๐Ÿง ap psychology review

Constancy

Written by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโ€ขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025

Definition

Constancy refers to the tendency of our perception to remain unchanged even when the stimuli changes. Size constancy is perceiving objects as having a constant size, even while our distance from them varies. Shape constancy is understanding that an object's shape remains the same despite changes in its perceived shape due to rotation or other factors. Brightness constancy means we perceive an object as having a constant brightness even if its illumination changes.

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