Deck 3: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

Cells that are triggered by light,vibrations,sounds,touch,or chemical substances are called ________.

A)ganglion cells
B)bipolar cells
C)ossicles
D)sensory receptors

Answer 1

sensory receptors

Question 2

__________ is the process of detecting our environment through touch,taste,sight,sound,and smell.

A)Perceptions
B)Emotions
C)Cognitions
D)Sensations

Answer 2

Sensations

Question 3

The term just noticeable difference is synonymous with ______ threshold.

A)separation
B)response
C)difference
D)absolute

Answer 3

difference

Question 4

The smallest or weakest amount of a particular stimulus required to produce any sensation at all in a person is the __________ threshold.

A)absolute
B)minimum sensory
C)difference
D)barely noticeable

Question 5

Signal detection theory proposes that perceiving a sensory stimulus involves:

A)attention to external stimuli.
B)attention to internal stimuli.
C)attention to external and internal stimuli.
D)attention to subliminal stimuli.

Question 6

Percent of the time it is presented is called the ______.

A)absolute threshold
B)range threshold
C)difference threshold
D)noticeable threshold

Question 7

The ________ threshold is the smallest amount of change in sensation that a person can detect.

A)captured
B)delta
C)absolute
D)difference

Question 8

Martha is writing a paper that addresses a process in which sensory receptors become less sensitive to repeated presentations of the same stimulus.What is the primary topic of Martha's essay?

A)sensation
B)sensory fatigue
C)sensory adaptation
D)discrimination

Question 9

The study of ________ examines the relationship between physical stimuli and our psychological responses to those events.

A)transduction
B)psychophysics
C)neuroanatomy
D)Gestalt photometrics

Question 10

The lowest stimulus intensity required for detection is the __________ and the smallest noticeable difference between a standard stimulus intensity and another stimulus value is the __________.

A)absolute threshold; difference threshold
B)base value; just noticeable difference (jnd)
C)response criterion; sensory constant
D)difference threshold; absolute threshold

Question 11

Percent of the time it is presented is called the ___________.

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

Question 12

When Ann went to her doctor he gave her a hearing test.During the test,the doctor presented tones to Ann through earphones.The tones started at a low intensity and then became louder.The doctor asked Ann to raise her hand whenever she started to hear a sound.The doctor was testing Ann's ________.

A)auditory convergence
B)absolute threshold
C)refractory threshold
D)difference threshold

Question 13

Activation of specific receptors by stimuli is called ________.

A)perception
B)sensation
C)adaptation
D)habituation

Question 14

Sensation is to perception as ________ is to ________.

A)stimulation; recognition
B)awareness; interpretation
C)interpretation; awareness
D)organization; interpretation

Question 15

Ernst Weber provided a formulation that is used to determine the ______________.

A)varying fraction of change that occurs before just noticeable differences in the same sensory system can be detected
B)smallest detectable stimulus between two stimuli of different sensory systems
C)largest detectable difference between two stimuli that can occur before the change becomes undetectable
D)constant fraction of change that must occur if a difference from the original stimulus is to be detected

Question 16

Suppose you are given a page that is filled to the edges with black "As" and you are instructed to scan the page for the only gray "8" on the page.The fact that you are able to find that one stimulus against a background of many constant stimuli can be explained by:

A)inattentional blindness.
B)the principle of continuity.
C)amplitude modification.
D)retinal disparity.

Question 17

The principle that the just noticeable difference of any given sense is a constant fraction or proportion of the stimulus being judged is called ______.

A)the opponent-process principle
B)the doctrine of specific nerve energies
C)the phi phenomenon
D)Weber's law

Question 18

The process by which unchanging information from the senses of taste,touch,smell,and vision is "ignored" by the sensory receptor cells themselves is called __________________.

A)transformation
B)sensory adaptation
C)transmutation
D)transduction

Question 19

Suppose Maria is painting her bedroom while the sun is setting.After a while she decides to stop because she suddenly notices that the room has gotten darker.Maria's experiences illustrate the role of ________ in sensation.

A)Weberian threshold
B)a just-noticeable difference
C)absolute threshold
D)bias

Question 20

Which of the following has been found to be lower in people who suffer from autism?

A)absolute thresholds of some aspects of vision,sound,and touch
B)absolute thresholds of some elements of smell and taste
C)just noticeable differences of smell and taste
D)difference thresholds of vision and smell

Question 21

The frequency of the wavelength of light reaching your eyes determines in part what ______ you see.

A)brightness
B)saturation
C)hue
D)fine detail

Question 22

________________ refers to the purity or richness of a color perceived by the eye.

A)Brightness
B)Contrast
C)Hue
D)Saturation

Question 23

Bottom-up processing is initiated by ________.

A)knowledge
B)expectation
C)the stimulus
D)belief

Question 24

The shortest wavelengths we can see are experienced as ______ colors.

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

Question 25

When light waves enter the eye,they first pass through the _________________.

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

Question 26

Perhaps you have heard of people who,upon losing their eyesight,develop incredible abilities to use their other senses.They may develop amazing hearing skills or become extra alert to scents in the air around them.This shifting of sensory ability is called:

A)synesthesia.
B)top-down processing.
C)cross-linked perception.
D)sensory compensation.

Question 27

Which of the following terms provides a partial explanation for the phenomenon known as cross-modal compensation?

A)multidirectionality
B)plasticity
C)multifunctionality
D)calcification

Question 28

Joachim and Maricella are going for a romantic walk in the park after an afternoon storm.Maricella looks up in the sky and sees a rainbow.She exclaims,"How beautiful!" Joachim,being something of a science buff,might correctly say ______________________.

A)"you are just seeing the visible spectrum"
B)"that's because you are seeing all the wavelengths of light we can see from short to long"
C)"that's because different frequencies of wavelengths lead to the perception of different colors"
D)all of these things would be true if Joachim said them

Question 29

Top-down processing is sometimes referred to as ________ processing.

A)bottom-up
B)habituated
C)Gestalt
D)concept-driven

Question 30

Suppose you're driving on a two-lane road on a very snowy night where the highway divider cannot be seen.However,in your mind,you're able to reconstruct where the divider should be.This example illustrates ________.

A)middle-up processing
B)top-down processing
C)bottom-up processing
D)a perceptual set

Question 31

People's tendency to perceive a thing a certain way because their previous experiences or expectations influence them is called _______________.

A)top-down processing
B)Weber's law
C)bottom-up processing
D)perceptual constancy

Question 32

The aspect of color that corresponds to names such as red,green,and blue is ______________.

A)brightness
B)saturation
C)hue
D)fine detail

Question 33

Analyzing smaller features and building up to a larger,complete perception is called ________________.

A)top-down processing
B)bottom-up processing
C)perceptual construction
D)hypothesis formation

Question 34

Which part of the eye is a muscle that regulates the size of the pupil?

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

Question 35

Jamie,a toddler,is making distinctions about various aspects of color in terms of whether it looks red,blue,and so on.In doing so,she is referring to its ________.

A)amplitude
B)lightness
C)hue
D)reflection

Question 36

The clear protective coating over the front part of the eye is the ______.

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

Question 37

The visible spectrum refers to the _______________________.

A)portion of the whole spectrum of light that is visible to the human eye
B)effect of intensity on how we see dark to grey to white
C)effect of the sound density on the perceptions of those with synesthesia
D)well-known fact that colors are less visible to some men's eyes

Question 38

What color would you report seeing if a researcher projects the longest wavelength in the visible spectrum onto a screen?

A)red
B)blue
C)yellow
D)violet

Question 39

Frequency,amplitude,and saturation are three separate aspects of our experience of ________.

A)night vision
B)color
C)acuity
D)sensation

Question 40

Erin has learned to create a "truly red" light by focusing on only one wavelength of the visible spectrum.She is most likely to be concerned with which property of light?

A)intensity
B)decibels
C)accommodation
D)saturation

Question 41

All of the following are true about color blindness except:

A)people are either unable to distinguish two or more hues from each other or unable to see hue at all.
B)color blindness has no easy method of detection.
C)it seems to be more common in women than men.
D)it involves missing or damaged cones.

Question 42

Which of the following phenomena is a function of the distribution of the rods and cones in the retina?

A)The moon looks much larger near the horizon than it looks when it is higher in the sky.
B)The light from distant stars moving rapidly away from us is shifted toward the red end of the spectrum.
C)Stars can be seen only with difficulty during the daytime.
D)A dim star viewed at night may disappear when you look directly at it but reappear when you look to one side of it.

Question 43

The amount of light entering the eye is controlled by the ______.

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

Question 44

What causes the "blind spot" in the vision of both eyes?

A)the inconsistent surface of the cornea
B)the folded area of the fovea that occurs where the cones are the most dense
C)the optic nerve passing through the retina as it leaves the eye
D)the concentration of ganglion cells in the center of the optic nerve blocking light

Question 45

Near-sighted is to far-sighted as ________ is to ________.

A)amblyopia; strabismus
B)hyperopia; myopia
C)strabismus; amblyopia
D)myopia; hyperopia

Question 46

The ________ nerve is responsible for taking information from the eyes to the visual cortex in the back of the brain,where that information will be processed and interpreted.

A)optic
B)vestibular
C)occipital
D)auricular

Question 47

After light passes through the ________ it is focused onto the retina.

A)pupil
B)ganglion cells
C)lens
D)iris

Question 48

What is the pupil of the eye?

A)It is the white part of the eye.
B)It is the colored part of the eye.
C)It is the location of the visual receptors.
D)It is the dark hole in the center of the eye.

Question 49

The change in the shape of the lens in order to focus on a visual image is known as _______________.

A)fixation
B)divergence
C)convergence
D)accommodation

Question 50

It is difficult to distinguish between colors at night because ______.

A)we are seeing primarily with the cones
B)rods do not adapt to the dark
C)we are seeing primarily with the rods
D)we are used to seeing mostly with the fovea

Question 51

Which component of the eye contains the visual photoreceptors?

A)sclera
B)retina
C)cornea
D)vitreous humor

Question 52

Which of the following would be the best metaphor for one's optic nerve?

A)a motorcycle
B)a toilet plunger
C)a telephone wire
D)a ping-pong table

Question 53

Each retina of the eye has about ______ million rods.

A)1
B)75
C)25
D)125

Question 54

Which of the following is true of rods?

A)They respond to color.
B)They are found mainly in the fovea.
C)They operate mainly in the daytime.
D)They are responsible for night vision.

Question 55

Which of the following is true about cones?

A)They are responsible for black and white vision.
B)They are concentrated in the center of the eye.
C)They operate mainly at night.
D)They respond only to black and white.

Question 56

When we describe someone's eyes as blue,technically we are referring to his or her blue ________.

A)pupils
B)irises
C)corneas
D)scleras

Question 57

The idea that the eye contains separate receptors for red,green,and blue is known as the ______ theory.

A)opponent-process
B)additive color mixing
C)trichromatic
D)reductive color mixing

Question 58

Receptor cells in the retina responsible for night vision are called ______.

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

Question 59

Hermann von Helmholtz's explanation of color vision is called the ______ theory.

A)opponent-process
B)additive color mixing
C)trichromatic
D)reductive color mixing

Question 60

The point at which the two optic nerves come together and cross each other is called the __________.

A)fovea
B)optic chiasm
C)visual cortex
D)temporal lobe

Question 61

The trichromatic and opponent?process theories of color vision are not in conflict because each corresponds to ________________.

A)a different portion of the spectrum
B)the opposite half of perceivable colors
C)one type of color blindness
D)a different stage of visual processing

Question 62

One of your mother's siblings is always known for putting together awful-looking colors when getting dressed.Who is this person more likely to be?

A)It would likely be your aunt,because women have more problems with color vision.
B)It would likely be your uncle,because men have more problems with color vision.
C)You can't tell,because men and women have an equal chance of having problems with color vision.
D)Humans rarely have problems with color vision,so this wouldn't happen.

Question 63

The eardrum is also called the ____________________.

A)bass fiddler membrane
B)oval window
C)tympanic membrane
D)cochlea

Question 64

Sound is best characterized as ________.

A)a psychological and physical event
B)a nonphysical event
C)a psychological event caused by a physical event
D)a physical event caused by a psychological event

Question 65

Pitch is to frequency as ________.

A)frequency is to amplitude
B)high is to low
C)volume is to amplitude
D)peak is to wave

Question 66

Which of the following describes what happens if you trace an auditory stimulus from the time it first reaches the ear until it arrives at the brain?

A)The outermost part of the ear (pinna)gathers sound waves and funnels them down the ear canal striking the eardrum.
B)The basilar membrane causes the hammer,anvil,and stirrup to vibrate striking the oval window.
C)The auditory cones respond to the various tonal frequencies,which lead the auditory nerve to send a message to the brain.
D)The auditory nerve joins with the nasal nerve to produce an input to the olfactory lobe.

Question 67

Which of the following is a characteristic of both light waves and sound waves?

A)hue
B)decibels
C)amplitude
D)wavelength

Question 68

Which of the following properties of sound is the most similar to the brightness of light?

A)pitch
B)volume
C)purity
D)timbre

Question 69

The outermost (visible)part of the ear is called the _______________.

A)pinna
B)oval window
C)tympanic membrane
D)cochlea

Question 70

Which of the following units of measurement refers to the loudness,or volume,of a sound?

A)hertz (Hz)
B)micrometers (mm)
C)decibels (dB)
D)cubic centimeters (cc)

Question 71

Which of the following properties of sound would be the most similar to the color,or hue,of light?

A)pitch
B)loudness
C)timbre
D)purity

Question 72

According to the opponent-process theory of color vision,two of the correct pairings of opposite colors are ________________.

A)red versus green and blue versus yellow
B)black versus gray and white versus colored
C)blue versus red and green versus yellow
D)blue versus green and red versus yellow

Question 73

Sound waves are simply ___________.

A)the vibration of the molecules of the air surrounding us
B)the impact of acoustrons in the air
C)a form of electronic radiation
D)the result of emitted photons from a source

Question 74

Which of the following pairs is considered to be an example of opposing color-sensitive neurons?

A)green/orange
B)red/pink
C)yellow/blue
D)black/brown

Question 75

You are in your psychology class,discussing the visual system,and the teacher decides to play a round of "Jeopardy!" with the class.The teacher states,"And the answer is….this person developed the opponent-process theory of color vision." What should you state?

A)Who was Ewald Hering?
B)Who was Ernst Weber?
C)Who was Hermann von Helmholtz?
D)Who was Pietr DeVries?

Question 76

What is the primary function of the ossicles?

A)to distinguish between colors of different wavelength frequencies
B)to amplify vibrations from the tympanic membrane
C)to stimulate olfactory receptors
D)to close spinal gates and prevent pain messages from reaching the brain

Question 77

What is the basic function of the outer ear?

A)to protect the hair cells
B)to concentrate and funnel sound waves to the eardrum
C)to amplify low-intensity sounds to detectable levels
D)to filter out high-intensity sound waves that can be harmful

Question 78

And 30,000 Hz.How does the alien's ability to detect sound compare to a human being's ability?

A)The alien and humans detect the same frequencies.
B)Humans can detect higher frequencies than the alien.
C)The alien can detect higher frequencies than humans,but its hearing is not as acute at lower frequencies.
D)Humans can detect higher frequencies than the alien; however,the alien detects lower frequencies better than humans.

Question 79

Which physical feature of the human head allows us to engage in the process of sound localization?

A)our nose and chin are located between our ears on the of our faces
B)our cochleae are spiral-shaped instead of straight and flat
C)our ears are located directly adjacent to the temporal lobes of the cerebrum
D)our ears are located on opposite sides of our heads

Question 80

Which of the following properties determines the loudness of sound?

A)pitch
B)amplitude
C)purity
D)timbre