Deck 3: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

According to McBurney and Collings, the average threshold for human smell is one drop of perfume diffused through a ________ room apartment.

A) four
B) five
C) two
D) three

Answer 1

three

Question 2

According to McBurney and Collings, the average threshold for human taste is approximately 1 gram of table salt in ________ liters of water.

A) 500
B) 100
C) 300
D) 700

Answer 2

500

Question 3

________ is the brain's process of interpreting sensory information in order to give it meaning..

A) Perception
B) Consciousness
C) Abstraction
D) Sensation

Answer 3

Perception

Question 4

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Receptor cells react to any stimulus, regardless of the intensity.
B) The first step in the sequence of events that produces a sensation is the change of energy into electrochemical impulses.
C) The nervous system uses different types of energy to code different sensory experiences
D) All receptors have the ability to change the energy they receive into an electrochemical signal.

Question 5

________ is often considered the "dispensable" sense, the one we could most easily live without if necessary.

A) Touch
B) Hearing
C) Smell
D) Vision

Question 6

Which of the following statements is not true?

A) The first step in the sequence of events that produces a sensation is that some form of energy stimulates a receptor cell.
B) Once a coded signal has been created by a receptor it is transmitted without further coding to the brain where it is analyzed further.
C) The complex coded signals generated by sensory receptors change with corresponding changes in the stimulus.
D) All sensory receptors have the ability to change the energy they receive into an electrochemical impulse.

Question 7

A person is hit in the eye and "sees stars" for several seconds. This experience supports ________.

A) Hering's theory
B) Weber's Law
C) the doctrine of specific nerve energies
D) the volley principle

Question 8

According to McBurney and Collings, the average threshold for human vision is a candle flame seen from ________ mile(s) on a dark, clear night.

A) 30
B) 1
C) 15
D) 7.5

Question 9

The components in the sense organs that respond to one type of energy are ________.

A) receptor cells
B) effector cells
C) transducers
D) sensor cells

Question 10

The minimum intensity of physical stimulation required to produce any sensation at all in a person is the ________ threshold.

A) minimum
B) difference
C) noticeable
D) absolute

Question 11

A specialized cell that responds to a particular form of energy is a ________.

A) transponder cell
B) glial cell
C) feature detector
D) receptor cell

Question 12

According to McBurney and Collings, the average threshold for human hearing is the tick of a watch from ________ feet in very quiet conditions.

A) 80
B) 60
C) 40
D) 20

Question 13

The intensity at which the presence of a stimulus can be detected 50 percent of the time is called the ________.

A) difference threshold
B) just noticeable difference
C) absolute threshold
D) psychophysical threshold

Question 14

The one-to-one relationship between the specific nerve stimulated and the resulting type of sensory experience is referred to as ________.

A) the doctrine of specific nerve energies
B) the volley principle
C) the opponent-process principle
D) Weber's Law

Question 15

Sensation is the ________.

A) result of activity in the efferent nervous system
B) presence of sensory cell activity in the absence of external stimulation
C) organization of stimuli to create meaningful patterns
D) basic experience of stimulating the body's senses

Question 16

The conversion of sensory information into coded neural signals is called ________.

A) transduction
B) refraction
C) transfusion
D) transcendence

Question 17

Light energy stimulating neurons in the retina is an example of ________.

A) cognition
B) sensation
C) a reflex
D) perception

Question 18

When Ann went to her doctor, he gave her a hearing test. During the test, the doctor presented tones to Ann through earphones. The tones varied only along the loud-soft dimension (from very loud to very soft). The doctor asked Ann to raise her hand whenever she heard a sound. The doctor was testing Ann's ________.

A) difference threshold
B) refractory threshold
C) absolute threshold
D) auditory convergence

Question 19

A receptor cell ________.

A) will respond to energy of all intensities
B) is specialized to respond to one form of energy
C) can respond only to light energy
D) responds to all forms of energy

Question 20

A psychologist who asked you to make a series of judgments to determine whether or not a light was present in an unlit room would be trying to assess your ________ for perceiving light.

A) psychometric function
B) absolute threshold
C) response bias
D) just noticeable difference (jnd)

Question 21

When something occurs below our level of awareness, it is said to occur ________.

A) reflexively
B) intuitively
C) inductively
D) subliminally

Question 22

For humans, the ability to ________ is probably the most important sense.

A) hear
B) taste
C) smell
D) see

Question 23

A technique by which messages can supposedly be sent to consumers, prompting them to buy a product without their ever being aware of receiving such messages is ________.

A) subliminal perception
B) cognitive restructuring
C) inductive perception
D) selective perception

Question 24

The smallest amount of a change in taste we can detect is about ________ percent.

A) 5
B) 10
C) 20
D) 15

Question 25

A movie theater in New Jersey flashed subliminal messages during a movie to "Drink Coca Cola" and "Eat popcorn." After flashing these messages, popcorn and Coke sales ________.

A) did not change
B) actually decreased slightly
C) increased slightly
D) increased dramatically

Question 26

The principle that the just noticeable difference of any given sense is a constant fraction or proportion of the stimulus being judged is called ________.

A) the phi phenomenon
B) the doctrine of specific nerve energies
C) Weber's law
D) the opponent-process principle

Question 27

Laverne goes into a movie theater to watch her favorite movie. About halfway through the movie she becomes aware of an overpowering hunger for popcorn. What she doesn't realize is that throughout the first part of the movie, a message saying "Eat Popcorn!" was repeatedly flashed on the screen at a speed too fast for her to be consciously aware of it. If her desire for popcorn is due to that message, she is responding to ________.

A) selective perception
B) stroboscopic perception
C) subliminal perception
D) cognitive restructuring

Question 28

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Both the difference threshold and the absolute threshold are constant for all people at all times.
B) Only the difference threshold varies from person to person.
C) Only the absolute threshold is constant for all people.
D) Both the difference threshold and the absolute threshold vary from person to person over time.

Question 29

Independent scientific studies have found that outside the laboratory, subliminal messages have ________ effects on behavior.

A) no significant
B) significant long-term
C) only sporadic short-term
D) significant short-term

Question 30

Which of the following is not a measure of threshold?

A) difference threshold
B) absolute threshold
C) just noticeable difference
D) separation threshold

Question 31

The difference threshold is defined as the stimulus level at which a change in a sensory signal is detected ________ percent of the time.

A) 50
B) 100
C) 75
D) 25

Question 32

In a recent study of the effects of subliminal perception, when volunteers were given a tape labeled "Improve Memory" that really contained a subliminal message intended to boost self-esteem, ________ of them reported improvements in memory.

A) about-half
B) about two-thirds
C) about one-third
D) none

Question 33

The smallest change in stimulation that can be detected 50 percent of the time is called the ________ threshold.

A) difference
B) response
C) separation
D) absolute

Question 34

The process by which our senses adjust to varying levels of stimulation to allow them to operate as sensitively as possible without becoming overloaded is called ________.

A) transformation
B) adaptation
C) transduction
D) transmutation

Question 35

In a recent study of the effects of subliminal perception, when volunteers were given a tape labeled "Improve Memory," objective tests detected ________.

A) only slight, short-term improvements
B) no measurable change
C) dramatic long-term improvements
D) dramatic, but short-term improvements

Question 36

Your threshold for vision is higher on a sunny day than on a dark, moonless night. This is because of ________.

A) transduction
B) adaptation
C) perceptual constancy
D) transmutation

Question 37

The minimum stimulus intensity required for detection is the ________ whereas the smallest detectable difference between two stimuli that can be detected is the ________.

A) base value; just noticeable difference (jnd)
B) absolute threshold; difference threshold
C) detection standard; beta criterion
D) response criterion; sensory constant

Question 38

The term "just noticeable difference" is synonymous with ________ threshold.

A) absolute
B) difference
C) separation
D) response

Question 39

Which of the following is not true of subliminal perception?

A) In a laboratory setting, people can perceive stimuli that they cannot consciously describe.
B) Under controlled conditions, individuals can be affected by subliminal stimuli.
C) There is no independent scientific evidence that subliminal advertising has any appreciable effect.
D) Though in general subliminal advertising is not an effective technique for manipulation of people's behavior, many subliminal self-help audiotapes have been shown to be effective.

Question 40

The smallest amount of a change in something's weight that we can detect is about ________ percent.

A) 6
B) 4
C) 2
D) 8

Question 41

The depressed spot in the retina that occupies the center of the visual field in which images are focused most sharply is called the ________.

A) fovea
B) optic nerve
C) iris
D) cornea

Question 42

Which of the following is not true about cones?

A) They are less sensitive to light than rods.
B) They operate mainly in daylight.
C) They are responsible for our ability to distinguish fine details.
D) They respond mainly to black and white.

Question 43

Light first enters the eye through the ________.

A) retina
B) pupil
C) lens
D) cornea

Question 44

Rods and cones are found in the ________.

A) retina
B) cornea
C) iris
D) optic nerve

Question 45

There are two kinds of receptors found in the retina. They are ________.

A) rods and ganglion cells
B) bipolar cells and cones
C) rods and cones
D) ganglion and bipolar cells

Question 46

The colored part of the eye that contains muscles to contract or expand the pupil is the ________.

A) cornea
B) fovea
C) iris
D) lens

Question 47

The transparent protective coating over the front part of the eye is the ________.

A) fovea
B) iris
C) cornea
D) sclera

Question 48

What cells in the retina are primarily responsible for night vision as opposed to day vision?

A) bipolar cells
B) rods
C) vitreous humor
D) cones

Question 49

The amount of light entering the eye is controlled by the ________.

A) lens
B) retina
C) cornea
D) iris

Question 50

Light moves through the eye in the following sequence:

A) pupil, cornea, lens, retina
B) lens, cornea, pupil, retina
C) cornea, pupil, lens, retina
D) cornea, lens, pupil, retina

Question 51

The ________ contains the receptor cells responsible for vision.

A) optic nerve
B) lens
C) retina
D) optic chiasm

Question 52

Receptor cells in the retina responsible for night vision and the perception of brightness are ________.

A) rods
B) bipolar cells
C) cones
D) ganglion cells

Question 53

The rods and cones in the retina are ________.

A) receptor cells
B) effectors
C) bipolar cells
D) ganglion cells

Question 54

The inner lining on the back of the eyeball containing receptor cells that are sensitive to light is called the ________.

A) retina
B) fovea
C) optic nerve
D) iris

Question 55

A young man enters a completely darkened room and lights a candle. Which of the following sequences best represents the path of the candle's light as it enters his eye?

A) pupil, cornea, lens, retina
B) lens, cornea, pupil, retina
C) cornea, pupil, lens, retina
D) retina, pupil, lens, cornea

Question 56

Receptor cells in the retina responsible for color vision are ________.

A) bipolar cells
B) ganglion cells
C) cones
D) rods

Question 57

Which of the following cells does your eye contain the most of?

A) parvocellular cells
B) magnocellular cells
C) cones
D) rods

Question 58

Vision in good illumination is primarily provided by ________.

A) the cornea
B) the periphery of the retina
C) rods
D) cones

Question 59

The transparent part of the eye inside the pupil that focuses light onto the retina is the ________.

A) cornea
B) fovea
C) iris
D) lens

Question 60

The pupil is the ________.

A) lining in the back of the eyeball
B) white of the eye
C) colored part of the eye
D) opening in the center of the iris

Question 61

Regarding the way rods and cones operate, ________.

A) both cones and rods tend to pool their signals on their way to bipolar cells
B) rods, but not cones, tend to pool their signals on their way to bipolar cells
C) cones, but not rods, tend to pool their signals on their way to bipolar cells
D) neither rods nor cones pool their signals on the way to bipolar cells

Question 62

Which of the following is not true of the fovea?

A) It contains a high density of both rods and cones.
B) It is a depressed spot on the retina, directly behind the lens.
C) It is the part of the eye most sensitive to colors.
D) Vision is sharpest when the image falls directly on it.

Question 63

Which of the following is true about cones?

A) They are more sensitive to light than rods.
B) They respond only to black and white.
C) They are found mainly in the fovea.
D) They operate mainly at night.

Question 64

The fovea is made up of ________.

A) mostly rods with some cones
B) all rods and no cones
C) all cones and no rods
D) mostly cones with some rods

Question 65

Rods and cones are connected to ________.

A) optic cells
B) efferent cells
C) interneurons
D) bipolar cells

Question 66

Rods are found ________ the fovea.

A) mostly in
B) exclusively in
C) mostly outside
D) exclusively outside

Question 67

Outside the fovea, visual acuity drops by as much as ________ percent.

A) 70
B) 90
C) 30
D) 50

Question 68

Neurons in the eye that have only one axon and one dendrite and connect neurons from the retina to the ganglion cells are ________.

A) rods
B) bipolar cells
C) cones
D) transducers

Question 69

Which of the following phenomena is a function of the distribution of the rods and cones in the retina?

A) Stars can be seen only with difficulty during the daytime.
B) A dim star may disappear when you look directly at it but reappear when you look to one side of it.
C) The light from distant stars moving rapidly away from us is shifted toward the red end of the spectrum.
D) The moon looks much larger near the horizon than it looks when it is higher in the sky.

Question 70

Cones are found ________ the fovea.

A) exclusively in
B) exclusively outside
C) mainly in
D) mainly outside

Question 71

Which of the following is true of rods?

A) They are found mainly in the fovea.
B) They respond to color.
C) They operate mainly in the daytime.
D) They are responsible for night vision.

Question 72

Elrod is sitting at home trying to read maps for his upcoming vacation. He has difficulty making out the details of the map in the light of the 60-watt ceiling lamp. To improve his ability to see the fine details of the map, he should ________.

A) hold the map farther away than he normally would, as visual acuity in dim light improves as objects get farther away
B) look slightly off to the side when reading his maps, as visual acuity in dim light improves when the light falls outside the fovea
C) blink a lot, because frequent blinking improves visual acuity
D) turn on a brighter light, because visual acuity tends to improve as the amount of light increases toward daytime levels

Question 73

It is difficult to distinguish between colors at night because ________.

A) we are seeing primarily with the rods
B) we are seeing primarily with the cones
C) rods do not adapt to the dark
D) we are seeing mostly with the fovea

Question 74

What structure in the retina is primarily responsible for night vision as opposed to day vision?

A) rods
B) vitreous humor
C) cones
D) bipolar cells

Question 75

Sally walks into a dark room and notices that she can see specific objects in the room better if she looks slightly to one side of the object rather than directly at it. This is because by looking off to the side, the light falls ________.

A) on the fovea, which is loaded with light-sensitive cones
B) next to the fovea and onto light-sensitive cones
C) next to the fovea and onto light-sensitive rods
D) on the fovea, which is loaded with light-sensitive rods

Question 76

The ability of the eye to distinguish fine details is called ________.

A) visual dilation
B) adaptation
C) visual acuity
D) visual sensitivity

Question 77

In the dark, the fovea is ________.

A) much more effective than it is in daylight
B) as effective as it is in daylight
C) almost useless
D) about as effective as retinal cells outside the fovea

Question 78

The different energies represented in the electromagnetic spectrum are called ________.

A) wavelengths
B) amplitudes
C) harmonics
D) decibels

Question 79

Each retina of the eye has about ________ million rods and cones.

A) 1
B) 128
C) 28
D) 78

Question 80

When John drives his car at night, he finds that he can barely see traffic and street signs if he looks directly at them. He can increase his visual sensitivity by looking at the signs ________.

A) out of the side of his eye (using more rods) instead of focusing directly on them (using more cones)
B) and squinting, which focuses the available light more precisely
C) out of the side of his eye, because doing so focuses the image on the blind spot
D) out of the side of his eye (using more cones) instead of focusing directly on them (using more rods)