Deck 4: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

Sally is a ballet dancer. Although she often practices with her eyes closed, she is always aware of exactly where her arms and legs are and how her knees and elbows are bent. This is an example of which bodily sense?

A) Nociception
B) Gustation
C) Haptics
D) Kinesthesis

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following statements is correct regarding the trichromatic and opponent-process theories of color vision?

A) Research suggests that the trichromatic theory is incorrect.
B) Research suggests that the opponent-process theory is incorrect.
C) Both theories are correct; they simply describe color processing at different steps in the visual system.
D) Researchers are still uncertain about which of the two theories is correct.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

When Bethany steps on her digital scale, a mechanism in it measures the physical pressure pushing down on the scale and converts it into an electrical signal that can be read by the scale. The converting of the physical pressure on the scale caused by Bethany's weight into an electrical signal is similar to the process of ____________.

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

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following depth cues requires two eyes?

A) Motion parallax
B) Retinal disparity
C) Linear perspective
D) Relative size

Question 5

The conversion of external energy into something that the nervous system can understand is known as _____________.

A) accommodation
B) perception
C) sensation
D) transduction

Question 6

Which of the following requires the greatest amount of cognitive processing?

A) Transduction
B) Sensation
C) Perception
D) Sensory adaptation

Question 7

After eating grape lollipops, you and a friend notice your tongues have turned blue. With the change in color, it is easy to notice that there are many more papillae on your friend's tongue. Who is more likely to be a supertaster?

A) You are, because you have fewer, and therefore more distinct, papillae.
B) Your friend is, because she has many more papillae to taste with.
C) You are, because less dye stuck to your tongue allowing you taste more.
D) It could be either of you because super tasting is unrelated to the number of papillae.

Question 8

The organization and interpretation of olfactory information is one example of ____________.

A) accommodation
B) perception
C) sensation
D) transduction

Question 9

Which of the following is not considered a monocular depth cue?

A) Interposition
B) Pictorial cues
C) Convergence
D) Motion parallax

Question 10

The ______ in the thalamus is where the optic nerves from the left and right eyes converge.

A) fovea
B) optic chiasm
C) lateral geniculate nucleus
D) retina

Question 11

Neurons cannot fire fast enough to keep up with high-pitched sound waves. Therefore, they alternate firing according to the ______.

A) place theory
B) frequency theory
C) volley principle
D) switch theory

Question 12

The place theory of hearing states that:

A) the place or location from which a sound is coming is identified based on the difference in intensity between the two ears.
B) the location along the basilar membrane that is stimulated by sound determines how we perceive the sound's pitch.
C) the same frequency sound will have a different sound depending on the location of the sound source relative to the head.
D) the primary auditory cortex is located in the same place in all human brains.

Question 13

When Keith had to give a presentation to the entire class, his classmate Daniel decided to wear a large fake mustache to make Keith laugh. To Daniel's disappointment, when Keith gave his presentation, he seemed completely unaffected, despite looking at Daniel several times. Afterward, Keith said that he was so focused on the presentation that he didn't even notice the mustache! This scenario is an example of

A) inattentional blindness.
B) a blind spot.
C) top-down processing.
D) sensory adaptation.

Question 14

"Sensation is to _______ as perception is to _______."

A) psychological; physical
B) gathering; understanding
C) understanding; gathering
D) interpreting; detecting

Question 15

Cochlear implants are electronic hearing devices that can "replace" which part of the auditory system when it is damaged?

A) The pinna
B) The eardrum
C) The hair cells
D) The ossicles

Question 16

___________ hearing loss results from damage to the cochlear hair cells and the neurons making up the auditory nerve.

A) Temporary
B) Conduction
C) Sensorineural
D) Puncturing

Question 17

__________ involves the detection of energy by sense organs, whereas __________ involves interpreting sensory inputs.

A) Perception; sensation
B) Adaptation; perception
C) Sensation; perception
D) Sensation; adaptation

Question 18

The ability to detect external events through our sensory systems is known as ______________.

A) accommodation
B) perception
C) sensation
D) sensory adaptation

Question 19

At which structure does the transduction of light into a neural signal occur in the visual system?

A) Retina
B) Cornea
C) LGN
D) Lens

Question 20

Which gestalt principle refers to the perceptual rule that lines and other objects tend to be continuous, rather than abruptly changing directions?

A) Figure-ground
B) Continuity
C) Proximity and similarity
D) Psychophysics

Question 21

A single eyelash lands on Neil's hand, but because the pressure is __________________, he does not notice it.

A) above the difference threshold
B) below the difference threshold
C) above the absolute threshold.
D) below the absolute threshold.

Question 22

Which saying captures the principle emphasized by the Gestalt psychologists?

A) The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
B) Perception is based more on what we do not see than on what we do see.
C) Perception is part sensory experience, and part judgment.
D) No two people will perceive a stimulus in the exact same way.

Question 23

Keegan notices that his favorite 55-cent candy bar seems lighter than usual and so he checks the label to find that it is lighter by ½ ounce. He decides to buy a larger candy bar instead and doesn't notice that the 99-cent candy bar is also ½ ounce lighter. Keegan's behavior illustrates the fact that:

A) the just noticeable difference is not a reliable measure of psychophysiological judgment.
B) sensory adaptation may occur in the short time between holding one candy bar and then the other.
C) difference thresholds are unpredictable because sometimes he can and sometimes he can't detect a ½ ounce change.
D) the larger a weight is, the greater the change must be before one can detect a difference.

Question 24

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 dimensions (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) auditory convergence
B) refractory threshold
C) absolute threshold
D) difference threshold

Question 25

The difference threshold is:

A) the minimum amount of energy, or quantity of a stimulus required for it to be reliably detected at least 50% of the time it is presented.
B) the smallest difference in stimulation that can be detected by an observer when two stimuli are compared.
C) the difference in absolute thresholds between individuals with normal sensory abilities and those who have limitations in one or more senses.
D) the smallest amount of stimulation that can be detected after sensory adaptation.

Question 26

In a signal detection task, the participant says that she doesn't detect a signal but a signal was present. This is called a _____________.

A) hit
B) false alarm
C) miss
D) correct rejection

Question 27

When she walks into her mother's kitchen, Amelia doesn't know how long she will be able to stay in the room because of the overpowering smell of onions. But when her sister comes home an hour later and complains about the smell, Amelia realizes that she no longer smells the onions at all. This is an example of ________________.

A) sensory adaptation
B) just noticeable difference
C) a correct rejection
D) a false alarm

Question 28

According to your textbook, subliminal advertising:

A) is a form of "mind control."
B) can lead people to purchase items they otherwise would not.
C) at most can have only a very temporary effect on thought.
D) are pointless, because humans are not affected by subliminal stimuli.

Question 29

Which psychological school first identified that visual perception occurs in terms of whole objects rather than individual component parts?

A) Behaviorism
B) Gestalt
C) Humanistic
D) Psychoanalytic

Question 30

The processing of sensory information that occurs below the level of conscious awareness is called ____________.

A) selective attention
B) top-down processing
C) subliminal perception
D) bottom-up processing.

Question 31

Miley is concerned that advertisers are using subliminal messages to make her buy their products. Based on the information in your textbook, what should you tell her?

A) "You're right, subliminal messages are very powerful."
B) "It's unclear; almost no research has been done on subliminal perception."
C) "Don't worry; people cannot perceive subliminal stimuli at all."
D) "There is little evidence that subliminal messages can be used to persuade people to do anything."

Question 32

In a signal detection task, the participant says that he detects a signal and a signal was present. This is called a ____________.

A) hit
B) false alarm
C) miss
D) correct rejection

Question 33

In a signal detection task, the participant says that he detects a signal when no signal is present. This is called a __________.

A) hit
B) false alarm
C) miss
D) correct rejection

Question 34

One reason sensory adaptation can be beneficial is that it allows us to:

A) ignore continuous stimuli and shift our focus and attention to other events.
B) detect visual stimuli outside of the normal visual spectrum.
C) locate the source of sounds in the environment.
D) convert physical and chemical stimuli into nerve impulses.

Question 35

The lowest level of a stimulus needed for the nervous system to detect a change half the time is called the ___________.

A) difference threshold
B) just noticeable difference
C) sensory adaptation
D) absolute threshold

Question 36

According to the ________________ principle, when we look at an image, we tend to perceive some parts as standing out and other parts as being part of the background.

A) figure-ground
B) closure
C) proximity
D) continutiy

Question 37

___________ was developed to isolate separate measures of sensory experience and the decision process of the person being tested.

A) The absolute threshold
B) The difference threshold
C) Signal detection theory
D) Psychophysics

Question 38

The study of how physical energy such as light and sound and their intensities relate to psychological experience is called _________________.

A) psychophysics
B) Gestalt psychology
C) signal detection theory
D) haptics

Question 39

When first exposed to a stimulus, our sensory receptors tend to respond strongly. However, if the stimulus remains unchanged, the activity of the receptors tends to decrease. This process is called ________________.

A) selective attention
B) top-down processing
C) sensory adaptation
D) transduction

Question 40

As we listen to music on the radio or on our iPods we often are more aware of the arrangement of tones into melodies rather than just focusing on the individual notes. This auditory perception is compatible with the principles established by _____________.

A) behavioral psychologists
B) Gestalt psychologists
C) humanistic psychologists
D) psychodynamic psychologists

Question 41

In __________ processing, we construct a whole stimulus from its parts.

A) parallel
B) bottom-up
C) perceptual set
D) top-down

Question 42

Visible light with a long wavelength and a low amplitude would be perceived as ______________.

A) reddish and dim
B) bluish and dim
C) reddish and bright
D) bluish and bright

Question 43

Which of the following accurately describes how we perceive and interpret the visual world?

A) We always start with small details and use them to build a recognizable whole.
B) We always start with our expectations of what we are looking at, which guides how we will perceive it.
C) Perception involves neither top-down nor bottom-up processing.
D) Perception is a combination of both top-down and bottom-up processing.

Question 44

Visible light with a short wavelength and a high amplitude would be perceived as _____________.

A) reddish and dim
B) bluish and dim
C) reddish and bright
D) bluish and bright

Question 45

As she watches her granddaughter's dance recital, Patty perceives two separate groups of dancers. Her granddaughter's group wears bright turquoise costumes with gold accents and the other group wears bright gold costumes with turquoise accents. Patty perceives the girls as belonging to two different groups due to the Gestalt principle of ____________.

A) proximity
B) continuity
C) similarity
D) closure

Question 46

Elements that share common features such as size, shape, or color are viewed as a set. This defines which Gestalt law of organization?

A) figure-ground
B) similarity
C) proximity
D) closure

Question 47

______________ refers to the perceptual rule that lines and other objects tend to be continuous, rather than abruptly changing direction.

A) Figure-ground
B) Continuity
C) Proximity
D) Closure

Question 48

Two or more objects that are close together are viewed as belonging to the same a set. This defines which Gestalt law of organization?

A) figure-ground
B) similarity
C) proximity
D) closure

Question 49

__________ processing is conceptually driven and influenced by our beliefs and expectations.

A) Bottom-up
B) Parallel
C) Top-down
D) Sensory

Question 50

Which of the following is true about multitasking?

A) The brain is not designed for multitasking.
B) The brain is designed to effectively do more than one cognitive task at a time, provided the two tasks can be processed by the same brain structure.
C) The brain is designed to effectively do more than one cognitive task at a time, provided the two tasks can be processed by different brain structures.
D) Compared to low multitaskers, people who like to multi-task have brains which make them more efficient at it.

Question 51

Clay has played professional soccer for seven years and is easily able to tune out the sound of the crowd and all other irrelevant sensory information during the game. Bruce is a rookie and is often distracted by what his opponents are saying and the mood of the crowd. Clay and Bruce are showing differing levels of ______________.

A) absolute thresholds.
B) parallel processing
C) selective attention
D) top-down processing

Question 52

Failure to consciously perceive something you are looking at because your attention is directed elsewhere is called ___________.

A) sensory overload
B) selective attention
C) inattentional blindness
D) divided attention

Question 53

Light, a central player in our visual perception of the world, is a form of _____________.

A) chemical energy
B) mechanical energy
C) vibration
D) electromagnetic energy

Question 54

Gina likes to use multiple forms of media at the same time. For example, she often watches TV while working on her computer or texting. Lilly prefers to focus on one task at a time. In class one day, the teacher gives both girls an assignment that requires concentration and switching from one task to another several times. Based on the research on multitasking discussed in your textbook, who is most likely to do a good job on the assignment?

A) Lilly
B) Gina
C) Both girls should do equally well.
D) It depends on whether the task involved memorization or not.

Question 55

Lidia visits an art exhibit of abstract paintings. One painting is composed of seemingly random lines and shapes. However, because Lidia knows the painting is supposed to be a portrait, she perceives the various lines and shapes as forming a face. Which type of perceptual processing is Lidia most likely using?

A) Top-down
B) Parallel
C) Bottom-up
D) Sensory

Question 56

During a break from his job as a waiter, Barnardo begins to read Hamlet and is so engrossed in the play that he fails to notice the clattering of dishes all around him. This is an example of _______________.

A) feature detection
B) absolute threshold
C) bottom-up processing
D) selective attention

Question 57

The process of selecting one stimulus or task to focus on and ignoring or minimizing others is called ____________.

A) selective perception
B) selective attention
C) perceptual set
D) selective processing

Question 58

Freddy is looking for his girlfriend in a large crowd of people. Because he is so focused on finding her, he fails to notice when a man in a clown costume walks right up next to him. This is an example of ______________.

A) a feature detection failure
B) sensory overload
C) sensory adaptation
D) inattentional blindness

Question 59

When you look at the drawing below, your brain fills in the gaps so that you perceive a complete form-in this case, a square. This occurs due to the principle of ___________.

A) proximity
B) continuity
C) similarity
D) closure

Question 60

Research indicates that people who like to multitask:

A) actually perform worse than low multitaskers on tests that measured their abilities to concentrate.
B) perform better than low multitaskers on tests that measured their abilities to concentrate.
C) have more efficient brains.
D) tend to have better recall for words they learn while simultaneously doing a second task.

Question 61

The intensity of the reflected light that reaches our eyes is known as ____________.

A) hue
B) contrast
C) brightness
D) saturation

Question 62

_____________ are sensitive to the different wavelengths of light, which is what allows us to detect color. ______________ do not detect color, but can work under low light conditions.

A) Foveae; Retinas
B) Retinas; Foveae
C) Cones; Rods
D) Rods; Cones

Question 63

The pupil is the:

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

Question 64

At the Battle of Bunker Hill, an officer supposedly gave the order, "Don't fire till you see the whites of their eyes!" This famous quote could be accurately paraphrased as: Don't fire until you see their ____________.

A) corneas
B) lenses
C) pupils
D) sclerae

Question 65

Which structure in your eye is most like the film in a camera?

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

Question 66

When you enter a dim room, the _______________ widens to let more light in.

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

Question 67

Which of the following is true of the fovea?

A) It contains only rods.
B) It contains the highest concentration of cones.
C) It is located around the periphery of the retina.
D) It works best in low light conditions.

Question 68

The lens:

A) is the transparent outer membrane of the eye that covers the pupil and iris.
B) allows one to focus on objects at different distances.
C) allows light initially to enter the eye.
D) controls the amount of light entering the eye.

Question 69

When Brett walks out of the theater into the glare of the sun, his _______________ get smaller to let less light in.

A) pupils
B) lenses
C) corneas
D) retinas

Question 70

Our visual sensory receptor cells are located in the ___________.

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

Question 71

The colored part of the eye which contains muscles to contract or expand the pupil is the ____________.

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

Question 72

Which of the following is the correct order in which light passes through the structures of the eye?

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

Question 73

What structure is primarily responsible for focusing light onto the back of the eye?

A) Cornea
B) Fovea
C) Lens
D) Retina

Question 74

When scuba divers take red objects underwater, they appear to lose their color, but this does not happen to bluish objects. This demonstrates that water filters out light waves that have

A) long wavelengths.
B) short wavelengths.
C) a high amplitude.
D) a low amplitude.

Question 75

Which animal can see ultraviolet light?

A) humans
B) whales
C) bees
D) snakes

Question 76

Rods and cones are both types of _________

A) fovea
B) lenses
C) retinas
D) photoreceptors

Question 77

Light receptors which help us to see best at night are the __________.

A) foveae
B) cones
C) shafts
D) rods

Question 78

Which part of the eye regulates the amount of light allowed into the eye?

A) pupil
B) lens
C) cones
D) rods

Question 79

When light enters the eye, it first passes through what structure?

A) Cornea
B) Lens
C) Pupil
D) Sclera

Question 80

The central portion of the retina is the ____________.

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