Deck 5: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

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 physical energy but not interpret it.
C) understand what things are but be unable to respond to them.
D) construct useful information but be unable to remember it.

Answer 1

detect external physical energy but not interpret it.

Question 2

Mary's brain cannot directly process sound waves to hear what her boyfriend is saying.Instead,her sensory receptors detect sound waves and change them into signals that her brain can interpret as meaning "I love you," in a process called

A) absolute threshold.
B) signal detection.
C) transduction.
D) sensory adaptation.

Answer 2

transduction.

Question 3

Which of the following explains that the greater the size of a chocolate bar,the more of it you will need to slice off before a customer notices that it is smaller?

A) absolute threshold
B) Weber's law
C) signal detection theory
D) sensory adaptation

Answer 3

Weber's law

Question 4

Anna is reading her psychology textbook.The light reflects off the words on the page and falls on the sensory receptors in her retina,which results in ________.Then her brain interprets the stimuli as particular words,which is called ________.

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

Question 5

For which of the following pairs would it be easiest to detect 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 6

When sensory receptors change physical stimuli into signals that the brain can understand,this is called

A) sensation.
B) absolute threshold.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) transduction.

Question 7

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

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

Question 8

Weber's law suggests that the size of a just-noticeable difference depends on the

A) amount of sensitivity to the stimulus.
B) degree of sensory adaptation.
C) size of the initial stimulus.
D) degree of absolute threshold.

Question 9

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

A) transduction.
B) the signal detection.
C) the absolute threshold.
D) the difference threshold.

Question 10

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

A) pupil.
B) cone.
C) fovea.
D) blind spot.

Question 11

According to signal detection theory,if Daniel incorrectly "detected" a stimulus that was not presented in a trial,he would be making a

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

Question 12

Jason is participating in a psychology experiment in which he is seated in a completely dark room.An initially undetected point of light is gradually made brighter.With each increase,he is asked if he can see the light.In this experiment,Jason's ________ is being measured.

A) difference threshold
B) absolute threshold
C) just-noticeable difference
D) transduction

Question 13

The minimum intensity of sensory stimulation required before a sensation is detected 50 percent of the time is called

A) the absolute threshold.
B) signal detection.
C) the difference threshold.
D) sensory adaptation.

Question 14

With regard to sensation,signal detection theory accounts for a person's

A) judgments.
B) intellect.
C) personality.
D) emotions.

Question 15

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 best explained by

A) signal detection.
B) a just-noticeable difference.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) difference threshold.

Question 16

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 just barely see that it is smaller than a second square on the screen.Prashanth is trying to create a

A) signal detection.
B) absolute threshold.
C) just-noticeable difference.
D) sensory adaptation.

Question 17

Kendra loves spicy curry,but her husband prefers a mild curry.Starting with a mild curry,Kendra increases the spiciness every time she cooks.One day her husband complains that the curry is too spicy.After that,Kendra always makes the curry as spicy as the last time before her husband complained.With this exercise,Kendra assessed her husband's

A) difference threshold.
B) absolute threshold.
C) transduction.
D) signal detection.

Question 18

Jasmine wants to get Uchenna's attention in the library.She whispers to avoid disturbing other students.However,she speaks so softly that Uchenna cannot hear.Jasmine's voice is

A) below Uchenna's absolute threshold.
B) below Uchenna's difference threshold.
C) above Uchenna's absolute threshold but below Uchenna's difference threshold.
D) below Uchenna's absolute threshold but above Uchenna's difference threshold.

Question 19

The sense organs' detection of external physical stimuli is called ________,whereas further processing,organizing,and interpreting of those stimuli in the brain is called ________.

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

Question 20

After transduction,the neural signals of vision,hearing,taste,and touch all pass through the

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

Question 21

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

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

Question 22

Because of which of the following can you see different colors?

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

Question 23

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 24

Sameer is mixing paint.He starts with a very dark 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 contrast

Question 25

Maggie paints her room red.The room looks 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 26

________ generate action potentials that are sent to the brain by the optic nerve.

A) Cones
B) Rods
C) Ganglion cells
D) Optic nerves

Question 27

This set of symbols +++++///// would typically be perceived as two separate groups of characters.The Gestalt principle that explains this perception is

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

Question 28

Consider the letters XPY ZWO LRG.People tend to perceive this pattern as three groups of letters instead of a single group of letters because of the Gestalt principle known as

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

Question 29

Hamdi wakes up in the middle of the night and tries to see the clock in the dim light.The numbers are very faint.He will more likely be able to read the numbers if he looks at the clock with his ________ because it has the largest number of ________.

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

Question 30

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 31

The________ is a thin inner surface behind the eyeball and it contains sensory receptors.

A) lens
B) retina
C) rod
D) cone

Question 32

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

A) bottom-up processing
B) top-down processing
C) continuity
D) binocular disparity

Question 33

According to ________ we perceive a car as a whole unit rather than perceiving it as a group of distinct entities (such as metal,tires,glass,door handles,hubcaps,and fenders).

A) bottom-up processing
B) bottom-down processing
C) Gestalt psychology
D) transduction

Question 34

According to trichromatic color theory,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 35

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.If we compare this scenario to the process of 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 36

Reversible figures occur because

A) Gestalt laws do not apply to them.
B) the figures contain internally contradictory cues.
C) the correct assignment of figure and ground is ambiguous.
D) sensory information leads to different cognitive interpretations.

Question 37

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

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

Question 38

If you look at a square made up of alternating red and blue stripes for several minutes and 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; together
B) cones; in opposition
C) ganglion cells; together
D) ganglion cells; in opposition

Question 39

Which of the following statements best describes the path of visual information in the brain?

A) Visual information from the left eye travels to the brain's right side.
B) Visual information from the left eye travels to the brain's left side.
C) Visual information from the left half of each eye travels to the brain's right side.
D) Visual information from the left half of each eye travels to the brain's left side.

Question 40

When Jodi walks from the sunlight into a dark theater,her ________ cause(s)her ________ to enlarge to let in more light.

A) iris; pupil
B) iris; lens
C) eye muscles; lens
D) eye muscles; pupil

Question 41

Sound waves cause the ________ to vibrate.

A) cochlea
B) eardrum
C) outer ear
D) auditory nerve

Question 42

Daniel is learning how to read and guesses that the word pizza is written on the pizza box that was just delivered to his front door.Daniel is using

A) bottom-up processing.
B) top-down processing.
C) grouping.
D) binocular disparity.

Question 43

Li-Ting is painting a picture.She paints a vase of flowers and then,right next to it,half of a book.When Bijal looks at the painting,she sees the book as being ________ the vase because of ________.

A) adjacent to; occlusion
B) adjacent to; linear perspective
C) behind; linear perspective
D) behind; occlusion

Question 44

Which of the following phrases would be a good description of bottom-up processing?

A) "It is used when information is very complex."
B) "It requires information based on your past experiences."
C) "It accounts for human judgment."
D) "It is a very basic type of processing."

Question 45

Each eye sees more of the world on its own side of the visual field.A combination of the views from the two eyes creates the depth cue of

A) linear perspective.
B) texture gradients.
C) occlusion.
D) binocular disparity.

Question 46

Gervase is staring at the blades of his ceiling fan.When he turns off the fan,he is surprised that the blades appear to be rotating in the opposite direction.To reassure Gervase that he is not hallucinating,you could tell him about

A) stroboscopic motion.
B) motion aftereffects.
C) texture gradients.
D) binocular disparity.

Question 47

Leonardo da Vinci identified many monocular depth cues,including ________,in which a near object blocks an object that is farther away.

A) occlusion
B) relative size
C) familiar size
D) linear perspective

Question 48

Hearing is also called

A) audition.
B) olfaction.
C) gustation.
D) occipital.

Question 49

Daniel is standing on the outside platform of the train station.He looks down the tracks,hoping to see his train.As the tracks get farther from him the two sides of the tracks will appear to ________,providing the depth cue of ________.

A) remain parallel; linear perspective
B) converge; linear perspective
C) remain parallel; texture gradient
D) converge; texture gradient

Question 50

If you close one eye,you will still be able to use ________ as a depth cue,but you will NOT be able to use ________ as a depth cue.

A) linear perspective; occlusion
B) texture gradients; binocular disparity
C) relative size; stroboscopic motion
D) binocular disparity; linear perspective

Question 51

When you are on a cliff far from the beach,the sand looks smooth and uniform.When you sit on the beach and look closely at the sand,you can see all the bumps and colors.This difference is an example of which depth cue?

A) occlusion
B) figure to ground
C) texture gradient
D) linear perspective

Question 52

Binocular disparity is about

A) different views from each eye.
B) different textures of near and far objects.
C) similar views from different perspectives.
D) similar sizes of objects when they are in different contexts.

Question 53

Ayelet is trying to draw a picture of two people down the street from each other.No matter how carefully she tries to draw them both the same size,the person who is supposed to be farther away appears much taller than the nearer person.You could explain that the depth cue of ________ size means that she will need to draw a ________ image of the person who is supposed to be farther away.

A) relative; smaller
B) relative; larger
C) familiar; larger
D) familiar; smaller

Question 54

If the muscles of one of your eyes becomes paralyzed,making it impossible to change the point of focus of that eye,which kind of depth cue will become unavailable to you?

A) linear perspective
B) binocular disparity
C) occlusion
D) texture gradients

Question 55

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

A) opponent-process psychologists.
B) trichromatic theorists.
C) Gestalt psychologists.
D) signal detection theorists.

Question 56

Scotty makes dinner by looking at his ingredients and then combining them into a meal.Scotty is cooking in a ________ manner.

A) bottom-up
B) top-down
C) binocular
D) monocular

Question 57

The major problem to be explained by depth perception is that

A) the environment contains too few depth cues.
B) there are no receptor cells that are selective for depth.
C) there are no cells in the primary visual cortex that are selective for depth.
D) the retina input is two-dimensional.

Question 58

Prolonged exposure to movement in one direction ________ the motion detectors responsive to that direction.When the movement stops,the baseline firing rate of detectors for the opposite direction of motion will be ________ than the firing rate for the detectors that responded to the prolonged movement,leading to motion aftereffects.

A) sensitizes; higher
B) sensitizes; lower
C) fatigues; higher
D) fatigues; lower

Question 59

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 60

When an artist creates the illusion of depth in a painting,he or she does so by using

A) depth cues from stereoscopic vision.
B) binocular depth cues.
C) monocular depth cues.
D) depth cues from binocular disparity.

Question 61

The sense of taste is also called

A) audition.
B) olfaction.
C) gustation.
D) occipital.

Question 62

Structures on the tongue that contain groupings of taste buds are called

A) gustatory receptors.
B) gustatory bulbs.
C) olfactory epithelium.
D) papillae.

Question 63

Being able to detect the origin of a sound is called

A) hertz.
B) localization.
C) frequency.
D) pitch.

Question 64

The auditory neurons extending from the ________ reach out with their axons to the primary auditory cortex in the ________.

A) thalamus; parietal lobe
B) thalamus; temporal lobe
C) parietal lobe; thalamus
D) temporal lobe; thalamus

Question 65

If a key is pressed on a piano,the frequency of the resulting sound will determine the ________,and the amplitude will determine the ________ of the perceived musical note.

A) pitch; intensity
B) intensity; pitch
C) loudness; pitch
D) pitch; loudness

Question 66

A higher-pitched sound is one that is higher in ________,which is measured in ________.

A) amplitude; hertz
B) amplitude; decibels
C) frequency; hertz
D) frequency; decibels

Question 67

The primary auditory cortex is located in which brain lobe?

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

Question 68

What is the primary purpose of cells in the olfactory bulb?

A) to receive neural signals and pass them through the thalamus
B) to receive neural signals and relay the signal to other brain areas
C) to receive odorants and pass them through the thalamus
D) to receive odorants and relay the signal to other brain areas

Question 69

Which of the following characteristics is NOT a basic quality of taste?

A) sweet
B) umami
C) salty
D) spicy

Question 70

There are several steps involved in the process of transforming a sound into a signal that can be understood by the brain.Which of the following displays these steps in the correct order?

A) sound wave-eardrum vibration-pressure wave in fluid
B) eardrum vibration-pressure wave in fluid-sound wave
C) sound wave-pressure wave in fluid-eardrum vibration
D) eardrum vibration-sound wave-pressure wave in fluid

Question 71

Juan and Giancarlo are opera singers.Juan is a tenor and Giancarlo is a baritone.Tenors sing with higher-pitched voices than baritones.With respect to this fact,the sound waves corresponding to Giancarlo's voice are lower in ________ than those corresponding to Juan's voice;that is,they are lower in________.

A) frequency; hertz
B) frequency; decibels
C) amplitude; hertz
D) amplitude; decibels

Question 72

The perception of higher-pitched sounds is called ________ coding.

A) temporal
B) place
C) frequency
D) hertz

Question 73

The coiled,bony,fluid-filled tube in the inner ear that houses the sensory receptors is called the

A) cochlea.
B) eardrum.
C) oval membrane.
D) auditory nerve.

Question 74

The sense of smell is also called

A) audition.
B) olfaction.
C) gustation.
D) occipital.

Question 75

What are the two cues that allow you to determine where a sound is coming from?

A) the time when the sound arrives in each ear and the intensity of the sound wave
B) the time when the sound arrives in each ear and the pitch of the sound wave
C) the intensity of the sound wave and the pitch of the sound wave
D) the frequency of the sound wave and the pitch of the sound wave

Question 76

Which of the following explains how people localize sound?

A) The sound waves hit hair cells at different angles.
B) Cochlear hair cells fire at a rate that matches the direction of the sound.
C) Sounds from the right ear are sent to the left hemisphere and sounds from the left ear are sent to the right hemisphere.
D) The brain integrates the different sensory information coming from each of the two ears.

Question 77

Dogs can hear higher-frequency sounds than people can.This fact suggests that there is a physical difference inside of the

A) ear drum.
B) ossicles.
C) auditory nerve.
D) cochlea.

Question 78

Which of the following taste sensations was most recently discovered?

A) sweet
B) sour
C) bitter
D) umami

Question 79

The ________ is a thin layer of tissue in the nasal cavity containing olfactory receptors.

A) bulb
B) cortex
C) epithelium
D) papillae

Question 80

The process of encoding low frequencies of sound is called ________ coding.

A) temporal
B) place
C) frequency
D) hertz