Exam 1: Introduction to Perception

Some people with impaired vision experience realistic and complex visual hallucinations. This phenomenon is called

What did the philosopher Thomas Nagel conclude about what it would be like to be a bat?

If you were professionally involved in specifying the relationship between physical events and perceptual ones, you'd be working in the area of

A person who adjusts a light so that it is equal in brightness to the loudness of a sound is using

The phenomenon in which contours are seen even though they are not physically present is called

The approach that emphasizes the use of one's conscious experiences as evidence is a(n)

In 1890 William James wrote: "Whilst part of what we perceive comes through our senses from the object before us, another part . . . always comes out of our own head." Using at least four different examples drawn from class and the text, support James' statement.

Our senses are capable of directly detecting

What exactly is constancy behavior? Define constancy behavior in terms of the proximal and distal stimuli. How would your daily life be altered if you were suddenly to lose constancy behavior? Give a physiological explanation of how one particular constancy, lightness constancy, might be achieved.

According to Rene Descartes, perception requires consideration of the physical brain as well as some nonphysical substance. This approach is referred to as

For centuries, people have argued about the relative importance of nature and nurture. Give five specific examples in the study of perception that bear on the issue of the role of environment versus heredity in determining our perceptual abilities. Your answer should draw on work from at least two modalities.

The individual associated with postulating the doctrine of specific nerve energies is

The power, or exponent, in the power law is greatest for perception of which of the following?

The focus of the textbook is to consider perception as a function of

The minimum intensity at which a stimulus can just be detected is termed the

The Gestalt principles of perceptual organization generalizes across modalities. Select two Gestalt principles and give examples of their operation in hearing, taste or smell, and vision.

What is a lesion, and what can it tell us about perception?

Gibson stressed that perception is an active process. Support his assertion by giving examples of the active nature of perception in the case of vision, hearing, and touch.

In comparing near and far senses, it is generally the case that

Which of the following is NOT a psychological approach to the study of perception?