Deck 6: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

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) accommodation.

Answer 1

perception.

Question 2

Detection is to interpretation as sensation is to

A) accommodation.
B) transduction.
C) perception.
D) psychokinesis.

Answer 2

perception.

Question 3

Rules for organizing stimuli into coherent groups were first identified by

A) evolutionary psychologists.
B) behaviorists.
C) Gestalt psychologists.
D) parapsychologists.

Answer 3

Gestalt psychologists.

Question 4

A drink's strawberry odor enhances our perception of its sweetness. This best illustrates

A) interposition.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) Weber's law.
D) sensory interaction.

Question 5

The central focal point in the retina where cones are heavily concentrated is known as the

A) lens.
B) optic nerve.
C) cornea.
D) fovea.

Question 6

Sensation is the

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

Question 7

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

A) sensory interaction.
B) the volley principle.
C) Weber's law.
D) the opponent-process theory.

Question 8

The cochlea is a

A) fluid-filled tube in which sound waves trigger nerve impulses.
B) fluid-filled tube that provides a sense of upright body position.
C) fluid-filled tube that provides a sense of body movement.
D) set of three tiny bones that amplify the vibrations of the earndrum.

Question 9

A door casts an increasingly trapezoidal image on our retinas as it opens, yet we still perceive it as rectangular. This illustrates

A) retinal disparity.
B) interposition.
C) shape constancy.
D) linear perspective.

Question 10

Nociceptors initiate the sensation of

A) color.
B) pitch.
C) taste.
D) pain.

Question 11

The sensory experience of bending one's knees or raising one's arms exemplifies

A) the vestibular sense.
B) top-down processing.
C) sensory interaction.
D) kinesthesis.

Question 12

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

A) accommodation.
B) top-down processing.
C) Weber's law.
D) sensory adaptation.

Question 13

Grass seen through sunglasses appears equally as green as it does without glasses. This best illustrates

A) Weber's law.
B) sensory interaction.
C) accommodation.
D) color constancy.

Question 14

The distance between our right and left eyes functions to provide us with a cue for depth perception known as

A) proximity.
B) interposition.
C) retinal disparity.
D) linear perspective.

Question 15

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) interposition.
B) retinal disparity.
C) psychokinesis.
D) perceptual set.

Question 16

After some practice, Carol was able to read books while holding them upside down. This best illustrates

A) perceptual adaptation.
B) perceptual constancy.
C) interposition.
D) sensory interaction.

Question 17

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

A) absolute threshold; difference threshold
B) accommodation; feature detection
C) sensation; perception
D) feature detection; difference threshold

Question 18

Which of the following types of cells are located in the brain's visual cortex?

A) rods and cones
B) bipolar cells
C) hair cells
D) feature detectors

Question 19

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

A) the McGurk effect.
B) Young-Helmholtz syndrome.
C) synaesthesia.
D) prosopagnosia.

Question 20

Railroad tracks appear to converge in the distance. This provides a cue for depth perception known as

A) linear perspective.
B) interposition.
C) proximity.
D) continuity.

Question 21

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

A) people are capable of parallel 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 22

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) kinesthesis.
D) sensation.

Question 23

After the invisible word "bread" was quickly 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 24

The conscious or unconscious activation of certain associations is called

A) transduction.
B) priming.
C) feature detection.
D) tinnitus.

Question 25

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 26

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

A) transduction
B) parallel processing
C) perceptual adaptation
D) feature detection

Question 27

Stimuli below the absolute threshold are said to be

A) extrasensory.
B) monocular.
C) subliminal.
D) jnds.

Question 28

Subliminal priming effects best illustrate

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

Question 29

The process by which rods and cones convert electromagnetic energy into neural signals is an example of

A) accommodation.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) transduction.
D) sensory interaction.

Question 30

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

A) place theory
B) frequency theory
C) signal detection theory
D) opponent-process theory

Question 31

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) the Young-Helmholtz theory.
B) opponent-process theory.
C) signal detection theory.
D) frequency theory.

Question 32

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

A) frequency theory.
B) the Young-Helmholtz theory.
C) opponent-process theory.
D) signal detection theory.

Question 33

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 34

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 35

Transduction refers to the process of

A) organizing and interpreting sensory information.
B) activating mental associations.
C) transforming stimulus energies into neural impulses.
D) sensing the position and movement of our muscles, tendons, and joints.

Question 36

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 37

If an adult develops cataracts, 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 38

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

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

Question 39

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 40

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

A) synaesthesia.
B) sensory interaction.
C) subliminal stimulation.
D) difference thresholds.

Question 41

Weber's law is relevant to an understanding of

A) absolute thresholds.
B) difference thresholds.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) sensory interaction.

Question 42

Diminished sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus is known as

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

Question 43

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

A) feature detectors.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) interposition.
D) perceptual set.

Question 44

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

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

Question 45

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

A) synaesthesia.
B) the phi phenomenon.
C) top-down processing.
D) retinal disparity.

Question 46

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 47

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) interposition.
C) perceptual adaptation.
D) bottom-up processing.

Question 48

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 49

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) monocular cues for depth perception.

Question 50

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

A) retinal disparity
B) electromagnetic energy
C) just noticeable difference
D) environmental surroundings

Question 51

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) retinal disparity.
C) linear perspective.
D) sensory adaptation.

Question 52

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) interposition.
B) perceptual adaptation.
C) context effects.
D) subliminal messaging.

Question 53

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

A) vanish from sight.
B) stimulate feature detector cells located in the retina.
C) appear more brilliantly colored.
D) appear to change colors.

Question 54

John Locke would have suggested that a perceptual set results from

A) retinal disparity.
B) psychokinesis.
C) natural selection.
D) prior experience.

Question 55

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) synaesthesia.
D) the McGurk effect.

Question 56

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) parallel processing.
D) the vestibular sense.

Question 57

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

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

Question 58

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) psychokinesis.
B) sensory adaptation.
C) perceptual set.
D) blindsight.

Question 59

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) proportion.

Question 60

We experience the difference threshold as a(n)

A) perceptual set.
B) blind spot.
C) ESP.
D) jnd.

Question 61

The receptor cells that convert light energy into neural signals are called

A) bipolar cells.
B) ganglion cells.
C) rods and cones.
D) feature detectors.

Question 62

The area of the retina where the optic nerve leaves the eye is called the

A) blind spot.
B) visual cortex.
C) cornea.
D) lens.

Question 63

The process by which the lens changes shape to focus the image of an object on the retina is called

A) interposition.
B) accommodation.
C) transduction.
D) feature detection.

Question 64

The perceived lightness of an object depends on relative luminance. This provides an illustration of

A) sensory interaction.
B) perceptual adaptation.
C) interposition.
D) context effects.

Question 65

Hills look steeper to those who have just been exposed to sad music. This best illustrates that perceptions are influenced by

A) emotion.
B) binocular cues.
C) dark adaptation.
D) synaesthesia.

Question 66

The light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the rods and cones, is the

A) pupil.
B) cornea.
C) retina.
D) iris.

Question 67

We may perceive a bottle of fruit juice as less expensive when we are most thirsty. This best illustrates that perceptions are influenced by

A) subliminal stimulation.
B) the McGurk effect.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) motivation.

Question 68

Damage to the fovea would have the GREATEST effect on

A) night vision.
B) peripheral vision.
C) detecting fine detail.
D) sensory adaptation.

Question 69

The iris constricts in response to visible ________ light waves.

A) low frequency
B) low amplitude
C) high frequency
D) high amplitude

Question 70

Players who had been hitting a baseball poorly perceived the ball as smaller than those who had been hitting well. This best illustrates that size perception can be influenced by

A) tinnitus.
B) retinal disparity.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) top-down processing.

Question 71

Intensity is to brightness as wavelength is to

A) accommodation.
B) frequency.
C) amplitude.
D) hue.

Question 72

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) retinal disparity.
B) perceptual adaptation.
C) psychokinesis.
D) context effects.

Question 73

The iris is a doughnut-shaped ring of muscle that adjusts the size of the

A) cochlea.
B) cornea.
C) pupil.
D) lens.

Question 74

Bipolar cells are located in the

A) optic nerve.
B) retina.
C) blind spot.
D) lens.

Question 75

The amplitude of electromagnetic waves determines the ________ of light.

A) absolute threshold
B) brightness
C) hue
D) wavelength

Question 76

Walking destinations look ________ to those who have been fatigued by prior exercise. A hill looks ________ steep to those with a friend beside them.

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

Question 77

The adjustable opening in the center of the eye is the

A) fovea.
B) iris.
C) cornea.
D) pupil.

Question 78

Green light is

A) longer in wavelength than yellow light.
B) shorter in wavelength than blue light.
C) longer in wavelength than orange light.
D) shorter in wavelength than red light.

Question 79

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) interposition.
B) context effects.
C) sensory interaction.
D) perceptual constancy.

Question 80

Dilation and constriction of the pupil are controlled by the

A) optic nerve.
B) lens.
C) retina.
D) iris.