lines, curves and shapes are perceived to carry on being the same
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Controls
ways to keep variable constant in all conditions of an experiment
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Dependent variable
the factor which is measured in an experiment
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Depth cues
the visual 'cues' that we use to understand depth or distance
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Descriptive statistics
ways to summarise results from a study - can show the typical result etc
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Distortion illusion
where out perception is deceived by some aspect of the stimulus and this can affect the shape or size of an object
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Ethical issues
potential psychological or physical risks for people in experiments
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Ethical guidelines
advice to help psychologists solve ethical issues
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Experiment
a research method which measures participants' performance in two or more conditions
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Experimental (participant) design
the way that participants are used in different conditions in an experiment
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Eyewitness
somebody who sees a crime or aspects of a crime who helps the police to find out what happened or/and who was responsible
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Fiction
an illusion caused when a figure is perceived even though it is not present
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Figure-ground
a small, complex, symmetrical object (the figure) is seen as separate from a background (the ground)
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Height in the plane
objects closer to the horizon are perceived to be more distant than ones below or above the horizon
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Hypothesis
a testable statement of the difference between the conditions in an experiment - it describes how the independent variable will affect the dependent variable
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Illusory contour
a boundary (edge) that is perceived in a figure but is not present in the stimulus
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Independent groups design
different participants are used in each condition in an experiment
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Independent variable
the factor which is changed by the researcher in an experiment to make two or more conditions
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Informed consent
an individual's right to know what will happen in an experiment, and its aims, before agreeing to participate
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Linear perspective
parallel lines appear to converge (meet) in the distance
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Mean
an average that is calculated by adding up all of the scores in a set and dividing by the number of scores
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Median
an average that is the middle number in a set of scores where they are put in order from smallest to largest
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Mode
an average that is the most common score or response in a set
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Monocular depth cues
information about distance that comes from one eye, such as superimposition, relative size, texture gradient, linear perspective and height in the plane
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Motion after-effect
an illusion caused by paying more attention to movement in one direction and perceiving movement in the opposite direction immediately afterwards
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Optic chiasma
the cross-shape where some of the information from the left and right eye crosses over to pass into the opposite side of the brain
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Optic nerve
bundle of nerves that leads out from the retina at the back of the eye - it carries information from the rods and cones to the brain
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Perception
the way the brain makes sense of the visual image detected by the brain
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Perceptual set
the tendency to notice some things more than others which is caused by experience, context or expectations
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Proximity
objects which are close together are perceived to be related
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Range
a way to show how spread out a set of results is by looking at the biggest and smallest scores
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Reconstructive memory
recalled material is not just a 'copy' of what we see or hear - information is sorted and when it's remembered, it is 'rebuilt', so can be affected by extra information and by ideas (like schemas) we might already have
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Relative size
smaller objects are perceived as further away than larger ones
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Repeated measures design
the same participants are used in all the conditions in an experiment
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Repeated reproduction
a task where the participant is given a story or picture to remember and they then recall it several times after time delays - differences between each version are measured
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Retina
the light sensitive layer at the back of the eye, made up of nerve cells called rods and cones
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Right to withdraw
a participant's right to leave a study at any time and their ability to do so
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Rods
light-sensitive cells in the retina that respond even in dim light
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Schema
a framework of knowledge about an object, event or group of people that can affect our perception and help us to organise information and recall what we have seen
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Serial reproduction
a task where a piece of information is passed from one participant to the next in a chain or 'series' like Chinese Whispers - differences between each version are measured
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Size constancy
we perceive an object as the same size even when its distance from us changes
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Similarity
figures sharing shape, size or colour are grouped together with other things that look the same
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Stereopsis
a binocular depth cue where the greater the difference between the view seen by the left eye and the right eye, the closer the view is looking
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Superimposition
a partly hidden object must be further away than the object covering it
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Texture gradient
an area with a detailed pattern perceived to be nearer than one with less detail
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Visual illusion
a conflict between reality and what we perceive
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Visual cortex
the area at the back of the brain that interprets visual information
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Yonic
relating to something shaped like the *****
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

a graph with separate bars, usually used with a bar for each condition in an experiment

Back

Bar chart

Card 3

Front

information about distance that needs two eyes, for example stereopsis

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

the area of the retina where the optic nerve leaves - it has no rods or cones so cannot detect light

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

lines or shapes are perceived as complete figures even if parts are missing

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
View more cards

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