Question 1

The difference threshold is the

Accepted Answer

A)  minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. 
B)  minimum amount of stimulation a person needs to detect a stimulus 50 percent of the time. 
C)  principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage for their difference to be perceived. 
D)  process by which stimulus energies are changed into neural impulses. 
A)  minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. 
B)  minimum amount of stimulation a person needs to detect a stimulus 50 percent of the time. 
C)  principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage for their difference to be perceived. 
D)  process by which stimulus energies are changed into neural impulses. A

Question 2

The principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage for their difference to be perceived is known as

Accepted Answer

A)  prosopagnosia. 
B)  Weber's law. 
C)  signal detection. 
D)  sensory adaptation. 
A)  prosopagnosia. 
B)  Weber's law. 
C)  signal detection. 
D)  sensory adaptation. B

Question 3

Three steps that are basic to all sensory systems include the ________ of information to the brain.

Accepted Answer

A)  adaptation,context,and set 
B)  receiving,transforming,and delivering 
C)  priming,grouping,and masking 
D)  signal detection,transduction,and sensory adaptation 
A)  adaptation,context,and set 
B)  receiving,transforming,and delivering 
C)  priming,grouping,and masking 
D)  signal detection,transduction,and sensory adaptation B

Question 4

A psychophysicist would be most directly concerned with

Accepted Answer

A)  our psychological reactions to physical stress. 
B)  the effects of heredity on the endocrine system. 
C)  the effect of neurotransmitters on depression. 
D)  the relationship between the wavelength of light and the experience of color. 
A)  our psychological reactions to physical stress. 
B)  the effects of heredity on the endocrine system. 
C)  the effect of neurotransmitters on depression. 
D)  the relationship between the wavelength of light and the experience of color.

Question 5

Subliminally presented stimuli

Accepted Answer

A)  can sometimes be consciously perceived. 
B)  effectively influence purchases of consumer goods. 
C)  increase our absolute thresholds for visual images. 
D)  are usually mentally processed as completely as any other stimuli. 
A)  can sometimes be consciously perceived. 
B)  effectively influence purchases of consumer goods. 
C)  increase our absolute thresholds for visual images. 
D)  are usually mentally processed as completely as any other stimuli.

Question 6

Stimuli below the absolute threshold are said to be

Accepted Answer

A)  adaptive. 
B)  primed. 
C)  subliminal. 
D)  transduced. 
A)  adaptive. 
B)  primed. 
C)  subliminal. 
D)  transduced.

Question 7

When Rick learned that many students had received a failing grade on the midterm exam,he was no longer disappointed by his C grade.His experience best illustrates the importance of

Accepted Answer

A)  sensory adaptation. 
B)  subliminal sensation. 
C)  context effects. 
D)  masking stimuli. 
A)  sensory adaptation. 
B)  subliminal sensation. 
C)  context effects. 
D)  masking stimuli.

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of sensory adaptation?

Accepted Answer

A)  enjoying a painting more the longer you study it 
B)  responding vigorously every time a fire alarm is sounded 
C)  not realizing how cold it is after you have been outdoors for a while in winter 
D)  relying heavily on your hearing when you wear a blindfold 
A)  enjoying a painting more the longer you study it 
B)  responding vigorously every time a fire alarm is sounded 
C)  not realizing how cold it is after you have been outdoors for a while in winter 
D)  relying heavily on your hearing when you wear a blindfold

Question 9

Jane is talking to her friend Samantha.Jane uses her ________ to detect information about her environment.

Accepted Answer

A)  sensory receptors 
B)  bottom-up processing 
C)  top-down processing 
D)  transduction 
A)  sensory receptors 
B)  bottom-up processing 
C)  top-down processing 
D)  transduction

Question 10

Pain receptors trigger neural impulses in response to a sprain or a burn.This illustrates

Accepted Answer

A)  priming. 
B)  transduction. 
C)  subliminal stimulation. 
D)  sensory adaptation. 
A)  priming. 
B)  transduction. 
C)  subliminal stimulation. 
D)  sensory adaptation.

Question 11

Recognizing an odor as the familiar smell of apple blossoms is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  perception. 
B)  prosopagnosia. 
C)  sensory adaptation. 
D)  subliminal stimulation. 
A)  perception. 
B)  prosopagnosia. 
C)  sensory adaptation. 
D)  subliminal stimulation.

Question 12

Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors is called

Accepted Answer

A)  subliminal sensation. 
B)  sensory adaptation. 
C)  bottom-up processing. 
D)  priming. 
A)  subliminal sensation. 
B)  sensory adaptation. 
C)  bottom-up processing. 
D)  priming.

Question 13

According to Weber's law,to be perceived as different,two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum

Accepted Answer

A)  shape. 
B)  distance. 
C)  intensity. 
D)  percentage. 
A)  shape. 
B)  distance. 
C)  intensity. 
D)  percentage.

Question 14

The fact that fear may increase your sensitivity to an almost imperceptible pain stimulus is of most relevance to

Accepted Answer

A)  bottom-up processing. 
B)  subliminal stimulation. 
C)  top-down processing. 
D)  signal detection theory. 
A)  bottom-up processing. 
B)  subliminal stimulation. 
C)  top-down processing. 
D)  signal detection theory.

Question 15

Sensory receptors are

Accepted Answer

A)  mechanisms that convert one form of energy to another. 
B)  the minimum stimulation necessary to detect a particular sense. 
C)  sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli. 
D)  neural information transferred to the brain. 
A)  mechanisms that convert one form of energy to another. 
B)  the minimum stimulation necessary to detect a particular sense. 
C)  sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli. 
D)  neural information transferred to the brain.

Question 16

Which of the following represents the first of three steps basic to all sensory systems?

Accepted Answer

A)  forming perceptual sets 
B)  delivering neural information to the brain 
C)  receiving sensory stimulation 
D)  transforming stimulus energies into neural impulses 
A)  forming perceptual sets 
B)  delivering neural information to the brain 
C)  receiving sensory stimulation 
D)  transforming stimulus energies into neural impulses

Question 17

The difference threshold is the minimum difference a person can detect between any two stimuli

Accepted Answer

A)  reliably on any occasion. 
B)  50 percent of the time. 
C)  following sensory adaptation. 
D)  after being primed. 
A)  reliably on any occasion. 
B)  50 percent of the time. 
C)  following sensory adaptation. 
D)  after being primed.

Question 18

A soldier who fearfully serves sentry duty in a dangerous war zone is more likely to hear very faint sounds than he or she ordinarily would.This best illustrates that one's psychological state has an impact on

Accepted Answer

A)  sensory adaptation. 
B)  absolute thresholds. 
C)  subliminal persuasion. 
D)  prosopagnosia. 
A)  sensory adaptation. 
B)  absolute thresholds. 
C)  subliminal persuasion. 
D)  prosopagnosia.

Question 19

After reading her horoscope in the morning newspaper,Sabrina readily interpreted many experiences that day as clear verifications of its accuracy.This best illustrates the dangers of

Accepted Answer

A)  perceptual set. 
B)  sensory adaptation. 
C)  signal detection. 
D)  transduction. 
A)  perceptual set. 
B)  sensory adaptation. 
C)  signal detection. 
D)  transduction.

Question 20

Some participants in a subliminal persuasion experiment thought that they were receiving subliminal affirmations of their self-esteem when in reality they were receiving subliminal memory-enhancement instructions.These individuals subsequently demonstrated

Accepted Answer

A)  an actual improvement in their memory. 
B)  an erroneous belief that their memory had improved. 
C)  an actual enhancement in self-esteem. 
D)  an erroneous belief that their self-esteem had improved. 
A)  an actual improvement in their memory. 
B)  an erroneous belief that their memory had improved. 
C)  an actual enhancement in self-esteem. 
D)  an erroneous belief that their self-esteem had improved.

Exam 17: Perceptual Interpretation

The difference threshold is the

The principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage for their difference to be perceived is known as

Three steps that are basic to all sensory systems include the ________ of information to the brain.

A psychophysicist would be most directly concerned with

Subliminally presented stimuli

Stimuli below the absolute threshold are said to be

When Rick learned that many students had received a failing grade on the midterm exam,he was no longer disappointed by his C grade.His experience best illustrates the importance of

Which of the following is an example of sensory adaptation?

Jane is talking to her friend Samantha.Jane uses her ________ to detect information about her environment.

Pain receptors trigger neural impulses in response to a sprain or a burn.This illustrates

Recognizing an odor as the familiar smell of apple blossoms is an example of

Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors is called

According to Weber's law,to be perceived as different,two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum

The fact that fear may increase your sensitivity to an almost imperceptible pain stimulus is of most relevance to

Sensory receptors are

Which of the following represents the first of three steps basic to all sensory systems?

The difference threshold is the minimum difference a person can detect between any two stimuli

A soldier who fearfully serves sentry duty in a dangerous war zone is more likely to hear very faint sounds than he or she ordinarily would.This best illustrates that one's psychological state has an impact on

After reading her horoscope in the morning newspaper,Sabrina readily interpreted many experiences that day as clear verifications of its accuracy.This best illustrates the dangers of

Some participants in a subliminal persuasion experiment thought that they were receiving subliminal affirmations of their self-esteem when in reality they were receiving subliminal memory-enhancement instructions.These individuals subsequently demonstrated

The History and Scope of Psychology

Thinking Critically with Psychological Science

Research Strategies: How Psychologists Ask and Answer Questions

Neural and Hormonal Systems

The Brain

Behavior Genetics and Evolutionary Psychology

Environmental Influences on Behavior, and Reflections on Nature and Nurture

Prenatal Development and the Newborn

Infancy and Childhood

Adolescence

Adulthood, and Reflections on Developmental Issues

Introduction to Sensation and Perception

Vision

Hearing

Other Senses

Perceptual Organization

Waking and Sleeping Rhythms

Hypnosis

Drugs and Consciousness

Classical Conditioning

Operant Conditioning

Learning by Observation

Introduction to Memory

Encoding: Getting Information In

Storage: Retaining Information

Retrieval: Getting Information Out

Forgetting, Memory Construction, and Applying Memory Principles to Your Own Education

Thinking

Language and Thought

Introduction to Intelligence

Assessing Intelligence

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence

Introduction to Motivation

Hunger

Sexual Motivation and the Need to Belong

Motivation at Work

Introduction to Emotion

Experienced Emotion

Expressed Emotion

Stress and Illness

Coping With Stress

Modifying Illness-Related Behaviors

Psychoanalytic Perspective

Humanistic Perspective

Contemporary Research on Personality

Introduction to Psychological Disorders

Anxiety Disorders

Dissociative and Personality Disorders

Mood Disorders

Schizophrenia

The Psychological Therapies

Evaluating Psychotherapies

The Biomedical Therapies

Social Thinking

Appendix

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