Deck 3: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

The Müller-Lyer illusion exists in cultures in which there are __________.

A) more men than women
B) more women than men
C) lots of telephone poles
D) buildings with lots of corners

Answer 1

buildings with lots of corners

Question 2

Texture gradient refers to the fact that texture appears to become __________.

A) more detailed in the distance
B) more detailed as brightness increases
C) less detailed in the distance
D) less detailed when it is brighter

Answer 2

less detailed in the distance

Question 3

Which of the following properties of sound is the most similar to the brightness of light?

A) pitch
B) volume
C) purity
D) timbre

Answer 3

volume

Question 4

Which part of the eye is a muscle that regulates the size of the pupil?

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

Question 5

Where are the taste receptors located?

A) on the papillae
B) on the taste buds
C) on the microvilli
D) in the gustatory bulb

Question 6

People's tendency to perceive a thing a certain way because their previous experiences or expectations influence them is called __________.

A) top-down processing
B) telepathy
C) bottom-up processing
D) perceptual expectancy

Question 7

Similarity is the tendency to perceive __________.

A) objects, or figures, on some background
B) things that look similar as being part of the same group
C) objects that are close to each other as part of the same grouping
D) things with a continuous pattern rather than with a complex, broken-up pattern

Question 8

What are the hammer, anvil, and stirrup?

A) tiny bones located in the middle ear
B) types of cones on the retina
C) types of sound that most people can detect
D) words often used by audiologists in testing for hearing difficulties

Question 9

An illusion __________.

A) is the same thing as a vision
B) is due to the action of the rods versus the cones in the retina
C) is a perception that does not correspond to reality
D) corresponds directly to something that you dreamed

Question 10

The kinesthetic senses are concerned with __________.

A) touch, pressure, temperature, and pain
B) the location of body parts in relation to each other
C) movement and body position
D) your location as compared to the position of the sun

Question 11

Receptor cells in the retina responsible for color vision and fine acuity are __________.

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

Question 12

The term just noticeable difference is synonymous with __________ threshold.

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

Question 13

The tendency to interpret an object as always being the same physical dimensions, regardless of its distance from the viewer, is known as __________ constancy.

A) size
B) shape
C) brightness
D) color

Question 14

In the process known as __________, sensory receptors become less sensitive to repeated presentations of the same stimulus.

A) sensation
B) sensory fatigue
C) sensory adaptation
D) discrimination

Question 15

Activation of the receptors by stimuli is called __________.

A) perception
B) sensation
C) adaptation
D) habituation

Question 16

Which of the following is a characteristic of both light waves and sound waves?

A) hue
B) decibels
C) amplitude
D) wavelength

Question 17

The shortest wavelengths that we can see are experienced as __________ colors.

A) red
B) blue
C) green
D) yellow

Question 18

Conduction hearing impairment refers to hearing problems that originate in the __________.

A) outer ear
B) inner ear
C) eardrum and middle ear
D) auditory pathways and brain

Question 19

What are the five primary tastes?

A) hot, sour, spicy, sweet, origami
B) salty, sour, spicy, sweet, tart
C) bitter, salty, sour, sweet, umami
D) peppery, salty, sour, sweet, acidic

Question 20

The reason that there are three semicircular canals is so that we __________.

A) have one canal to sense motion in each of the three planes
B) can see the world in three dimensions
C) can detect sound locations in the three-dimensional world
D) have an extra if one is broken

Question 21

The average threshold for human hearing is the tick of a watch from __________ feet away under very quiet conditions.

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

Question 22

Cells that are triggered by light, vibrations, sounds, touch, or chemical substances are called __________.

A) ganglion cells
B) bipolar cells
C) ossicles
D) sensory receptors

Question 23

The lowest level of stimulation that a person can consciously detect 50 percent of the time the stimulation is present is called the __________ threshold.

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

Question 24

We can see a candle flame at 30 miles on a clear, dark night, and we can hear the tick of a watch 20 feet away in a quiet room. These two facts are examples of __________.

A) JNDs
B) difference thresholds
C) adaptation
D) absolute thresholds

Question 25

The minimal stimulus necessary for detection is called the __________, while the smallest noticeable change in a stimulus is referred to as the __________.

A) absolute threshold; difference threshold
B) base value; just noticeable difference (JND)
C) response criterion; sensory constant
D) difference threshold; absolute threshold

Question 26

The term just noticeable difference is synonymous with __________ threshold.

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

Question 27

When Scarlett went to her doctor, he gave her a hearing test. During the test, the doctor presented tones to Scarlett through earphones. The tones started at a low intensity and then became louder. After Scarlett could hear the sound, the doctor asked Scarlett to raise her hand whenever she heard the sound increase in volume. The doctor was testing Scarlett's __________.

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

Question 28

Activation of the receptors by stimuli is called __________.

A) perception
B) sensation
C) adaptation
D) habituation

Question 29

The process by which outside stimuli, in their various forms of energy, are converted into neural signals is called __________.

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

Question 30

The average threshold for human vision is a candle flame seen from __________ on a dark, clear night.

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

Question 31

The difference threshold is the degree of change that is required in order for a person to detect a change __________ percent of the time.

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

Question 32

When Scarlett went to her doctor, he gave her a hearing test. During the test, the doctor presented tones to Scarlett through earphones. The tones started at a low intensity and then became louder. The doctor asked Scarlett to raise her hand whenever she started to hear a sound. The doctor was testing Scarlett's __________.

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

Question 33

Sensation is to perception as __________ is to __________.

A) stimulation; interpretation
B) awareness; interpretation
C) interpretation; awareness
D) organization; interpretation

Question 34

__________ refers to the principle that the just noticeable difference of any given sense is a constant fraction or proportion of the stimulus being judged.

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

Question 35

Sensory receptors are specialized forms of what kind of cell in the nervous system?

A) ganglion cells
B) myelin
C) glial cells
D) neurons

Question 36

Ernst Weber provided a formulation that is used to determine the __________.

A) largest detectable stimulus
B) smallest detectable stimulus
C) largest detectable difference between two stimuli
D) smallest detectable difference between two stimuli

Question 37

__________ are the raw data of experience, based on the activation of certain receptors located in the various sensory organs.

A) Perceptions
B) Emotions
C) Cognitions
D) Sensations

Question 38

Freya is painting while the sun is setting; once she notices that the room is getting darker, she decides to call it quits for the day. This example illustrates the role of a(n) __________.

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

Question 39

The smallest amount of a particular stimulus required to produce any sensation at all in the person to whom the stimulus is presented is the __________ threshold.

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

Question 40

The lowest intensity of a particular stimulus that enables the average person to detect that stimulus 50 percent of the time it is presented is called the __________.

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

Question 41

The longest wavelengths we can see are experienced as __________ colors.

A) red
B) blue-violet
C) green
D) yellow

Question 42

Because of what you have learned about sensory adaptation, you might think that if you stared at a picture for a long period of time, the image you see would eventually fade. This would be the case if not for the tiny vibrations of your eye called __________.

A) glissades
B) microsaccades
C) habituation movements
D) light wave responses

Question 43

Some people believe that __________ are messages that can be sent to consumers, prompting them to buy a product without their being aware of receiving such messages.

A) selective perceptions
B) subliminal stimuli
C) inductive perceptions
D) below threshold perceptions

Question 44

In the process known as __________, sensory receptors become less sensitive to repeated presentations of the same stimulus.

A) sensation
B) sensory fatigue
C) sensory adaptation
D) discrimination

Question 45

The shortest wavelengths that we can see are experienced as __________ colors.

A) red
B) blue
C) green
D) yellow

Question 46

Which pairing of name and property of light is correct?

A) Helmholtz; particle nature (photon)
B) Holstein; wave nature
C) Newton; wave nature
D) Einstein; wave packet (photon)

Question 47

One problem with James Vicary's study of subliminal perception is that it __________.

A) demonstrated the validity of the concept of subliminal perception
B) did not prove that people actually bought more colas and popcorn for several months after seeing the movie
C) showed that subliminal stimuli had only very small effects on consumer patterns
D) never happened

Question 48

Microsaccades are __________.

A) tiny vibrations of the eye that prevent images from fading
B) the tiny bones in the ear that transmit sound waves to the cochlea
C) the photoreceptors in the eye responsible for night vision
D) pain receptors in the limbs

Question 49

When you first put your hat on, you can feel it quite easily, but after a while, you forget that you are wearing a hat at all-the sensation is gone. What happens?

A) sensory fatigue
B) subliminal perception
C) habituation
D) perceptual defense

Question 50

Brooklyn goes to 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 Brooklyn's desire for popcorn is due to that message, she is responding to __________.

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

Question 51

The visible spectrum refers to the __________.

A) portion of the whole spectrum of light that is visible to the human eye
B) effect of intensity on how we see dark to grey to white
C) effect of the sound density on the perceptions of those with synesthesia
D) well-known fact that colors are less visible to some men's eyes

Question 52

__________ is the process by which unchanging information from the senses of taste, touch, smell, and vision is "ignored" by the sensory receptor cells themselves.

A) Transformation
B) Sensory adaptation
C) Transmutation
D) Transduction

Question 53

In the process known as __________, the brain stops attending to constant, unchanging stimuli from one's surroundings.

A) habituation
B) sensory fatigue
C) sensory adaptation
D) discrimination

Question 54

Light is said to have a dual nature, meaning it can be thought of in two different ways. These two ways are __________.

A) particles and photons
B) waves and frequencies
C) waves and particles
D) dark light and daylight

Question 55

A method for assessing the accuracy of judgments or decisions under uncertain conditions is called __________ theory. This method assesses a person's "hits" and "rejections" compared to their "misses" and "false alarms."

A) neural appraisal
B) transductive
C) signal detection
D) psychophysics

Question 56

What color would you report seeing if a researcher projected the longest wavelength in the visible spectrum onto a screen?

A) red
B) blue
C) yellow
D) violet

Question 57

Misaki has learned to create a "truly red" light by focusing on only one wavelength of the visible spectrum. In which property of light would Misaki be most interested?

A) intensity
B) decibels
C) accommodation
D) saturation

Question 58

The aspect of color that corresponds to names such as red, green, and blue is __________.

A) brightness
B) saturation
C) hue
D) fine detail

Question 59

The term photon refers to __________.

A) a tiny packet of light waves
B) a torpedo used by the USS Enterprise
C) the smallest unit of sound
D) the property of light that gives us the perception of color

Question 60

Our eyes don't adapt completely to a repeated visual stimulus because __________.

A) tiny little vibrations called microsaccades keep the eyes from adapting to what they see
B) the optic chiasm enables fibers to carry messages to all parts of the brain
C) ganglion cells fire continuously
D) visual acuity is greatest in the fovea

Question 61

Which component of the eye contains the visual receptors?

A) sclera
B) retina
C) cornea
D) posterior chamber

Question 62

__________ is an age-related decline in the ability of the lens to accommodate to different distances of visual stimuli.

A) Presbyopia
B) Cataract
C) Glaucoma
D) Retinitis pigmentosa

Question 63

The fovea is made up of __________.

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

Question 64

Axons from ganglion cells form the __________.

A) fovea
B) optic nerve
C) optic schism
D) rods and cones

Question 65

The place in the retina where the axons of all the ganglion cells come together to leave the eye is called the __________.

A) fovea
B) blind spot
C) optic chiasm
D) optic nerve

Question 66

Light is focused on the retina by the __________.

A) pupil
B) ganglion cells
C) lens
D) iris

Question 67

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

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

Question 68

Which of the following is a procedure that removes small portions of a person's cornea in order to help change the cornea's curvature and reestablish clearer vision?

A) laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis
B) involved iridectomy
C) penetrating keratoplasty
D) retinitis pigmentosa

Question 69

The change in the shape of the lens in order to focus on a visual image is known as __________.

A) fixation
B) divergence
C) convergence
D) visual accommodation

Question 70

When we describe someone's eyes as blue, technically we are referring to his or her blue __________.

A) pupils
B) irises
C) corneas
D) scleras

Question 71

Which of the following is TRUE about cones?

A) They are responsible for black and white vision.
B) They are found mainly in the center of the eye.
C) They operate mainly at night.
D) They respond only to black and white.

Question 72

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

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

Question 73

The pupil is the __________.

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

Question 74

The clear, transparent protective coating over the front part of the eye is the __________.

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

Question 75

Which part of the eye is a muscle that regulates the size of the pupil?

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

Question 76

Which of the following sequences correctly indicates the pathway of nerve impulses on their way from the eye to the brain?

A) ganglion cells, bipolar cells, photoreceptor cells, optic nerve
B) bipolar cells, photoreceptor cells, ganglion cells, optic nerve
C) photoreceptor cells, bipolar cells, ganglion cells, optic nerve
D) photoreceptor cells, bipolar cells, optic nerve, ganglion cells

Question 77

What is the pupil of the eye?

A) It is the white part of the eye.
B) It is the colored part of the eye.
C) It is the location of the visual receptors.
D) It is the small opening in the center of the eye.

Question 78

When light waves enter the eye, they first pass through the __________.

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

Question 79

Receptor cells in the retina responsible for color vision and fine acuity are __________.

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

Question 80

When you enter a darkened room (e.g., a movie theater), you will find it hard to see at first, but shortly afterward you will be able to see much better. This phenomenon is referred to as __________ adaptation.

A) color
B) cone
C) dark
D) light