Deck 4: Sensing and Perceiving Our World

Question 1

According to the observation of Singer and Zaki, when one sees a loved one in pain, the ________ and the insula regions of the brain become activated.

A) cochlea
B) tympanic membrane
C) anterior cingulate cortex
D) somatosensory cortex

Answer 1

anterior cingulate cortex

Question 2

The olfactory sensory neurons contain hairlike projections called ________, which are similar to the hair cells in the inner ear.

A) cilia
B) cochlea
C) papillae
D) pinnae

Answer 2

cilia

Question 3

In the context of photoreceptors, identify a true statement about rods.

A) They act much more quickly than cones.
B) They are responsible for color vision.
C) They are most responsive to dark-and-light contrast.
D) They are most functional in conditions of bright light.

Answer 3

They are most responsive to dark-and-light contrast.

Question 4

The structure composed of the axons of ganglion cells from the retina that carry visual information from the eye to the brain is known as the ________.

A) basilar membrane
B) olfactory bulb
C) tympanic membrane
D) optic nerve

Question 5

Diana goes to a theater to watch a movie. Outside the theater, the area is well-lit and she can see clearly. As soon as she enters the theater hall, she is engulfed by darkness and momentarily blinded as the lighting is dim. However, she is soon able to make out objects clearly once again. The phenomenon that Diana experiences is known as ________.

A) dark adaptation
B) perceptual constancy
C) accommodation
D) depth perception

Question 6

________ are photoreceptors in the retina that play a key role in night vision, as they are most responsive to dark and light contrast.

A) Glial cells
B) Rods
C) Cones
D) Lenses

Question 7

The optic nerve carries impulses to the thalamus and, ultimately, to the ________ of the occipital lobes.

A) lateral geniculate nucleus
B) visual cortex
C) synapse
D) hippocampus

Question 8

Which of the following statements regarding vision is true?

A) The eye converts neural energy to light energy.
B) Most of what we experience as vision actually happens in the eye.
C) Visual perception happens in the brain, with input from the eye.
D) Visual information is exclusively processed in the eye and sent to the brain.

Question 9

________ in the visual cortex analyze the retinal image and respond to specific aspects of shapes, such as angles and movements.

A) Glial cells
B) Photoreceptors
C) Olfactory neurons
D) Feature detectors

Question 10

The top layers of skin have receptor cells that are sensitive to different tactile qualities. These receptors are called ________.

A) hair cells
B) papillae
C) photoreceptors
D) mechanoreceptors

Question 11

In the context of photoreceptors, identify a true statement about cones.

A) They work well at low illumination.
B) They work poorly in conditions of bright light.
C) They play a key role in night vision.
D) They act much more quickly than rods.

Question 12

Because some fibers of the olfactory bulb are directly connected to the amygdala, some smells we encounter ________.

A) can adversely affect our breathing and balance
B) will influence our comprehension and production of speech
C) may alter our ability to consider the consequences of our actions
D) are strongly connected to specific memories and emotions

Question 13

The textured structures on the tongue, called ________, contain about 10,000 taste buds.

A) cilia
B) hair cells
C) papillae
D) pinnae

Question 14

Mark, a war veteran, reports that he still feels pain in his missing hand, which was amputated after a battle. Such an experience is referred to as ________.

A) synesthetic pain
B) phantom limb pain
C) tactile pain
D) supernumerary phantom limb pain

Question 15

A ________ is not reporting a stimulus that is not present.

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

Question 16

Which of the following statements is true about interoception?

A) It is the sensation of pain
B) It is the sensation of temperature.
C) It is the perception of bodily sensations.
D) It is the perception of sound.

Question 17

Beth is looking down a path of railroad tracks, and the two rails seem to meet far in the distance. This cue to depth is known as ________.

A) sound localization
B) linear perspective
C) top-down processing
D) motion parallax

Question 18

Our sensitivity diminishes when an object constantly stimulates our senses. This process is known as ________.

A) perception
B) sensation
C) sensory adaptation
D) transduction

Question 19

The process by which the muscles control the shape of the lens to adjust to viewing objects at different distances is known as ________.

A) polarization
B) diffraction
C) convergence
D) accommodation

Question 20

Laura is nearsighted. Which of the following is true of the focus of visual images in her eye?

A) Images focus at the center of the retina.
B) Images focus slightly in front of the retina.
C) Images focus just on the retina.
D) Images focus slightly behind the retina.

Question 21

Sounds below 20 Hz are called ________.

A) supersonic
B) ultrasonic
C) subsonic
D) hypersonic

Question 22

Susan was watching fireworks during the 4th of July celebration. She noticed that she always saw the crackers burst before she heard its sounds. Which of the following explains Susan's experience?

A) Sound waves travel much more slowly than light waves.
B) The pitch of the firecrackers is more than 2000 Hz.
C) Susan is seated very far from where the crackers are being lit.
D) The decibel level of the firecrackers is about 110-120 dB.

Question 23

When Gary observes the moon closer to the horizon, it appears to be huge. However, when the moon is further away from the horizon, it appears to shrink in size. Of course, Gary is aware that the size of the moon does not actually change, but the phenomenon being observed is due to ________.

A) a monocular depth cue
B) stereopsis
C) convergence
D) a binocular depth cue

Question 24

In the context of perceiving color, most humans are ________.

A) monochromatic
B) trichromatic
C) tetrachromatic
D) dichromatic

Question 25

The point at which strands of the optic nerve from half of each eye cross over to the opposite side of the brain is called ________.

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

Question 26

Josephine is in the garden picking out flowers of different hues to decorate her living room. She can distinguish between colors primarily due to the functioning of her eyes' ________.

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

Question 27

________ is a clear, hard covering that protects the lens of the eye.

A) Iris
B) Pupil
C) Cornea
D) Retina

Question 28

A researcher diffuses a few drops of perfume in a house and asks Clara if she can smell it, to which Clara says yes. According to signal detection theory, Clara's response is ________.

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

Question 29

Pain from skin damage is called ________.

A) neuropathic pain
B) phantom pain
C) psychogenic pain
D) nociceptive pain

Question 30

In the context of the physics of sound and the psychophysics of hearing, ________ is the quality or "color" of a particular sound and is a result of the sound's complexity or number of sound frequencies.

A) pitch
B) resonance
C) consonance
D) timbre

Question 31

Complete the following analogy: Vision is to photoreceptors as sound is to ________.

A) semicircular canals
B) hair cells
C) tympanic membrane
D) oval window

Question 32

Visual acuity primarily depends on the ________.

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

Question 33

The wavelength range of colors visible to humans ranges from 350 nm to 750 nm. Light that we perceive as ________ is at 450 nm.

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

Question 34

The ________ theory of pain proposes that the spinal cord regulates the experience of pain by either opening or closing neural channels that are involved in pain sensations that get sent to the brain.

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

Question 35

The ________ of the sound wave refers to the complexity of the wave.

A) amplitude
B) purity
C) pitch
D) wavelength

Question 36

Which of the following statements is true about the trichromatic color theory?

A) It accurately explains afterimages, or visual images that remain after removal of a stimulus.
B) It helps explain why people never experience some colors, such as reddish-green or yellowish-blue.
C) It explains color processing at the red, blue, and green cones in the retina.
D) It holds that cones are linked together in three pairs of opposing colors.

Question 37

Which of the following statements regarding color perception is true?

A) Color perception is not determined by wavelength.
B) Color is a property of objects.
C) Color perception depends on our photoreceptors, our brains, and the physical characteristics of the stimulus we look at.
D) The spectrum of color visible to humans ranges from 550 nm to 950 nm.

Question 38

Frequency is measured in units called ________.

A) hertz
B) decibels
C) watts
D) radians

Question 39

________ is the stimulation of our sense organs by the outer world.

A) Sensation
B) Interpretation
C) Perception
D) Organelle

Question 40

The ________ is a thin layer of nerve tissue that lines the back of the eye.

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

Question 41

Which of the following parts of the human ear is a bony tube, curled like a snail's shell, and filled with fluid?

A) The pinnae
B) The oval window
C) The anvil
D) The cochlea

Question 42

Which of the following is a theory of color vision that can account for the color afterimage of the American flag as well as help explain some instances of color blindness?

A) Gate control theory
B) Trichromatic color theory
C) Signal detection theory
D) Opponent-process theory

Question 43

The human body has natural painkillers called ________.

A) opioids
B) endorphins
C) dopamines
D) analgesics

Question 44

The scale for a sound's loudness is ________.

A) amps
B) hertz
C) ohms
D) decibels

Question 45

________ is the study of how people psychologically perceive physical stimuli such as light, sound waves, and touch.

A) Psychogenesis
B) Psychodynamics
C) Psychoanalysis
D) Psychophysics

Question 46

Immanuel can see few children flying a kite on top of a building at a distance. As the kite flies farther up into the sky it looks like it is getting smaller and smaller. However, Immanuel knows the kite is not shrinking due to his brain's ability to maintain ________.

A) texture gradient
B) linear perspective
C) motion parallax
D) perceptual constancy

Question 47

Sasha has a severe back pain. Which of the following is an opioid that the doctor is likely to prescribe as an analgesic?

A) Acetaminophen
B) Ibuprofen
C) Aspirin
D) Oxycodone

Question 48

The ________ runs through the cochlea.

A) oval window
B) auditory canal
C) basilar membrane
D) tympanic membrane

Question 49

The spectrum of color visible to humans ranges from 350 nm to 750 nm. Light that most of us perceive as ________ is at 750 nm.

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

Question 50

Paul looks out of his office window at the traffic below on a day when pollution in the air is very high. The vehicles that are farther away appear more blurred and bluish to him as a result of the ________ at work.

A) perceptual constancy
B) interposition
C) atmospheric perspective
D) convergence

Question 51

The structures on the sides of our head, called the ________, collect and funnel sounds into a passage.

A) cochlea
B) pinnae
C) auditory canal
D) tympanic membrane

Question 52

Which of the following describes Weber's law?

A) What an individual sees and hears is completely dependent on her or his perception and desire.
B) The texture of a surface becomes more tightly packed together and dense as the surface moves to the background.
C) Muscles control the shape of the eye's lens to adjust to viewing objects at different distances.
D) The size of a just noticeable difference in stimuli perception is a constant fraction of the intensity of the stimulus.

Question 53

Which part of the eye is responsible for bending light rays so that light can be focused on the retina?

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

Question 54

A small area high in the lining of the nasal cavity contains the ________, which are the receptors for smell.

A) olfactory sensory neurons
B) hair cells
C) mechanoreceptors
D) corpus callosum

Question 55

The ________ is the inner ear sensory receptor for sound that transduces sound vibrations into neural impulses.

A) semicircular canal
B) tympanic membrane
C) hair cell
D) auditory nerve

Question 56

Maria looks at the structure of a tall monument at a distance. She then takes a handheld magnifying glass to read the name of the monument on the map in her hand. The muscles around the lens of her eyes alter the shape of the lens to adjust to viewing objects at different distances. This phenomenon is referred to as ________.

A) accommodation
B) convergence
C) depth perception
D) visual acuity

Question 57

Which of the following statements is true of the sensation of taste by humans?

A) Human experience of taste results from stimulation of taste buds throughout the tongue.
B) Humans cannot differentiate between different types of taste with the help of the papillae.
C) The papillae at the center region of the tongue are exclusively responsible for processing umami.
D) The central part of the tongue holds all the taste buds.

Question 58

Christopher is looking at a lighted sign on which a rapid succession of a row of lit bulbs appears as a "moving" arrow pointing toward a store. This visual effect is called ________.

A) moon illusion
B) apparent motion
C) optical movement
D) depth perception

Question 59

________ takes into account both stimulus intensity and the decision-making processes people use in detecting a stimulus.

A) Stimulus process theory
B) Bottom-up processing
C) Trichromatic color theory
D) Signal detection theory

Question 60

We see images with the greatest clarity when they are focused on the ________.

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

Question 61

While driving on a highway, George sees a sign on a building that says "MO_EL." George knows that the building is a motel even though the sign is missing a letter because of the Gestalt ________.

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

Question 62

Which of the following statements is true about hair cells?

A) Hair cells are the same in size irrespective of their location in the cochlea.
B) The louder the sound, the smaller the vibration in the cochlear fluid, the less stimulation of the hair cells.
C) There is a one-to-one connection between the size of a hair cell and its sensitivity to different frequencies of sound.
D) The smallest hair cells are located in the coiled-up center part of the cochlea.

Question 63

The Gestalt law of ________ says that we tend to group together objects that are near one another.

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

Question 64

Which of the following statements is true about absolute thresholds?

A) They change depending on the cost of making an error, motivation, and personality.
B) They refer to the smallest amount of change between two stimuli that a person can detect half of the time.
C) They are also referred to as just noticeable differences (JND).
D) They require a change of at least 5 percent between the original stimulus and the final stimulus in order to be detected.

Question 65

Lillian sees a store sign that says CL_ ED. Due to the Gestalt law of ________, Lillian knows the store is closed even though the sign is missing letters.

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

Question 66

Stephan sees a plane flying at a distance. The plane appears to become smaller as it gets farther away from him. Stephan understands that the plane is not shrinking in size in reality because of ________.

A) motion parallax
B) texture gradient
C) perceptual constancy
D) linear perspective

Question 67

The blind spot of the eye ________.

A) contains no receptor cells
B) has the highest concentration of cones in the retina
C) is the visual complement of the retina
D) controls the amount of light entering the eye

Question 68

The Gestalt tendency to group like objects together is known as ________.

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

Question 69

The ability of the brain to preserve perception of objects in spite of the changes in retinal image when an object changes position or distance from the viewer is known as ________.

A) atmospheric perspective
B) convergence
C) perceptual constancy
D) binocular disparity

Question 70

The lowest intensity levels of a stimulus a person can detect half of the time is known as ________.

A) just noticeable difference
B) sensor resolution
C) absolute threshold
D) amplitude

Question 71

The pinnae collect and funnel sounds into a passage known as the ________.

A) auditory canal
B) buccal cavity
C) cochlea
D) basilar membrane

Question 72

According to the ________ theory of pain, acupuncture should successfully alleviate pain.

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

Question 73

Rahul, who experiences the most common type of color deficiency, cannot distinguish some shades of ________.

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

Question 74

In the context of the Trichromatic theory, humans have cones that are sensitive to ________.

A) cyan, brown, and yellow wavelengths of light
B) orange, red, and cyan wavelengths of light
C) yellow, brown, and green wavelengths of light
D) red, blue, and green wavelengths of light

Question 75

________ is a complex emotional and sensory experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.

A) Pain
B) Dreaming
C) Taste
D) Smell

Question 76

The trichromatic theory explains processing at the retina or cone, of which there are three types. The ________ explains more about how cells in the LGN of the thalamus and visual cortex process color information.

A) apparent motion theory
B) opponent-process theory
C) signal detection theory
D) gate control theory

Question 77

Which of the following is true of the papillae at the center of the human tongue?

A) They are responsible for processing umami.
B) They are responsible for processing sour taste.
C) They contain very few taste cells and therefore can taste nothing.
D) They are responsible for processing sweet taste.

Question 78

In the brain, the first major structure involved in processing bodily sensations is the ________, which relays the impulses to the somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes.

A) cerebral cortex
B) meninx
C) thalamus
D) cerebellum

Question 79

________ is the act of organizing and interpreting sensory experience.

A) Convergence
B) Sensation
C) Detection
D) Perception

Question 80

Physicians generally refrain from prescribing ________ as an opioid for pain relief.

A) Heroin
B) Oxycodone
C) Hydrocodone
D) Morphine