Deck 4: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

Sensory adaptation refers to a decrease in sensory response that accompanies

A) perceptual defense.
B) threshold shifts.
C) an unchanging stimulus.
D) selective attention.

Answer 1

an unchanging stimulus.

Question 2

Assume that a scientist is working on a device to route sounds directly to the brain to provide a type of hearing for people who are completely deaf. Which principle of sensory functioning would be most useful to the scientist in achieving her goal?

A) selective attention
B) data reduction
C) sensory adaptation
D) perception

Answer 2

perception

Question 3

In order to take your psychology quiz, you must read and process the information. The initial step of your eyes detecting the black marks on the page depends on the process of

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

Answer 3

sensation.

Question 4

The type of sensation you experience depends on which area of the brain is activated. This is known as

A) transduction.
B) sensory impressions.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) cerebralization.

Question 5

When Fatima detects the physical energies in her environment with her eyes, ears, and other sensory organs, she is engaging in the process known as

A) sensation.
B) perception.
C) adaptation.
D) cognition

Question 6

Matt has been studying for several hours and begins to rub his eyes. He immediately "sees" stars, checkerboards, and flashes of color. These visual sensations caused by Matt rubbing his eyes are called

A) visual pop-outs.
B) percept.
C) visual spectrals.
D) artificial vision.

Question 7

Dr. Azure measures sound waves and electromagnetic radiation and relates them to the sensations people experience as loudness and brightness, respectively. Dr. Azure is conducting research in the area of

A) physiological psychology.
B) neurological psychology.
C) psychophysics.
D) sensory deprivation.

Question 8

Some brain areas receive visual information, others receive auditory information, and still others receive taste or touch. Knowing which brain areas are active tells us, in general, what kinds of sensations you are feeling. This illustrates

A) transduction.
B) perception.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) cerebralization.

Question 9

Regarding difference thresholds, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Difference thresholds occur when we can first detect some stimulus.
B) Difference thresholds occur when we can first detect the change in the intensity of a stimulus.
C) Difference thresholds involve the decrease in sensory response to an unchanging stimulus.
D) Difference thresholds involve the mental process of organizing sensations into meaningful patterns.

Question 10

In their experiments on the brain and perceptual features, Blakemore and Cooper found that the kittens raised in the horizontally-striped rooms

A) bumped into chair legs.
B) missed when they tried to jump to horizontal surfaces.
C) had difficulty walking in a straight line.
D) experienced no difficulty in any visual task since the eyes easily adapt.

Question 11

When you first get into the swimming pool, the water feels rather cool, but after swimming for a while, the water feels fine. A friend asks you how the water is, and you tell her the "water's great." She jumps in and then accuses you of lying because the water is freezing. You really were not lying. It is just that you experienced

A) sensory gating.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) sensory conflict.
D) selective attention.

Question 12

Visual "pop-out," or the eye-catching effect, of such visual stimuli as lines, shapes, edges, spots, and colors occurs because your visual system is highly sensitive to perceptual

A) amplitudes.
B) transducers.
C) features.
D) thresholds.

Question 13

Which of the following involves the process of extracting perceptual features from stimulus patterns?

A) sensory analysis.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) perceptual gating.
D) perceptual localization.

Question 14

The process of detecting physical energies with the sensory organs is called

A) sensation.
B) perception.
C) adaptation.
D) cognition.

Question 15

The ears of bats can transduce and hear sound waves that humans cannot. This allows them to fly in complete darkness by using

A) feature detectors.
B) depth cues.
C) hyperopia.
D) echolocation.

Question 16

Although the senses reduce a mixture of sights, sounds, odors, tastes, and touch sensations to more manageable amounts, they are still too much for the brain to handle. That's why the brain further filters sensory information through

A) selective accommodation.
B) sensory deceleration.
C) selective attention.
D) control biasing.

Question 17

Which of the following processes can be consciously controlled?

A) sensory coding
B) selective attention
C) sensory adaptation
D) sensory analysis

Question 18

Regarding sensory analysis, which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) As they process information, the senses divide the world into important perceptual features.
B) Our sensitivity to perceptual features is an innate characteristic of our nervous system.
C) Our sensitivity to perceptual features is influenced by our experiences early in life.
D) Our sensitivity to perceptual features prevents our visual system from being vulnerable to the effect known as visual pop-out.

Question 19

The primary function of the senses is to act as devices that convert one kind of energy into another, which are referred to as

A) visual adapters.
B) biological assimilators.
C) phosphenes.
D) biological transducers.

Question 20

Our sensory systems act as data selection systems. This means that they

A) can change one form of energy to another.
B) transmit information to the brain in the form of codes.
C) select and analyze information and send only the most important data to the brain.
D) are only sensitive to a small range of sensations that will require additional interpretation by the brain.

Question 21

When you are in a group of people, surrounded by voices, you can choose to focus on the voice of the person you are facing or even choose to eavesdrop on conversations around the room. This is known as

A) the "cocktail party effect."
B) the multisensory approach.
C) "mindblindness."
D) the sound threshold barrier.

Question 22

When our attention is narrowly focused, we may experience inattentional blindness.

Question 23

The ability to selectively attend to incoming sensory information is believed to result from

A) the inability of the brain to handle more than one message at a time.
B) faulty transmission of neural impulses.
C) the brain's ability to give some messages priority while putting others on hold.
D) a mismatch between the sensory systems.

Question 24

Many types of stimuli cannot be sensed directly by humans because we lack sensory receptors to transduce the energy of these types of stimuli.

Question 25

The primary function of each of your senses is to act as a device that converts one kind of energy into another, which is referred to as a biological __________.

Question 26

Discuss the process of sensory analysis, and explain how it is both innate and influenced by early experiences by describing the studies conducted by Blakemore and Cooper.

Question 27

Dr. Argonaut presents a blindfolded subject with a sweet liquid and then adds a drop of sweetener to the liquid and has the subject taste it. This process continues until the subject tells the researcher that the liquid tastes "sweeter."  Regarding the sense of taste, Dr. Argonaut is seeking the __________ threshold.

Question 28

Failure to perceive a stimulus that is in plain view but not the focus of attention is known as

A) inattentional blindness.
B) habituation.
C) adaptation level.
D) subliminal stimuli.

Question 29

The science of measuring changes in physical stimuli and relating them to changes in psychological sensations is called __________.

Question 30

Being able to focus on the traffic signals among all the neon signs and lights illustrates

A) sensory gating.
B) selective attention.
C) control biasing.
D) inattentional blindness.

Question 31

Using a cell phone while driving may result in your failure to perceive a car pulling out of a driveway that is in plain view but not the focus of your attention, a situation referred to as __________.

Question 32

Describe the "seat-of-the-pants phenomenon," "the cocktail party effect," and inattentional blindness, and explain how they are all related to the "bottleneck" of selective attention.

Question 33

Advertisers would love it if they heard several people humming their products' jingles because it means that television viewers are falling prey to the attention-getting strategy called __________.

Question 34

In a classic study in which participants were asked to count the number of times a basketball was passed between the team members wearing black, half the participants failed to notice the person wearing the gorilla suit who walked into the middle of the basketball game.

Question 35

You are conducting an experiment in which participants are asked to focus intensely on the black star in the center of the screen. A small blue triangle is flashed for a moment in the right top corner. The failure of some of the participants to see the small blue triangle on the screen illustrates

A) difference threshold.
B) retinal disparity.
C) inattentional blindness.
D) an apparent-distance illusion.

Question 36

Work in sensory impressions is beginning to make it possible to artificially restore sight, hearing, or other senses.

Question 37

Fans of opposing sports teams often act as if they have seen completely different games. This probably results from the fans of each team focusing intently on their own players and not the other team, which illustrates

A) selective attention.
B) retinal disparity.
C) inattentional blindness.
D) the apparent-distance hypothesis.

Question 38

The type of sensation you experience depends on which brain area is activated with this process referred to as sensory __________.

Question 39

Repetitious stimuli shown in television commercials tend to be so boring that they fail in capturing our attention.

Question 40

Although you smelled the distinct odors of a pot of cabbage cooking on the stove when you first entered the kitchen, you now no longer smell these odors after being in the kitchen for thirty minutes due to the process of sensory gating.

Question 41

Myopia is the condition of the eyes in which the person cannot

A) focus on distant objects.
B) see very well in dim illumination.
C) focus on objects near the eyes.
D) see clearly because the lens is pigmented.

Question 42

Which receptor cells produce color sensations and fine details, work best in bright light, and lie mainly at the center of the eye?

A) phosphenes
B) rods
C) cones
D) stereocilia

Question 43

As people become middle-aged, the lens of the eye becomes less flexible and less able to accommodate, resulting in a farsightedness due to aging known as

A) hyperopia.
B) myopia.
C) presbyopia.
D) astigmatism.

Question 44

Carmen has blurred vision because her eyeball is too long. Carmen has the condition called

A) hyperopia.
B) myopia.
C) astigmatism.
D) presbyopia.

Question 45

Jake is being administered a test of his visual acuity in which he will be required to read rows of letters of diminishing size until he can no longer distinguish them. Jake's visual acuity is being assessed using the

A) Refraction Test.
B) Ishihara test.
C) Landolt rings.
D) Snellen chart.

Question 46

The brain separates images into "either-or" messages of red-green, blue-yellow, or black-white according to which theory of color vision?

A) opponent-process
B) trichromatic
C) accommodation
D) gate control

Question 47

Which theory of color vision explains that each of the cones in the retina contains a different type of iodopsin that breaks down when struck by light, triggers action potentials, and sends neural messages to the brain?

A) opponent-process theory.
B) trichromatic theory.
C) three-opponent theory.
D) stage primary theory.

Question 48

The visible spectrum is made up of a narrow range of wavelengths of

A) spectral particles.
B) ionized nanometers.
C) phosphenes.
D) electromagnetic energy.

Question 49

At night or under low illumination conditions, visual acuity is best when

A) objects are viewed with the fovea.
B) viewing yellowish-green objects.
C) using the rods in the eye.
D) viewing objects with only one eye.

Question 50

Hue refers to the

A) basic color categories.
B) pureness of color.
C) amplitude of light.
D) perception of meaningful patterns.

Question 51

Seeing "out of the corner of your eye" is important in sports activities and driving. This is known as

A) tunnel vision.
B) peripheral vision.
C) astigmatism.
D) feature detection.

Question 52

Marty has blurred vision because his eyeball is too short. Marty has the condition called

A) hyperopia.
B) presbyopia.
C) myopia.
D) astigmatism.

Question 53

Most of the focusing is done at the front of the eye by a clear membrane that bends light inward. This membrane is called the

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

Question 54

Which of the following is NOT a test of visual acuity?

A) being able to detect a smallest grating seen as individual lines
B) the Snellen chart
C) the Landolt rings
D) the Ishihara test

Question 55

The spread of electromagnetic energies to which the eyes respond is called the

A) perceptual field.
B) gamma quadrant.
C) visible spectrum.
D) spectral composite.

Question 56

The trichromatic theory of color vision applies to the retina, where three different types of cone have been found with each cone containing a different type of

A) iodopsin.
B) rhodopsin.
C) phosphene.
D) stereocilia.

Question 57

The part of the eye where the optic nerve leaves the eye is called the

A) lens.
B) retina.
C) blind spot.
D) pupil.

Question 58

The small cup-shaped area in the middle of the retina that contains only cones is the

A) fovea.
B) cornea.
C) blind spot.
D) lens.

Question 59

Bifocal lenses are used to correct

A) near vision.
B) distance vision.
C) presbyopia.
D) both near vision and distance vision.

Question 60

Which of the following cause the colors we see to appear brighter or more intense?

A) narrow bands of wavelengths
B) broad bands of wavelengths
C) waves of greater amplitude
D) waves of lower amplitude

Question 61

Most focusing is done at the front of the eye by a clear membrane that bends light inward called the __________.

Question 62

The dramatic increase in retinal sensitivity to light that occurs after a person enters the dark is called __________.

Question 63

A small cup-shaped area in the middle of the retina that produces the sharpest images and contains only cones is the __________.

Question 64

Describe the four vision problems of hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia, including their causes and treatments.

Question 65

Marian is 44 years old and is getting glasses for the first time because she cannot read the small print in the telephone book like she could when she was younger. Marian has been diagnosed with presbyopia.

Question 66

Red-green color blind individuals do not have a severe difficulty with traffic lights because

A) the red light is always on top and the green light is brighter than the red.
B) the "red" traffic signals have blue light mixed in with the red.
C) the "green" light is really yellow-green.
D) all of these are utilized.

Question 67

Tony feels like he is wearing blinders because he has suffered a loss of peripheral vision known as myopia.

Question 68

The opponent process theory of color vision explains

A) what happens in the retina.
B) how the stereocilia are stimulated and produce visual sensations.
C) how the iodopsin breaks down and triggers action potentials.
D) what happens in the optic pathways and brain after the information leaves the eye.

Question 69

Caucasian males are more likely to be red-green color-blind than Asian, African, or Native American males.

Question 70

Which of the following allows a person to see black and white images?

A) retinol in the aqueous humor
B) iodopsin in the cones
C) rhodopsin in the rods
D) phophenes in the optic nerve

Question 71

The photoreceptors that number five million in each eye and work best in bright light are the __________.

Question 72

After complimenting his wife Helen on her new blue dress, Sid proceeded to put on a red tie and a green coat, thinking they were both a yellowish brown. Sid most likely has

A) visual agnosia.
B) total color blindness.
C) only rods in his eyes and no cones.
D) a color weakness.

Question 73

The area of the retina is about the size and thickness of a postage stamp.

Question 74

The shortest wavelengths of visible light are sensed as red, while the longest wavelengths of light are sensed as purple.

Question 75

To aid dark adaptation, airplane cockpits, submarines, and ready rooms for fighter pilots are illuminated with

A) red light.
B) green light.
C) bluish-white zenon lights.
D) black light.

Question 76

Explain what happens during dark adaptation, including the importance of rhodopsin, how long dark adaptation takes to occur, how it can be wiped out, and how it can be speeded up.

Question 77

Airplane cockpits, submarines, and ready rooms for fighter pilots are illuminated with green light to speed up dark adaptation.

Question 78

The spread of electromagnetic energies to which the eyes respond is called the __________.

Question 79

When your eyes reach the point of complete dark adaptation and maximum visual sensitivity, they will be how many more times as sensitive to light?

A) 10
B) 100
C) 1,000
D) 100,000

Question 80

The visual receptors for color and bright light are the rods, while the cones are the visual receptors for dim light and produce only black and white sensations.