Deck 6: Perception

Question 1

The point above which a stimulus is perceived and below which it is not perceived is called a stimulus ____.

A) perception
B) threshold
C) just noticeable difference
D) sensation

Answer 1

threshold

Question 2

Why did Gustav Fechner's definition of absolute threshold need to be modified?

A) Alertness and the testing situation can influence an individual's thresholds.
B) We now know that absolute threshold is influenced by the JND.
C) Because the concept of absolute threshold was found to be invalid.
D) Because his definition of the absolute threshold did not differ significantly from the difference threshold.

Answer 2

Alertness and the testing situation can influence an individual's thresholds.

Question 3

A stimulus that is detected at only an unconscious level is called a(n)____ stimulus.

A) absolute
B) just noticeable
C) detectable
D) subliminal

Answer 3

subliminal

Question 4

Gustav Fechner defined an absolute threshold as:

A) the intensity level that a person detects 50% of the time
B) the amount of stimulus energy needed to develop a perception
C) an increase or decrease in the intensity of stimuli
D) the smallest amount of stimulus energy that can be observed or experienced

Question 5

The smallest increase or decrease in the intensity of a stimulus that a person is able to detect at least half of the time is called a(n):

A) just noticeable difference
B) absolute threshold
C) perception
D) retinal disparity

Question 6

Craig is blaring his stereo in his room.His father tells him to turn down the volume.Craig lowers the sound but his father claims the music is as loud as it was before.This is because:

A) the change in volume did not reach his father's just noticeable difference
B) Craig's father is unfamiliar with rock music
C) the music was above his father's absolute threshold
D) Craig's father subliminally perceived the volume change

Question 7

Doctors fail to detect about ____ of tumors on mammograms.

A) 7%
B) 18%
C) 30%
D) 49%

Question 8

The JND is defined as the:

A) amount of a stimulus needed to perceive depth using monocular cues
B) amount of a stimulus needed to perceive depth using binocular cues
C) smallest amount of stimulus you can detect 25% of the time
D) smallest change in intensity of the stimulus that you can detect 50% of the time

Question 9

The examples of a subliminal CD,selecting a puppy,and a mammogram underscore the importance of:

A) being a smart consumer of products and services
B) figure-ground in perception
C) perception in everyday life
D) the subliminal threshold

Question 10

The just noticeable difference serves as the foundation for:

A) transduction
B) Ponzo illusion
C) absolute threshold
D) Weber's Law

Question 11

As it relates to the topic of perception,what factor most influences a doctor's ability to detect a cancerous tumor on a mammogram?

A) how large an object must be before we can detect it
B) how we are influenced by our culture
C) what shape an object must be before we can detect it
D) how consistent the object is with the principle of continuity

Question 12

Danny is taking a shower.After 10 minutes in the shower,the hot water runs out.The point at which Danny can tell that the water is getting cold represents his:

A) absolute threshold
B) subliminal stimulus
C) difference threshold
D) principle of closure

Question 13

The accuracy of identifying cancer tumors increases when mammograms are:

A) read using a magnifying glass
B) in color
C) read by two doctors and a new computer program
D) in 3D

Question 14

Dr.Wilson is reading a mammogram.She knows that one way to increase the accuracy of the mammogram is to:

A) focus her attention on the black spots since they indicate tumors
B) use a powerful magnifying glass
C) reduce the lighting, which will lower the absolute threshold
D) ask another doctor to read the mammogram

Question 15

As part of a psychology experiment,Linda sits in a small,completely darkened room and looks through an apparatus.At the sound of a tone,she is exposed to a brief flash of light.These lights vary in intensity.After each tone,she reports whether she saw the flash.The intensity of light that Linda perceives 50 percent of the time is her:

A) just noticeable difference
B) Weber's constant
C) absolute threshold
D) subliminal limit

Question 16

Who initially discovered the idea of the absolute threshold?

A) Fechner
B) Weber
C) Gestalt
D) Pavlov

Question 17

In order to answer the question,"At what point are you aware of a stimulus?" one should measure the:

A) subliminal stimulus
B) proximity
C) absolute threshold
D) just noticeable difference

Question 18

The level at which a stimulus is detected at least 50% of the time is called the:

A) absolute threshold
B) just noticeable threshold
C) perceptional limit
D) subliminal threshold

Question 19

A quality inspector at the local manufacturing plant carefully examines a product for flaws using a special light.The flaws show up as dark green spots of light.For this inspector,the ____ is the point at which a flaw can be detected.

A) threshold
B) JND
C) gestalt
D) subliminal threshold

Question 20

A subliminal stimulus is one that:

A) has a 50-50 chance of being detected
B) has a variable JND
C) is below an absolute threshold and thus is not consciously perceived
D) has been perceived by association areas of the brain but not the higher cortices

Question 21

Weber's law states that:

A) the accuracy with which we judge the size of a stimulus is directly proportional to the intensity of that stimulus
B) the effort required to lift a weight is logarithmically proportional to the magnitude of the weight
C) a tone must be three times louder in decibels before we perceive it as twice increased
D) the size of a just noticeable difference is related to the intensity of the stimulus

Question 22

Perception is best defined as the:

A) process by which sensory receptors detect outside stimuli
B) combination and interpretation of sensations
C) process where the brain transmits information to sensory neurons
D) stimulation of sensory receptors

Question 23

____ areas in the brain change sensations to perceptions.

A) Primary
B) Transductive
C) Association
D) Hindbrain

Question 24

At low stimulus intensities,it takes ____ changes in order to detect a JND between two stimuli.

A) large
B) small
C) inverse
D) moderate

Question 25

The major difference between a sensation and a perception is that a sensation:

A) provides basic information and perceptions add meaning and organization to that information
B) involves the sense of touch and perceptions involve the sense of sight
C) is limited to the peripheral nervous system and perceptions occur in the endocrine system
D) is an active process and perception is a passive process

Question 26

Which of the following best represents sensation?

A) an aircraft pilot making an adjustment in altitude
B) a college student interpreting an essay by Plato
C) a 14-year-old seeing a bright flash of light
D) deciding to wear shorts today because the weather is nice

Question 27

When sensation occurs,we:

A) become aware of the stimulus's meaning and significance
B) perceive
C) experience an activation of our sensory receptors
D) are acutely aware of inconsistencies in our physical environment

Question 28

Omar and Heidi look at a beautiful flower.Omar sees it as a Grand Lady Hybrid Strain X-6.This illustrates:

A) the perceptual principle of figure-ground
B) the gender difference in perception
C) how perceptions are personalized interpretations
D) how sensations are personalized interpretations

Question 29

When listening to music,the experience of hearing each individual note would be a ____,while interpreting the meaning of each note is an example of ____.

A) unit; illusion
B) segment; unit
C) perception; sensation
D) sensation; perception

Question 30

An orange,striped blob is to a tiger as ____ is to ____.

A) Weber's Law; sensation
B) proximity; figure-ground
C) perception; sensation
D) sensation; perception

Question 31

Based upon your understanding of perception and factors that can influence it,which saying is the most appropriate to describe perception?

A) "Opposites attract"
B) "A stitch in time saves nine"
C) "Easy come, easy go"
D) "Different strokes for different folks"

Question 32

Which of the following best represents perception?

A) a baby blinking her eyes in response to a puff of air
B) a newborn crying
C) 10-year-old Andrew successfully plays a video game
D) a newborn showing a reflex

Question 33

Craig is taking his family for a car ride.His three-year-old,Katy,and Noelle,who is seven months old,are both looking out the side windows at approaching cars.Noelle sees bright flashes of lights,while Katy understands that the flashes of lights are cars.Which of the girls' experiences in the best example of perception and why?

A) Katy, because she makes sense out of the flashes of lights
B) Noelle, since she is capable of detecting bright flashes of lights
C) Katy, because her sensory receptors are being stimulated by the lights
D) Noelle, because her sensory receptors are transmitting information to her brain

Question 34

The transformation of sensations into a meaningful perception:

A) is not influenced by experience
B) occurs only in the sense organs
C) is an automatic, instantaneous process
D) results in the experience of numerous "raw" sensations

Question 35

The story of Gabrielle and the large brown dog shows:

A) how sensations are personalized interpretations
B) perception is influenced by transduction
C) the perceptual principle of simplicity
D) how perceptions are personalized interpretations

Question 36

How did scientists conclude that fabric softeners worked on towels?

A) Subjects showed a high level of transduction when feeling the towels.
B) The subjects failed to detect a JND in softness.
C) Subjects detected a JND in softness.
D) The absolute threshold was found to be 50%.

Question 37

The proportioned increase in the intensity of a stimulus needed to produce a just noticeable difference is called:

A) Fechner's constant
B) Weber's law
C) intrastimulus difference
D) Helmholtz's hierarchy

Question 38

The first awareness of some outside stimulus is called a(n):

A) sensation
B) perception
C) absolute threshold
D) subliminal experience

Question 39

At high stimulus intensities,it takes ____ changes in order to detect a JND between two stimuli.

A) large
B) small
C) inverse
D) moderate

Question 40

Sensation is to ____ as perception is to ____.

A) monocular; binocular
B) meaningless; meaningful
C) similarity; simplicity
D) JND; Weber's Law

Question 41

_______ processing is when perception is guided by previous knowledge,experience,beliefs,or expectations to recognize a whole pattern.

A) Top-down
B) Bottom-up
C) Threshold-specific
D) Ganzfield-delimited

Question 42

As you sit back at a baseball game,you perceive the ball being pitched,the batter hitting it,the ball shooting high into center field,and being caught.Gestalt psychologists would argue that this perception is:

A) adding together individual sensations
B) combining larger and larger units of sensations
C) the result of your brain following a set of rules to create a meaningful experience
D) formed by adding many basic elements

Question 43

Ben has spent the last two hours playing some intense games of chess with his son,Rothie.Afterwards they go outside to play catch together.As they walk into their yard,Ben looks up and says to Rothie,"When I look at those clouds,they look like chess pieces to me!" Clearly Ben is being affected by

A) top-down processing
B) the gestalt principle of motion parallax
C) retinal disparity
D) bottom-up processing

Question 44

Jarrod's textbook has an interesting feature in it.It has pages of transparent pages,each of which has only a small picture on it.When he lays the pages down one after another,they give a diagram of the human brain,adding one structure at a time until the whole brain is represented.This is similar to the perceptual task of

A) monocular shadowing
B) bottom-up processing
C) binocular convergence
D) top-down processing

Question 45

If you see two people walking and holding hands,you perceive that they are a couple because of the Gestalt principle of:

A) proximity
B) continuity
C) figure-ground
D) simplicity

Question 46

The ability to separate figure from ground is:

A) learned through experience
B) an automatic process
C) a binocular cue
D) a form of adaptation

Question 47

If a newspaper had an article about the Gestalt psychologists' position on perception,what would be the headline?

A) "Brain Follows Rules in Perception"
B) "Perception: Adding Together Basic Sensations"
C) "Combining Elements Together"
D) "Breaking Down Perception into Its Elements"

Question 48

When doctors read mammograms,they use _____ principles such as figure-ground and proximity.

A) Gestalt
B) Freudian
C) behavioral
D) phi

Question 49

Looking up at the blue sky,Matt imagined that he saw the clouds as animal shapes.Viewing clouds against the sky is an example of which principle of perceptual organization?

A) figure and ground
B) closure
C) simplicity
D) continuity

Question 50

A skywriter is writing the words "VOTE FOR JOHNSON" in the blue sky above a football stadium during a game.However,his emission system becomes clogged so that only parts of the letters appear.Johnson tells him not to worry,the crowd will perceive his message by using:

A) continuity
B) proximity
C) closure
D) interposition

Question 51

The Gestalt rules of organization:

A) are binocular cues for perceiving three-dimensional objects
B) illustrate how illusions lead to inaccurate perceptions
C) are rules that help us organize elements into something that is complete
D) were developed by Weber as part of Weber's Law

Question 52

The principle of closure states that:

A) we group objects if they are in close physical proximity
B) we group objects together that appear similar
C) memory for organized perceptions is superior to that of unorganized perceptions
D) we tend to fill in missing parts of a figure

Question 53

The rules of organization such as figure-ground and closure were developed by the ____ to describe how we perceive.

A) Structuralists
B) Freudians
C) Gestalt psychologists
D) Behavioral psychologists

Question 54

A famous artist has made a name for herself by the way she leaves objects in paintings incompletely drawn.Yet when we look at her works,we perceive the complete objects.What organizational rule of perception is occurring?

A) closure
B) simplicity
C) similarity
D) absolute threshold

Question 55

Gestalt psychologists explain perceptions based on the rules of organization,which are rules that specify how:

A) our brains organize sensations into perceptions
B) we combine sensations together by adding individual units
C) we break down perceptions into smaller units
D) absolute thresholds identify subliminal stimuli

Question 56

As you sit back at the baseball game,you perceive the ball being pitched,the batter hitting it,the ball shooting high into center field,and being caught.The structuralist would argue that this perception is:

A) the result of figure-ground, simplicity, and continuity
B) influenced by your prior experience with the game
C) created because the brain follows certain rules of perceptual organization
D) formed by many basic units or elements

Question 57

Professor Karweick walks into her filled classroom,immediately perceiving students as sitting in rows rather than in a haphazard fashion.This is similar to what principle of perceptual organization?

A) similarity
B) simplicity
C) figure-ground
D) closure

Question 58

The principle of proximity states that:

A) we think things are close together if they look similar
B) if things are close together when they are in our field of vision, we assume they will stay close together when they leave our sight
C) if we stare at a random collection of objects long enough, they will appear to merge with one another
D) we tend to group together objects that are close to one another physically

Question 59

The Gestalt rule of ____ states that we tend to organize stimuli in the most basic way possible.

A) continuity
B) closure
C) similarity
D) simplicity

Question 60

________ processing is when perception begins with bits and pieces of information that,when combined,lead to the recognition of a whole pattern.

A) Constructive
B) Side-to-side
C) Top-down
D) Bottom-up

Question 61

Because of a problem with her eyes,Julie has trouble with convergence.This would affect her:

A) ability to focus on the intersections of lines and edges
B) ability to turn the eyes inward as an object moves closer to her face
C) ability to block out irrelevant stimuli
D) ability to perceive figure-ground

Question 62

If Julie lacks size constancy,what would she probably say about a dog running towards her?

A) "Oh no! That dog shouldn't be allowed to run free like that."
B) "Wow! That dog's color is changing as it runs."
C) "Oh no! That dog is growing with every step he takes."
D) "Look at that dog. He wants to play."

Question 63

Diane and Debbie are at an outdoor circus.Their father has purchased each a helium balloon.Debbie accidentally lets go of her balloon and it floats farther and farther away.The balloon appears to be becoming smaller and smaller.Both Diane and Debbie believe that the balloon remains the same size.Their perception is best explained by:

A) Gestalt psychology
B) motion parallax
C) interposition
D) size constancy

Question 64

As a result of an accident,David has only one eye.Which of the following depth cues would he not be able to use?

A) accommodation
B) retinal disparity
C) linear perspective
D) interposition

Question 65

A green car looks like a green car,regardless of whether it is dawn or dusk,because of:

A) interposition
B) convergence
C) color constancy
D) monocular cues

Question 66

We are able see in three dimensions.What are the three dimensions?

A) depth, width, height
B) width, height, diameter
C) height, disparity, depth
D) depth, convergence, height

Question 67

A perceptual constancy is defined as the:

A) tendency for all persons to see the world in the same manner
B) ability for several different sensory images to form a perception at the same time
C) tendency to perceive things as unchanging, even though their physical appearance changes
D) ability to utilize only one sense, even though multiple sensations are being experienced

Question 68

Which of the following athletes makes best use of size constancy?

A) a football player catching a pass on the run
B) a gymnast doing a cartwheel
C) a basketball player shooting a foul shot
D) a baseball pitcher throwing a curve ball

Question 69

Of the following depth cues,which is based on the muscles of the eye providing information?

A) accommodation
B) retinal disparity
C) convergence
D) interposition

Question 70

Brightness constancy results in the tendency to perceive:

A) all stimuli as brighter than they really are
B) brightness as remaining the same in changing illumination
C) colors as grayish in dim light
D) that the sun produces white light

Question 71

Given that size constancy appears to be learned,what would a blind person whose sight is suddenly restored say as he looked out the window of an airplane as it flies high above in the sky?

A) "Very small people must live in those very small houses down there."
B) "Why does the color of those houses down there keep changing?"
C) "It seems that the cars down on the ground are moving very slowly."
D) "Amazing, I can really see those houses very clearly."

Question 72

Of the following,what is the most remarkable characteristic about depth perception?

A) We are capable of seeing four dimensions.
B) The retina is capable of detecting three dimensions.
C) Images on the retina are only two dimensional, yet we see three dimensions.
D) Retinal disparity should overload the visual system with information, yet it does not.

Question 73

You see a friend down the street.The visual image you receive is of a person who is the size of a doll,yet you know your friend hasn't shrunk since you last saw him.This is due to which of the following?

A) motion parallax
B) accommodation
C) relative size
D) size constancy

Question 74

The principle of continuity states that:

A) we organize forms along a smooth line or path
B) we will continue to perceive stimuli in a given manner until we notice a change
C) we assume objects continue to possess the same form even when removed from our perceptual field
D) we use similar patterns of organization throughout our lives

Question 75

Imagine that you are watching a large ball moving.As it comes towards you,

A) the phi phenomenon decreases
B) retinal disparity increases
C) relative size decreases
D) interposition decreases

Question 76

The muscles that move the entire eye give cues to depth through:

A) convergence
B) accommodation
C) retinal disparity
D) neural inconsistency

Question 77

Mark is coming in for a night landing in his twin-engine plane.He sees blue lights on the ground before him.Mark perceives this to be the outline of the runway.What principle of perceptual organization is he most likely using?

A) spread
B) familiarity
C) continuity
D) contour

Question 78

What term describes our tendency to perceive sizes,shapes,and colors as remaining the same even though their physical characteristics keep changing?

A) convergence
B) organizational constancy
C) retinal constancy
D) perceptual constancy

Question 79

You are writing a paper on the depth cue of retinal disparity.What is the best title for your paper?

A) "How the Eyes Turn Inward"
B) "Retinal Disparity: Another Monocular Depth Cue"
C) "Retinal Disparity: Seeing Depth Through Two Images"
D) "Retinal Disparity: Weber's Discovery"

Question 80

Because the eyes are separated by several inches,each eye receives a slightly different image.This is called:

A) interposition
B) shape inconsistency
C) convergence
D) retinal disparity