Deck 5: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

Alessandra's family has always had at least one pet, so she is comfortable around dogs. Her friend Tyra,however, was bitten by a dog a few years ago, and is now afraid of all dogs. While Alessandra and Tyraare walking to school, a dog that is wagging its tail approaches them. Alessandra bends down to pet thedog, but Tyra backs up because she is afraid. Both girls are _________ the same dog, but the way eachexperiences or __________ the dog is different.

A) sensing; perceives
B) perceiving; senses
C) sensing; detects
D) perceiving; detects

Answer 1

sensing; perceives

Question 2

Caleb and Greg both want to improve their social confidence. Caleb buys a popular CD containing subliminal messages. The CD manufacturers claim that if Caleb listens to the music on the CD every day, his mind will perceive the subliminal messages and his confidence will improve. Greg purchases a book on social confidence. The book includes exercises intended to make him more aware of how his thoughts and behaviors affect his social confidence. Who will see results?

A) Caleb only
B) Greg only
C) Both Caleb and Greg may get results, but Greg's will probably be better.
D) Both Caleb and Greg may get results, but Caleb's will probably be better.

Answer 2

Both Caleb and Greg may get results, but Greg's will probably be better.

Question 3

Caleb wants to increase his social confidence, so he buys a popular CD containing subliminal messages. The CD's producers claim that if Caleb listens to the music on the CD every day, his mind will perceive its subliminal messages and his confidence will improve. If Caleb sees results, what is the most likely reason?

A) a placebo effect
B) Subliminal messages are extremely powerful brainwashers.
C) Music of any type has been proven to improve confidence.
D) synasthesia

Answer 3

a placebo effect

Question 4

People who lose their vision due to an accident often experience a heightening of their other senses.Imagine, for example, a woman who loses her vision from an injury. Over time, she becomes moresensitive to sounds, smells, and touch. Before her injury, she might have said she could never learnto read Braille, because she thought she would never be able to tell one pattern of raised dots fromanother, and yet she is able to learn it. What happens to create the increased sensitivity that allows ourhypothetical woman to read Braille?

A) The brain develops a compensatory sense; its job is to heighten the sensitivity of the remaining senses.
B) Nothing, unless the person is under the age of 12; after that, the critical period for increasing sensitivity has passed.
C) The area of the somatosensory cortex devoted to the fingertips enlarges over time as it in effect borrows other neurons to increase its sensitivity.
D) Nothing; increased sensitivity is an illusion.

Question 5

When Lindsay spins in circles, the fluid in her ear's semicircular canals moves, stimulating the hair cells and sending messages about the movement to her brain. If she spins long enough and stops abruptly enough, the fluid will continue to move, creating the confusing sensation of dizziness. This is probably particularly disconcerting for Lindsay, because her sense of __________ says that her bodyis still, but her __________ sense says she is still moving.

A) kinesthesis; synchronous.
B) olfaction; vestibular.
C) gustation; olfactory.
D) kinesthesis; vestibular.

Question 6

Sammy was born and raised in a large city. The first time his parents drive through the countryside, he sees an animal with four legs, a mane, a long tail, and a saddle. Though he has never seen this animal in real life before, he decides that it must be a horse. He is using

A) central processing.
B) bottom-up processing.
C) top-down processing.
D) individual processing.

Question 7

Patrick's mother shows him the constellations in the night sky. Patrick likes the Big Dipper the best, because it's the easiest for him to see. On what principles of sensation and perception must Patrick rely to see the stars form what looks like a big spoon?

A) sensory prostheses
B) the Gestalt laws of perceptual organization
C) Stroboscopic movement
D) Binocular depth cues

Question 8

Because it isn't feasible to construct every movie set to scale, models are sometimes used to simulate real environments. Looking through a camera that is focused on the model alone, one can easily believe that a tiny model is actually a real city. However, if a real, to-scale object such as a soda can is placed beside the city, we are able to see that the size of the city is a mere

A) illusion.
B) Gestalt.
C) stroboscope.
D) kinesthesis.

Question 9

Becky's mother and father load the luggage into the car while Becky gives Grandmother a hug good- bye. As the family drives away, Becky watches Grandmother get smaller and smaller, until she seems to disappear. Becky asks her parents why Grandma always becomes the size of an ant when they leave. Her parents attempt to explain to Becky the principle of

A) proximity.
B) continuity.
C) size constancy.
D) shape constancy.