Deck 5: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

Prashanth is participating in a psychology experiment in which he is asked to gradually shrink the image of a square on his computer screen until he can see that it is smaller than a second square on the screen.Prashanth is trying to create a ________ in order to allow measurement of a ________.

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

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which subfield of psychology studies the relationship between physical stimuli and the psychological experiences they produce?

A) psychophysiology
B) behavioral genetics
C) behavioral neuroscience
D) psychophysics

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Research in this area has shown that earlier research in psychophysics ignored the key variable of human judgment.

A) Weber's law
B) psychoacoustics
C) psychophysiology
D) signal detection theory

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Hannah is having dinner at a Mexican restaurant.When she tries the three kinds of sauces to see how hot they are,she is assessing ________ differences.When she compares the taste of her margarita to the taste of her friend's Mexican beer,she is assessing a ________ difference.

A) qualitative; qualitative
B) qualitative; quantitative
C) quantitative; quantitative
D) quantitative; qualitative

Question 5

________ is the body's detection of external or internal sensory stimuli,whereas ________ is its further processing,organizing,and interpreting of those stimuli.

A) Sensation; perception
B) Perception; sensation
C) Transduction; perception
D) Perception; transduction

Question 6

Our perception of the world is most like a:

A) digital camera that takes snapshots.
B) cell phone camera that takes movies without sound.
C) video camera that takes movies with sound.
D) film that has been edited to convey a theme.

Question 7

The law that states that the just noticeable difference between two stimuli is based on a proportion of the original stimulus is:

A) Fechner's law.
B) Weber's law.
C) Koehler's law.
D) Wernicke's law.

Question 8

The minimum amount of change required for a person to detect a difference between two stimuli is referred to as the:

A) absolute threshold.
B) minimum threshold.
C) difference threshold.
D) signal change.

Question 9

A psychophysicist would be most directly concerned with:

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

Question 10

________ states that the more intense the original stimulus,the greater the change in intensity required to produce a just noticeable difference.

A) Matching law
B) Weber's law
C) Signal detection theory
D) Sensory adaptation

Question 11

Jason is doing a psychology experiment in which he is seated in an absolutely dark room.An initially undetected point of light in front of him is gradually made more intense.With each increase,he is asked if he can see the light yet.In this experiment,Jason's ________ is being measured.

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

Question 12

After transduction,most of the sensory neural information passes through which structure?

A) hypothalamus
B) hippocampus
C) thalamus
D) amygdala

Question 13

Anna is reading her psychology text.The activation of receptors in her retina is called ________; her interpretation of the stimuli as particular words is termed ________.

A) sensation; sensation as well
B) sensation; perception
C) perception; sensation
D) perception; perception as well

Question 14

Taj wants to create a robot that has sensation but not perception.The robot should:

A) react to light but not to the stimuli for taste,smell,or touch.
B) detect external energy sources but not interpret them.
C) understand what things are but be unable to respond to them.
D) construct useful information but be unable to remember it.

Question 15

Because the brain cannot process physical stimuli directly,it must convert the stimuli into chemical and electrical signals that can be interpreted by the brain.This process is known as:

A) coarse coding.
B) perceptual constancy.
C) transduction.
D) sensory adaptation.

Question 16

Amadi is listening to John play the guitar.When John plays a note,the vibrations of the air are picked up by auditory receptors in his ear and sent to his brain.In Amadi's brain,the information from the receptors is analyzed to produce the experience of a musical note.The pickup of information by receptors in the ear is ________; the processing to produce the experience of a musical note is ________.

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

Question 17

A(n)________ is the minimum intensity of sensory stimulation required before the sensation is detected 50 percent of the time.

A) absolute threshold
B) minimum threshold
C) difference threshold
D) sensory adaptation

Question 18

Dr.Breiland examines the relationship between the physical properties of light,such as its amplitude and wavelength,and humans' perception of color.Which of the following terms most accurately describes Dr.Breiland's field of study?

A) sensation
B) psychophysics
C) perceptual constancy
D) cognitive psychology

Question 19

During transduction,most sensory information is transmitted first to the ________ before it is sent to the ________,where it is interpreted as sight,sound,touch,or taste.

A) thalamus; cortex
B) cortex; thalamus
C) thalamus; amygdala
D) amygdala; cortex

Question 20

The physical properties of a stimulus are translated into neural impulses in a process called:

A) perception.
B) transduction.
C) sensation.
D) coarse coding.

Question 21

Based on your knowledge of Signal Detection Theory,which of the following might be easiest for a participant in an experiment to change?

A) their absolute threshold
B) their difference threshold
C) their accuracy
D) their response bias

Question 22

Zheng and Glenn are talking about ways that,when a man first meets a woman,he can tell if she likes him.Given your knowledge of sensory systems,you could suggest that the man look to see if the woman:

A) turns down the corners of her mouth.
B) has enlarged pupils.
C) gives off a subtle odor.
D) starts to speak more softly.

Question 23

Someone who needs reading glasses to see at a close distance has problems ________ her lens.Someone who needs glasses to see objects at a distance has problems ________ his lens.

A) thickening; flattening
B) flattening; flattening
C) thickening; thickening
D) flattening; thickening

Question 24

You are developing a new test to better detect toxins in the bloodstream.You want to create a test that can detect toxins every time they are present,but you do not want the test to come back positive if toxins are not actually present.If you succeed,your test will be superior to others because you have improved the:

A) response bias.
B) difference threshold.
C) absolute threshold.
D) stimulus signal.

Question 25

Encharta is sitting outside,looking at her beautiful garden.As the sun goes down,the colors become less bright and finally all become shades of gray.This change happens because the:

A) amount of photopigment is decreasing.
B) amount of photopigment is increasing.
C) cones are taking over for the rods.
D) rods are taking over for the cones.

Question 26

The ________ does most of the focusing of the light onto the retina,and the ________ allows for more accuracy of focusing.

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

Question 27

You are asked to participate in an experiment to see if people can detect very subtle emotional expressions on other people's faces.However,sometimes the image the experimenter shows you is blurry,and it is hard to distinguish whether or not you see an emotional expression.You decide that you will respond by indicating you have detected an emotion in a person's face,even when you are unsure.According to Signal Detection Theory,which of the following two outcomes are you most likely to have?

A) hits and misses
B) misses and correct rejections
C) hits and false alarms
D) false alarms and correct rejections

Question 28

Rachel was in an auto accident and now has a form of object agnosia.She has perfectly accurate 20/20 vision,but she cannot recognize the differences between animals when she sees them.For example,she cannot tell the difference between a giraffe and a zebra.Joel has a degenerative illness that has affected his retinae but is otherwise normal in all of his mental functioning.Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A) Rachel has impaired sensation,while Joel has impaired perception.
B) Rachel has impaired perception,while Joel has impaired sensation.
C) Rachel has an impaired absolute threshold,but Joel has an impaired difference threshold.
D) Rachel has an impaired difference threshold,but Joel has an impaired absolute threshold.

Question 29

In classical psychophysics,the concept of an absolute threshold rests on the assumption that a subject's response is:

A) an accurate reflection of the subject's perception.
B) influenced by both perception and judgment.
C) not a good index of actual perception.
D) a good index of perception but not of sensation.

Question 30

When Petra jumps into a cold lake,she feels as though she is freezing.After a few minutes,she no longer notices the cold and feels comfortable in the water.This change is an example of:

A) convergence.
B) just noticeable difference.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) sensory threshold.

Question 31

Alex is at a rock concert.When his ears send a signal to his brain that he has heard a sound,this process is most accurately called ________.But when he recognizes that the sound is his favorite song,this process is most accurately called ________.

A) sensation; perception
B) false alarm; hit
C) perception; sensation
D) hit; false alarm

Question 32

Transduction is an important step of ________ processing,while recognition of objects is an important element of ________ processing.

A) vision; audition
B) top-down processing; bottom-up processing
C) ventral stream; dorsal stream
D) sensory; perceptual

Question 33

Dolphins and bats are able to echolocate,meaning they can detect the locations of objects in their environment by certain waves of energy emitted or reflected by those objects.Which of the following might dolphins and bats have that humans do not?

A) glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves
B) thalamic input from sensory receptors
C) sensory receptors for echolocation
D) the ability to navigate in water or air

Question 34

All five of the familiar human sensory systems send information to the brain through the cranial nerves,but one sensory system sends information to the brain through the spinal nerves as well.Which of our sensory systems can also send information to the brain through the spinal nerves?

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

Question 35

In research on signal detection theory,incorrectly "detecting" a stimulus that was not presented in a trial is called a:

A) correct rejection.
B) false alarm.
C) response bias.
D) transduction.

Question 36

On Monday,Manuel interviewed for a job that he really wants.The interviewer told Manuel that he would call on Friday to tell Manuel if he got the job.On late Friday afternoon,Manuel is in the shower,straining to hear the phone above the noise of the water.Whenever he hears a sound,he thinks it is the phone.Manuel is showing ________ ,a concept described in ________.

A) response bias; opponent-process theory
B) sensory adaptation; opponent-process theory
C) response bias; signal detection theory
D) sensory adaptation; signal detection theory

Question 37

Javier's attention is captured by the loud sirens and bright lights of an ambulance as it passes by.Arezou's attention is captured when she hears someone say her name.Javier's response is best explained as a result of ________ ,while Arezou's response is best explained as a result of ________.

A) top-down processing; bottom-up processing
B) bottom-up processing; top-down processing
C) qualitative information; quantitative information
D) quantitative information; qualitative information

Question 38

When Jodi walks from the sunlight into a dark theater,her ________ causes her ________ to enlarge.

A) iris; pupil
B) iris; lens
C) cornea; lens
D) cornea; pupil

Question 39

For which of the following pairs would it be easiest to discern a difference in weight?

A) a 2-liter bottle of water and a 2.1-liter bottle of water
B) a 5-pound free weight and a 5.5-pound free weight
C) a 20-pound child and a 22-pound child
D) a 1-pound bag of sugar and a 2-pound bag of sugar

Question 40

People stop responding to unchanging stimuli because:

A) unchanging stimuli convey little new information.
B) such stimuli can no longer be detected.
C) the stimuli exceed people's attentional capacity.
D) unchanging stimuli cannot be transduced.

Question 41

Sameer is mixing paint.He starts with a very deep green paint and then gradually adds white paint.Sameer is ________ of the green paint.

A) changing the hue
B) increasing the saturation
C) decreasing the saturation
D) changing the simultaneous contrast

Question 42

The point at which the optic nerves meet and then split is termed the optic:

A) callosum.
B) chiasm.
C) commissure.
D) sulcus.

Question 43

The axons from ________ cells form the ________,which exits the eye at the back of the retina.

A) ganglion; optic nerve
B) amacrine; optic nerve
C) ganglion; optic chiasm
D) amacrine; optic chiasm

Question 44

If you look at a square made up of alternating red and blue stripes for several minutes,then look immediately at a blank white sheet of paper,you will see a square with alternating green and yellow stripes.This effect results from pairs of ________ that work ________.

A) cones; in concert
B) cones; in opposition
C) ganglion cells; in concert
D) ganglion cells; in opposition

Question 45

The optic nerve is composed of axons of:

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

Question 46

Melody is looking up a phone number in a phone book with tiny print.She will most likely be able to read the number if she looks at the phone book with her ________ because it has the largest number of ________.

A) fovea; rods
B) periphery; rods
C) fovea; cones
D) periphery; cones

Question 47

A gray square is placed first on a white sheet of paper and then on a black sheet of paper.The square will be ________ on the black as on the white background.

A) equally bright,but appear darker
B) equally bright,but appear lighter
C) brighter and appear lighter
D) less bright,but appear equally light

Question 48

We cannot see a shade of bluish yellow because:

A) there is no set of cones responsive to combined shades.
B) there is no set of cones responsive to wavelengths associated with yellow.
C) ganglion cells that are excited by S cones are inhibited by M and L cones.
D) ganglion cells that are excited by L cones are inhibited by M cones.

Question 49

The area where the optic nerve leaves the retina is referred to as the:

A) optic chiasm.
B) ganglion bundle.
C) fovea.
D) blind spot.

Question 50

Red and green appear to be opposite colors because of the activity of ganglion cells that are:

A) excited by L cones and inhibited by M cones.
B) excited by M cones and inhibited by L cones.
C) excited by L cones and inhibited by S and M cones.
D) excited by S cones and inhibited by L and M cones.

Question 51

When Maggie comes home,she is surprised to see that her roommate has painted their living room red.The room looks so dazzlingly red because the paint has absorbed the ________ wavelengths of light and is reflecting the ________ wavelengths to Maggie's eyes.

A) long; short and medium
B) long and short; medium
C) short and medium; long
D) long and medium; short

Question 52

Approximately what proportion of the cerebral cortex has been estimated to be involved in vision in some way?

A) 10 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 75 percent

Question 53

Susan is wearing a bright red skirt.She is trying to decide whether she wants to wear a pink top or a brown top with it.If she decides on the pink top,then the top and the skirt will vary in ________. If she decides on the brown top,then the top and the skirt will vary in ________.

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

Question 54

Yellow is considered one of the primary colors,but there is no cone specialized to respond to yellow light.When we see yellow,it is because the light is stimulating the:

A) S cones very little and the L and M cones equally.
B) S cones very little,the L cones greatly,and the M cones moderately.
C) S and M cones equally and the L cones very little.
D) S and L cones equally and the M cones greatly.

Question 55

Colleen and LaVonne are playing darts.Colleen throws her dart into the center of the target,and LaVonne throws his dart into the outer ring.In an analogy to vision,Colleen would have been likely to hit a ________,and LaVonne would have been likely to hit a ________.

A) rod; cone
B) rod; rod
C) cone; cone
D) cone; rod

Question 56

Due to the partial crossing of visual information at the ________,the ________ visual field projects to the right hemisphere.

A) blind spot; left
B) optic chiasm; left
C) blind spot; right
D) optic chiasm; right

Question 57

How do the light waves reflected by a blue object differ from those reflected by a red object?

A) The blue object reflects longer wavelength light.
B) The blue object reflects shorter wavelength light.
C) The blue object reflects higher amplitude light.
D) The blue object reflects lower amplitude light.

Question 58

Diane is experimenting with the lighting she will use at a rock concert.When she lights the stage blue,she is flooding it with ________ wavelengths of light.If she wants to change the stage to look red,she will need to shift the light to include ________ wavelengths.To change from red to green,she will need to move to ________ wavelengths.

A) long; medium; short
B) long; short; medium
C) medium; long; short
D) short; long; medium

Question 59

The optic nerve projects from the retina through a neural pathway that progresses to the ________ ,which is located in the ________ lobe.

A) lateral geniculate nucleus; occipital
B) lateral geniculate nucleus; parietal
C) primary visual cortex; parietal
D) primary visual cortex; occipital

Question 60

Which of the following statements best describes the path of optic nerve impulses in the brain?

A) Impulses from the left eye travel to the right side of the brain; impulses from the right eye travel to the left side of the brain.
B) Impulses from the left eye travel to the left side of the brain; impulses from the right eye travel to the right side of the brain.
C) Impulses from the left half of each eye travel to the right side of the brain; impulses from the right half of each eye travel to the left side of the brain.
D) Impulses from the left half of each eye travel to the left side of the brain; impulses from the right half of each eye travel to the left side of the brain.

Question 61

Students participating in a psychology experiment are asked to identify the emotions expressed by a number of different kinds of faces.On which type of face would they recognize the emotion most quickly?

A) happy man
B) angry man
C) happy woman
D) angry woman

Question 62

Consider the two following patterns: >>>>><<<<< and +++++*****.The ten characters in the first pattern are perceived as a single figure,whereas the ten characters in the second pattern are perceived as two groups of five characters each.Which Gestalt principle accounts for this outcome?

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

Question 63

If the ventral stream of your visual cortex were not working temporarily,you would be unable to understand ________ an object is; but if your dorsal stream was still functioning,you could understand ________ an object is.

A) where; what
B) what; where
C) where; why
D) what; why

Question 64

Consider the pattern: XXY XXY XXY.People perceive this pattern as consisting of three groups of three letters each.Which Gestalt principle accounts for this outcome?

A) similarity
B) good continuation
C) proximity
D) common region

Question 65

Damian frequently runs into Carmen while he is walking his dog.He is puzzled because Carmen always greets his dog but never greets him until he has spoken to her.He becomes even more perplexed when Carmen says,"Oh look,there is Ryan's car," even though Ryan is standing right next to the car.You could enlighten Damian by telling him that Carmen quite likely suffers from:

A) agnosia.
B) apraxia.
C) prosopagnosia.
D) aphasia.

Question 66

You are standing at the intersection of two perpendicular roads.You see one road running north-south and another road running east-west.You do not see one road running north and then turning east and another road running east then turning north.Which Gestalt principle accounts for what you do and do not see?

A) similarity
B) good continuation
C) parallelism
D) closure

Question 67

Prosopagnosia refers to a deficit in:

A) recognizing faces.
B) naming objects.
C) recognizing objects.
D) producing speech.

Question 68

With respect to facial recognition,which of the following statements is true?

A) Most people recognize anger more quickly on a man's face than on a woman's.
B) Most people recognize happiness more quickly on a man's face than on a woman's.
C) Neither A nor B is true.
D) Both A and B are true.

Question 69

Regarding visual illusions,which of the following statements is most accurate?

A) Illusions are largely irrelevant to understanding normal perceptual processes.
B) Illusions help reveal normal perceptual processes.
C) Most visual perception is actually illusory.
D) Illusions show that perception is mostly a bottom-up process.

Question 70

Object agnosia provides support for the idea that there are two separate streams of analysis of visual information because it shows that:

A) both streams are necessary for perception.
B) damage to one stream produces partial dysfunction in the other.
C) damage to the ventral stream still allows spatial perception.
D) damage to the ventral stream still allows object perception.

Question 71

People see the figure ( )as an oval rather than two separate curving lines.Which Gestalt principle accounts for this outcome?

A) similarity
B) good continuation
C) parallelism
D) closure

Question 72

According to this information processing model,the recognition of patterns occurs because the data are relayed from a lower level to a higher level of processing in the brain.

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

Question 73

A scientist is studying how cells develop into organs.This process is similar to:

A) figure-ground segmentation.
B) Gestalt law of similarity.
C) top-down processing.
D) bottom-up processing.

Question 74

The primary visual cortex is located in which brain lobe?

A) frontal
B) temporal
C) occipital
D) parietal

Question 75

The first psychologists to emphasize the organizing processes underlying perception were the ________ psychologists.

A) structural
B) psychodynamic
C) Gestalt
D) cognitive

Question 76

Subjects participating in an MRI study are shown pictures of several kinds of faces.To which of these types of faces will the fusiform gyrus show the greatest activation?

A) any upright face
B) any upside-down face
C) a face gazing to the left
D) a face gazing to the right

Question 77

There is a loaf of bread behind a container of milk on the table in front of you.You see the bread as a single loaf rather than two half loaves,one on either side of the milk container.Which Gestalt principle accounts for this outcome?

A) similarity
B) good continuation
C) parallelism
D) closure

Question 78

In visual processing,ventral is to dorsal as:

A) what is to where.
B) where is to what.
C) superior is to inferior.
D) both B and C

Question 79

This principle states that rather than perceiving "a car" as a group of distinct entities,such as "metal,tires,glass,door handles,hubcaps,and fenders," we perceive the car as a whole unit.

A) bottom-up processing
B) bottom-down processing
C) Gestalt
D) Ponzo illusion

Question 80

After being in a car crash,Yuri has the selective inability to recognize faces.He is most likely suffering from ________ due to damage to his ________.

A) agnosia; primary visual cortex
B) agnosia; fusiform gyrus
C) prosopagnosia; primary visual cortex
D) prosopagnosia; fusiform gyrus