Deck 4: Basic Visual Functions

Question 1

A location in space where a sudden change in color, brightness, or lightness occurs is:

A) a Ganzfeld
B) a scotoma
C) a Mach band
D) an edge

Answer 1

D

Question 2

While brightness refers to __________________, lightness refers to __________________.

A) perceived luminance; perceived reflectance
B) perceived reflectance; perceived color
C) perceived color; perceived luminance
D) perceived reflectance; perceived luminance

Answer 2

A

Question 3

A Ganzfeld is:

A) a visual stimulus without color
B) a visual stimulus without light
C) a visual stimulus without edges
D) a visual stimulus without motion

Answer 3

C

Question 4

After looking at a solid blue background for 15 minutes, Chelsie reports that the background is now gray. This change occurs because:

A) her eyes are now light adapted.
B) she has developed a scotoma.
C) her cones have adjusted to the blue color.
D) her visual system is dependent upon edges.

Question 5

When a point on the retina is stimulated, the electrical activity of other adjacent points:

A) increases, as a result of lateral inhibition
B) decreases, as a result of lateral inhibition
C) increases, as a result of spreading activation
D) decreases, as a result of spreading activation

Question 6

Lateral inhibition:

A) only occurs in the human retina
B) only occurs in the retina of the horseshoe crab
C) aids in the perception of color
D) aids in the perception of edges

Question 7

Assume that Points 1, 2, and 3 are neighboring neural cells on the retina. In which of the following cases would the electrical activity at Point 2 be the GREATEST?

A) a light is shined at Point 1, but not at Point 2 or Point 3
B) a light is shined at Point 2, but not at Point 1 or Point 3
C) a light is shined at Point 1 and Point 2
D) a light is shined at Point 1, Point 2, and Point 3

Question 8

Mach bands are of particular interest to psychophysicists because:

A) they illustrate that perceptions can differ from physical stimuli
B) they suggest that lateral inhibition can be suppressed
C) they show that humans are unable to detect slight differences in contrast
D) they are easily detected by a photometer

Question 9

Involuntary eye movements serve to:

A) create constant change on the photoreceptors
B) keep us alert and awake
C) counteract head movements
D) increase awareness of the environment

Question 10

Which of the following statements about microsaccades is FALSE?

A) They are random in direction and length.
B) They are made unconsciously.
C) They take place rapidly.
D) none of the above

Question 11

Bert is looking at a picture of a smiley face which contains two green eyes, a blue nose, and a red smile on a yellow face and is asked to stare at the blue nose. The picture is
presented on a computer screen while his eye movements are being recorded.
Furthermore, whenever his eyes move (even in the case of a microsaccade), the image
moves with his eye such that the blue nose is always presented on the same location on
his retina. After some time, what will Bert report seeing at the place of the nose?

A) it will be green, just like the two eyes
B) it will be gray because the perception of color will fade
C) it will be yellow, just like the background
D) it will look like a black gap in the middle of the face

Question 12

Why isn't the blind spot on our retina noticeable as we observe the world around us?

A) It is too small to make a physical difference.
B) Our visual system fills in the missing information.
C) Microsaccades move our eyes rapidly so that it the blind spot goes undetected.
D) none of the above

Question 13

A blind spot is:

A) always perceived as a black spot in your visual field where there is no image
B) filled in with a reconstruction of the image surrounding it, whether the pattern is complex or simple
C) filled in with a reconstruction of the image surrounding it only when then pattern is simple
D) filled in independent of the image surrounding it by being replaced with a white gap

Question 14

Research studies using stabilized retinal images and those conducted on patients with scotomas indicate that:

A) edges must move on the retina to be detected
B) we rely on context to fill in missing visual information
C) microsaccades are not entirely random
D) both A and B

Question 15

Cases of blind individuals who have acquired the ability to see later in life indicate that:

A) experience plays little role in visual perception
B) basic visual abilities are able to be acquired but complex visual tasks cannot be
C) color perception develops quickly but face perception takes more time to learn
D) both A and B

Question 16

Lightness perception is:

A) dependent on the lightness of the surrounding areas
B) determined by directly calculating the albedo of a surface
C) determined by the absolute amount of light energy falling on the retina
D) constant and cannot be changed

Question 17

The main problem with the photometric approach to lightness perception is:

A) it is an overly complex explanation
B) it does not account for mechanical limitations of photometers
C) it does not account for context effects
D) none of the above

Question 18

Hannah is looking at a pencil lying on the desk. The __________________ is the distal stimulus while the __________________ is the proximal stimulus.

A) pencil; light reflected from the pencil and projected onto the retina
B) pencil; desk
C) desk; pencil
D) light reflected from the pencil and projected onto the retina; Pencil

Question 19

Lightness constancy occurs when:

A) our perception of the distal stimulus remains the same in spite of changes in the proximal stimulus
B) our perception of the proximal stimulus remains the same in spite of changes in the distal stimulus
C) our perceptions of both the proximal stimulus and the distal stimulus change
D) none of the above

Question 20

Light constancy occurs when:

A) low-albedo objects are seen as dark under dimly lit conditions but light under bright conditions.
B) low-albedo objects are seen as light under dimly lit conditions but dark under bright conditions.
C) low-albedo objects are seen as dark under dimly lit conditions as well as under bright conditions.
D) low-albedo objects are seen as light under dimly lit conditions as well as under bright conditions.

Question 21

The actual physical percentage of light reflected by a surface is called:

A) constancy
B) albedo
C) brightness
D) lightness

Question 22

Your perception that the white sheet on your bed appears to be white in the morning and evening when lighting conditions are dim as well as at noontime when lighting conditions are very bright is due to the fact that:

A) the albedo of the sheet is constant throughout the day
B) the absolute amount of light energy from the sheet that falls on the retina is constant
C) the sheet reflects the same amount of light at all hours
D) we rely on the lightness constancy to determine lightness

Question 23

The notion that we determine an object's lightness by comparing its brightness to that of other objects in the scene was proposed by: (p. 94)

A) Egon Brunswik
B) Gustav Fechner
C) Hans Wallach
D) Hermann von Helmholtz

Question 24

The probabilistic functionalism approach to explaining lightness perception states that:

A) our previous experiences shape our perceptions of lightness
B) we rely on an object's relative intensity rather than its absolute intensity
C) we rely on an object's absolute intensity rather than its relative intensity
D) we unconsciously infer the level of illumination of a Surface

Question 25

Which of the following statements about lightness perception is TRUE?

A) We first perceive the lightness of objects in a visual scene and then organize them.
B) We first make depth perception judgments and then make lightness judgments.
C) We first organize the visual scene and then determine the lightness of objects.
D) both B and C

Question 26

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Our lightness judgment of Object A is independent of other objects in the scene.
B) Our lightness judgment of Object A is dependent upon other objects that are similar to Object A, even if they are not adjacent to
Object
C) Our lightness judgment of Object A is dependent upon other objects that are similar to Object A, but only if they are adjacent to Object
D) Our lightness judgment of Object A is dependent upon other objects that are similar to Object A, but only if they are nonadjacent to Object

Question 27

Which of the following theories can fully explain lightness perception?

A) Wallach's ratio principle
B) Helmholtz' theory
C) Brunzwik's probabilistic functionalism theory
D) none of the above

Question 28

Our ability to see fine details in a scene or in text is our:

A) visual angle
B) visual acuity
C) visual constancy
D) visual accommodation

Question 29

The visual angle of a person facing you in the distance:

A) changes as she moves left or right
B) changes as she moves forward or backward
C) remains constant despite any changes in her position
D) both A and B

Question 30

Which of the following statements about the fovea is TRUE?

A) The fovea has a visual angle of 2°. The center is rod-free and has a visual angle of 1°.
B) The fovea has a visual angle of 2°. The center is cone-free and has a visual angle of 1°.
C) The fovea has a visual angle of 5°. The center is rod-free and has a visual angle of 2°.
D) The fovea has a visual angle of 5°. The center is cone-free and has a visual angle of 2°.

Question 31

Scott uses the Snellen eye chart and discovers that his eyesight is 20/100. This means that:

A) he would have to be at 20 feet to read what someone with normal vision could read at 100 feet
B) he could stand as far back as 100 feet to read what someone with normal vision could read at 20 feet
C) the visual angle of the eye chart is 20°
D) his vision is equal to that of 1/5 of the population

Question 32

The main problem with the Snellen eye chart is that:

A) it can measure whether an individual is hypermetropic, but not if they are myopic
B) it requires letter identification skills
C) it does not have any practical significance
D) it is very time-consuming to administer

Question 33

Acuity is greatest at the center of the fovea because:

A) the number of cones is great and each photoreceptor gets its own ganglion cell
B) the number of rods is great and each photoreceptor gets its own ganglion cell
C) the number of cones is great and more photoreceptors are connected to each ganglion cell
D) the number of rods is great and more photoreceptors are connected to each ganglion cell

Question 34

Which of the following statements about accommodation is FALSE?

A) During accommodation, the lens becomes thinner.
B) Accommodation takes place as objects draw nearer to the eye.
C) Accommodation bends the light to focus it on the retina.
D) none of the above

Question 35

Jeff has presbyopia, so he:

A) has trouble seeing distant objects because the image is focused in front of the retina
B) has trouble seeing distant objects because the image is focused behind the retina
C) has trouble seeing nearby objects because the image is focused in front of the retina
D) has trouble seeing nearby objects because the image is focused behind the retina

Question 36

The ciliary muscle is used during:

A) vergence eye movements
B) saccadic eye movements
C) pursuit eye movements
D) accommodation

Question 37

The "near point" is:

A) the distance at which you must be from an object so that it is fully projected onto the fovea
B) the closest point to your eye that you can see clearly
C) the distance at which you can read all of the letters on the Snellen eye chart
D) the point at which accommodation is not necessary for clear viewing

Question 38

Another term for someone who is nearsighted is:

A) presbyopic
B) achromatic
C) hypermetropic
D) myopic

Question 39

Alana is nearsighted and so she:

A) has trouble seeing nearby objects because her eyeballs are longer than normal
B) has trouble seeing nearby objects because her eyeballs are shorter than normal
C) has trouble seeing distant objects because her eyeballs are longer than normal
D) has trouble seeing distant objects because her eyeballs are shorter than normal

Question 40

The corrective lenses that help correct nearsightedness:

A) affect vision for distant objects but not vision for nearby objects
B) focus distant objects further back in the eye and onto the retina
C) cause the light rays to converge more
D) all of the above

Question 41

Myopia is caused by:

A) not exercising the ocular muscles enough
B) straining the ocular muscles
C) genetics
D) both B and C

Question 42

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Myopes cannot focus on points that are far away.
B) Individuals that are farsighted typically have eyeballs that are shorter than normal.
C) Hypermetropes have closer far points and near points than people with normal vision.
D) For nearsighted individuals, distant objects are focused in front of the retina.

Question 43

A local realtor is interested in putting up a billboard to advertise her services. She wants the visual acuity of the sign to be high. Which of the following would increase the visual acuity of the text?

A) Making the letters smaller, so more text falls on the center of the fovea.
B) Using black text on a plain white background.
C) Placing the sign on a dimly lit street to reduce the luminance.
D) Placing the sign far from the road so that it encompasses 5° of visual angle.

Question 44

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Larger objects are easier to see than smaller objects.
B) Objects that are 4 feet away are easier to see than objects that are 40 feet away.
C) Objects visible under low contrast conditions are easier to see than objects under high contrast conditions.
D) Objects presented at a luminance of 80 cd/m² are easier to see than objects presented at a luminance of 20 cd/m².

Question 45

Vergence eye movements:

A) allow rapid tracking of objects
B) take less than 1/10 of a second
C) allow both eyes to focus on the same object
D) are quicker than accommodation

Question 46

The umpire behind home plate carefully watches as the baseball leaves the pitcher's hand and moves closer to him. As the ball travels toward home plate:

A) the umpire uses vergence eye movements and the visual angle of the ball increases
B) the umpire uses vergence eye movements and the visual angle of the ball decreases
C) the umpire uses version eye movements and the visual angle of the ball increases
D) the umpire uses version eye movements and the visual angle of the ball decreases

Question 47

Which kind of eye movements are involved when watching a horse gallop off into the distance?

A) convergent eye movements
B) divergent eye movements
C) saccadic eye movements
D) pursuit eye movements

Question 48

Which of the following situations does NOT use version eye movements?

A) reading a line of text from a book
B) viewing a painting in a museum
C) looking at a dog as it runs toward you
D) watching a bird fly past your window

Question 49

Which of the following statements about convergence is TRUE?

A) it is influenced by illusory distance
B) it is a method rarely used by people with normal vision
C) it inhibits the ability to see faces
D) it causes the eyes to move away from one another

Question 50

Which kind of eye movements are involved when watching a pendulum swing from side to side?

A) convergent eye movements
B) divergent eye movements
C) saccadic eye movements
D) pursuit eye movements

Question 51

When your eyes are rotated inward, you are:

A) focusing on a nearby object, and your eyes have diverged
B) focusing on a nearby object, and your eyes have converged
C) focusing on a distant object, and your eyes have diverged
D) focusing on a distant object, and your eyes have converged

Question 52

Which of the following brain areas is NOT involved in pursuit and saccadic eye movements?

A) the amygdala
B) the superior colliculus
C) the cerebellum
D) the frontal eye field

Question 53

Which of the following statements about pursuit vs. saccadic eye movements is FALSE?

A) While pursuit movements are fast, saccadic movements are slow.
B) While pursuit movements are smooth, saccadic movements are jerky.
C) Both pursuit and saccadic eye movements involve similar brain areas.
D) Both pursuit and saccadic eye movements are version eye movements.

Question 54

Saccadic eye movements are necessary to:

A) bring the lens into position over objects of interest
B) exercise the ciliary muscles and keep them flexible
C) bring the fovea into position over objects of interest
D) all of the above

Question 55

Saccadic suppression refers to the fact that:

A) the speed of saccadic eye movements is slowed compared to other eye movements
B) the ciliary muscles tire easily when making saccadic eye movements
C) we do not extract visual information during a saccadic eye movement
D) saccadic eye movements are rarely used

Question 56

Information across saccades is linked together via:

A) saccadic suppression
B) transsaccadic integration
C) fixation pauses
D) transfixation integration

Question 57

Research indicates that we are able to extract the gist of a scene with:

A) one fixation pause
B) five saccadic eye movements
C) five pursuit eye movements
D) saccadic suppression

Question 58

When you engage in a real-life task, such as assembling a bicycle, you are likely to move your eyes to:

A) guide an object (e.g., a screwdriver) toward another object (e.g., a screw)
B) locate an object (e.g., the wheels, a wrench) that is needed
C) check on the condition of an object (e.g., are the handlebars on straight?)
D) all of the above

Question 59

Durations of fixations when looking at a scene or while reading:

A) are always .2 seconds long and are independent of context
B) are always .2 seconds long and are dependent on context
C) vary in length and are independent of context
D) vary in length and are dependent on context

Question 60

Which of the following statements about reading is NOT true?

A) Saccades typically bring our eyes 6-9 characters to the right.
B) We are able to extract useful information about the text that is to the right of the fovea.
C) Reading jumbled text is just as easy as reading normal text.
D) We usually land just to the left of the center of a word.

Question 61

Better readers have __________________ than poor readers.

A) shorter saccades
B) longer fixation pauses
C) fewer regressive saccades
D) both B and C