Deck 2: Physiology, Psychophysics, and the Science of Mind

Question 1

Recognition that the brain is the seat of intelligence is attributed to

A)Aristotle
B)Plato
C)Hippocrates
D)Socrates

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Jean-Baptiste and Simon Ernest Aubertin were early advocates for

A)the specificity of nerve function
B)measuring the speed of nerve conduction
C)a specific area of the brain responsible for speech
D)debunking the belief in cortical localization of function

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Paul Broca's study of his famous patient Leborgne (Tan) was important in providing convincing evidence for

A)cortical localization of function
B)the validity of Gall's view of the brain
C)the location for the human reasoning center
D)the specificity of nerve function

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Working independently, Bell and Magendie discovered that

A)the two halves of the cortex were connected by a broad band of pathways that are now called the corpus callosum
B)the image on the retina is inverted
C)nerve specificity exists in the spinal cord
D)the brain is composed mostly of white matter

Question 5

Johannes Müller discovered that regardless of the nature of stimulation, visual nerves carry only visual information, auditory nerves carry only auditory information, etc. This discovery is known as the

A)law of specific nerve energies
B)all-or-none law of conductance
C)doctrine of contralateral projection
D)frequency law

Question 6

Helmholtz's study of nerves in the frog showed that

A)there was specificity in sensory nerves
B)there was specificity in motor nerves
C)nerves conducted on an all or none basis
D)the speed of neural transmission was measureable

Question 7

The color theory that proposed the existence of three different kinds of nerves in the retina, sensitive to red, green, and blue, was proposed by

A)Hering
B)Young & Helmholtz
C)Rutherford
D)Müller

Question 8

The color vision theory that best accounted for color afterimages and complementary colors was the

A)Young-Helmholtz theory
B)frequency theory
C)trichromatic theory
D)opponent-process theory

Question 9

What is the name of the auditory theory which proposed that sound perception was the result of a matching of the firing rate of impulses from the basilar membrane with the frequency of the incoming sound?

A)place theory
B)resonance theory
C)frequency theory
D)matching theory

Question 10

Fechner's important insight of October 22, 1850 was that

A)psychology could be an empirical science by carefully training observers in the method of introspection
B)it was possible to measure absolute and difference thresholds with great precision
C)the relationship of the psychological and physical worlds could be measured
D)individual differences accounted for most psychological variability

Question 11

The precursor field to scientific psychology that measured the relationships between physical stimuli and the psychological response to those stimuli was called

A)physiological optics
B)psychophysics
C)mechanism
D)physiognomy

Question 12

The point at which a person can reliably discriminate between two stimuli is called the

A)difference threshold
B)absolute threshold
C)standard threshold
D)detection threshold

Question 13

The just noticeable difference (or jnd) in frequency for a series of low tones might be quite different from the jnd for a series of high tones.Yet Fechner realizd that that differenceis

A)a psychological one, not a physical one
B)a physical one, not a psychological one
C)a mental one, not a perceptual one
D)not quantifiable for most people

Question 14

A psychophysical method to determine the absolute threshold is the method of

A)average error
B)limits
C)adjustment
D)constant stimuli

Question 15

Wavelength is to hue as light intensity is to

A)frequency
B)color
C)saturation
D)brightness

Question 16

Psychologists use different terms such as frequency and pitch and wavelength and hue because

A)they measure different physical attributes of sound and light
B)they measure different psychological attributes of sound and light
C)the physical and psychological worlds are not the same
D)they correspond to differences between the absolute and difference thresholds

Question 17

It seemed critical for scientists to find specificity in the brain and nervous system, perhaps because it suggested a lawfulness in the operation of mind and body. Describe the several discoveries that led to a recognition of specificity.

Question 18

Discuss the work of Pierre Flourens and Paul Broca as it supported or refuted the phrenological ideas of Gall.

Question 19

This chapter discusses the importance of the work on sensory processes (color vision and pitch perception) as a precursor to scientific psychology. Why were the senses of such intense interest for the early science of psychology? (Note: thisquestion requires information from Chapter 1 as well)

Question 20

What were the two pieces of Fechner's insight and why was that insight important for scientific psychology?

Question 21

Explain why a pound of lead and a pound of feathers do not weight the same for a human observer. Part of your answer should explain why there are different terms for what some people might consider the same experience (e.g., hue and wavelength)

Question 22

Describe how psychophysical methods could be used to reduce the size of the beef patty in a McDonald's hamburger so that no one would notice and you would save McDonald's millions of dollars every day.