Deck 3: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

The lowest intensity of a particular stimulus that enables the average person to detect that stimulus 50 percent of the time it is presented is called the ________.

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

Answer 1

absolute threshold

Question 2

The minimal stimulus necessary for detection is called the _____________,while the smallest noticeable change in a stimulus is referred to as __________________.

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

Answer 2

absolute threshold;difference threshold

Question 3

Sensation is to perception as ________ is to ________.

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

Answer 3

stimulation;interpretation

Question 4

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

A)largest detectable stimulus
B)smallest detectable stimulus
C)largest detectable difference between two stimuli
D)change in smallest detectable difference between two stimuli

Question 5

Suppose Maria is painting while the sun is setting;once she notices that the room is getting darker,she decides to call it quits for the day.This example illustrates the role of ________.

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

Question 6

Some people believe that ________ are messages that can be sent to consumers,prompting them to buy a product without their being aware of receiving such messages.

A)selective perceptions
B)subliminal stimuli
C)inductive perceptions
D)below threshold perceptions

Question 7

One problem with Vicary's study of subliminal perception is that ________.

A)it demonstrated the validity of the concept of subliminal perception
B)it did not prove that people actually bought more colas and popcorn for several months after seeing the movie
C)it showed that subliminal stimuli had only very small effects on consumer patterns
D)it never happened

Question 8

The term just noticeable difference is synonymous with ______.

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

Question 9

We can see a candle flame at 30 miles on a clear,dark night,and we can hear the tick of a watch 20 feet away in a quiet room.These two facts are examples of ________.

A)jnds
B)difference threshold
C)adaptation
D)absolute thresholds

Question 10

________ are the raw data of experience,based on the activation of certain receptors located in the various sensory organs.

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

Question 11

The point at which a person can detect a stimulus 50 percent of the time it is presented is called the ______.

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

Question 12

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 13

The difference threshold is the degree of change that is required in order for a person to detect a change ________ percent of the time.

A)25
B)75
C)50
D)100

Question 14

The average threshold for human vision is a candle flame seen from ________ on a dark,clear night.

A)1 mile
B)15 miles
C)7)5 miles
D)30 miles

Question 15

The average threshold for human hearing is the tick of a watch from ______ away under very quiet conditions.

A)20 feet
B)60 feet
C)40 feet
D)80 feet

Question 16

Laverne goes to a movie theater to watch her favorite movie.About halfway through the movie she becomes aware of an overpowering hunger for popcorn.What she doesn't realize is that throughout the first part of the movie,a message saying "Eat Popcorn!" was repeatedly flashed on the screen at a speed too fast for her to be consciously aware of it.If her desire for popcorn is due to that message,she is responding to ________.

A)selective perception
B)subliminal perception
C)cognitive restructuring
D)stroboscopic perception

Question 17

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 18

Activation of the receptors by stimuli is called ________.

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

Question 19

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

Question 20

The smallest amount of a particular stimulus required to produce any sensation at all in the person to whom the stimulus is presented is the ________.

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

Question 21

Which pairing of name and property of light is correct?

A)Helmholtz;particle nature (photon)
B)Holstein;wave nature
C)Newton;wave nature
D)Einstein;wave packet (photon)

Question 22

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 23

Microsaccades are ________.

A)tiny vibrations of the eye that prevent images from fading
B)the tiny bones in the ear that transmit sound waves to the cochlea
C)the photoreceptors in the eye responsible for night vision
D)pain receptors in the limbs

Question 24

Our eyes don't adapt completely to a repeated visual stimulus because ________.

A)eye movements called microsaccades cause the stimulus image to vibrate slightly on the retina
B)the optic chiasm enables fibers to carry messages to all parts of the brain
C)ganglion cells fire continuously
D)visual acuity is greatest in the fovea

Question 25

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

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

Question 26

When you first put your hat on,you can feel it quite easily,but after a while,you forget that you are wearing a hat at all-the sensation is gone.What happens?

A)sensory fatigue
B)subliminal perception
C)habituation
D)perceptual defense

Question 27

In the process known as ________,sensory receptors become less sensitive to repeated presentations of the same stimulus.

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

Question 28

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

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

Question 29

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 30

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 31

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

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

Question 32

Because of what you have learned about sensory adaptation,you might think that if you stared at a picture for a long period of time,the image you see would eventually fade.This would be the case if not for the tiny vibrations of your eye called ________.

A)glissades
B)microsaccades
C)habituation movements
D)light wave responses

Question 33

The clear,transparent protective coating over the front part of the eye is the ________.

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

Question 34

The term photon refers to ________.

A)a tiny packet of light waves
B)a torpedo used by the USS Enterprise
C)the smallest unit of sound
D)the property of light that gives us the perception of color

Question 35

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 36

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 37

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

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

Question 38

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

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

Question 39

Why do you see a lemon as yellow?

A)The lemon absorbs yellow wavelengths in the yellow region of the spectrum.
B)The lemon might reflect only yellow wavelengths in the yellow region of the spectrum.
C)The lemon absorbs red and blue wavelengths.
D)The lemon reflects all wavelengths of light other than yellow.

Question 40

Light is said to have a dual nature,meaning it can be thought of in two different ways.These two ways are _________.

A)particles and photons
B)waves and frequencies
C)waves and particles
D)dark light,daylight

Question 41

Bundles of axons from ganglion cells make up the ________.

A)fovea
B)optic nerve
C)optic schism
D)rods and cones

Question 42

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 43

As it gets darker,older folks have a hard time adjusting to the light levels and seeing well.In some cases,this can be treated with ________.

A)vitamin A
B)vitamin B
C)vitamin C
D)vitamin D

Question 44

If an artist were to blend red,green,and blue lights together by focusing lights of those three colors on one common spot,the result would look _________.

A)like nonspectral colors
B)black
C)like white light
D)complementary

Question 45

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 46

The place in the retina where the axons of all the ganglion cells come together to leave the eye is called the ________.

A)fovea
B)blind spot
C)optic chiasm
D)optic nerve

Question 47

The pupil is the ________.

A)opening in the center of the iris
B)white of the eye
C)colored part of the eye
D)lining in the back of the eyeball

Question 48

When you enter a darkened room (e.g. ,a movie theater),you will find it hard to see at first,but shortly afterward you will be able to see much better.This phenomenon is referred to as:

A)color adaptation.
B)cone adaptation.
C)dark adaptation.
D)light adaptation.

Question 49

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 50

Jamie walks from a bright room into a dark room.It will take about ________ minutes for her rods to fully adjust to the dark.

A)10
B)30
C)20
D)40

Question 51

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)visual accommodation

Question 52

Light is focused on the retina by the ________.

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

Question 53

Which of the following sequences correctly indicates the pathway of nerve impulses on their way from the eye to the brain?

A)ganglion cells,bipolar cells,photoreceptor cells,optic nerve
B)bipolar cells,receptor cells,ganglion cells,optic nerve
C)photoreceptor cells,bipolar cells,ganglion cells,optic nerve
D)photoreceptor cells,bipolar cells,optic nerve,ganglion cells

Question 54

Which component of the eye contains the visual receptors?

A)sclera
B)retina
C)cornea
D)posterior chamber

Question 55

Each retina of the eye has about ______ million rods.

A)1
B)75
C)25
D)100

Question 56

Which of the following is true about cones?

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

Question 57

Receptor cells in the retina responsible for color vision and fine acuity are ______.

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

Question 58

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

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

Question 59

The fovea is made up of ______.

A)all rods and no cones
B)mostly cones with some rods
C)mostly rods with some cones
D)all cones and no rods

Question 60

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 small opening in the center of the eye.

Question 61

According to the opponent-process theory,if you stare at a red star for awhile (e.g. ,60 seconds),and then look at a plain sheet of white paper,you will see an afterimage of the star in which hue?

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

Question 62

Amy's school records describe her as a monochromat.What can we assume about Amy's perceptual abilities?

A)She does not see color.
B)She sees only two colors.
C)She sees colors one at a time.
D)She cannot remember words used to designate colors.

Question 63

John Russell has color blindness.He is most likely to have difficulty doing which of the following?

A)distinguishing red from blue
B)distinguishing red from green
C)distinguishing blue from yellow
D)distinguishing red from yellow

Question 64

Which neural structures show color opponent processing?

A)rods,cones
B)retinal bipolar and ganglion cells and lateral geniculate cells in the thalamus
C)rods and bipolar cells
D)optic sensors and pigment neurons

Question 65

If you stare for 30 seconds at a red object and then look at a blank sheet of white paper,you will see a greenish image of the object.This phenomenon BEST supports ________ theory of color vision.

A)the Grieco trichromatic
B)the opponent-process
C)the Helmholtz trichromatic
D)Hering's vibration

Question 66

Why do researchers believe color deficiencies often have genetic causes?

A)Dietary patterns affect color deficiencies.
B)Color perception changes somewhat as we get older.
C)Color deficiencies are more common in some cultures.
D)More males than females suffer from color deficiencies.

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

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)your aunt,because women have more problems with color vision
B)your uncle,because men have more problems with color vision
C)You can't tell,as 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 69

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 70

Pitch is to frequency as ________.

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

Question 71

A person with red-green color blindness will see the world in ________.

A)blacks,whites,and grays
B)muted reds and greens
C)blues,yellows,and grays
D)yellows,greens,and grays

Question 72

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 73

Which of the following pairs is considered to be an example of opponent cells?

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

Question 74

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)Most color blindness is a result of sex-linked inheritance.
C)It seems to be more common in women than men.
D)Most people who are color blind cannot distinguish red from green.

Question 75

Helmholtz's explanation of color vision is called the ________.

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

Question 76

A sound mixer is impressed by the new equipment that was just installed in his recording studio.He says that now he will be able to help singers and musicians produce better CDs because he can eliminate unneeded and undesired wavelengths.What term describes the characteristic of sound waves that the sound mixer is now able to alter?

A)volleying
B)amplitude
C)frequency
D)saturation

Question 77

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)none of these

Question 78

If an artist were to blend red,green,and blue paints together,the result would look _________.

A)like nonspectral colors
B)black
C)like white light
D)complementary

Question 79

According to the opponent-process theory of color vision,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 80

Who actually found three types of cones in the retina?

A)Young and Helmholtz
B)Hering
C)Wald and Brown
D)Smith and Wesson