Deck 17: Perceptual Interpretation

Question 1

Damage to a region of the temporal lobe essential to recognizing faces results in a condition known as

A) transduction.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) signal detection.
D) prosopagnosia.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Samantha is at a concert listening to her favorite band.How is she able to process sound waves to enjoy the concert?

A) Top-down processing is used to translate the sound waves that she is experiencing.
B) The sound waves need to make it above her absolute threshold for processing.
C) She will detect the signal and then process the information through top-down processing.
D) She must first receive sensory stimulation that is transformed into neural impulses,which are then delivered to her brain.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Heather Sellers suffers from prosopagnosia and is unable to recognize her own face in a photograph.Her difficulty stems from a deficiency in

A) top-down processing.
B) transduction.
C) bottom-up processing.
D) sensation.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Transduction refers to the process of

A) organizing and interpreting sensory information.
B) activating mental associations.
C) transforming stimulus energies into neural impulses.
D) drawing on our experience and expectations to construct perceptions.

Question 5

Although Manuel was sitting right next to his parents,he smelled a skunk minutes before they did.Apparently,Manuel has a lower ________ for skunk odor than his parents have.

A) critical period
B) tolerance level
C) absolute threshold
D) sensory adaptation

Question 6

Which of the following represents the second of three steps basic to all sensory systems?

A) transduction
B) subliminal stimulation
C) perceptual adaptation
D) priming

Question 7

The brain area that helps us recognize a familiar human face is located in the

A) right hemisphere.
B) left hemisphere.
C) cerebellum.
D) pons.

Question 8

Detection is to interpretation as sensation is to

A) adaptation.
B) transduction.
C) perception.
D) priming.

Question 9

The effect of prior experience and current expectations on perception best illustrates the importance of

A) subliminal stimulation.
B) transduction.
C) sensory thresholds.
D) top-down processing.

Question 10

Experiencing an apple as being red is to ________ as recognizing an apple as being a fruit is to ________.

A) absolute threshold;difference threshold
B) sensory adaptation;signal detection
C) sensation;perception
D) signal detection;difference threshold

Question 11

Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors is called

A) subliminal sensation.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) bottom-up processing.
D) priming.

Question 12

Sensation is the

A) transformation of sound and light into meaningful words and images.
B) detection and encoding of stimulus energies by sensory receptors and the nervous system.
C) organization and interpretation of environmental events.
D) conscious awareness of a familiar stimulus.

Question 13

Recognizing the taste of the liquid in your mouth as juice that has fermented is an example of

A) subliminal stimulation.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) prosopagnosia.
D) perception.

Question 14

Psychophysics is best defined as the study of relationships between

A) sensation and perception.
B) stimulus energies and neural impulses.
C) absolute thresholds and difference thresholds.
D) physical stimuli and psychological experience.

Question 15

The process by which cells in the eye convert stimulus energy into neural signals is an example of

A) top-down processing.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) transduction.
D) priming.

Question 16

The process by which we organize and interpret sensory information in order to recognize meaningful objects and events is called

A) sensory adaptation.
B) sensation.
C) perception.
D) signal detection.

Question 17

The absolute threshold is the minimum amount of stimulation that a person needs to detect a stimulus

A) at the beginning of a sensory experience.
B) on a subliminal level.
C) 50 percent of the time.
D) reliably on any occasion.

Question 18

A forest ranger may notice the faintest scent of a forest fire,whereas much stronger but less important odors fail to catch her attention.This fact would be of greatest relevance to

A) top-down processing.
B) subliminal stimulation.
C) signal detection theory.
D) bottom-up processing.

Question 19

Sensory receptors are

A) mechanisms that convert one form of energy to another.
B) the minimum stimulation necessary to detect a particular sense.
C) sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli.
D) neural information transferred to the brain.

Question 20

If an adult develops cataracts that cloud the lenses of the eyes,his or her

A) absolute threshold for light is likely to increase.
B) difference threshold for light is likely to decrease.
C) absolute threshold for light is likely to decrease.
D) difference threshold for light is likely to remain unchanged.

Question 21

Pablo sees 75-watt light bulbs as giving off more light than 60-watt bulbs.His wife sees them as giving off the same amount of light.Pablo apparently has a ________ threshold for light than his wife.

A) smaller difference
B) lower absolute
C) larger difference
D) higher absolute

Question 22

The conscious or unconscious activation of certain associations is called

A) transduction.
B) priming.
C) signal detection.
D) adaptation.

Question 23

Gay men were more accurate in guessing the angle of a geometric figure if it had been in the same location where a nude ________ briefly appeared a moment earlier.Straight women were more accurate if the geometric figure had been in the same location where a nude ________ briefly appeared a moment earlier.

A) woman;man
B) man;woman
C) woman;woman
D) man;man

Question 24

Diminished sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus is known as

A) priming.
B) prosopagnosia.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) transduction.

Question 25

Some people are better than others at detecting slight variations in the tastes of various blends of coffee.This best illustrates the importance of

A) subliminal stimulation.
B) difference thresholds.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) transduction.

Question 26

Some participants in a subliminal persuasion experiment thought that they were receiving subliminal affirmations of their self-esteem when in reality they were receiving subliminal memory-enhancement instructions.These individuals subsequently demonstrated

A) an actual improvement in their memory.
B) an erroneous belief that their memory had improved.
C) an actual enhancement in self-esteem.
D) an erroneous belief that their self-esteem had improved.

Question 27

We experience the difference threshold as a

A) perceptual set.
B) masking stimulus.
C) subliminal stimulus.
D) just noticeable difference.

Question 28

Which of the following is an example of sensory adaptation?

A) enjoying a painting more the longer you study it
B) responding vigorously every time a fire alarm is sounded
C) not realizing how cold it is after you have been outdoors for a while in winter
D) relying heavily on your hearing when you wear a blindfold

Question 29

Those who believe in the value of subliminal audio programs would be wrong to claim that

A) people are capable of bottom-up processing.
B) signal detection is influenced by a person's motivational state.
C) unconsciously processed information is unusually persuasive.
D) sensory transduction can occur without conscious awareness.

Question 30

Conscious evaluations of a facial image can be affected by subliminal priming.This best illustrates

A) Weber's law.
B) prosopagnosia.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) the two-track mind.

Question 31

According to Weber's law,to be perceived as different,two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum

A) shape.
B) distance.
C) intensity.
D) percentage.

Question 32

If the just-noticeable difference for a 10-ounce weight is 1 ounce,the just noticeable difference for an 80-ounce weight would be ________ ounces.

A) 2
B) 4
C) 8
D) 10

Question 33

The difference threshold is the minimum difference a person can detect between any two stimuli

A) reliably on any occasion.
B) 50 percent of the time.
C) following sensory adaptation.
D) after being primed.

Question 34

Stimuli below the absolute threshold are said to be

A) adaptive.
B) primed.
C) subliminal.
D) transduced.

Question 35

The fact that fear may increase your sensitivity to an almost imperceptible pain stimulus is of most relevance to

A) bottom-up processing.
B) subliminal stimulation.
C) top-down processing.
D) signal detection theory.

Question 36

Which of the following strategies best illustrates the use of subliminal stimulation?

A) A department store places flashing red lights near its sale merchandise.
B) A magazine ad pictures a pack of cigarettes with a beautiful mountain stream in the background.
C) A church organist plays relaxing background music during a pastor's congregational prayer.
D) A trim female figure is imperceptibly flashed on the TV screen during an ad for a weight-reduction clinic.

Question 37

Subliminal priming effects best illustrate

A) the difference between absolute and difference thresholds.
B) a diminishing sensitivity to unchanging and familiar information.
C) that information can be processed outside of conscious awareness.
D) the impact of sensory adaptation.

Question 38

Soothing musical recordings accompanied by unheard verbal messages designed to increase a desire to lose weight best illustrate

A) Weber's law.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) subliminal stimulation.
D) difference thresholds.

Question 39

After the word "bread" was briefly flashed and then replaced by a masking stimulus,observers detected the related word "butter" much faster than the unrelated word "bubble." This best illustrates the impact of

A) sensory adaptation.
B) prosopagnosia.
C) priming.
D) Weber's law.

Question 40

Which theory assumes that top-down processing can influence a person's absolute threshold for a particular stimulus?

A) transduction theory
B) priming theory
C) signal detection theory
D) Weber's law

Question 41

After watching a scary television movie,Julie perceived the noise of the wind rattling her front windows as the sound of a burglar breaking into her house.Her mistaken interpretation best illustrates the influence of

A) perceptual set.
B) subliminal stimulation.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) bottom-up processing.

Question 42

If we could stop our eyes from moving as we stared at a stationary object,the object would probably

A) vanish from sight.
B) become a masking stimulus.
C) appear more brilliantly colored.
D) appear to change colors.

Question 43

Context effects illustrate that our perception of particular stimuli is influenced by the ________ of those stimuli.

A) absolute threshold
B) subliminal sensation
C) just noticeable difference
D) environmental surroundings

Question 44

In one experiment,preschool children judged french fries as tasting better when served in a McDonald's bag rather than a plain white bag.This best illustrates the impact of

A) transduction.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) perceptual set.
D) subliminal persuasion.

Question 45

A quarter appears larger to a group of children who really want the money than to another group of children who don't.This best illustrates the importance of

A) masking stimuli.
B) top-down processing.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) subliminal stimulation.

Question 46

After sensory adaptation to an angry face,a morphed blend of an angry face and a scared face appears predominantly ________.After sensory adaptation to a scared face,a morphed face blend of an angry and a scared face appears predominantly ________.

A) scared;scared
B) angry;angry
C) scared;angry
D) angry;scared

Question 47

It wasn't until Clara heard some of her classmates laughing loudly during history class that she began to perceive the professor's ongoing lecture to be very funny.This provides an illustration of

A) Weber's law.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) context effects.
D) subliminal messaging.

Question 48

If told an infant is "David," children may perceive him as bigger and stronger than if the same infant is called "Diana." This best illustrates the impact of

A) perceptual set.
B) context effects.
C) Weber's law.
D) sensory adaptation.

Question 49

In 1972,a British newspaper published pictures of a "Loch Ness Monster." Many people readily perceived a floating tree trunk in the photographs as the partially submerged monster.This best illustrates the powerful influence of

A) bottom-up processing.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) subliminal stimulation.
D) perceptual set.

Question 50

A harmful action is perceived as more serious by those who have just listened to irritating music.This best illustrates that perceptions are influenced by

A) Weber's law.
B) subliminal stimulation.
C) sensory adaptation
D) emotion.

Question 51

When Helen noticed that her classmates were all wearing expensive designer jeans,she suddenly perceived her own off-brand jeans to be very unattractive.This best illustrates the importance of

A) subliminal persuasion.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) masking stimuli.
D) context effects.

Question 52

Schemas are best described as

A) concepts that organize and interpret sensory input.
B) networks of interconnected brain cells.
C) visual receptor cells located in the eye.
D) absolute thresholds for particular stimuli.

Question 53

Hearing sad music can tilt the mind toward hearing a spoken word as die rather than as dye.This best illustrates that perception is influenced by

A) subliminal stimuli.
B) Weber's law.
C) emotion.
D) sensory adaptation.

Question 54

An assumption or expectation that affects (top-down)what we see or hear is called a

A) just noticeable difference.
B) perceptual set.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) masking stimulus.

Question 55

Walking destinations look ________ to those who are tired.A to-be-climbed hill looks ________ steep to those who are carrying a heavy backpack.

A) closer;less
B) close;more
C) farther away;less
D) farther away;more

Question 56

Desired objects,such as a bottle of water,seem closer when we are thirsty.This best illustrates the importance of

A) sensory adaptation.
B) top-down processing.
C) subliminal persuasion.
D) prosopagnosia.

Question 57

Many people calmly walked past an older gentleman lying on a city sidewalk without showing any concern.As a consequence,other passersby failed to perceive that the man was in need of immediate medical assistance.This best illustrates the importance of

A) difference thresholds.
B) context effects.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) prosopagnosia.

Question 58

After reading her horoscope in the morning newspaper,Sabrina readily interpreted many experiences that day as clear verifications of its accuracy.This best illustrates the dangers of

A) perceptual set.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) signal detection.
D) transduction.

Question 59

Once we have formed a wrong idea about reality,we have more difficulty seeing the truth.This best illustrates the importance of

A) Weber's law.
B) subliminal persuasion.
C) top-down processing.
D) prosopagnosia.

Question 60

Perceiving a facial image as that of an old woman rather than that of a young woman may depend on which of two other less ambiguous facial drawings was viewed first.This best illustrates the importance of

A) difference thresholds.
B) a masking stimulus.
C) perceptual set.
D) subliminal stimulation.

Question 61

Normal vision accompanied by prosopagnosia best illustrates the distinction between

A) absolute thresholds and difference thresholds.
B) subliminal sensation and subliminal persuasion.
C) sensory adaptation and perceptual set.
D) sensation and perception.

Question 62

The local fire department sounds the 12 o'clock whistle.The process by which your ears transform the sound waves from the siren into neural impulses is an example of

A) an absolute threshold.
B) signal detection.
C) transduction.
D) sensory adaptation.

Question 63

A soldier who fearfully serves sentry duty in a dangerous war zone is more likely to hear very faint sounds than he or she ordinarily would.This best illustrates that one's psychological state has an impact on

A) sensory adaptation.
B) absolute thresholds.
C) subliminal persuasion.
D) prosopagnosia.

Question 64

If you move your watchband up your wrist an inch or so,you will feel it for only a few moments.This best illustrates

A) a perceptual set.
B) priming.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) Weber's law.

Question 65

The size of the difference threshold is greater for heavier objects than for lighter ones.This best illustrates

A) sensory adaptation.
B) transduction.
C) Weber's law.
D) subliminal stimulation.

Question 66

The process of receiving and representing stimulus energies by the sensory receptors and the nervous system is called

A) priming.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) top-down processing.
D) sensation.

Question 67

Perception is the process by which

A) stimulus energies are detected.
B) stimulus energies are transformed into neural activity.
C) sensory input is organized and interpreted.
D) nerve cells respond to specific features of a stimulus.

Question 68

Weber's law is relevant to an understanding of

A) absolute thresholds.
B) difference thresholds.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) subliminal persuasion.

Question 69

Normal visual sensation in the absence of complete visual perception is best illustrated by

A) prosopagnosia.
B) priming.
C) the difference threshold.
D) sensory adaptation.

Question 70

When holding a gun themselves,people become more likely to perceive another person as gun-toting rather than as simply holding a phone or wallet.This best illustrates that perceptions are influenced by

A) subliminal sensation.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) Weber's law.
D) context effects.

Question 71

Interpreting new sensory information within the framework of a past memory illustrates

A) a just noticeable difference.
B) top-down processing.
C) Weber's law.
D) sensory adaptation.

Question 72

Those who feel loved and appreciated by their spouse perceive less threat in stressful marital interactions.This best illustrates the importance of

A) emotion.
B) subliminal stimulation.
C) priming.
D) sensory adaptation.

Question 73

Jake's excellent peripheral vision enabled him to detect a brief flash of light far to his left,even though he couldn't recognize what he had seen.His experience best illustrates

A) top-down processing.
B) prosopagnosia.
C) sensation.
D) priming.

Question 74

Shelly is shopping when she runs into a friend from high school.Based on information provided in the text,how long will it take Shelly to recognize her friend?

A) less than a second
B) 2 seconds
C) 30 seconds
D) almost a minute

Question 75

Sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli are called

A) perception.
B) sensory receptors.
C) sensory stimulation.
D) transduction.

Question 76

The difference threshold is the

A) minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time.
B) minimum amount of stimulation a person needs to detect a stimulus 50 percent of the time.
C) principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage for their difference to be perceived.
D) process by which stimulus energies are changed into neural impulses.

Question 77

A neutral face is perceived as ________ attractive and likeable to people made to feel mildly upset.A hill looks ________ steep to those who feel others understand them.

A) more;less
B) less;more
C) less;less
D) more;more

Question 78

After hearing that Bryce had served a prison sentence,Janet began to perceive his friendly behavior as insincere and manipulative.This best illustrates the impact of

A) subliminal persuasion.
B) prosopagnosia.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) perceptual set.

Question 79

Sensory adaptation helps us to focus our attention on ________ stimuli.

A) familiar
B) subliminal
C) novel
D) intense

Question 80

Jane is talking to her friend Samantha.Jane uses her ________ to detect information about her environment.

A) sensory receptors
B) bottom-up processing
C) top-down processing
D) transduction