Deck 4: C: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

The ability to selectively attend to incoming sensory information is believed to result from

A) the inability of the brain to handle more than one message at a time.
B) faulty transmission of neural impulses.
C) the brain's ability to give some messages priority while putting others on hold.
D) a mismatch between the sensory systems.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following appears to be based on the ability of brain structures to choose and divert incoming sensory messages?

A) sensory deceleration
B) sensory adaptation
C) selective attention
D) selective accommodation.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A white shirt reflects more light outdoors than in a dimly lit room; however,it is seen as being equally bright in both places.This demonstrates the role of which of the following in perception?

A) brightness constancy
B) retinal constancy
C) brightness parallax
D) visual system limitations

Answer 3

A

Question 4

When you are in a group of people,surrounded by voices,you can choose to focus on the voice of the person you are facing or even choose to eavesdrop on conversations around the room.This is a good example of

A) selective adaptation.
B) selective attention.
C) sensory overload.
D) sensory deceleration.

Question 5

You are about to take your psychology test when in the next room a nature video is being shown to another class.You focus intensely on reading and answering the test questions.When you look up a few minutes later,you realize that the video has stopped; and you hadn't even noticed.This situation illustrates your

A) sensory adaptation.
B) selective attention.
C) sensory gating.
D) selective accommodation.

Question 6

After a musical concert that you enjoyed without distraction,a companion complains that she heard little of the music due to frequent shuffling and throat-clearing in the audience.The difference in your experience and hers is related to

A) just noticeable differences.
B) subliminal thresholds.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) selective attention.

Question 7

Judging the size of cars,houses,and people from great distances or from the top of a skyscraper would be considered

A) native.
B) empirical.
C) intrinsic.
D) endogenous.

Question 8

Even though the retinal image of the desk you are looking at changes as you view the desk from different angles,your perception of the desk does not change.This is due to

A) shape constancy.
B) the reversible figure-ground effect.
C) brightness constancy.
D) retinal disparity.

Question 9

When you are in a group of people,surrounded by voices,you can choose to focus on the voice of the person you are facing or even choose to eavesdrop on conversations around the room.This is known as

A) the "cocktail party effect."
B) the multisensory approach.
C) "mindblindness."
D) the sound threshold barrier.

Question 10

Voluntarily placing priorities on sensory messages refers to the process of

A) selective attention.
B) divided perception.
C) repetitious stimulation.
D) subliminal attention.

Question 11

To accurately portray a gray automobile that appears in both sunshine and shadow,an artist would have to be aware of

A) closure.
B) perceptual constancy.
C) ambiguous stimuli.
D) retinal disparity.

Question 12

As a door opens toward you,you perceive it as a rectangular door.As you go through the door,the actual image changes on the retina (from rectangular to trapezoid).However,you still recognize it as a rectangular door.This is an example of

A) perceptual closure.
B) shape constancy.
C) ambiguous stimuli.
D) retinal disparity.

Question 13

Which of the following are impaired by alcohol consumption and increase the risk of car accidents by drunk drivers?

A) retinal disparity and convergence
B) convergence and brightness constancy
C) figure-ground effect and retinal disparity
D) size and shape constancy

Question 14

That you can select traffic signals from a background of neon signs and lights is an illustration of

A) sensory gating.
B) selective attention.
C) control biasing.
D) physiological nystagmus.

Question 15

You observe two cars of identical make and model.Although one roars away and its image on your retina is now smaller,you still perceive the cars as identical.This illustrates __________ constancy.

A) size
B) angular
C) concept
D) form

Question 16

The apparent (or relative)brightness of two objects will remain the same as long as

A) both objects are of similar size.
B) both objects are of similar shape.
C) both objects are illuminated by the same amount of light.
D) each object is illuminated by a different amount of light.

Question 17

Regarding perceptual constancies,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Our brain creates our perceptions by using the principles of perceptual grouping and perceptual constancies.
B) The energy patterns reaching our senses are constantly changing, even when they occur from the same object.
C) Perceptual constancies are wholly based on our prior experience with no aspect of the constancies being innate.
D) Perceptual constancies impose order on the changing and often confusing information coming from the world around us.

Question 18

Brightness constancy occurs in part because

A) of failures in the visual system to deal with illumination changes.
B) the proportion of light an object reflects is constant.
C) brightness is a perceptual hypothesis.
D) of all of these.

Question 19

The "seat of your pants phenomenon" and the "cocktail party effect" refer to

A) sensory conflict and the involuntary focusing on a specific sensory input.
B) mixed attention and the voluntary focusing on many inputs.
C) selective attention and the voluntary focusing on a specific sensory input.
D) subliminal perception and the involuntary focusing on many inputs.

Question 20

You are intensely listening to a friend tell the "latest gossip," when another person in the room mentions your name in a conversation in a group to the left of where you are standing.According to research on selective attention,you will most likely

A) shift your attention to the person who mentioned your name.
B) not hear your name mentioned since you are intensely listening to your friend's story.
C) not perceive your name being called since this occurred on your left side, not your right side.
D) shift your attention every 30 seconds, regardless of whether your name was called or not.

Question 21

Advertisers who want to capture the attention of consumers would be wise to use

A) subliminal messages.
B) subtle, but factually scientific pleas.
C) loud, contrasting, and changing stimuli.
D) smaller print that causes one to put forth effort in order to focus.

Question 22

Failure to perceive a stimulus that is in plain view,but not the focus of attention is known as

A) inattentional blindness.
B) habituation.
C) adaptation level.
D) subliminal stimuli.

Question 23

A researcher is using an apparatus that consists of a glass-topped table with one side having a checkered surface that lies directly beneath the glass with the other checkered surface being four feet below the glass surface causing the appearance of a drop-off.This apparatus is known as

A) a Skinner box.
B) a visual cliff.
C) the Ames room.
D) the Müller-Lyer illusion.

Question 24

As you focus on your cell phone conversation while driving,you miss the road sign where you needed to make a turn and drive 20 miles out of the way.This is an example of

A) psychokinesis.
B) inattentional blindness.
C) retinal disparity.
D) an apparent-distance illusion.

Question 25

Fans of opposing sports teams often act as if they have seen completely different games.This probably results from the fans of each team focusing intently on their own players and not the other team,which illustrates

A) psychokinesis.
B) retinal disparity.
C) inattentional blindness.
D) the apparent-distance hypothesis.

Question 26

Simons and Chabris showed participants a film of two basketball teams,one wearing black shirts and the other wearing white.Observers were asked to watch the film closely and count how many times a basketball passed between members of one of the teams,while ignoring the other team.As the observers watched and counted,a person wearing a gorilla suit walked into the middle of the basketball game,faced the camera,thumped its chest,and walked out of view.Which of the following occurred?

A) All of the participants lost count of the number of basketball passes because of the unexpected appearance of the gorilla.
B) Half of the participants failed to notice the gorilla's appearance.
C) All of the participants failed to notice the gorilla's appearance.
D) Only the female participants noticed the gorilla.

Question 27

Which of the following allows you to drive a car,ride a bicycle,thread a needle,and navigate around a room as well as preventing the world from looking like a flat surface?

A) sensory adaptation
B) contiguity
C) habituation
D) depth perception

Question 28

Advertisers would love you if they heard you humming their jingle in the shower because you have fallen prey to an attention-getting device called

A) brightness.
B) motion.
C) contrast.
D) repetition.

Question 29

The ability to see three-dimensional space and to accurately judge distances is called

A) size constancy.
B) shape constancy.
C) depth perception.
D) perceptual organization.

Question 30

If you were asked to look at an advertisement of various shops on a city street,and you saw an octopus sitting on a bench near the curb in front of one of the shops,you would most likely

A) show inattentional blindness to the octopus.
B) look longer at the octopus because it was an unexpected object.
C) look a shorter time at the octopus because it was out-of-place in the advertisement.
D) look the same length of time to each object in the advertisement, regardless of whether it was an expected or unexpected object.

Question 31

Commercials that are loud and present unexpected imagery will usually

A) decrease the viewer's attention due to sensory gating.
B) decrease the viewer's attention due to sensory conflict.
C) increase the viewer's attention.
D) have no effect on the viewer's attention.

Question 32

When our attention is narrowly focused,we may experience

A) sane hallucinations.
B) habituation.
C) retinal disparity.
D) inattentional blindness.

Question 33

Attention is focused by

A) intense or shocking stimuli.
B) subliminal stimuli.
C) figure-ground relationships.
D) sequential stimuli.

Question 34

When advertisers repeat the name of their product numerous times in the commercial,this repetition will

A) gain the viewer's attention.
B) cause sensory adaptation so the viewer will not remember the product name.
C) elicit a subliminal sensory gating so the viewer will remember the product name.
D) do none of these.

Question 35

Research has shown that depth perception is

A) completely innate.
B) completely learned at a very early age.
C) imprinted.
D) partly learned and partly innate.

Question 36

Which of the following would most likely be tested using a visual cliff?

A) size constancy
B) figure-ground perception
C) depth perception
D) shape constancy

Question 37

Which of the following can be thought of as a "bottleneck," or a narrowing in the information channel linking the senses to perception,that is,when one message enters the bottleneck,it seems to prevent others from passing through?

A) selective attention
B) sensory gating
C) sensory adaptation
D) subliminal attention

Question 38

When six- to 14-month old infants are placed in the middle of a visual cliff,they usually

A) remain still.
B) move to the shallow side of the apparatus.
C) move to the deep side of the apparatus.
D) approach their mothers when called, whether that requires moving to the shallow or deep side.

Question 39

If you cross your eyes,hold your head very still,and stare at a single point across the room,your surroundings will

A) disappear due to inattentional blindness.
B) disappear due to retinal disparity.
C) appear two-dimensional.
D) appear three-dimensional.

Question 40

Regarding inattentional blindness,we are more likely to not perceive something when

A) we are experiencing retinal disparity.
B) our attention is narrowly focused.
C) we are experiencing subliminal adaptation.
D) our attention is broadly focused

Question 41

The ability to identify the direction from which a sound originates is strongly dependent on having two ears separated in space by several inches.The ability to perceive visual depth is related to a similar property known as

A) accommodation.
B) aerial perspective.
C) retinal disparity.
D) inverted vision.

Question 42

The binocular cue of convergence occurs

A) because the eyes are about 2.5 inches apart.
B) when the lens in each eye bends or bulges to focus on nearby objects.
C) just as easily in a person with only one eye.
D) when trying to focus on an object less than 50 feet in distance.

Question 43

When older babies crawl off tables or beds,it is usually due to the babies' lack of

A) stereoscopic vision.
B) motor coordination.
C) depth perception.
D) peripheral vision.

Question 44

Features of the environment,or messages from the body,that supply information about distance and space are called

A) linear sensations.
B) depth cues.
C) stereocilia.
D) size-distance phenomena.

Question 45

Regarding depth perception,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Recent research has shown that depth perception does not begin to develop until seven to nine months of age.
B) Depth perception depends on both brain maturation and individual experience.
C) Older infants who have just learned to walk must again learn to avoid the "deep" side of the visual cliff.
D) The fact that infants will often crawl off tables and beds shows that integration of depth perception with motor skills has not yet been accomplished.

Question 46

Most recent research has shown that depth perception begins to develop as early as what age?

A) two weeks
B) six weeks
C) eight weeks
D) four months

Question 47

One of the tools director James Cameron developed especially for his 3-D film Avatar was a stereoscopic camera that creates a sensation of depth by simulating

A) inverted vision.
B) visual accommodation.
C) convergence.
D) retinal disparity.

Question 48

When two images are fused into one overall image,a three-dimensional sight occurs,which is referred to as

A) accommodation.
B) convergence.
C) linear perspective.
D) stereoscopic vision.

Question 49

You look through an old photographic slide-viewer toy,which creates the impression of seeing a three-dimensional scene by one photograph of the scene being displayed to one eye and a slightly different view of this scene being presented to the other eye.When these two images are fused into one overall image,which of the following occurs?

A) the motion parallax
B) stereoscopic vision
C) an aerial perspective
D) visual assimilation

Question 50

Regarding depth cues and depth perception,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Depth cues are features of the environment that supply information about distance and space.
B) Depth cues are messages from the body that supply information about distance and space.
C) Depth cues require both eyes.
D) The most basic source of depth perception is retinal disparity.

Question 51

Regarding depth perception,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Recent research has shown that depth perception begins to develop as early as two weeks of age.
B) The development of depth perception is not complete until about 18 months old.
C) When placed on the visual cliff, both human infants and newborn animals prefer the shallow end and refuse to go over the edge of the cliff.
D) Older infants who have just learned to walk must again learn to avoid the "deep" side of the visual cliff.

Question 52

Because of the difference in the images that reach each eye,we receive two slightly different views of the world.This phenomenon is the most basic source of depth perception and is known as

A) interposition.
B) convergence.
C) retinal disparity.
D) accommodation.

Question 53

When you estimate a distance under 50 feet,such as when you play catch or shoot trash can hoops with the first draft of your essay,you are using

A) convergence.
B) accommodation.
C) retinal disparity.
D) relative size.

Question 54

The perception of space and depth caused chiefly by the fact that the eyes receive different images is known as

A) accommodation.
B) convergence.
C) inverted vision.
D) stereoscopic vision.

Question 55

Which of the following is a binocular cue and is based on the fact that the eyes are about 2.5 inches apart?

A) retinal disparity
B) interposition
C) convergence
D) accommodation

Question 56

If you focus on your fingertip and bring it toward your eyes until they almost cross,you will actually feel the muscles that control eye movement working harder as your fingertip gets closer through a process known as

A) habituation.
B) linear perspective.
C) convergence.
D) overlap.

Question 57

Most recent research has shown that depth perception begins to develop as early as two weeks of age with its development not being complete until about what age?

A) six months
B) nine months
C) one year
D) two years

Question 58

Depth cues that require two eyes are known as __________ depth cues.

A) bilateral
B) binocular
C) dizygotic
D) divergent

Question 59

The chief cues for depth perception utilized by producers of 3-D movies are those that involve the moviegoers being presented with two slightly differing views of the scenes,which simulates

A) linear perspective.
B) light and shadow.
C) retinal disparity.
D) texture gradients.

Question 60

Which binocular cue is controlled by the muscles attached to one's eyeballs and allows one to estimate distance under 50 feet?

A) accommodation
B) linear perspective
C) convergence
D) overlap

Question 61

Special effects for science fiction films create illusions of depth by quickly making the images of planets,starships,and monsters bigger or smaller.They are using the pictorial depth cue called

A) aerial perspective.
B) interposition.
C) linear perspective.
D) relative size.

Question 62

Regarding accommodation,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Accommodation is a monocular depth cue.
B) Beyond four feet, accommodation has limited value.
C) Accommodation involves the bending of the lens to focus on nearby objects.
D) Accommodation is an important depth cue in driving a car or catching a ball.

Question 63

Which of the following are features found in paintings,drawings,and photographs that supply information about space,depth,and distance?

A) stereoscopic vision
B) pictorial convergence cues
C) pictorial depth cues
D) figure-ground organization

Question 64

The monocular depth cue that involves the bending of the lens to focus on nearby objects is called

A) retinal disparity.
B) aerial perspective.
C) accommodation.
D) convergence.

Question 65

The illusion that railroad tracks come together in the distance involves the depth cue of

A) atmospheric perspective.
B) texture gradients.
C) light and shadow.
D) linear perspective.

Question 66

Chris lost the vision in his left eye in an accident.Regarding driving and depth perception,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Chris will be unable to drive because he will have no depth perception.
B) Chris will have to rely on monocular depth cues in order to drive.
C) People with two eyes will be ten times better at judging depth than Chris.
D) Chris will find himself braking too soon or too late, and will have difficulty estimating his speed.

Question 67

When Abby wants to draw a highway so that it appears to be going into the horizon,she makes the parallel lines of the highway converge as it nears the horizon.This illustrates the use of the pictorial depth cue known as

A) linear perspective.
B) texture gradients.
C) retinal disparity.
D) light and shadow.

Question 68

The depth cue that occurs when there is an apparent convergence of parallel lines is called

A) linear perspective.
B) light and shadow.
C) overlap.
D) relative motion.

Question 69

Changes in the sensations of the muscles attached to each lens helps us judge distances within four feet of the eyes.This is known as

A) retinal disparity.
B) texture gradient.
C) accommodation.
D) linear perspective.

Question 70

Convergence and retinal disparity are similar in that both are

A) binocular cues.
B) monocular cues.
C) assimilation cues.
D) pictorial cues.

Question 71

Depth cues that require only one eye are known as __________depth cues.

A) monocular
B) monozygotic
C) convergent
D) unilateral

Question 72

Five-year-old Jay drew a picture of an Easter bunny hiding eggs.He drew a small bunny at the top of the page as if the bunny is hopping away from the large multicolored egg at the bottom of the page.Jay has used which two pictorial cues?

A) light and shadow and relative size
B) relative size and height in the picture plan
C) the motion parallax and aerial perspective
D) texture gradients and interposition

Question 73

In Erica's painting,the most distant cacti and rocks appear smaller than the objects she wishes to appear closer to the viewer.This illustrates her use of the pictorial depth cue known as

A) texture gradients.
B) relative size.
C) height in the picture plan.
D) aerial perspective.

Question 74

Even if you only have one eye,you would still be able to drive a car or land an airplane.The ability to still engage in tasks that require depth perception shows that

A) most depth cues are monocular in nature.
B) stereoscopic vision is only slightly better for judging depth than is accommodation.
C) depth perception in a one-eyed individual is limited, not absent.
D) pictorial depth cues are even more important than other depth cues.

Question 75

Pictorial cues for depth are

A) monocular.
B) binocular.
C) bodily.
D) stereoscopic.

Question 76

When you thread a needle,which of the following depth cues would be most important to you?

A) retinal disparity
B) texture gradient
C) accommodation
D) convergence

Question 77

If you stand in the middle of a long,straight stretch of road,it appears as if the sides of the road meet near the horizon.Since you know that the sides of the road are parallel,the distance implied is given by the pictorial depth cue of

A) atmospheric perspective.
B) texture gradients.
C) light and shadow.
D) linear perspective.

Question 78

The pictorial depth cue regarding objects placed closer to the horizon line being perceived as more distant is referred to as

A) linear perspective.
B) texture gradients.
C) height in the picture plane.
D) interposition.

Question 79

The batter has just hit a high fly ball to center field where you are standing.As the ball spirals down,you are able to focus on this object and judge distances because of

A) convergence.
B) the motion parallax.
C) linear perspective.
D) accommodation.

Question 80

An artist is sketching a scene.In order to show space,depth,and distance within his drawing,he must use which of the following?

A) stereoscopic vision
B) pictorial depth cues
C) pictorial convergence cues
D) figure-ground organization