Deck 3: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

 If you expect to hear a sound,you may have a better ability to hear it.This would be an example of how ____ can change. 

A)Weber's law
B)the just noticeable difference
C)the absolute threshold
D)the law of prägnanz

Answer 1

the absolute threshold

Question 2

 A psychophysicist would be most interested in which research question? 

A)What are the causes of schizophrenia?
B)What makes the different notes of a musical piece sound different?
C)What happens in the brain while we are sleeping?
D)What stages of development best characterize childhood?

Answer 2

What makes the different notes of a musical piece sound different?

Question 3

 Which law explains how much louder a tone would need to get before you would notice a difference? 

A)the Young-Helmholtz law
B)Occam's law
C)Weber's law
D)frequency theory

Answer 3

Weber's law

Question 4

 The Ganzfeld procedure is used to determine ____. 

A)extrasensory perception (ESP)
B)subliminal perception
C)just noticeable difference (jnd)
D)absolute threshold

Question 5

 Qamar is participating in a study on ESP in which he is supposed to telepathically receive one of two images that another participant views on a computer screen.If he performs like most other research participants in other studies,about how well will he do at receiving these images? 

A)He will likely guess correctly approximately 90% of the time.
B)He will likely guess correctly approximately 75% of the time.
C)He will likely guess correctly approximately 50% of the time.
D)He will likely guess correctly approximately 25% of the time.

Question 6

 The absolute threshold is defined as the minimum ____. 

A)intensity of a stimulus to be detected 50% of the time
B)intensity of a stimulus to be detected 100% of the time
C)change in stimulus intensity to be detected 50% of the time
D)change in stimulus intensity to be detected 100% of the time

Question 7

 Psychophysicists study ____. 

A)the physical basis for mental illness
B)the relationship between the mind and body
C)how the mind interprets sensory stimuli
D)how nature interacts with nurture to influence development

Question 8

 Most research on extrasensory perception has shown that it is ____. 

A)a strong force needing further study
B)not supported by scientific investigation
C)supported as much as it has not been supported
D)a weak force, but its existence is well supported by research

Question 9

 Researchers at the Smell Good Company want to make their home air freshener smell even better to customers.What principle will the researchers use to determine the amount of additional fragrance needed for customers to just notice the improvement? 

A)Helmholtz's law
B)perceptual inconsistency
C)Weber's law
D)Young's law

Question 10

 Which statement about absolute thresholds is TRUE? 

A)Absolute thresholds vary according to the person and the situation.
B)The absolute threshold is the minimum change in stimulus intensity that can be detected.
C)The absolute threshold reflects both sensation but not perception.
D)Absolute thresholds are extremely unpredictable for any sense other than vision or hearing.

Question 11

 Dr.Lau is doing an experiment in which he wishes to determine the lowest concentration of salt that customers will be able to taste in a new soup product.In this experiment,Dr.Lau is interested in measuring the customer's ____. 

A)top-down perceptual processing
B)difference threshold
C)absolute threshold for taste
D)just noticeable difference for salt

Question 12

 In 2011,which psychologist reported finding experimental evidence for the existence of ESP,although the work has been characterized as methodologically flawed and incorrectly analyzed? 

A)Bem
B)Ganzfeld
C)Kosslyn
D)Weber

Question 13

 Weber's law is most closely associated with ____. 

A)sensory deprivation
B)the just noticeable difference
C)the absolute threshold
D)sensory reduction

Question 14

 According to Weber's law,we should be best able to notice an additional teaspoon of salt in our soup when the soup ____. 

A)was originally very salty
B)was originally moderately salty
C)was originally slightly salty
D)originally had no salt in it

Question 15

 If you are exposed to a television advertisement containing subliminal messages,the probability is very high that ____. 

A)the advertisement will be more persuasive than one without the subliminal messages
B)you would feel strongly directed to purchase the product, even if you did not especially like the product
C)the advertisement would have no more effect on you than the same advertisement without subliminal messages
D)the advertisement would be retained in your unconscious memory longer than an advertisement without subliminal messages

Question 16

 The absolute threshold tends to ____. 

A)be the same for everybody
B)vary from person to person
C)vary more from time to time than from person to person
D)be quite a bit different for males than for females

Question 17

 Which term is more directly associated with perception than sensation? 

A)visual
B)gustatory
C)interpretation
D)auditory

Question 18

 The Zena perfume company wants to improve their top-selling fragrance,Rosy,by making it smell even rosier.They hire Dr.Franks to determine the minimum amount of rose oil that they will have to add to the formula to ensure that customers will be able to tell a difference in the improved fragrance.  The Zena company wants Dr.Franks to find the customer's ____.​ 

A)absolute threshold
B)perceptual inconsistency
C)just noticeable difference
D)Helmholtz's law

Question 19

 In the 1950s,James Vicary reported that he had been able to manipulate sales for popcorn and Coca-Cola by flashing subliminal messages during the showing of a movie in a public theatre.How has his work stood the test of the time? 

A)Poorly, because his claim was fabricated
B)Fairly well, although the effect does not appear to be as strong as Vicary reported
C)Quite well, and effects consistent with Vicary's reports are the norm
D)Extremely well, and the effects appear to be even stronger than Vicary reported

Question 20

 Extrasensory perception is also known as ____. 

A)psi
B)jnd
C)absolute threshold
D)subliminal sensations

Question 21

 Lena is studying the properties of light in a laboratory.If she increases the amplitude of the light waves she is studying,what effect will this have on her perception of the light? 

A)The light will be brighter.
B)The light will be dimmer.
C)The hue of the light will be more red-toned.
D)The hue of the light will be more blue-toned.

Question 22

 Saturation of light is to ____ as amplitude of light is to ____. 

A)brightness; color
B)purity; hue
C)density; clarity
D)purity; brightness

Question 23

 Both the lens and the cornea of the eye have a primary function of ____.​ 

A)detecting colors
B)bending light
C)letting in appropriate amounts of light
D)protecting the eye against foreign objects

Question 24

 Which pregression describes the correct sequence of structures involved in vision? 

A)lens, cornea, sclera
B)cornea, rods, retina
C)retina, cornea, sclera
D)cornea, lens, retina

Question 25

 Rods and cones send visual information to the optic nerve through which type of cell? 

A)bipolar
B)bicameral
C)Merkel's cells
D)Pacinian cells

Question 26

 If your friend is wearing a red shirt,you are able to detect the shirt's redness because ____. 

A)all other colors of light are being absorbed by the shirt
B)the height of the light wave coming from the shirt is shorter than all other colors of light
C)the light coming from the shirt is low in saturation
D)it is the only color of light that is absorbed by the shirt

Question 27

 Jamal is preparing to clean his oven when he accidentally sprays himself in the eyes with oven cleaner.The caustic chemical damages the outside covering of his eyes where the light enters.Jamal has most likely injured his ____. 

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

Question 28

 Certain animals may be able to see you in the dark better than you can see them because ____. 

A)animals have a unique ability called presbyopia
B)their corneas allow more light in
C)they can sense a wider range of the electromagnetic spectrum than you
D)they are more likely to have a large number of cones

Question 29

 The wavelength of light determines its ____,and the amplitude of light determines its ____. 

A)shape; hue
B)hue; brightness
C)brightness; shape
D)brightness; hue

Question 30

 Concha damaged her corneas in a car accident.What effect will this injury most likely have on her vision? 

A)Her vision will be unaffected.
B)She will not be able to see clearly.
C)She will be colorblind.
D)She will be blind.

Question 31

 Which part of the eye is a supporting structure that does not play a role in vision? 

A)iris
B)lens
C)sclera
D)cornea

Question 32

 You are working for a computer manufacturer where you are trying to develop new monitors that can project a wider range of colors.In working on this task,you need to keep in mind that the visible spectrum of light for humans is ____.​ 

A)200nm-800nm
B)165nm-876nm
C)360nm-750nm
D)360nm-875nm

Question 33

 Which structure is part of the sensation process occurring in vision? 

A)cochlea
B)cornea
C)stapes
D)papilla

Question 34

 Herb,an artist who works with colored lights,likes to work with saturated colors in his work.What does this mean? 

A)He uses muted colors of light.
B)He uses pure colors of light.
C)He mixes different colors together.
D)He uses very bright lights.

Question 35

 Unlike humans,certain animals can see infrared and/or ultraviolet rays because of their ____. 

A)sensitivity to a wider range of electromagnetic energy
B)greater number of infrared and/or ultraviolet detectors
C)ability to open their pupils wider to allow more incoming light
D)increased number or cones

Question 36

 When the color purple is reflected off a hat,what can we say is happening to the light waves? 

A)Purple light waves are being absorbed by the hat.
B)The purple from ultraviolet light waves is being reflected from the hat.
C)Purple light waves are being reflected from the hat.
D)The purple from ultraviolet light waves is being absorbed by the hat.

Question 37

 When painting your house,you end up choosing a bright color over a dim color.You can be sure that the electromagnetic energy coming from the brighter color is characterized by ____ than the light from the dim color. 

A)taller peaks
B)a greater distance between peaks
C)shorter peaks
D)a smaller distance between peaks

Question 38

 Which statement is TRUE regarding the retina?​ 

A)Light passes through other layers of transparent cells before reaching rods and cones on the back side of the retina where processing begins.
B)The retina consists only of rods and cones.
C)Light hits and is absorbed by the first layer of cells called bipolar, and then the information is passed through other cells on the way to the rods and cones.
D)The retina consists of rods and cones, the basilar membrane, the sclera, and borderline cells.

Question 39

 Just as the iris controls the size of the pupil,____ control the shape of the lens.​ 

A)thesclera
B)thecornea
C)vision strands
D)ciliary muscles

Question 40

 When the lens of the eye is adjusted to focus on near and far objects,this is called ____. 

A)compensation
B)accommodation
C)assimilation
D)closure

Question 41

 You are trying to see the color of your ink pen while taking lecture notes in a darkened auditorium.  Where should you hold the ink pen to have the greatest chance of perceiving its color?​ 

A)to the right side of your head
B)to the left side of your head
C)to either side of your head
D)directly in front of your face

Question 42

 The fovea is to ____ as the periphery of the retina is to ____. 

A)rods; cones
B)cones; rods
C)near vision; far vision
D)far vision; near vision

Question 43

 In contrast to light adaptation,dark adaptation involves ____.​ 

A)building up photopigments
B)the process of splitting apart photopigments
C)the activation of cones
D)accommodation by the lens

Question 44

 If your retina contained only rods,you would be unable to ____.​ 

A)see anything
B)see color
C)see shape
D)see in bright light

Question 45

 Adaptation to light ____. 

A)can be painful at times
B)happens faster than adaptation to dark
C)occurs when the cornea bends to allow less light
D)involves building up photopigments

Question 46

 A laboratory study may help you to determine the location of your visual blind spot,but you will not notice it outside of the laboratory because ____.​ 

A)it is in the front of your visual field
B)it is located at the fovea of your eye
C)it only happens in a laboratory setting
D)you have two eyes that see slightly different views of the world

Question 47

 The best color vision is in the ____. 

A)area just outside of the center of the retina
B)periphery of the retina
C)fovea
D)cochlea

Question 48

 As information is passed from the rods and cones through the horizontal,bipolar,amacrine,and ganglion cells on the way to the optic nerve,____.​ 

A)the information is being consolidated into a summary of the original visual information
B)there are a greater numbers of cells at each successive level
C)the information is passed on in the form of light, not being converted into action potentials until the optic nerve
D)the information is being processed and visual perception occurs

Question 49

 Rods are to the____ of the retina as cones are to the ____ of the retina.​ 

A)periphery; center
B)right side; the left side
C)center; periphery
D)left side; right side

Question 50

 It is the middle of the day and you are outside in the bright sunlight.In order to give you the best possibility of seeing the colors and detail of a large flower in your garden,you should ____.​ 

A)look directly at it
B)look to the right side of it
C)look to the left side of it
D)close one eye

Question 51

 The fovea ____. 

A)contains only rods
B)is important for detecting form and shape
C)is located in the center of the retina, directly behind the pupil
D)is located in the periphery of the retina

Question 52

 Which statement is TRUE regarding rods?​ 

A)They are more numerous than cones in the human eye.
B)They require more light than cones to be activated.
C)They are more densely concentrated in the center of the retina.
D)They transmit information about color to the brain.

Question 53

 Photopigments are found in ____. 

A)the sclera
B)only cones
C)the cochlea
D)both rods and cones

Question 54

 The human eye has about ____.​ 

A)the same number of rods and cones
B)five times more cones than rods
C)twenty times more rods than cones
D)one-hundred times more cones than rods

Question 55

 When photopigments of the eye split apart,____.​ 

A)color vision is lost
B)sensation is occurring
C)the person becomes farsighted
D)accommodation is occurring

Question 56

 While driving at night,you are most likely to have trouble perceiving ____.​ 

A)shapes
B)lines
C)curves
D)colors

Question 57

 Not being able to accurately detect the colors of objects seen in your peripheral vision is best explained by ____.​ 

A)differences in the distribution of rods and cones in different parts of the retina
B)difficulties in paying attention to items that are not in the center of the visual field
C)differences in the number of ganglion, amacrine, bipolar, and horizontal cells
D)the smaller number of receptor cells in the periphery of the retina

Question 58

 You are trying to detect the expression on your roommate's face as you talk with her late at night with the light turned off.What is the best approach?​ 

A)Close your eyes and imagine what her expression might be.
B)Look at her out of the corner of your eye.
C)Look directly at her.
D)Close one eye and look directly at her.

Question 59

 Which statement is TRUE regarding cones? 

A)They require less light than rods to be activated.
B)They are most densely concentrated in the periphery of the retina.
C)The process they follow to convert light into neural messages is different than the process followed by rods.
D)They are less numerous than rods in the human eye.

Question 60

 Beatrice was born without cone cells in her retina.What effect will this most likely have on her vision? 

A)Her vision will be unaffected.
B)She will be colorblind.
C)She will be unable to see out of the side of her eyes.
D)She will be completely blind.

Question 61

 The trichromatic theory has difficulty explaining ____.​ 

A)color blindness
B)the ability to see yellow
C)color mixing
D)negative afterimages

Question 62

 Which person is most likely to suffer from red-green colorblindness?​ 

A)David, who is 24
B)Sally, who is 3
C)Juanita, who is 15
D)Felicia, who is 95

Question 63

 The opponent-process theory would predict that after staring at a blue dot for 60 seconds,and then looking at a blank white paper,you would report seeing a ____ afterimage. 

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

Question 64

 The ability to sense the color yellow can be explained by ____. 

A)trichromatic theory only
B)opponent-process theory only
C)both trichromatic and opponent-process theory
D)neither trichromatic nor opponent-process theory

Question 65

 All colors of light are some combination of ____ light.​ 

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

Question 66

 The primary colors of light are ____.​ 

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

Question 67

 While you are posing for a picture,the camera's flash goes off and you feel a momentary sense of pain in your eyes.This is most likely a result of ____.​ 

A)the sudden breakdown of large amounts of photopigments
B)a relatively common example of synesthesia in which light is transduced as touch
C)a large increase in the speed of the action potentials being fired
D)rods, cones, horizontal, bipolar, amacrine, and ganglion cells firing all at the same time

Question 68

 When all the primary colors of light are mixed,we see ____. 

A)brown
B)black
C)grey
D)white

Question 69

 Jack is sound asleep when his wife suddenly turns on the bedroom light and awakens him.Upon opening his eyes,Jack temporarily finds the bright light painful because ____.​ 

A)light adaptation has not yet occurred
B)dark adaptation has not yet occurred
C)he does not have enough photopigment in his retina yet
D)photopigment storage has rapidly accelerated because of the light

Question 70

 After staring at a particular color for a long period of time and then looking at a white background,a negative afterimage occurs because the ____. 

A)cones that were not used as much to sense the particular color are well-rested and therefore respond more readily to the white background
B)well-rested rods take over the task of sensation, thus distorting the color that is sensed
C)parts of the cells that continually responded to the color are worn out and therefore don't respond as readily to the white background
D)parts of the cells that continually respond to white are worn out and therefore don't respond as readily to the white background

Question 71

 If the photopigment levels in your eyes are extremely high,it is most likely a result of ____.​ 

A)not eating enough carrots
B)being exposed to bright lights for a long time
C)being in a dark room for a long time
D)normal age-associated changes

Question 72

 The primary colors of paint are ____.​ 

A)red, yellow, and blue
B)blue, yellow, and green
C)red, green, and yellow
D)purple, red, and blue

Question 73

 Which type of color blindness is particularly common?​ 

A)black-white
B)red-green
C)blue-yellow
D)red-yellow

Question 74

 Dark adaptation ____ than light adaptation.​ 

A)creates more pain
B)involves more breakdown of photopigment
C)requires faster action potentials
D)takes longer

Question 75

 An individual suffering from red-green color blindness is most likely missing ____.​ 

A)horizontal cells
B)ganglion cells
C)bipolar cells
D)red and/or green cones

Question 76

 Which theory of color vision appears to explain instances of color blindness best? 

A)frequency theory
B)volley theory
C)trichromatic theory
D)opponent-process theory

Question 77

 The opponent-process theory would predict that after staring at a red dot for 60 seconds,and then looking at a blank white paper,you would report seeing a ____ afterimage. 

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

Question 78

 The trichromatic theory states that ____. 

A)three different types of cones detect the three different primary colors of light
B)humans really only perceive three different colors
C)cells in the retina can send information to the brain about two colors, but only one at a time
D)the three major types of cells in our visual system are: red/green, blue/yellow, and black/white cells

Question 79

 The opponent-process theory states that ____. 

A)light is converted into neural impulses very differently depending upon its color
B)cells in the visual system are sensitive to two colors of light, but not at the same time
C)there are three different types of receptor cells corresponding with the three primary colors of light
D)color is determined as different receptor cells compete with each other to fire the most neural impulses to the brain

Question 80

 Bernice returns to the darkened theater after visiting the concession stand and finds that she cannot see well enough to find her seat.What is she experiencing?​ 

A)temporary blindness
B)light adaptation
C)dark adaptation
D)an abundance of ganglion cells in her retina