Deck 4: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

Sensation is the conversion of energy from the environment into a pattern of response by the nervous system.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

According to the retinex theory,we perceive color when the cerebral cortex compares various retinal patterns.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Because cones are located in the fovea,we cannot detect color in our extreme peripheral vision.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Proximity is the tendency to perceive objects that are close together as belonging to a group.

Question 5

Our perception of human faces can be explained entirely in terms of the activity of neurons known as feature detectors.

Question 6

Imagine that a song has the phrase "buy me" recorded as a backward message.According to the research on subliminal perception,this message is likely to increase music sales for this particular song.

Question 7

After decades of research,psychologists now accept the opponent process theory as the correct theory of color vision and reject the trichromatic and retinex theories as incorrect.

Question 8

Humans have an approximately equal number of rods and cones.

Question 9

The absolute sensory threshold for audition refers to the softest sound any human has ever accurately detected.

Question 10

In signal detection terms,reporting that a stimulus is present,when in fact the stimulus was not present,is known as a "false alarm."

Question 11

Because there are no receptor cells where the optic nerve leaves the retina,all people have a blind spot.

Question 12

Men are more likely to suffer color vision deficiency than are women.

Question 13

Although no human has ever traveled to other galaxies,based on our knowledge of color vision,psychologists predict that the universe is filled with new colors that are very different than the colors we happen to see on earth.

Question 14

Researchers have now established that there are seven primary qualities of odor,and there are seven corresponding types of olfactory receptors.

Question 15

Vision is possible because a form of energy comes out of our eyes.

Question 16

According to the Gestalt psychologists,visual perception is an active process,not just the summing of all the smaller pieces.

Question 17

The cones are adapted for color vision,daytime vision,and detailed vision.

Question 18

Sound waves with greater amplitude are perceived as having a higher pitch than sound waves with lower amplitude.

Question 19

The "pain" of feeling rejected is processed in the anterior cingulate cortex,the same brain area that responds to the emotional aspect of the cutaneous sensation of pain.

Question 20

The auditory system responds differently to sounds that are low-frequency compared to sounds that are high-frequency.

Question 21

The conversion of energy from the environment into a pattern of responses by the nervous system is called ____________________,while making sense of that information is known as ____________________.
sensation,perception

Question 22

People with color vision deficiency most often have trouble distinguishing ____________________ from ____________________.
red,green

Question 23

Within the retina,cones are adapted for ____________________ and rods are adapted for ____________________.
color and detail,detection of faint light

Question 24

Visual perception in humans is best described by feature detectors,and visual perception in other species of mammals is best described by the Gestalt view.

Question 25

After you stare at something red and look away,you see ____________________.This observation supports the ____________________ theory of color vision.
green,opponent-process

Question 26

The optic nerve exits the retina at the ____________________.
blind spot

Question 27

The ____________________,the central area of the human retina,is adapted for highly detailed vision.
fovea

Question 28

The ____________________detects the position and acceleration of the head?
vestibular system

Question 29

As light passes through the eye it is focused by the ____________________,which always focuses light in the same way,and the ____________________,which is flexible and enables focusing on objects at different distances by varying its thickness.
cornea,lens

Question 30

Retinal disparity and convergence are both binocular cues of depth perception.

Question 31

Our brains use information from both the ____________________ and the ____________________ in order to help us maintain balance.
visual system,vestibular system or
vertibular system,visual system

Question 32

Receptor cells for hearing are found along a membrane within the cochlea.This membrane is called the ____________________ membrane.
basilar

Question 33

In the human ear,the ability to perceive low frequencies (up to about 100 Hz)depends on neurons working according to the ____________________ principle.
frequency

Question 34

The pitch of a sound (e.g. ,high C or E-flat)depends on the ____________________ of the sound waves.
frequency

Question 35

The experience of pain is a mixture of ____________________ and ____________________,and these qualities are regulated in different areas of the brain.
sensation,emotion or
emotioin,sensation

Question 36

Our eyes,ears,and other sensory organs are packed with ____________________,specialized cells that convert environmental energies into signals for the nervous system.
receptors

Question 37

The sensations of pressure,pain,warmth,cold,vibration,and stretch of the skin are collectively known as the ____________________ senses.
cutaneous

Question 38

Gradual improvement in the ability to see in dim light is called _____________________.
dark adaptation

Question 39

The condition in which a stimulus of one type,such as sound,also elicits another experience,such as color is called ____________________.
synesthesia

Question 40

Some people report continuing sensations,including pain,in a limb long after it has been amputated.This phenomenon is known as ____________________.
phantom limb

Question 41

Which part of the electromagnetic spectrum are humans capable of detecting with the unaided eye?

A)all of it
B)400-700 nm
C)10,000-100,000 nm
D)none of it

Question 42

The Gestalt psychologists described several principles of how we organize perceptions into meaningful wholes.Define the principles of (a)proximity, (b)similarity, (c)continuation,and (d)closure.

Question 43

What happens during vision?

A)Energy goes out of your eyes to the object
B)Energy goes from the object to your eyes
C)Energy travels both from your eyes and from the object
D)No energy passes in either direction.

Question 44

The adjustable opening in the eye,through which light passes,is the

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

Question 45

The conversion of energy from the environment into a pattern of responses by the nervous system (as opposed to interpreting that information)is called

A)assimilation.
B)accommodation.
C)perception.
D)sensation.

Question 46

As light passes through the eye it is focused by the __________,which always focuses light in the same way,and the __________,which is flexible and enables focusing on objects at different distances by varying its thickness.

A)cornea...lens
B)aqueous humor...vitreous humor
C)fovea...retina
D)iris...pupil

Question 47

Describe the gate theory of pain and give two examples of activities or events that can reduce pain messages.

Question 48

The interpretation of a pattern of stimuli from the environment (as opposed to mere conversion of energy into a pattern of responses)is called

A)assimilation.
B)accommodation.
C)perception.
D)sensation.

Question 49

A participant is asked to report every time he or she sees a faint light.If rewards are offered for correctly reporting the presence of the light,but no punishment for reporting it when it is absent,the participant will make many ____________________ but also many ____________________.
hits,false alarms

Question 50

Define and differentiate trichromatic theory and the opponent-process theory.Which theory most easily explains negative color afterimages?

Question 51

Our sense organs are packed with specialized cells called __________ that convert environmental energies into signals for the nervous system.

A)stimuli
B)adaptors
C)receivers
D)receptors

Question 52

Briefly describe hyperopia and myopia and how these two common disorders of vision differ.

Question 53

The continuum of all frequencies of radiated energy,from gamma rays to TV transmissions,is referred to as

A)sound.
B)the phi effect.
C)light.
D)the electromagnetic spectrum.

Question 54

When you see something,

A)energy comes from the object into your eyes.
B)energy goes out of your eyes to the object.
C)energy goes both from the object and from your eyes.
D)no energy passes in either direction.

Question 55

Which of our senses detects part of the electromagnetic spectrum?

A)olfaction
B)vision
C)hearing
D)taste

Question 56

Which of the following is necessary for vision?

A)You send energy out of your eyes.
B)Energy comes into your eyes.
C)Energy goes into and out of your eyes at the same time.
D)Energy first goes out of your eyes and then comes back in.

Question 57

____________________ is a field that focuses on our ability to perceive overall patterns.
Gestalt psychology

Question 58

What makes the electromagnetic radiation from 400 nm to 700 nm visible?

A)Those wavelengths match the frequency of action potentials produced in the optic nerve.
B)Our visual receptors are adapted to respond to those wavelengths.
C)Those wavelengths have greater amplitude than other wavelengths.
D)Those are the only wavelengths that can pass through the vitreous humor.

Question 59

The route of visual information from the visual receptors (rods and cones)to the brain goes from receptors to the bipolar cells to the ganglion cells through the optic nerve and finally to the brain.Describe in greater detail the route from the bipolar cells to the brain,specifically defining the ganglion cells and optic nerve.

Question 60

When you see something,

A)energy comes out of your eye.
B)energy goes into your eye.
C)energy both goes into and out of your eye,simultaneously.
D)energy first comes out of your eye then goes into it.

Question 61

Which part of the human retina has the best color vision?

A)the area surrounding the optic nerve
B)the fovea
C)the periphery
D)the cornea

Question 62

Our ability to change the focus of our eyes to see objects at different distances depends on changes in the

A)frequency of impulses in the optic nerve.
B)thickness of the lens.
C)position of the retina.
D)width of the pupil.

Question 63

The rods in the retina are specialized for

A)vision in the center of the retina.
B)highly detailed vision.
C)vision in dim light.
D)color vision.

Question 64

The cones in the retina are

A)less important for color vision.
B)more numerous in the periphery of the retina.
C)more sensitive to detail.
D)more sensitive to very dim light.

Question 65

Which part of the eye changes its shape to enable us to focus first on a distant object and then on a nearby object?

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

Question 66

Compared to the periphery of the eye,the fovea has better perception of

A)color and movement.
B)faint light and detail.
C)color and detail.
D)movement and faint light.

Question 67

As people grow older,the lens of each eye becomes less flexible.How does that change their vision?

A)They have more trouble adapting to dim light.
B)They have more trouble focusing on nearby objects.
C)Objects toward the periphery of the visual field look smaller than before.
D)Colors appear less bright than before.

Question 68

What causes some people to become nearsighted (myopic)or farsighted?

A)differences in the width of the pupil
B)differences in the shape of the eyeball
C)differences in the location of the optic nerve
D)differences in the proportion of rods and cones

Question 69

The visual receptors (rods and cones)are located in the

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

Question 70

The central part of the human retina is called the

A)basilar membrane.
B)blind spot.
C)fovea.
D)cochlea.

Question 71

Which of the following is NOT true of the rods in the retina?

A)important for color vision
B)more numerous in the periphery than in the fovea
C)specialized for vision in dim light
D)less sensitive to detail than the cones

Question 72

Why do you have better color vision in the fovea than in the periphery of the retina?

A)More receptors pool their resources to excite the next cell near the fovea than in the periphery.
B)The fovea has a higher proportion of cones than the periphery does.
C)The eyeball is more spherical near the fovea than in the periphery.
D)The periphery is in the shadow of the pupil.

Question 73

The proportion of cones is greatest in which part of the retina?

A)the blind spot
B)the cornea
C)the fovea
D)the periphery

Question 74

As a person grows older,why does it become more difficult to focus on nearby objects?

A)The velocity of action potentials from the eye to the brain decreases.
B)The lens becomes less flexible.
C)The pupil becomes smaller.
D)The fovea moves toward the periphery of the retina.

Question 75

If you want to see something in detail you focus it on the

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

Question 76

Rods and cones are located in the

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

Question 77

Animal species with good color vision (such as most birds)generally have

A)a relatively elongated eyeball.
B)a relatively flattened eyeball.
C)a high percentage of cones in the retina.
D)a high percentage of rods in the retina.

Question 78

Why are some people nearsighted (myopic)?

A)Their fovea is in the shadow of the pupil.
B)Their lens has become stiff and inflexible.
C)Their eyeball is elongated;the distance from pupil to retina is long.
D)Their eyeball is flattened;the distance from pupil to retina is short.

Question 79

A person with myopia has trouble seeing

A)nearby objects.
B)moving objects.
C)faraway objects.
D)the difference between red and green.

Question 80

For people to be able to focus both on nearby objects and on objects far away,they can see best if the shape of their eyeballs is

A)flattened.
B)elongated.
C)spherical.
D)lopsided.