Deck 1: Introduction

Question 1

_______ is the ability to detect a stimulus and, perhaps, to turn that detection into a private experience.

A) Learning
B) Discrimination
C) Sensation
D) Perception
E) Cognition

Answer 1

Sensation

Question 2

_______ is the act of giving meaning to a detected sensation.

A) Judgment
B) Discrimination
C) Learning
D) Perception
E) Cognition

Answer 2

Perception

Question 3

Chemicals wafting through the air that activate olfactory neurons in your nose is _______, whereas interpreting the response of the olfactory neurons as smelling like apple pie is _______.

A) perception; sensation
B) sensation; perception
C) detection; judgment
D) judgment; detection
E) registration; designation

Answer 3

sensation; perception

Question 4

_______ is a term from philosophy that refers to one's private conscious experiences of sensation or perception.

A) Qualia
B) Thoughts
C) Perceptions
D) Sensations
E) Thresholds

Question 5

If you wonder whether your private conscious experience of the color blue is the same as your friend's private conscious experience of blue, you are thinking about

A) sensation.
B) perception.
C) detection.
D) thresholds.
E) qualia.

Question 6

Which approach to studying sensation and perception would be concerned with determining the dimmest light you could perceive or the loudest sound you could hear without pain?

A) Thresholds
B) Scaling
C) Signal detection theory
D) Sensory neuroimaging
E) Computational models

Question 7

Which approach to studying sensation and perception would be concerned with understanding how people make extremely difficult perceptual

A) Thresholds
B) Scaling
C) Signal detection theory
D) Sensory neuroimaging
E) Computational models

Question 8

Which approach to studying sensation and perception would be concerned with creating a computer program that simulates perceptual processes?

A) Thresholds
B) Scaling
C) Signal detection theory
D) Sensory neuroimaging
E) Computational models

Question 9

Dualism is the idea that

A) the mind has an existence separate from the body.
B) two sensations can co-occur simultaneously.
C) one sensation often follows another.
D) the body can be divided into two parts.
E) All the above

Question 10

If one believes that human consciousness resides in a spirit, soul, or ghost that is separate than the physical body, that is the philosophical position called

A) materialism.
B) dualism.
C) panpsychism.
D) psychophysics.
E) qualia.

Question 11

Materialism is the notion that

A) all materials influence the mind.
B) happiness results from acquisition of material possessions.
C) materials are important to functioning.
D) materials help the mind.
E) physical matter is the only reality.

Question 12

The idea that all matter has consciousness is known as

A) psychophysics.
B) empiricism.
C) panpsychism.
D) mentalism.
E) nativism.

Question 13

_______ was the founder of psychophysics.

A) Berkeley
B) Fechner
C) Weber
D) Plato
E) Wundt

Question 14

_______ is the science of defining quantitative relationships between physical and psychological events.

A) Materialism
B) Dualism
C) Fourier analysis
D) Signal detection theory
E) Psychophysics

Question 15

_______ is the smallest distance at which two stimuli are just perceptible as separate.

A) One millimeter
B) One centimeter
C) The qualia span
D) The two-point touch threshold
E) The Fechner threshold

Question 16

The smallest detectable difference between two stimuli is called the

A) just noticeable difference.
B) sensitivity.
C) two-point touch threshold.
D) amplitude.
E) phase.

Question 17

If a participant were holding two different weights in their hands and could tell the difference between 80- and 82-gram weights, but not between 80- and 81-gram weights, then the JND would be _______ gram(s).

A) 1
B) 2
C) 80
D) 81
E) 82

Question 18

JND is the

A) smallest detectable difference between two stimuli.
B) difference in detection time for two different stimuli.
C) true difference in detection time.
D) time it takes to notice a stimulus.
E) judgment of no detection.

Question 19

_______ describes the relationship between a stimulus and its resulting sensation by proposing that the JND is a constant fraction of the stimulus intensity.

A) Fourier analysis
B) Signal detection theory
C) Weber's law
D) Fechner's law
E) Stevens' power law

Question 20

Weber proposed that the smallest change in a stimulus that can be detected is a(n) _______ proportion of the stimulus level.

A) ever-changing
B) constant
C) opposite
D) small
E) one-fifth

Question 21

If a participant were holding two different weights in their hands and the JND for a 10-gram weight was 1 gram, what should the JND be for a 100-gram weight, according to Weber's law?

A) 1 gram
B) 2 grams
C) 10 grams
D) 20 grams
E) 100 grams

Question 22

Stevens' power law describes the relationship between a _______ and a(n) _______.

A) signal; noise
B) stimulus; sensation
C) sensation; perception
D) signal; receiver
E) receiver; operator

Question 23

_______ is the principle that describes the relationship between a stimulus and its resulting sensation that says the magnitude of subjective sensation is proportional to the stimulus magnitude, raised to an exponent.

A) Fourier analysis
B) Signal detection theory
C) Weber's law
D) Fechner's law
E) Stevens' power law

Question 24

_______ describes the relationship between a stimulus and its resulting sensation by proposing that the magnitude of the resulting sensation increases proportionally to the logarithm of the stimulus intensity.

A) Fourier analysis
B) Signal detection theory
C) Weber's law
D) Fechner's law
E) Stevens' power law

Question 25

Refer to the graph.
This graph illustrates

A) Weber's law.
B) Berkeley's function.
C) Descartes' beliefs.
D) Fechner's law.
E) Helmholtz's curve.

Question 26

Absolute threshold is the minimum amount of stimulation necessary for a person to detect a stimulus _______% of the time.

A) 30
B) 100
C) 50
D) 80
E) 99

Question 27

If we measure the minimum volume it would take for you to hear a tone, then we have determined your _______ for hearing.

A) absolute threshold
B) just noticeable difference
C) relative threshold
D) qualia
E) Weber fraction

Question 28

The method of _______ requires the random presentation of many stimuli, ranging from rarely to almost always perceivable, one at a time.

A) limits
B) constant stimuli
C) adjustment
D) sensation and perception
E) matching

Question 29

Imagine you are tasting bowls of soup for a chef who is working on a soup recipe, and she wants the soup to have a subtle hint of black pepper flavor. In her first batch of soup, you could not detect any pepper flavor. If she cooks several more batches of soup and keeps increasing the amount of black pepper in every batch until you finally notice the black pepper flavor, which psychophysical method is she employing?

A) Method of limits
B) Method of constant stimuli
C) Method of adjustment
D) Method of sensory tuning
E) Cross modality matching

Question 30

The method of _______ requires the experimenter to vary a perceptible stimulus until it is no longer perceived, or an imperceptible stimulus until it is finally perceived.

A) adjustment
B) constant stimuli
C) limits
D) matching
E) sensation and perception

Question 31

The method of _______ requires the observer to alter the strength of a stimulus until it matches some criterion.

A) adjustment
B) constant stimuli
C) limits
D) matching
E) sensation and perception

Question 32

When setting up a new monitor or video game, there is often a step in which you change the brightness of the screen until a logo is just barely visible. This is an example of

A) the method of limits.
B) the method of constant stimuli.
C) the method of adjustment.
D) the method of sensory tuning.
E) cross-modality matching.

Question 33

_______ is a psychophysical method in which the participant assigns values according to perceived magnitudes of the stimuli.

A) The method of limits
B) The method of constant stimuli
C) The method of adjustment
D) Magnitude estimation
E) Cross-modality matching

Question 34

If you are asked to taste a lemon and then adjust a light until it is as bright as the lemon is sour, you have been asked to engage in

A) magnitude estimation.
B) the method of constant stimuli.
C) the method of limits.
D) signal detection.
E) cross-modality matching.

Question 35

Signal detection theory consists of

A) detectors.
B) receivers.
C) transducers.
D) signal and noise.
E) thresholds.

Question 36

Finding a tumor in an x-ray can be thought of as searching for a(n) _______ amidst _______.

A) signal; noise
B) noise; signal
C) sensation; perceptions
D) perception; sensations
E) absolute threshold; just noticeable differences

Question 37

This concept refers to the observer's willingness to say they detected a signal.

A) Just noticeable difference
B) Sensitivity
C) Criterion
D) Two-point threshold
E) Perception

Question 38

In signal detection theory, the _______ is an internal threshold that is set by the observer.

A) criterion
B) shift
C) sensitivity
D) method of limits
E) method of adjustment

Question 39

In signal detection theory, the _______ is a value that defines the ease with which an observer can tell the difference between the presence and absence of a stimulus, or the difference between stimulus 1 and stimulus 2.

A) criterion
B) shift
C) sensitivity
D) method of limits
E) method of adjustment

Question 40

If a stimulus is present and the observer reports it as present, this is called a

A) hit.
B) miss.
C) false alarm.
D) correct rejection.
E) criterion.

Question 41

If a stimulus is present and the observer reports it as absent, this is called a

A) hit.
B) miss.
C) false alarm.
D) correct rejection.
E) criterion.

Question 42

If a stimulus is absent but the observer reports it as present, this is called a

A) hit.
B) miss.
C) false alarm.
D) correct rejection.
E) criterion.

Question 43

If a stimulus is absent and the observer reports it as absent, this is called a

A) hit.
B) miss.
C) false alarm.
D) correct rejection.
E) criterion.

Question 44

The criminal justice system in United States is designed to be biased such that it would rather let a guilty person go free than convict an innocent person. In terms of signal detection theory, the courts would rather have a _______ than a _______.

A) hit; miss
B) miss; correct rejection
C) correct rejection; miss
D) false alarm; miss
E) miss; false alarm

Question 45

Airport security is very tight. If a traveler even jokes about a bomb, they are detained and questioned to ensure that no real terrorist threat succeeds. In terms of signal detection theory, airport security would rather have a _______ than a _______.

A) hit; miss
B) miss; correct rejection
C) correct rejection; miss
D) false alarm; miss
E) miss; false alarm

Question 46

Refer to the graph.
The curves in the graph are known as

A) stimuli ratios.
B) ROC curves.
C) JNDs.
D) signal curves.
E) power curves.

Question 47

The doctrine of specific nerve energies involves the stimulation of

A) sensory fibers.
B) sensations.
C) nerve endings.
D) signals.
E) All the above

Question 48

If you are in a completely dark room and accidentally hit your head, you might see "stars." Even though there was only mechanical stimulation to your eyes and no light, you still had an experience of light. This fact is predicted by

A) dark adaptation.
B) the equal stimulation principle.
C) the doctrine of specific nerve energies.
D) the Müller principle.
E) Stevens' power law.

Question 49

The twelve pairs of nerves that originate in the brain stem and reach sense organs and muscles through openings in the skull are called the

A) Müller mileau.
B) specific nerves.
C) nervy dozen.
D) cranial nerves.
E) cranial tracts.

Question 50

If you had a stroke that damaged your frontal lobe, which sense would be most likely to be impaired?

A) Smell
B) Touch
C) Hearing
D) Vision
E) Balance

Question 51

If you had a stroke that damaged your temporal lobe, which sense would be most likely to be impaired?

A) Smell
B) Touch
C) Hearing
D) Vision
E) Balance

Question 52

If you had a stroke that damaged your occipital lobe, which sense would be most likely to be impaired?

A) Smell
B) Touch
C) Hearing
D) Vision
E) Balance

Question 53

If you had a stroke that damaged your parietal lobe, which sense would be most likely to be impaired?

A) Smell
B) Touch
C) Hearing
D) Vision
E) Balance

Question 54

_______ invented the ophthalmoscope, studied hearing, and first determined the speed of neural impulses.

A) Weber
B) Fechner
C) Locke
D) Ramón y Cajal
E) Helmholtz

Question 55

If you look at neurons through a microscope and draw detailed pictures of their structures, whose scientific career are you most likely emulating?

A) Weber
B) Fechner
C) Locke
D) Ramón y Cajal
E) Helmholtz

Question 56

A synapse is the junction between _______ that permits information transfer.

A) stimuli
B) sensory fibers
C) neurons
D) signals
E) the spinal cord and brain

Question 57

The chemical substance used in neuronal communication at synapses is known as

A) axon.
B) receptor.
C) transducer.
D) lymph.
E) neurotransmitter.

Question 58

Which of the following is a method or set of methods that generates images of the structure and/or function of the brain in living, behaving humans?

A) X-rays
B) Neuroimaging
C) Mindscaping
D) Cognitive mapping
E) Free association

Question 59

_______ imaging technology defines locations in the brain where neurons are especially active using safe radioactive isotopes to measure the metabolism of brain cells.

A) EEG
B) MEG
C) MRI
D) fMRI
E) PET

Question 60

_______ is a technique that, using multiple electrodes on the scalp, measures changes in electrical activity across populations of many neurons in the brain.

A) EEG
B) MEG
C) MRI
D) fMRI
E) PET

Question 61

_______ is an imaging technology that uses the responses of atoms to strong magnetic fields to form images of structures, like the brain.

A) EEG
B) MEG
C) MRI
D) fMRI
E) PET

Question 62

_______ is a technique that measures changes in magnetic activity across populations of many neurons in the brain.

A) EEG
B) MEG
C) MRI
D) fMRI
E) PET

Question 63

_______ makes it possible to measure localized patterns of activity in the brain by tracing changing levels of blood oxygenation.

A) EEG
B) MEG
C) MRI
D) fMRI
E) PET

Question 64

Which computational modeling approach can help scientists better understand how sensory systems develop based on experience?

A) Efficient coding methods
B) Bayesian models
C) Artificial neural networks
D) Predictive coding
E) Mathematical models

Question 65

Which mathematical modeling technique is designed to discover the predictability and structure of inputs to the model?

A) Efficient coding models
B) Bayesian models
C) Stevens' power law
D) Weber's law
E) Deep neural networks

Question 66

Which mathematical modeling technique excels at classifying stimuli such as images or sounds into categories?

A) Efficient coding models
B) Bayesian models
C) Stevens' power law
D) Weber's law
E) Deep neural networks

Question 67

What is the difference between sensitivity and criterion in signal detection theory?

Question 68

What is the doctrine of specific nerve energies?

Question 69

Describe the following psychophysical methods: method of constant stimuli, method of limits, and method of adjustment.