Deck 4: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

Because the brain cannot process physical stimuli directly,it must convert the stimuli into chemical and electrical signals that can be interpreted by the brain.This process is known as:

A) coarse coding
B) signal detection
C) transduction
D) sensory adaptation

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The minimum amount of change required for a person to detect a difference between two stimuli is referred to as the:

A) absolute threshold
B) minimum threshold
C) difference threshold
D) signal change

Answer 2

C

Question 3

_____ is the body's detection of external or internal sensory stimuli,whereas _____ is its further processing,organizing,and interpreting of those stimuli.

A) Sensation; perception
B) Perception; sensation
C) Transduction; perception
D) Perception; transduction

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Hannah is having dinner at a Mexican restaurant.When she tries the three kinds of sauces to see how hot they are,she is assessing _____ differences.When she compares the taste of her margarita to the taste of her friend's Mexican beer,she is assessing a _____ difference.

A) qualitative; qualitative
B) qualitative; quantitative
C) quantitative; quantitative
D) quantitative; qualitative

Question 5

Kendra loves spicy curry,but her husband prefers a milder curry.Starting with a bland curry,Kendra increases the spiciness every time she cooks.One day her husband complains that the curry is too spicy.After that,Kendra always makes the curry as spicy as the last time before her husband complained.Kendra is assessing her husband's:

A) difference threshold
B) absolute threshold
C) just noticeable difference
D) psychophysical limit

Question 6

A psychophysicist would be most directly concerned with:

A) our psychological reactions to physical stress
B) the effects of genetics on the endocrine system
C) the effect of neurotransmitters on depression
D) the relation between the wavelength of light and the experience of color

Question 7

Anna is reading her psychology text.The activation of receptors in her retina is called _____; her interpretation of the stimuli as particular words is termed _____.

A) sensation; sensation as well
B) sensation; perception
C) perception; sensation
D) perception; perception as well

Question 8

After transduction,most of the sensory neural information passes through which structure?

A) hypothalamus
B) hippocampus
C) thalamus
D) amygdala

Question 9

Taj wants to create a robot that has sensation but not perception.The robot should:

A) react to light but not to the stimuli for taste, smell, or touch
B) detect external energy sources but not interpret them
C) understand what things are but be unable to respond to them
D) construct useful information but be unable to remember it

Question 10

A(n)_____ is the minimum intensity of sensory stimulation required before the sensation is detected 50 percent of the time.

A) absolute threshold
B) minimum threshold
C) difference threshold
D) sensory adaptation

Question 11

The physical properties of a stimulus are translated into neural impulses in a process called:

A) sensory coding
B) transduction
C) sensation
D) coarse coding

Question 12

During transduction,most sensory information is transmitted first to the _____ before it is sent to the _____,where it is interpreted as sight,sound,smell,touch,or taste.

A) thalamus; cortex
B) cortex; thalamus
C) thalamus; amygdala
D) amygdala; cortex

Question 13

Sensory qualities are coded by only a few different types of receptors,each of which responds to a broad range of stimuli.This is an example of a phenomenon called:

A) sensory coding
B) transduction
C) sensation
D) coarse coding

Question 14

Research in this area has shown that earlier research in psychophysics ignored the key variable of human judgment.

A) Weber's law
B) psychoacoustics
C) psychophysiology
D) signal detection theory

Question 15

Our perception of the world is most like a:

A) digital camera that takes snapshots
B) cell phone camera that takes movies without sound
C) video camera that takes movies with sound
D) film that has been edited to convey a theme

Question 16

Jason is doing a psychology experiment in which he is seated in an absolutely dark room.An initially undetected point of light in front of him is gradually made more intense.With each increase,he is asked if he can see the light.In this experiment,Jason's _____ is being measured.

A) difference threshold
B) absolute threshold
C) just noticeable difference
D) psychophysical limit

Question 17

Amadi is listening to John play the guitar.When John plays a note,the vibrations of the air are picked up by auditory receptors in his ear and sent to his brain.In Amadi's brain,the information from the receptors is analyzed to produce the experience of a musical note.The pickup of information by receptors in the ear is _____; the processing to produce the experience of a musical note is _____.

A) sensation; perception
B) bottom-up processing; sensation
C) perception; sensation
D) top-down processing; bottom-up processing

Question 18

Which subfield of psychology studies the relationship between physical stimuli and the psychological experiences they produce?

A) psychophysiology
B) behavioral genetics
C) behavioral neuroscience
D) psychophysics

Question 19

Jasmine wants to get Uchenna's attention in the library.She whispers to avoid disturbing other students.However,she speaks so softly that Uchenna cannot hear her and keeps reading.Jasmine's voice is:

A) below Uchenna's absolute threshold
B) below Uchenna's difference threshold
C) above Uchenna's absolute threshold but below Uchenna's difference threshold
D) below Uchenna's absolute threshold but above Uchenna's difference threshold

Question 20

Dr.Breiland examines the relationship between the physical properties of light,such as its amplitude and wavelength,and humans' perception of color.Which of the following terms most accurately describes Dr.Breiland's field of study?

A) sensation
B) psychophysics
C) perception
D) cognitive psychology

Question 21

Supertasters are those who experience especially intense taste sensations.This trait is determined largely by:

A) the environment
B) one's culture
C) genetics
D) environmental and genetic factors

Question 22

Prashanth is participating in a psychology experiment in which he is asked to gradually shrink the image of a square on his computer screen until he can see that it is smaller than a second square on the screen.Prashanth is trying to create a _____ in order to allow measurement of a _____.

A) just noticeable difference; absolute threshold
B) psychophysical difference; absolute threshold
C) just noticeable difference; difference threshold
D) psychophysical difference; difference threshold

Question 23

People stop responding to unchanging stimuli because:

A) unchanging stimuli convey little information
B) such stimuli can no longer be detected
C) the stimuli exceed people's attentional capacity
D) people's resources are needed elsewhere

Question 24

How are taste buds distributed throughout the tongue and mouth?

A) Different regions of the tongue and mouth are more sensitive to certain tastes.
B) The taste buds are distributed fairly uniformly throughout the tongue and mouth.
C) Most of the taste buds are localized to particular regions of the tongue and mouth.
D) Depending on the taste quality, the taste buds can be either localized or spread uniformly.

Question 25

On Monday,Manuel interviewed for a job that he really wants.The interviewer told Manuel that he would call on Friday to tell Manuel if he got the job.On late Friday afternoon,Manuel is in the shower,straining to hear the phone above the noise of the water.Whenever he hears a sound,he thinks it is the phone.Manuel is showing _____,a concept described in _____.

A) response bias; psychophysics
B) sensory adaptation; psychophysics
C) response bias; signal detection theory
D) sensory adaptation; signal detection theory

Question 26

Master chefs are likely to have _____ than other people.

A) more kinds of taste buds
B) a different distribution of taste buds
C) a larger number of taste buds
D) more responsive taste buds

Question 27

In classical psychophysics,the concept of an absolute threshold rests on the assumption that a subject's response is:

A) an accurate reflection of the subject's perception
B) influenced by both perception and judgment
C) not a good index of actual perception
D) a good index of perception but not of sensation

Question 28

Callie is pregnant.She has never liked vegetables and rarely eats them.However,she does not want her baby to have the same bad eating habits.If Callie wants her baby to grow up to enjoy the taste of vegetables,the most effective thing she can do is:

A) eat vegetables while she is pregnant and nursing
B) give the baby strained vegetables as one of his or her first solid foods
C) avoid eating meat while she is pregnant and nursing
D) limit the amount of meat the baby is fed when he or she starts to eat solid food

Question 29

Which of the following taste sensations was most recently discovered?

A) sweet
B) sour
C) bitter
D) umami

Question 30

Based on your text's discussion of cultural influences on taste,which of the following statements is most accurate?

A) Culture influences taste preferences.
B) Culture has little influence on taste preferences.
C) Culture is less important than genetics when it comes to taste preferences.
D) Culture is more important than genetics when it comes to taste preferences.

Question 31

When Petra jumps into a cold lake,she feels as though she is freezing.After a few minutes,she no longer notices the cold and feels comfortable in the water.This change is an example of:

A) coarse coding
B) just noticeable difference
C) sensory adaptation
D) sensory threshold

Question 32

_____ states that the more intense the original stimulus,the greater the change in intensity required to produce a just noticeable difference.

A) Matching law
B) Weber's law
C) Signal detection theory
D) Sensory adaptation

Question 33

In a single person,gustation involves _____ taste buds,all located on the _____.

A) 800 to 1,000; tongue
B) 8,000 to 10,000: tongue, throat, and mouth
C) 800 to 1,000; tongue, throat, and mouth
D) 8,000 to 10,000; tongue

Question 34

According to signal detection theory,a person's perception is:

A) an accurate reflection of the presence of a stimulus
B) influenced by both the presence of a stimulus and a judgment about it
C) not an accurate reflection of the presence of a stimulus
D) dependent on the person's sensory threshold

Question 35

Sadafa loves Indian food,but is careful about what he eats because it hurts his tongue when he eats very spicy food.Sadafa most likely is:

A) a supertaster and has few taste buds in his mouth
B) a supertaster with a very large number of taste buds in his mouth
C) not a supertaster and has a large number of pain receptors in his mouth
D) not a supertaster and has few pain receptors in his mouth

Question 36

In research on signal detection theory,incorrectly "detecting" a stimulus that was not presented in a trial is called a:

A) correct rejection
B) false alarm
C) response bias
D) transduction

Question 37

Which of the following characteristics is NOT a basic quality of taste?

A) sweet
B) umami
C) salty
D) sharp

Question 38

For which of the following pairs would it be easiest to discern a difference in weight?

A) a 2-liter bottle of water and a 2.1-liter bottle of water
B) a 5-pound free weight and a 5.5-pound free weight
C) a 20-pound child and a 22-pound child
D) a 1-pound bag of sugar and a 2-pound bag of sugar

Question 39

The taste sensation of umami is a result of the detection of _____,which is a naturally occurring substance found in foods such as meat,some cheeses,and mushrooms.

A) gluten
B) glutamate
C) fiber
D) capsaicin

Question 40

The law that states that the just noticeable difference between two stimuli is based on a proportion of the original stimulus is:

A) Fechner's law
B) Weber's law
C) Koehler's law
D) Wernicke's law

Question 41

Temperature receptors that signify heat when they are activated:

A) also signify cold when they are inhibited
B) generally signify cold when they are inactive
C) oppose the activity of receptors signifying cold
D) may respond simultaneously with receptors signifying cold

Question 42

If a key is pressed on a piano,the frequency of the resulting sound will determine the _____,and the amplitude will determine the _____ of the perceived musical note.

A) timbre; intensity
B) intensity; timbre
C) loudness; pitch
D) pitch; loudness

Question 43

Haptic experiences are the result of:

A) the integration of multiple signals and higher-level mental processes
B) the integration of signals from all of our senses
C) the integration of pressure and pain signals
D) the integration of tactile sensations and higher-level mental processes

Question 44

Avi broke his ankle skiing.At first,he felt a sharp and intense pain.The next day,the sharp pain was gone,but his ankle throbbed almost all the time.The sharp immediate pain was due to _____; the later throbbing pain was due to _____.

A) unmyelinated axons; myelinated axons
B) myelinated axons; unmyelinated axons
C) pain receptors; pressure receptors
D) pressure receptors; pain receptors

Question 45

When Margot was a child,her mother baked bread on Fridays.As an adult,whenever Margot smells bread baking she remembers her mother and feels happy.The mood and memories result from the processing of smell information in the:

A) thalamus
B) olfactory epithelium
C) haptic receptor
D) prefrontal cortex

Question 46

Regarding smell,which of the following statements is probably most accurate?

A) People are better at discriminating among odors than they are at identifying them; men generally outperform women.
B) People are better at discriminating among odors than they are at identifying them; women generally outperform men.
C) People are better at identifying odors than they are at discriminating among them; men generally outperform women.
D) People are better at identifying odors than they are at discriminating among them; women generally outperform men.

Question 47

Of the types of haptic receptors described in your text,those that respond to _____ are found throughout the body,not just in the skin.

A) pain
B) cold
C) vibration
D) steady pressure

Question 48

Temperature,pain,and pressure are components of the _____ sense.

A) olfactory
B) vestibular
C) gustatory
D) haptic

Question 49

Days after breaking his nose in a football game,Ben still perceives a dull pain in his nose.The throbbing ache travels along _____ pain fibers,which are _____.

A) slow; unmyelinated
B) slow; myelinated
C) fast; unmyelinated
D) fast; myelinated

Question 50

Ouch! A paper cut! The sharp sting travels along _____ pain fibers,which are _____.

A) slow; unmyelinated
B) slow; myelinated
C) fast; unmyelinated
D) fast; myelinated

Question 51

Ultimately,changes in air pressure underlie the sense of:

A) audition
B) olfaction
C) gustation
D) vision

Question 52

The process by which a sound is transformed into a neural signal involves which of the following sequences of transformations?

A) sound wave à eardrum vibration à pressure wave in fluid
B) eardrum vibration à pressure wave in fluid à sound wave
C) sound wave à pressure wave in fluid à eardrum vibration
D) eardrum vibration à sound wave à pressure wave in fluid

Question 53

_____ has the most direct route to the brain because it is the only sense that bypasses the _____.

A) The haptic sense; thalamus
B) Gustation; hypothalamus
C) The kinesthetic sense; hypothalamus
D) Olfaction; thalamus

Question 54

An odor is most likely encoded by a(n):

A) single receptor specialized for that odor
B) activation pattern across several receptor types
C) single olfactory and a single gustatory receptor
D) activation pattern across several olfactory and gustatory receptor types

Question 55

With respect to the properties of the sound wave,a higher-pitched sound is one that is higher in _____,which is measured in _____.

A) amplitude; hertz
B) amplitude; decibels
C) frequency; hertz
D) frequency; decibels

Question 56

Dogs can hear higher-frequency sounds than people can.This fact suggests that there is an anatomical difference in the:

A) ear drum
B) cochlea
C) auditory nerve
D) basilar membrane

Question 57

Meg is rehearsing the solo for her dance performance.In order to perform her solo well,Meg has to be aware of the position of her arms and legs in space.To do this,Meg relies on her _____ sense.

A) motion
B) olfactory
C) haptic
D) visual

Question 58

Juan and Joseph are opera singers.Juan is a baritone.Joseph is a tenor: his voice is higher-pitched.With respect to their physical properties,the sound waves corresponding to Juan's voice are lower in _____ than those corresponding to Joseph's voice; that is,they are lower in _____.

A) frequency; decibels
B) frequency; hertz
C) amplitude; decibels
D) amplitude; hertz

Question 59

What is the primary purpose of cells in the olfactory bulb?

A) to receive nerve impulses and pass them through the thalamus
B) to receive nerve impulses and relay the signal to other brain areas
C) to receive odorants and pass them through the thalamus
D) to receive odorants and relay the signal to other brain areas

Question 60

In smell,_____ are chemicals released by animals that cause physiological and behavioral effects on other members of the same species.

A) odorants
B) hormones
C) pheromones
D) epithelia

Question 61

The point at which the optic nerves meet and then split is termed the optic:

A) callosum
B) chiasm
C) commissure
D) sulcus

Question 62

Hamdi wakes up in the middle of the night and tries to see the clock in the dim light.The numbers are very faint.He will more likely be able to read the time if he looks at the clock with his _____ because it has the largest number of _____.

A) fovea; rods
B) periphery; rods
C) fovea; cones
D) periphery; cones

Question 63

Encharta is sitting outside,looking at her beautiful garden.As the sun goes down,the colors become less bright and finally all become shades of gray.This change happens because the:

A) amount of photopigment is decreasing
B) amount of photopigment is increasing
C) cones are taking over for the rods
D) rods are taking over for the cones

Question 64

Colleen and LaVonne are playing darts.Colleen throws her dart into the center of the target,and LaVonne throws his dart into the outer ring.In an analogy to vision,Colleen would have been likely to hit a _____,and LaVonne would have been likely to hit a _____.

A) rod; cone
B) rod; rod
C) cone; cone
D) cone; rod

Question 65

The optic nerve is composed of axons of:

A) rods and cones
B) bipolar cells
C) ganglion cells
D) foveal cells

Question 66

Which of the following cells does NOT analyze neural impulses and transmit them to the ganglion cells?

A) amacrine
B) vertical
C) bipolar
D) horizontal

Question 67

The axons from _____ cells form the _____,which exits the eye at the back of the retina.

A) ganglion; optic nerve
B) amacrine; optic nerve
C) ganglion; optic chiasm
D) amacrine; optic chiasm

Question 68

The attitude of a large segment of the deaf community to cochlear implants is that children should:

A) be given implants early enough to allow language development
B) be given implants after they have learned to sign
C) not be given implants in order to preserve deaf culture
D) be given implants only if they have hearing parents

Question 69

The optic nerve projects from the retina through a neural pathway that progresses to the _____,which is located in the _____ lobe.

A) lateral geniculate nucleus; occipital
B) lateral geniculate nucleus; parietal
C) primary visual cortex; parietal
D) primary visual cortex; occipital

Question 70

Melody is looking up a phone number in a phone book with tiny print.She will most likely be able to read the number if she looks at the phone book with her _____ because it has the largest number of _____.

A) fovea; rods
B) periphery; rods
C) fovea; cones
D) periphery; cones

Question 71

The _____ does most of the focusing of the light onto the retina,and the _____ allows for more accuracy of focusing.

A) cornea; pupil
B) pupil; lens
C) lens; cornea
D) cornea; lens

Question 72

Someone who needs reading glasses to see at a close distance has problems _____ her lens.Someone who needs glasses to see objects at a distance has problems _____ his lens.

A) thickening; flattening
B) flattening; flattening
C) thickening; thickening
D) flattening; thickening

Question 73

Due to the partial crossing of visual information at the _____,the _____ visual field(s)projects to the right hemisphere.

A) blind spot; left
B) optic chiasm; left
C) blind spot; right
D) optic chiasm; right

Question 74

Zheng and Glenn are talking about ways that when a man first meets a woman he can tell if she likes him.Given your knowledge of sensory systems,you could suggest that the man look to see if the woman:

A) turns down the corners of her mouth
B) has enlarged pupils
C) gives off a subtle odor
D) starts to speak more softly

Question 75

Where do molecules of photopigment reside?

A) in the iris
B) in the rods and cones
C) in the amacrine cells
D) in the ganglion cells

Question 76

Someone who wears a hearing aid is most likely to have a problem with his _____.Someone who has a cochlear implant is most likely to have a problem with her _____.

A) cochlea; basilar membrane
B) basilar membrane; cochlea
C) ear drum; auditory nerve
D) auditory nerve; ear drum

Question 77

When Jodi walks from the sunlight into a dark theater,her _____ causes her _____ to enlarge.

A) iris; pupil
B) iris; lens
C) eye muscles; lens
D) eye muscles; pupil

Question 78

Which of the following sequences accurately reflects the order in which light stimulates cells early in the visual processing of an image?

A) rods and cones à bipolar cells à ganglion cells
B) rods and cones à ganglion cells à bipolar cells
C) bipolar cells à rods and cones à ganglion cells
D) ganglion cells à rods and cones à bipolar cells

Question 79

The area where the optic nerve leaves the retina is referred to as the:

A) optic chiasm
B) ganglion bundle
C) fovea
D) blind spot

Question 80

Sharita looks at her professor and then shifts her gaze to the screen behind her professor.As she does this,her lens is becoming _____ through the process of _____.

A) thinner; accommodation
B) thicker; accommodation
C) thinner; refraction
D) thicker; refraction