Deck 2: Research Methodology

Question 1

Dr.Patel is doing an experiment on the softest volume humans can hear at a particular frequency.He asks participants to set a dial to the softest possible sound they can hear.What method is Dr.Patel using?

A)control
B)limits
C)sensitivity
D)adjustment

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The smallest amount of a stimulus necessary to allow an observer to detect its presence is known as the ______ threshold.

A)complete
B)partial
C)absolute
D)relative

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Professor Everdine is interested in devising a scale to examine people's perception of saltiness.She asks participants to rate solutions with various amounts of salt dissolved in them on a scale from 0 (not salty at all) to 100 (extremely salty).This method is known as ______.

A)limit testing
B)magnitude estimation
C)signal detection
D)threshold evaluation

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What is the point of subjective equality?

A)the point at which the method of limits generates the same responses as the method of adjustment
B)the point at which observers experience two different stimuli as being identical
C)the point at which subject estimates correspond to objective measures
D)the point at which the sensation of piquancy transforms from pleasant to unpleasant

Question 5

In what method are stimuli presented in a graduated scale, with participants asked to judge the stimuli along a certain property that goes up or down?

A)the method of adjustment
B)the method of repugnancy
C)the magnitude method
D)the method of limits

Question 6

Dr.Chudnofsky is interested in the smallest differences in the wavelength of light and the ability of humans to detect these differences.He should therefore design an experiment that will look at ______.

A)correct rejections
B)absolute thresholds
C)difference thresholds
D)false alarms

Question 7

A psychophysical method in which a participant is required to report when or where a stimulus occurs instead of whether it was perceived is known as the ______.

A)forced-choice method
B)open response method
C)free-choice method
D)closed response method

Question 8

Dr.Wong is doing a psychophysical experiment to determine the smallest detectable concentration of coffee.He presents some coffee concentrations that are clearly detectable, others that cannot be detected, and some that are just detectable.These presentations are randomized.What method is Dr.Wong using?

A)adjudication
B)constant stimuli
C)inverse thresholds
D)limits

Question 9

In two-point thresholds across the skin, one measures ______.

A)the minimum distance at which two touches are perceived as two touches and not one
B)the maximum distance at which two touches are perceived as two touches and not one
C)the minimum distance at which one touch is perceived as two touches
D)only the maximum distance for touches in the most sensitive areas of the skin

Question 10

A method whereby an observer controls the level of the stimulus and sets it at the perceptual threshold is known as the method of ______.

A)adjustment
B)constant stimuli
C)thresholds
D)limits

Question 11

A food company wants to develop a psychological measure to evaluate people's perception of sweetness.What should they do?

A)Ask participants to rate a number of levels of sweetness on a numerical scale.
B)Ask participants to indicate the sweetest food that they like to eat.
C)Ask participants to judge the point at which a drink becomes too sweet.
D)Ask participants to judge the amount of capsaicin in the foods they consume.

Question 12

Difference thresholds in visual detection vary as a function of ______.

A)the level of auditory distraction
B)the amount of sensory overload in the system
C)whether the judgments are being made at threshold or above threshold
D)whether there is a clear relationship between visual and auditory stimuli

Question 13

Professor Everdine has devised a scale to examine people's perception of saltiness.She finds that for every milligram of salt added, the perception of saltiness increases fourfold.That is, the perception of saltiness increases faster than the actual increase in salt.This finding illustrates response ______.

A)compression
B)expansion
C)subtraction
D)addition

Question 14

What does the Scoville scale measure?

A)the psychophysical reaction to sense data
B)the amount of capsaicin we detect in food
C)the strength and amplitude of sound waves
D)the amount of caffeine in coffee

Question 15

Jaime is a participant in a psychophysical experiment on sound detection.He is asked to determine the softest sound he can hear at a particular frequency.That sound is his ______.

A)motivational limit
B)signal detection limit
C)absolute threshold
D)difference threshold

Question 16

The smallest difference between two stimuli that can be detected is known as the ______.

A)difference threshold
B)absolute threshold
C)just observable difference
D)remarkable difference

Question 17

If we double the amount of capsaicin in our hot sauce, according to response expansion, we can expect ______.

A)less than double the amount of perceived piquancy
B)more than double the amount of perceived piquancy
C)no increase in the amount of perceived piquancy
D)a proportional decrease in perceived piquancy

Question 18

A psychophysical method in which participants judge and assign numerical estimates to the perceived strength of a stimulus is known as ______.

A)magnitude estimation
B)response compression
C)threshold sensitivity
D)the signal detection axis

Question 19

In absolute threshold detection experiments, the crossover point is defined as the point at which ______.

A)a person is first able to detect a stimulus
B)a person ceases to detect a stimulus
C)all stimuli in a sequence will be correctly detected
D)the number of hits and false alarms doubles

Question 20

Why is the Scoville scale considered a psychophysical scale?

A)It measures the relation of velocity to loudness.
B)It measures a psychological variable (piquancy) as a function of a physical dimension (the amount of capsaicin).
C)It measures a physical variable (the amount of heat) as a function of a sensory dimensions (taste and touch).
D)It focuses on the psychological, rather than the physical, experience of consuming hot peppers.

Question 21

A radiologist screening mammograms to detect breast cancer in a high-risk patient is likely to ______.

A)adopt a low criterion because she does not want signal-detection misses
B)adopt a high criterion because she does not want many signal-detection false alarms
C)do everything she can to decrease sensitivity so as to create more correct rejections
D)do everything she can to increase sensitivity so as to create fewer false alarms

Question 22

Masking experiments require participants to determine whether a stimulus is ______.

A)present
B)pleasant
C)strong or weak
D)increasing or decreasing

Question 23

Which neuroimaging technique uses electrodes to determine the time course of perceptual processes?

A)EEG
B)MEG
C)fMRI
D)TMS

Question 24

In signal detection theory, an internal cutoff above which the observer makes one response and below which the observer makes another response is known as a ______.

A)threshold
B)limit
C)criterion
D)series

Question 25

Marco participates in a masking experiment.After the experiment, the researcher tells Marco that he has a high d' score.Which of the following must be true of Marco?

A)He is good at predicting when a stimulus will appear.
B)His sense of smell is stronger than his visual acuity.
C)He is good at identifying when no stimulus is present.
D)His pattern recognition skills are above average.

Question 26

Karwan is a participant in a psychophysical experiment on visual detection.He is shown a mix of near-threshold stimuli with stimulus-absent catch trials.When Karwan indicates that he saw a light in a stimulus-absent catch trial, he is making a ______.

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

Question 27

Karwan is a participant in a psychophysical experiment on visual detection.He is shown a mix of near-threshold stimuli with stimulus-absent catch trials.When Karwan indicates that he did not see a light that was actually present, he is making a ______.

A)hit
B)correction rejection
C)miss
D)false alarm

Question 28

Masking is a difficulty associated with which sense?

A)hearing
B)smell
C)touch
D)vision

Question 29

An observer is asked to adjust the level of pressure on the skin until the person can just barely feel the lightest pressure on his or her skin.Then the observer starts again from a different starting level of pressure.Which technique does this best represent?

A)magnitude estimation
B)response compression
C)signal-inverse method
D)method of adjustment

Question 30

The inability of sound to be transmitted to the cochlea is known as ______ hearing loss.

A)sensorineural
B)conductive
C)innate
D)bichromal

Question 31

Which of the following will an audiogram show?

A)the increase in decibels required to get a binaural response
B)the extent of neural damage in the cochlea
C)the increase in sensitivity due to advanced hearing loss
D)the lowering of sensitivity for different frequencies in each ear

Question 32

Permanent hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea or auditory nerve is called ______ hearing loss.

A)sensorineural
B)conductive
C)innate
D)bichromal

Question 33

The mathematical measure of sensitivity in signal-detection theory is known as ______.

A)the cost coefficient
B)d-prime
C)alpha
D)the ROC curve

Question 34

A plot of false alarms versus hits for any given sensitivity, indicating all possible outcomes for a given sensitivity, is known as ______.

A)a ROC curve
B)a noise plot
C)criterion processing
D)object-substitution masking

Question 35

Which of the following is TRUE of transmagnetic stimulation?

A)It induces changes in brain function.
B)It picks up continuous electric signal.
C)It uses magnetic sensors to detect brain activity.
D)It takes a picture every 30 milliseconds.

Question 36

Which neuroimaging technique produces the best spatial maps of the brain?

A)EEG
B)MEG
C)fMRI
D)TMS

Question 37

In signal detection theory, if the cost of a miss is very high and the risk of a false alarm is very low, the criterion will be set ______.

A)very low to maximize hits
B)very low to maximize correct rejections
C)very high to minimize false alarms
D)very high to maximize hits

Question 38

Neuroimaging techniques were an advancement on early methods because they allow researchers to study ______ brains.

A)inactive
B)human
C)underdeveloped
D)living

Question 39

Robinson et al (2016) conducted a study of whether olfaction interacts with vision.What did they find?

A)There was no measurable interaction between the two senses.
B)Interaction between the two senses was more pronounced in women.
C)Interaction between the two senses was more pronounced in men.
D)There was a high degree of interaction between the senses.

Question 40

Dr.Kao is developing a technique to screen for malignant tumors.Dr.Kao's technique should ______.

A)increase sensitivity to maximize hits regardless of the number of misses
B)increase sensitivity to maximize hits but minimize misses
C)decrease sensitivity to maximize correct rejections
D)decrease sensitivity to minimize false alarms

Question 41

Conductive hearing loss is permanent hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea or auditory nerve.

Question 42

Explain the relationship between criterion and sensitivity in signal detection theory.

Question 43

What measures 15,000 on the Scoville scale for one person may represent a different number for somebody else.

Question 44

A condition in which incoming light focuses behind the retina, leading to difficulty focusing on close-up objects, common in older adults, in whom the lens becomes less elastic, is known as ______.

A)presbyopia
B)myopia
C)cataracts
D)macular degeneration

Question 45

Explain how an audiologist evaluates a patient for hearing loss.

Question 46

Masking occurs when two different senses are stimulated simultaneously.

Question 47

Akilah and her team want to develop a scale that rates the bitterness of chocolate.Bitterness is tied to the concentration of cocoa in the chocolate.Explain the test they should run in order to develop the scale.Be sure to explain both the physical and psychological dimensions of the test.

Question 48

MEG produces better special maps of the brain than fMRI.

Question 49

Two observers make different judgments in a signal-detection experiment even though their sensitivity is identical.This may be the result of different criterion.

Question 50

Explain how response expansion works, using an example to illustrate the concept.

Question 51

The two-point touch threshold is the minimum distance at which two touches are perceived as two touches and not one.

Question 52

A Snellen chart is used as an initial screening for glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

Question 53

A graph that illustrates the thresholds for the frequencies as measured by the audiometer is known as a(n) ______.

A)Snellen chart
B)frequency curve
C)acuity graph
D)audiogram

Question 54

What is the name for the condition that causes an inability to focus clearly on far objects, which occurs because accommodation cannot make the lens thin enough?

A)presbyopia
B)amblyopia
C)macular degeneration
D)myopia

Question 55

What diagnosis might a patient receive after a test of visual acuity?

A)presbyopia
B)macular degeneration
C)retinopathy
D)conjunctivitis

Question 56

Neuroimaging allows scientists to correlate perception with brain activity.

Question 57

Dr.Alvarez is an optometrist.While examining a patient, he detects a medical problem with one of her eyes.What is he most likely to do?

A)prescribe antibiotics
B)refer the patient to an ophthalmologist
C)adjust the patient's prescription to reduce strain
D)use the Snellen chart to assess the extent of the problem

Question 58

Compare and contrast electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG).Be sure to include both similarities and differences in your analysis.

Question 59

Women tend to have an advantage over men when it comes to sense of smell.

Question 60

In signal detection analysis, a false alarm is an error that occurs when a nonsignal is mistaken for a target signal.