Deck 4: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

The absolute sensory threshold for audition refers to the softest sound any human has ever accurately detected.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Because there are no receptor cells where the optic nerve leaves the retina,all people have a blind spot.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The cones are adapted for color vision,daytime vision,and detailed vision.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

After decades of research,psychologists now accept the opponent process theory as the correct theory of color vision and reject the trichromatic and retinex theories as incorrect.

Question 5

Although no human has ever traveled to other galaxies,based on our knowledge of color vision,psychologists predict that the universe is filled with new colors that are very different than the colors we happen to see on earth.

Question 6

Sensation is the conversion of energy from the environment into a pattern of response by the nervous system.

Question 7

The auditory system responds differently to sounds that are low-frequency compared to sounds that are high-frequency.

Question 8

According to the retinex theory,we perceive color when the cerebral cortex compares various retinal patterns.

Question 9

In signal detection terms,reporting that a stimulus is present,when in fact the stimulus was not present,is known as a "false alarm."

Question 10

Proximity is the tendency to perceive objects that are close together as belonging to a group.

Question 11

Researchers have now established that there are seven primary qualities of odor,and there are seven corresponding types of olfactory receptors.

Question 12

Men are more likely to suffer color vision deficiency than are women.

Question 13

Vision is possible because a form of energy comes out of our eyes.

Question 14

Because cones are located in the fovea,we cannot detect color in our extreme peripheral vision.

Question 15

Imagine that a song has the phrase "buy me" recorded as a backward message.According to the research on subliminal perception,this message is likely to increase music sales for this particular song.

Question 16

According to the Gestalt psychologists,visual perception is an active process,not just the summing of all the smaller pieces.

Question 17

The "pain" of feeling rejected is processed in the anterior cingulate cortex,the same brain area that responds to the emotional aspect of the cutaneous sensation of pain.

Question 18

Humans have an approximately equal number of rods and cones.

Question 19

Sound waves with greater amplitude are perceived as having a higher pitch than sound waves with lower amplitude.

Question 20

Our perception of human faces can be explained entirely in terms of the activity of neurons known as feature detectors.

Question 21

Some people report continuing sensations,including pain,in a limb long after it has been amputated.This phenomenon is known as ____________________.

Question 22

As light passes through the eye it is focused by the ____________________,which always focuses light in the same way,and the ____________________,which is flexible and enables focusing on objects at different distances by varying its thickness.

Question 23

The conversion of energy from the environment into a pattern of responses by the nervous system is called ____________________,while making sense of that information is known as ____________________.

Question 24

Our eyes,ears,and other sensory organs are packed with ____________________,specialized cells that convert environmental energies into signals for the nervous system.

Question 25

The ____________________,the central area of the human retina,is adapted for highly detailed vision.

Question 26

Retinal disparity and convergence are both binocular cues of depth perception.

Question 27

People with color vision deficiency most often have trouble distinguishing ____________________ from ____________________.

Question 28

The pitch of a sound (e.g. ,high C or E-flat)depends on the ____________________ of the sound waves.

Question 29

After you stare at something red and look away,you see ____________________.This observation supports the ____________________ theory of color vision.

Question 30

The sensations of pressure,pain,warmth,cold,vibration,and stretch of the skin are collectively known as the ____________________ senses.

Question 31

Visual perception in humans is best described by feature detectors,and visual perception in other species of mammals is best described by the Gestalt view.

Question 32

The experience of pain is a mixture of ____________________ and ____________________,and these qualities are regulated in different areas of the brain.
or

Question 33

The optic nerve exits the retina at the ____________________.

Question 34

The ____________________detects the position and acceleration of the head?

Question 35

Within the retina,cones are adapted for ____________________ and rods are adapted for ____________________.

Question 36

Gradual improvement in the ability to see in dim light is called _____________________.

Question 37

Our brains use information from both the ____________________ and the ____________________ in order to help us maintain balance.
or

Question 38

Receptor cells for hearing are found along a membrane within the cochlea.This membrane is called the ____________________ membrane.

Question 39

In the human ear,the ability to perceive low frequencies (up to about 100 Hz)depends on neurons working according to the ____________________ principle.

Question 40

The condition in which a stimulus of one type,such as sound,also elicits another experience,such as color is called ____________________.

Question 41

A participant is asked to report every time he or she sees a faint light.If rewards are offered for correctly reporting the presence of the light,but no punishment for reporting it when it is absent,the participant will make many ____________________ but also many ____________________.

Question 42

____________________ is a field that focuses on our ability to perceive overall patterns.

Question 43

The adjustable opening in the eye,through which light passes,is the

A)retina.
B)iris.
C)fovea.
D)pupil.

Question 44

Which part of the electromagnetic spectrum are humans capable of detecting with the unaided eye?

A)all of it
B)400-700 nm
C)10,000-100,000 nm
D)none of it

Question 45

Briefly describe hyperopia and myopia and how these two common disorders of vision differ.

Question 46

The conversion of energy from the environment into a pattern of responses by the nervous system (as opposed to interpreting that information)is called

A)assimilation.
B)accommodation.
C)perception.
D)sensation.

Question 47

As light passes through the eye it is focused by the __________,which always focuses light in the same way,and the __________,which is flexible and enables focusing on objects at different distances by varying its thickness.

A)cornea...lens
B)aqueous humor...vitreous humor
C)fovea...retina
D)iris...pupil

Question 48

When you see something,

A)energy comes from the object into your eyes.
B)energy goes out of your eyes to the object.
C)energy goes both from the object and from your eyes.
D)no energy passes in either direction.

Question 49

The interpretation of a pattern of stimuli from the environment (as opposed to mere conversion of energy into a pattern of responses)is called

A)assimilation.
B)accommodation.
C)perception.
D)sensation.

Question 50

When you see something,

A)energy comes out of your eye.
B)energy goes into your eye.
C)energy both goes into and out of your eye,simultaneously.
D)energy first comes out of your eye then goes into it.

Question 51

Which of our senses detects part of the electromagnetic spectrum?

A)olfaction
B)vision
C)hearing
D)taste

Question 52

What makes the electromagnetic radiation from 400 nm to 700 nm visible?

A)Those wavelengths match the frequency of action potentials produced in the optic nerve.
B)Our visual receptors are adapted to respond to those wavelengths.
C)Those wavelengths have greater amplitude than other wavelengths.
D)Those are the only wavelengths that can pass through the vitreous humor.

Question 53

What happens during vision?

A)Energy goes out of your eyes to the object
B)Energy goes from the object to your eyes
C)Energy travels both from your eyes and from the object
D)No energy passes in either direction.

Question 54

Which of the following is necessary for vision?

A)You send energy out of your eyes.
B)Energy comes into your eyes.
C)Energy goes into and out of your eyes at the same time.
D)Energy first goes out of your eyes and then comes back in.

Question 55

The continuum of all frequencies of radiated energy,from gamma rays to TV transmissions,is referred to as

A)sound.
B)the phi effect.
C)light.
D)the electromagnetic spectrum.

Question 56

The Gestalt psychologists described several principles of how we organize perceptions into meaningful wholes.Define the principles of (a)proximity, (b)similarity, (c)continuation,and (d)closure.

Question 57

The route of visual information from the visual receptors (rods and cones)to the brain goes from receptors to the bipolar cells to the ganglion cells through the optic nerve and finally to the brain.Describe in greater detail the route from the bipolar cells to the brain,specifically defining the ganglion cells and optic nerve.

Question 58

Our sense organs are packed with specialized cells called __________ that convert environmental energies into signals for the nervous system.

A)stimuli
B)adaptors
C)receivers
D)receptors

Question 59

Define and differentiate trichromatic theory and the opponent-process theory.Which theory most easily explains negative color afterimages?

Question 60

Describe the gate theory of pain and give two examples of activities or events that can reduce pain messages.

Question 61

Our ability to change the focus of our eyes to see objects at different distances depends on changes in the

A)frequency of impulses in the optic nerve.
B)thickness of the lens.
C)position of the retina.
D)width of the pupil.

Question 62

Which part of the human retina has the best color vision?

A)the area surrounding the optic nerve
B)the fovea
C)the periphery
D)the cornea

Question 63

If you want to see something in detail you focus it on the

A)fovea.
B)cornea.
C)periphery.
D)iris.

Question 64

The rods in the retina are specialized for

A)vision in the center of the retina.
B)highly detailed vision.
C)vision in dim light.
D)color vision.

Question 65

For people to be able to focus both on nearby objects and on objects far away,they can see best if the shape of their eyeballs is

A)flattened.
B)elongated.
C)spherical.
D)lopsided.

Question 66

As people grow older,the lens of each eye becomes less flexible.How does that change their vision?

A)They have more trouble adapting to dim light.
B)They have more trouble focusing on nearby objects.
C)Objects toward the periphery of the visual field look smaller than before.
D)Colors appear less bright than before.

Question 67

The cones in the retina are

A)less important for color vision.
B)more numerous in the periphery of the retina.
C)more sensitive to detail.
D)more sensitive to very dim light.

Question 68

Which of the following is NOT true of the rods in the retina?

A)important for color vision
B)more numerous in the periphery than in the fovea
C)specialized for vision in dim light
D)less sensitive to detail than the cones

Question 69

Compared to the periphery of the eye,the fovea has better perception of

A)color and movement.
B)faint light and detail.
C)color and detail.
D)movement and faint light.

Question 70

What causes some people to become nearsighted (myopic)or farsighted?

A)differences in the width of the pupil
B)differences in the shape of the eyeball
C)differences in the location of the optic nerve
D)differences in the proportion of rods and cones

Question 71

Which part of the eye changes its shape to enable us to focus first on a distant object and then on a nearby object?

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

Question 72

Why are some people nearsighted (myopic)?

A)Their fovea is in the shadow of the pupil.
B)Their lens has become stiff and inflexible.
C)Their eyeball is elongated;the distance from pupil to retina is long.
D)Their eyeball is flattened;the distance from pupil to retina is short.

Question 73

The central part of the human retina is called the

A)basilar membrane.
B)blind spot.
C)fovea.
D)cochlea.

Question 74

Rods and cones are located in the

A)cochlea.
B)cornea.
C)pupil.
D)retina.

Question 75

The visual receptors (rods and cones)are located in the

A)retina.
B)pupil.
C)optic nerve.
D)lens.

Question 76

Why do you have better color vision in the fovea than in the periphery of the retina?

A)More receptors pool their resources to excite the next cell near the fovea than in the periphery.
B)The fovea has a higher proportion of cones than the periphery does.
C)The eyeball is more spherical near the fovea than in the periphery.
D)The periphery is in the shadow of the pupil.

Question 77

As a person grows older,why does it become more difficult to focus on nearby objects?

A)The velocity of action potentials from the eye to the brain decreases.
B)The lens becomes less flexible.
C)The pupil becomes smaller.
D)The fovea moves toward the periphery of the retina.

Question 78

The proportion of cones is greatest in which part of the retina?

A)the blind spot
B)the cornea
C)the fovea
D)the periphery

Question 79

A person with myopia has trouble seeing

A)nearby objects.
B)moving objects.
C)faraway objects.
D)the difference between red and green.

Question 80

Animal species with good color vision (such as most birds)generally have

A)a relatively elongated eyeball.
B)a relatively flattened eyeball.
C)a high percentage of cones in the retina.
D)a high percentage of rods in the retina.