Unit 2 - Lesson 1
AP Psychology Lesson: Perception: Making Sense of the World
Unit: Cognition | Lesson: 1 of 6 | Topic: Perception: Making Sense of the World
AP Exam Weighting: 15%–25% of exam score
Instructions: Complete this lesson during class by filling in the blanks and answering questions. All information needed is provided or will be researched in class. This lesson prepares you for the AP Psychology exam by exploring how perception influences behavior, a key concept in cognition. Use the provided spaces to write your answers clearly, focusing on applying concepts critically.
Warm-Up
Purpose: Get you thinking about how perception shapes behavior.
Questions:
- How does your perception of a song change if you hear it in a different context (e.g., happy vs. sad mood)?
- Why might two people describe the same event differently?
Your Answers: Write a short response (1–2 sentences) for each question.
Key Concepts
Instructions: Read the information below and answer the questions to learn core AP concepts. For definitions, write them in your own words based on the content or look up a different definition if directed by your teacher (e.g., via apa.org or Google Scholar).
Content: Perception is the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information to understand the environment, distinct from sensation (detecting raw stimuli). Top-down processing uses prior knowledge to interpret stimuli (e.g., recognizing a friend’s face based on memory), while bottom-up processing builds perception from sensory input (e.g., identifying an unfamiliar object). Gestalt principles (e.g., figure-ground, closure) explain how we organize visual stimuli into meaningful patterns. Perceptual constancy allows us to perceive objects as stable despite changes (e.g., a door looks rectangular even when angled). Example: Seeing a red apple in dim light relies on color constancy. Depth perception uses cues like binocular disparity to judge distance, affecting behaviors like catching a ball. Perceptual errors, like illusions, show how perception can mislead (e.g., misjudging a road’s slope). Cultural and emotional factors shape perception (e.g., cultural norms affect how we interpret facial expressions).
- Define perception in your own words: _______________________________
- Define top-down processing in your own words: _______________________________
- Define Gestalt principles in your own words: _______________________________
- Explain how depth perception influences a behavior, using a specific example:
- Explain how perceptual constancy influences a behavior, using a different example:
- How do Gestalt principles help us make sense of complex environments?
- Why might cultural background affect someone’s perception of an event?
- How could a perceptual illusion impact decision-making in a real-world scenario?
Guided Activity
Instructions: Work in pairs to complete the two tasks below. Write your answers and be prepared to share one key point from each task with the class.
Task 1: Scenario Analysis: Scenario: A student misjudges the distance to a whiteboard and trips while walking to it. Analyze how depth perception and Gestalt principles contribute to this behavior. For example, consider how binocular cues or figure-ground organization might have failed.
Your Response for Task 1: Explain the role of each concept in the behavior.
Class Share for Task 1: Note one point you’ll share.
Task 2: Case Application: Imagine a driver who mistakes a shadow for a pedestrian due to an optical illusion. Apply the concepts of top-down processing, bottom-up processing, and perceptual constancy to explain their error. For example, evaluate how prior expectations or lighting affected their perception.
Your Response for Task 2: Apply the concepts to explain the driver’s error.
Class Share for Task 2: Note one point you’ll share.
Class Assignment – Refer to this unit’s assignment to complete it.
Instructions: Read the study summaries below and answer the questions. If directed by your teacher, use a classroom device to find a related study (e.g., via apa.org or Google Scholar) to deepen your analysis.
Study Summary 1: A 2017 study found that people from collectivist cultures were more likely to focus on background elements in visual scenes (holistic perception) than those from individualist cultures, who focused on foreground objects.
Question 1: How does this study demonstrate the role of culture in perception, and what might explain these differences?
Study Summary 2: A 2019 study showed that emotional states, like anxiety, increased susceptibility to visual illusions, affecting decision-making accuracy.
Question 2: Evaluate how this study illustrates the interaction of emotion and perception, and suggest one limitation of its findings.
AP Exam Connection: This practices analyzing and evaluating research, a key skill for FRQs.
AP Exam Practice
Instructions: Answer the question below. We’ll review answers as a class to learn exam strategies.
Free-Response Question (FRQ):
Explain how perception, top-down processing, and Gestalt principles interact to influence a specific behavior (e.g., decision-making, navigation, or social interaction). Provide one example for each factor (perception, top-down processing, Gestalt principles) and analyze how they interact to shape the behavior.
Closure
Instructions: Write a brief summary (2–3 sentences) of two key ideas you learned today about how perception influences behavior.
Extended Practice
Instructions: Complete the tasks below based on today’s lesson to reinforce AP skills.
- Review your answers from this lesson.
- Write a detailed paragraph (5–7 sentences) applying today’s topic to a real-life behavior (e.g., how perception affects your reaction to a movie or social situation). Include references to perception, top-down processing, and Gestalt principles, and explain their interaction.
- Find a short article or study on perception and behavior (e.g., via apa.org) and write 2–3 sentences summarizing its relevance to today’s lesson. Cite the source (e.g., website or article title).