Deck 6: Distance and Size Perception

Question 1

The distance of an object from the observer is known as:

A) egocentric distance
B) topographic distance
C) allocentric distance
D) relative distance

Answer 1

A

Question 2

A baseball player estimates that the base in front of him is 40 feet away. This is the:

A) topographic distance
B) allocentric distance
C) egocentric distance
D) relative distance

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In which of the following examples is the observer NOT judging allocentric distance?

A) Emily estimates the distance between two actors on the theater stage.
B) Chris determines that he is standing 500 feet from the ticket counter.
C) Molly decides that the police station is closer to the deli than it is to the library.
D) Maxine guesses that the distance between the refrigerator and the dishwasher is 10 feet.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

"Relative distance" is the same thing as:

A) isocentric distance
B) egocentric distance
C) topographic distance
D) allocentric distance

Question 5

When judging how far away a distant object is, you rely on:

A) invariants
B) affordances
C) monocular cues
D) binocular cues

Question 6

Binocular cues are effective because:

A) processing can take place twice as fast
B) there is disparity between the images on the two retinas
C) twice as many rods receive visual information
D) twice as many codes receive visual information

Question 7

In the figure below, the circle appears to be closer to you than the rectangle. This demonstrates the effect of which pictorial depth cue?

A) texture gradient
B) size
C) occlusion
D) linear perspective

Question 8

Which pictorial depth cues would lead to the judgment that larger objects are closer than smaller objects?

A) size cues and linear perspective
B) size cues and shading
C) size cues and occlusion
D) size cues and atmospheric perspective

Question 9

Knowing how large a typical person is can help you determine how far away your friend is when you see her on the other side of the dining hall because you can use:

A) familiar size
B) relative size
C) height cues
D) shading

Question 10

Which depth cue refers to the fact that surface densities increase as objects get further away?

A) atmospheric perspective
B) linear perspective
C) shading
D) texture gradient

Question 11

According to atmospheric perspective, distant objects look __________________ and are __________________ in contrast to nearby objects.

A) clear; tinted blue
B) clear; tinted red
C) blurry; tinted blue
D) blurry; tinted red

Question 12

The monocular depth cue that takes advantage of the pattern of light and shadows is:

A) shading
B) texture gradient
C) atmospheric perspective
D) occlusion

Question 13

Which of the following statements about shading is TRUE?

A) We interpret both shadowy regions and highlighted areas as far from a light source.
B) We interpret both shadowy regions and highlighted areas as close to a light source.
C) We interpret highlighted areas as farther from a light source but shadowy regions as closer to the light.
D) We interpret shadowy regions as farther from a light source but highlighted areas as closer to the light.

Question 14

Height cues refer to the observation that:

A) short objects appear to be farther away from us than tall objects
B) short objects appear to be closer to us than tall objects
C) objects near the horizon appear to be farther away from us than objects far from the horizon
D) objects near the horizon appear to be closer to us than objects far from the horizon.

Question 15

A cloud that is closer to the horizon appears __________________ than a cloud that is farther from the horizon because of __________________.

A) closer; height cues
B) closer; atmospheric perspective
C) farther away; height cues
D) farther away; atmospheric perspective

Question 16

Which of the following cues is NOT a pictorial cue?

A) atmospheric perspective
B) texture gradient
C) occlusion
D) kinetic depth effect

Question 17

Motion parallax refers to the fact that:

A) objects that are moving appear to be larger than objects that are stationary.
B) objects that look flat when stationary appear to have depth once they move.
C) objects moving toward the horizon appear to be moving farther away.
D) as you move your head sideways, objects at different distances seem to move in different directions.

Question 18

Imagine that you are looking at your friend who is standing across the room. If you turn your head from side to side, the objects behind your friend (e.g., the picture on the wall behind him) will seem to move __________________ as your own movement. The
objects in front of your friend (e.g., the chair in between you and him) will seem to move __________________ as your own movement.

A) in the same direction; in the opposite direction
B) in the same direction; in the same direction
C) in the opposite direction; in the same direction
D) in the opposite direction; in the opposite direction

Question 19

The cue that refers to the fact that a two-dimensional projection of an object appears to have depth when it rotates is called:

A) atmospheric perspective
B) the kinetic depth effect
C) motion parallax
D) linear perspective

Question 20

As people age:

A) they rely more heavily on motion cues than when they were younger.
B) motion cues become less effective than when they were younger.
C) they rely solely on pictorial cues in perceiving depth.
D) they rely solely on movement cues in perceiving depth.

Question 21

The sense of depth that emerges from binocular disparity cues is:

A) accommodation
B) convergence
C) stereopsis
D) trompe l'oeil

Question 22

If an object (e.g., a red apple) appears outside of Panum's area, what will the observer see?

A) a single red apple
B) two red apples
C) a colorless apple
D) no apple at all

Question 23

Objects behind the horopter create __________________, which is a cue that objects are __________________.

A) crossed disparity; near us
B) crossed disparity; far from us
C) uncrossed disparity; near us
D) uncrossed disparity; far from us

Question 24

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) People judge distant objects as being farther away than they really are, but only when making monocular judgments.
B) People judge distant objects as being nearer than they really are, but only when making monocular judgments.
C) People judge distant objects as being farther away than they really are, both in monocular and binocular judgments.
D) People judge distant objects as being nearer than they really are, both in monocular and binocular judgments.

Question 25

Many researchers use random-dot stereograms to study stereopsis because:

A) there are many pictorial depth cues present
B) there are no pictorial distance cues present
C) only one picture needs to be presented
D) it is easy for people to fuse them

Question 26

The images in the popular Magic Eye books are technically called:

A) autostereograms
B) random-dot stereograms
C) stereoscopic pictures
D) illusions

Question 27

When the two images from the two retinas cannot be fused into a single image containing depth information, this is called:

A) accommodation
B) binocular disparity
C) binocular rivalry
D) convergence

Question 28

Which of the following depth cues involves input from the eye muscles?

A) convergence
B) texture gradient
C) accommodation
D) both A and C

Question 29

When you look at distant objects, the lens of your eye is relatively __________________. This is because of __________________.

A) thick; convergence
B) thick; accommodation
C) thin; convergence
D) thin; accommodation

Question 30

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Convergence refers to the fact that the eyes move close together when looking at nearby objects.
B) Convergence provides depth cues based on the input from the eye muscles.
C) Convergence is most useful as a cue for very distant objects.
D) Convergence is a less useful depth cue than binocular disparity.

Question 31

Which theory of depth perception argues that the visual stimulus is rich with distance information?

A) the Gibsonian position
B) the computational approach
C) the empiricist position
D) the constructivist theory

Question 32

The direct perception approach is also known as:

A) the computational approach
B) the empiricist position
C) the constructivist theory
D) the Gibsonian position

Question 33

According to the Gibsonian position, which two depth cues are most important?

A) kinetic depth effect & occlusion
B) size cues & linear perspective
C) texture gradient & motion parallax
D) shading & atmospheric perspective

Question 34

The actions that one can perform with an object are the __________________ of the object.

A) cues
B) affordances
C) illusions
D) invariants

Question 35

Which theory of depth perception stresses that we enrich the visual stimulus with associations and expectations?

A) the computational approach
B) the direct perception approach
C) the empiricist approach
D) the Gibsonian approach

Question 36

The modern version of the empiricist approach is called the:

A) Gibsonian position
B) contructivist theory
C) computational approach
D) direct perception approach

Question 37

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Although the original version of the empiricist approach emphasized that retinal information is sufficient for depth perception, the modern version disagrees with this position.
B) Although the original version of the empiricist approach emphasized that retinal information is not sufficient for depth perception, the modern version disagrees with this position.
C) Both the original and modern versions of the empiricist approach emphasize that retinal information is sufficient for depth perception.
D) Both the original and modern versions of the empiricist approach emphasize that retinal information is not sufficient for depth perception.

Question 38

Which theory of depth perception attempts to develop a set of rules and procedures to describe how we perceive complex stimuli?

A) the Gibsonian position
B) the contructivist theory
C) the computational approach
D) the direct perception approach

Question 39

Which of the following statements about modules is FALSE?

A) They are accessible to central processes.
B) They have a limited function.
C) They perform their functions rapidly.
D) They have a specific neural architecture.

Question 40

Which of the following statements about the computational approach is FALSE?

A) It relies on mental operations less than the direct perception approach allows.
B) It relies on specific knowledge less than the constructivist approach allows.
C) It recognizes the richness of the visual input, just as the direct perception approach does.
D) It recognizes the importance of prior knowledge more than the direct perception approach does.

Question 41

Patients with unilateral neglect typically have damage to what brain area?

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

Question 42

Following brain damage to his left hemisphere, patient LT only eats the food on the left side of his plate and fails to read words on the right side of the page. He likely has:

A) unilateral neglect
B) pure alexia
C) localization deficit
D) presbyopia

Question 43

Patient AH described in the text has localization deficit. Which of the following tasks would she NOT be able to do?

A) localize the source of an object based on sound
B) localize the source of an object based on vision
C) name a visually presented object
D) all of the above

Question 44

Which visual pathway conveys motion cues for depth perception?

A) P
B) K
C) S
D) M

Question 45

Which visual pathway conveys information that is important for binocular disparity?

A) P
B) K
C) S
D) M

Question 46

Disparity-sensitive cells can be found in:

A) the hippocampus
B) V1
C) V5
D) both B and C

Question 47

Spatial memory is most likely processed in which brain area?

A) V1
B) the hippocampus
C) the superior colliculus
D) V5

Question 48

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) For shapes of equal area, circles appear smaller than diamonds.
B) For shapes of equal area, squares appear smaller than stars.
C) More elongated shapes appear to be smaller than objects that are more compact.
D) Objects viewed against a large background appear smaller than when viewed against a small background.

Question 49

Which of the following terms is NOT in the equation for Emmert's law?

A) perceived size
B) retinal image size
C) perceived distance
D) binocular disparity

Question 50

Size constancy refers to the fact that:

A) although the retinal size of an object may change, its proximal size will stay the same.
B) although the proximal size of an object may change, its distal size will stay the same.
C) although the proximal size of an object may change, its retinal size will stay the same.
D) although the distal size of an object may change, its proximal size will stay the same.

Question 51

Which of the following statements about size constancy is TRUE?

A) Size constancy doesn't work for either familiar or unfamiliar objects.
B) Size constancy works for both familiar and unfamiliar objects.
C) Size constancy works for familiar objects but not for unfamiliar objects.
D) Size constancy works for unfamiliar objects but not for familiar objects.

Question 52

Aspects of perception that persist over time and space and are left unchanged by certain kinds of transformations are called:

A) illusions
B) affordances
C) invariants
D) cues

Question 53

Which of the following statements about the transformation theory is FALSE?

A) The first stage is strictly a physical process.
B) The second stage involves psychological processes.
C) In the first stage, the distal stimulus is created.
D) There is room for error in the second stage.

Question 54

The figure below represents a:

A) Ponzo illusion
B) Necker cube
C) Sander parallelogram
D) Müller-Lyer illusion

Question 55

The figure below illustrates the __________________ illusion.

A) horizontal-vertical
B) Müller-Lyer
C) margin
D) Ponzo

Question 56

The St. Louis arch is an example of a:

A) horizontal-vertical illusion
B) Ponzo illusion
C) Müller-Lyer illusion
D) moon illusion

Question 57

The figure below illustrates the __________________ illusion.

A) horizontal-vertical
B) Müller-Lyer
C) margin
D) Ponzo

Question 58

Which explanation do researchers agree best explains distance illusions such as the Müller-Lyer illusion and the Ponzo illusion?

A) the eye-movement explanation
B) the misapplied constancy explanation
C) the incorrect comparison explanation
D) There is currently no consensus.

Question 59

Which explanation of distance illusions states that observers' perceptions are influenced by parts of the figures that are not being judged?

A) the eye-movement explanation
B) the misapplied constancy explanation
C) the incorrect comparison explanation
D) none of the above

Question 60

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) People typically underestimate the area of margins on a page.
B) People generally report that the moon at the horizon looks smaller than the moon at its highest point.
C) People generally report horizontal lines as longer than vertical lines.
D) Context does not influence distance misperceptions.