Question 1

A target that can be reached with a hand-held stick is perceived to be closer than the same target when it cannot be reached with a hand-held stick or otherwise. This phenomenon provides evidence for the hypothesis that

Accepted Answer

A)   Perception is embodied
B)   Perception is disembodied
C)   Perception is tuned to affordances i.e., what the environment enables for action) 
D)   Both a and c D

Question 2

Contrary to the "pure talent" theory of skill acquisition i.e., the theory that you've either got talent or not, studies of violin students and skating students among others show that

Accepted Answer

A)   A key to significant skill development is putting in a significant number of hours of practice
B)   A key to significant skill development is deliberate i.e., focused practice
C)   Both a and b
D)   What really matters is having the right degrees of freedom C

Question 3

Relying on mechanics may help solve the degrees of freedom problem because

Accepted Answer

A)   Mechanics know how to fix cars
B)   Mechanics is a branch of physics
C)   Mechanical features of the body and external environment may make it unnecessary to control some variables related to movement and stability
D)   No other method helps solve the degrees of freedom problem C

Question 4

Two efficiency principles for motor control are

Accepted Answer

A)   The tendency to end movements in comfortable postures
B)   The tendency to accelerate and decelerate smoothly
C)   Both a and b
D)   None of the above

Question 5

How many degrees of freedom typically exist for a physical task?

Accepted Answer

A)   One
B)   As many joints as in the human body
C)   As many muscles as in the human body
D)   An infinite number

Question 6

A demonstration that movement enhances perception came from

Accepted Answer

A)   A woman who suffered brain damage that left her totally blind in everything she did
B)   A woman who suffered brain damage that left her unable to recognize objects though she could use vision in the control of action
C)   A woman who suffered brain damage that left her able to recognize objects though she could not use vision to control action
D)   None of the above

Question 7

Which term is used to describe a change in the way a task is performed depending on what will be done in the near future?

Accepted Answer

A)   Coarticulation
B)   Kinematics
C)   Kinetics
D)   Passive dynamics

Question 8

A spoonerism is

Accepted Answer

A)   The tendency to grasp kitchen utensils in ways that reflect plans for their future use
B)   The tendency to use the hand as a spoon when no spoon is available, reflecting the endless creativity of the human motor system
C)   The tendency to make arched movements with the hand while patting the head during simultaneous stomach-rubbing movements, reflecting coupling between effectors
D)   Exchanges of sounds in corresponding word positions during speech

Question 9

Mirror neurons

Accepted Answer

A)   Are only activated when people see themselves in a mirror
B)   Are only activated when people see very shiny surfaces
C)   Are only activated when people stroke very smooth, glassy surfaces
D)   None of the above

Question 10

Synergies may help solve the degrees of freedom problem because

Accepted Answer

A)   Synergies rid the body of sins it can commit
B)   Synergies are couplings between effectors
C)   Synergies are manifested through party games like rubbing the stomach and patting the head
D)   None of the above

Question 11

The textbook described a study in which experienced basketball players took shots at varying distances from the basket. The surprising result was that

Accepted Answer

A)   They made fewer shots from the foul line than from shots closer to the basket
B)   They made more shots from the foul line than from shots from farther from the basket
C)   They made more shots from the foul line than would be expected by plotting number of shots made as a function of distance from the basket
D)   None of the above

Question 12

An experiment was described in the textbook showing that the common housefly has expectations. This experiment involved

Accepted Answer

A)   Looking for mirror neurons of the fly's brain
B)   Looking for neural plasticity in the fly's brain
C)   Studying the fly's flight maneuvers as it flew through different kinds of visual environments
D)   Reversing the left-right positions of the fly's eyes and studying the fly's optomotor responses

Question 13

If you heard that a person who had suffered an amputation of a finger could later make finer discriminations with the neighboring fingers than s/he could before the amputation, you could say, based on the textbook, that this was an example of

Accepted Answer

A)   Specificity of practice
B)   Neural plasticity
C)   Reafference
D)   Exafference

Question 14

When people pick up a standing toilet plunger and move it to a new position, the result that demonstrates anticipation of their future position is that

Accepted Answer

A)   They grasp the plunger low when they bring it to a high location and they grasp the plunger high when they bring it to a low location
B)   They grasp the plunger high when they bring it to a high location and they grasp the plunger low when they bring it to a low location
C)   They grasp the plunger at the same location all the time
D)   None of the above

Question 15

Filming of skilled typists' fingers shows that

Accepted Answer

A)   The fingers move simultaneously if possible, so that the order in which the fingers begin their movements is not the order in which they complete their keystrokes
B)   The fingers move sequentially, so that the order in which the fingers begin their movements is the same as the order in which they complete their keystrokes
C)   Absence of evidence for coarticulation in typing
D)   Absence of evidence for timing in typing

Question 16

Which two terms are synonyms mean the same thing)?

Accepted Answer

A)   Ballistic and closed-loop
B)   Closed-loop and open-loop
C)   Ballistic and open-loop
D)   Negative feedback and positive feedback

Question 17

In a negative feedback loop, the reference condition defines the __________ , the plant defines the _____________ , and the comparator defines the __________ .

Accepted Answer

A)   The intended outcome, the actual outcome, the difference between the intended and actual outcome
B)   The actual outcome, the intended outcome, the difference between the intended and actual outcome
C)   The actual outcome, the difference between the intended and actual outcome, the intended outcome
D)   The difference between the intended and actual outcome, intended outcome, the actual outcome

Question 18

Thanks to feedforward

Accepted Answer

A)   We don't hear the very loud sounds our chewing makes
B)   We don't see the world swing by when we move our eyes
C)   We don't feel tables slide under our hands when we slide our hands on the table surfaces
D)   All of the above

Question 19

When people try to synchronize foot and finger taps

Accepted Answer

A)   The finger leads the foot by the amount of time one would expect if people could sense motor commands
B)   The foot leads the finger by the amount of time one would expect if people could not sense motor commands but instead strove for simultaneous sensory signals from the foot and finger
C)   The finger and the foot respond at exactly the same time, reflecting people's excellent timing abilities
D)   For some people, the finger leads the foot and for other people the foot leads the finger, but no one knows why

Question 20

The Core Problems chapter described research findings from flies, fish, monkeys, and humans. Seeing common principles exemplified in these species can be taken to suggest that

Accepted Answer

A)   Human motor control relies on principles that probably evolved in the animal kingdom
B)   Similar neural mechanisms are likely to underlie human motor control and animal motor control
C)   Similar perceptual-motor challenges are likely to confront humans and animals
D)   All of the above

Exam 2: Core Problems