Deck 5: The Perceiving Mind Sensation and Perception

Question 1

Which scenario is likely to result in many hits and a high rate of false alarms?

A)Avery is a police officer looking for a suspect with a red hat mingled into a crowd of people outside the St.Louis Cardinals baseball stadium.
B)Templeton is shopping for diamond earrings at Toys-r-us.
C)Wilbur,who is six feet 10 inches tall,is searching a dating site for a prospective date exactly his height.
D)Homer is birding for the elusive snowy owl.

Answer 1

Avery is a police officer looking for a suspect with a red hat mingled into a crowd of people outside the St.Louis Cardinals baseball stadium.

Question 2

The smallest amount of stimulus that can be detected at least 50% of the time is known as the ________ threshold.

A)difference
B)fixed
C)absolute
D)distinct

Answer 2

absolute

Question 3

We are more able to use bottom-up processing to respond appropriately to ____________.

A)subliminal stimuli.
B)below threshold stimuli.
C)complex stimuli
D)simple stimuli

Answer 3

simple stimuli

Question 4

Thad returns home from class on a hot summer's evening,turns on the air conditioner full blast,and sits down to watch television.His roommate Sean returns home an hour later and wonders how Thad can hear the television above the loud noise of the air conditioner.Thad remarks that he doesn't even notice the sound.Which process causes the air conditioner to seem louder to Sean than to Thad?

A)Transduction
B)Perception
C)Sensory adaptation
D)Sensation

Question 5

Seven-year-old Sangram is not allowed to touch the television remote.Nevertheless,he uses the remote to change the volume from level 15 to 17.His parents,who are in the next room,seem unaware.The next day,Sangram becomes bold and turns the volume from level 15 to 30.His father yells at him,"Stop playing with the remote!" What prevented Sangram's father from noticing the volume change on the previous day?

A)The change on the first day failed to exceed his father's difference threshold.
B)The change on the second day failed to exceed his father's fixed threshold.
C)The change on the first day exceeded his father's absolute threshold.
D)The change on the second day was higher than his father's distinct threshold.

Question 6

An important gateway to perception is the process of ____,defined as a narrow focus of consciousness.

A)interpretation
B)cognition
C)adaptation
D)attention

Question 7

College roommates Michelle,Renee,and Kecia are shopping for new phone cases.Michelle finds the perfect phone case at a kiosk in the mall,but there is no agreement as to the actual color of the phone case.Michelle states that it is jade;Renee is leaning toward teal;and Kecia insists that it is turquoise.What causes each roommate to have a different interpretation of the color of the phone case?

A)Transduction
B)Perception
C)Sensory adaptation
D)Sensation

Question 8

Noreen gazes out at the city lights from her 23rd floor apartment;Jonah feels a stinging pain after falling from his bike and scraping his elbow;Maher hears the loud wail of sirens outside his dorm room window.The process that allows Noreen,Jonah,and Maher to detect these external or internal stimuli is termed ____.

A)transduction
B)perception
C)adaptation
D)sensation

Question 9

Saul is a cytotechnologist in training.He is asked to screen a series of tissue samples for precancerous cells.His supervisor checks his work and determines that Saul greatly overestimated the number of samples containing precancerous cells.This may be due to the fact that Saul lost his mother to cancer early in life,and is extra cautious about missing indications of cancerous cells in the samples.This illustrates ____.

A)false alarms
B)sham hits
C)loss aversion
D)erroneous judgment

Question 10

What is true of light detection across species?

A)For all known species,the eye has evolved to see only visible light.
B)Visible,infrared,and ultraviolet rays are detected by most species,including humans.
C)Humans can see visible,ultraviolet,and infrared light;many nonmammalian species,such as insects and snakes,can see only in the visible light range.
D)Some insects can see in the ultraviolet range and snakes can see in the infrared range,but humans can only detect "visible" light.

Question 11

Top-down processing involves the ____.

A)brain's use of incoming signals to construct perceptions
B)brain tuning into select information
C)brain's ability to integrate several stimuli simultaneously
D)brain imposing its own structure on incoming information based on previous experience

Question 12

Professor Radcliffe prepares an exam for her Sensation and Perception class.In a rush,she writes: Proivde the corrcet answres for the following questoins.While quickly proofreading the exam,she misses her mistakes.What caused this oversight?

A)Bottom-up processing
B)Top-down processing
C)Outward-in processing
D)Inward-out processing

Question 13

The process of transduction is analogous to ____.

A)a person using social media to communicate with friends
B)a rocket ship breaking through the Earth's atmosphere
C)a computer changing a variety of inputs into a programming language for further processing.
D)a sailboat utilizing the wind's energy to glide along the water

Question 14

Devinder is a participant in a research study.She is asked to look at a series of images of black dots scattered in a random order and then identify which images contain at least one gray dot.She ends up greatly underestimating the number of "gray dot" images,illustrating a high number of ____.

A)cautious picks
B)false alarms
C)defeats
D)misses

Question 15

Celeste moved into her college dorm room today.She turns off her light before going to bed and notices glow-in-the-dark stickers on the ceiling,presumably left behind from the previous occupant.What process best exemplifies her recognition of the light generated by these stickers?

A)Bottom-up processing
B)Top-down processing
C)Outward-in processing
D)Inward-out processing

Question 16

Bottom-up processing involves the ____.

A)brain's use of incoming signals to construct perceptions
B)brain tuning into select information
C)brain's ability to integrate several stimuli simultaneously
D)brain imposing its own structure on incoming information based on previous experience

Question 17

How do sensory systems differ for humans versus nonhuman animals?

A)Because of a highly developed cerebral cortex,humans have highly diverse sensory systems in comparison to most other animals.
B)In contrast to contemporary humans,nonhuman animals use their sensory systems to enhance survival.
C)Industrialization has had a negative effect on the sensory systems of humans;as human sensory systems declined,the sensory systems of other animals became more efficient.
D)Developed out of natural selection,sensory systems are used in unique ways by individual species (human or nonhuman)and work to maximize the survival of that species.

Question 18

Manu suffers from a rare genetic disorder that does not allow incoming light from her eyes to be transmitted to her brain.Because of Manu's disorder,which process is directly disrupted?

A)Transduction
B)Perception
C)Sensory adaptation
D)Sensation

Question 19

What are the two steps of signal detection?

A)The category of stimulus and the observer's criteria
B)The category of stimulus and the conduction velocity
C)The intensity of stimulus and the observer's criteria
D)The intensity of stimulus and the conduction velocity

Question 20

In the most general terms,the study of sensation and perception is called psychophysics,a term that was first coined by ________.

A)Hermann von Helmholtz
B)Gustav Fechner
C)Ernst Weber
D)Thomas Young

Question 21

An area of the retina that is specialized for fine detailed vision is referred to as the ____.

A)fovea
B)lens
C)optic disk
D)cornea

Question 22

How do rods differ from cones in the retina?

A)Rods are less sensitive to light than cones.
B)In contrast to cones,rods are optimally activated by light entering the center of the eye.
C)Unlike cones,rods cannot detect color.
D)Rods provide the ability to see sharper images than cones.

Question 23

The clear surface at the front of the eye that begins the process of directing light to the retina is the ____.

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

Question 24

Maria is the victim of an armed robbery.She is called into the police station to identify her assailant from a line-up of men.She correctly reports that none of the men were her attacker.This illustrates the concept of a(n)____.

A)non-choice
B)elimination
C)correct rejection
D)accurate refusal

Question 25

Where does the optic nerve cross the midline?

A)Corpus callosum
B)Primary visual cortex
C)Optic chiasm
D)Midbrain

Question 26

Hugo is running an experiment to determine if a specific DNA allele is present in a new transgenic mouse line.He glances through numerous data sets and identifies the correct DNA "band" in the majority of his experiments.This illustrates the concept of a ____.

A)hit
B)random result
C)target
D)correct assumption

Question 27

About _________% of the axons in the optic tracts synapse in the thalamus.

A)30
B)50
C)70
D)90

Question 28

What important fact supports the idea that vision is one of the most important sensory systems in humans?

A)From an evolutionary perspective,the eyeball was one of the last sense organs to develop.
B)The eyeball is controlled by more muscles than any other body part.
C)15% of our body's oxygen is utilized by our eyes.
D)Approximately 50% of our cerebral cortex processes visual information.

Question 29

Seth is involved in an automobile accident and suffers damage to his parietal lobe.How may this affect his ability to process visual information?

A)He may have difficulty seeing low contrast objects.
B)He may have difficulty processing movement.
C)He may have difficulty recognizing faces.
D)He may have difficulty distinguishing colors.

Question 30

Which structure of the eye is responsible for detecting light?

A)Pupil
B)Iris
C)Retina
D)Cornea

Question 31

Visible light is a type of ____.

A)radiation
B)molecule
C)potential energy
D)chemical

Question 32

Adele is planning to paint the walls in her room over spring break.She studies several color samples and is trying to decide between yellow,green,and blue hues.What light wave attribute allows Adele to differentiate between these colors?

A)The types of waves
B)The number of waves
C)The amplitude of waves
D)The wavelength of the waves

Question 33

After suffering an eye injury during a lacrosse match,Gregg is forced to wear an eye patch.In addition to problems with depth perception,Gregg's ophthalmologist tells him that his blind spot will be more evident.Which structure of the eye has been affected with regard to his blind spot?

A)Fovea
B)Lens
C)Optic disk
D)Cornea

Question 34

In what orientation are images projected onto the retina?

A)Mirrored but right side up
B)Upside down and reversed
C)Upside down but not reversed
D)Tilted left in the right eye,and tilted right in the left eye

Question 35

Blue-eyed Marcella gets up early,turns on the light in the bathroom,and watches herself in the mirror as the blue ring of her eyes constrict.What is this blue ring called?

A)Pupil
B)Iris
C)Retina
D)Cornea

Question 36

Of the following,who is likely to have the most rods activated in the retina?

A)Blake,who is reading a book while sunbathing at the park
B)Yasmeen,who is searching for her keys under the bed
C)Gavin,who is painting a mural as part of a community outreach program
D)Dale,who is working on a detailed pen and ink drawing

Question 37

What is the role of the amygdala in processing visual information?

A)It decodes the color of the stimulus.
B)It makes quick emotional judgments about visual stimuli.
C)It perceives the intensity of the stimulus.
D)It interprets the contours of an object.

Question 38

The best analogy for light energy is ____.

A)a rabbit hoping along a path
B)a plane flying through the air
C)raindrops falling from the sky
D)waves in the ocean

Question 39

Which feature of the eye is analogous to a hole in the center of a donut?

A)Pupil
B)Iris
C)Retina
D)Cornea

Question 40

Adele picked out a specific sample of green to paint her room.She studies several bright and several pastel versions of her green sample.What attribute of the light wave allows Adele to differentiate between these light intensities?

A)The types of waves
B)The number of waves
C)The amplitude of waves
D)The wavelength of the waves

Question 41

Pamela watches her cat Mr.Big swat his paw at the wall and calls out,"Crazy Big,what are you swatting at;nothing is there." How would you explain the fact that Mr.Big can see something that Pamela cannot?

A)Cats see low-frequency,low contrast objects better than humans.
B)Cats see low-frequency,high contrast objects better than humans.
C)Cats see high-frequency,low contrast objects better than humans.
D)Cats see high-frequency,high contrast objects better than humans.

Question 42

The primary colors of light are ____.

A)red,green,and blue
B)red,yellow,and blue
C)red,yellow,and green
D)yellow,green,and blue

Question 43

One theory of color vision is based on the existence of different types of cones for the detection of short,medium,and long wavelengths.What is this theory?

A)The tricolor detection scheme
B)The primary paradigm
C)The trichromatic theory
D)The tiered wavelength model

Question 44

What anatomical feature of the retina supports the opponent theory of color recognition?

A)Groups of cells that process yellow and blue or red and green are located together.
B)Cells that process red and green occupy different clusters within the center of the retina;blue and yellow cells occupy different clusters within the periphery of the retina.
C)Cones are more efficient at processing yellow and blue;rods are more efficient at processing red and green.
D)Cells responsible for detecting yellow,blue,red,or green are located in opposing clusters within the retina.

Question 45

Based on opponent process theory,if you stare at a red,white,and blue flag and then look at a blank sheet of paper you will see

A)the after image of a purple and white flag.
B)the after image of a faint red,white,and blue flag.
C)the after image of a black,white,and blue flag.
D)the after image of a green,black,and yellow flag.

Question 46

The world perceived by Matteo is very different than the world perceived by most;he can only see black,white,or shades of gray.What can we conclude about Matteo?

A)His retina is void of at least one type of rod.
B)His retina is void of at least two types of rods.
C)His retina is void of at least one type of cone.
D)His retina is void of at least two types of cones.

Question 47

To construct a three-dimensional image,we ____.

A)integrate trinomial inputs
B)make assumptions about the continuity of objects
C)use monocular and binocular cues
D)divide scenes into figure and ground

Question 48

Constructed by Adelbert Ames,the Ames room illustrates vulnerabilities in our perception of ____.

A)color
B)depth
C)contrast
D)motion

Question 49

Which statement is most consistent with the Gestalt psychology point of view?

A)The whole is something more than the sum of its parts.
B)The world is best understood by breaking it down into individual elements.
C)We perceive our environment through separate but equal senses.
D)Where one sense is lost,another is gained.

Question 50

As a young child,Terrence struggled in school.After being diagnosed with "colorblindness"-meaning that he perceives colors differently-his teachers were able to address his learning difficulties.What can we conclude about Terrence?

A)His retina is void of at least one type of rod.
B)His retina is void of at least two types of rods.
C)His retina is void of at least one type of cone.
D)His retina is void of at least two types of cones.

Question 51

Persis is a summer intern at a new video game software company,Generation Z Gamers.She is working on three-dimensional landscapes for a new role-playing video game Submarine Adventures.As her supervisor,what advice can you give Persis to help her create the illusion of three dimensions?

A)Reds and blues make objects appear closer than yellows and greens.
B)Use more texture on background rather than foreground objects.
C)Continuous lines should only be used for distant objects.
D)Converge parallel lines at the horizon to create a linear perspective.

Question 52

Leo works tirelessly on a new logo for his flower shop.He decides on a simple pattern: five petal shapes (set in a circular path)and a long stem.Despite the fact that Leo does not include a center circle and his shapes are disconnected,the logo is easily recognizable as a flower with a large center disk.What Gestalt principle best explains this phenomenon?

A)The principle of aggregation
B)The principle of absoluteness
C)The principle of closure
D)The principle of familiarity

Question 53

While attempting to overcome writer's block,Devin stares at her yellow,green,and white striped journal.When she finally returns to her blank computer screen,she sees a blue,red,and black striped afterimage.Which theory best explains the afterimage that Devin sees?

A)Negative illusion theory
B)Excitation emission theory
C)Trichromatic theory
D)Opponent process theory

Question 54

Our perception of color is best described by which of the following processes?

A)The response of individual cones to either red,green,blue,yellow,purple,or white light
B)A comparison of the responses of the red,green,and blue cones to light
C)The transmission of information from the primary red,green,or blue cones to secondary yellow,purple,or white cones
D)The sensation and transmission of light by rods to more specialized red,green,or blue cones

Question 55

According to Gestalt psychologists,we recognize objects in part by ____.

A)understanding the function of an object
B)integrating visual input with our other sense
C)differentiating the gratings of an object
D)dividing a scene into figure and ground

Question 56

While standing at the bus stop Gordon notices two children sitting near each other in school uniforms.As the bus approaches,Gordon politely hints to the children that the bus stopping at the nearest school is arriving.Gordon is surprised and puzzled when only one child gets up and readies to board the bus.Which of the following can explain Gordon's surprise,according to Gestalt psychology?

A)Differentiation and allocation
B)Proximity and allocation
C)Differentiation and similarity
D)Proximity and similarity

Question 57

At the House of Reptiles,3-year-old Sinead is intrigued by a motionless python snake in a large cage with three parallel viewing windows.Sinead cries out,"Look mommy,a snake!" According to Gestalt psychology,how does Sinead know that the snake is not broken into individual segments?

A)The principle of continuity
B)The principle of familiarity
C)The principle of order
D)The principle of fragmentation

Question 58

In terms of object recognition,the simplest patterns of lines are gratings,which can vary in two dimensions: ____.

A)frequency and depth
B)frequency and contrast
C)hue and depth
D)hue and contrast

Question 59

One of the most powerful monocular depth cues is ____.

A)occlusion
B)proximity
C)simplicity
D)continuity

Question 60

The mathematical approach to object recognition suggests that we ____.

A)consolidate hues and saturation
B)subtract background images
C)analyze patterns of lines
D)integrate gradients of light

Question 61

The difference between the images projected onto each eye is referred to as ____.

A)planar overlap
B)three-dimensional subtraction
C)binocular differential
D)retinal disparity

Question 62

What type of sound is particularly effective for many marine mammals because it allows sound to travel for very long distances in water?

A)Ultrasound
B)Infrasound
C)Parasound
D)Durasound

Question 63

Why does the moon appear to be much larger when it is just above the hills on the horizon than when it is straight overhead?

A)This is primarily due to the curve of the earth.
B)This is primarily due to the change in brightness.
C)This is primarily due to comparisons with the sizes of familiar objects.
D)This is primarily due to the refractory index.

Question 64

Why is the binocular depth system advantageous for predators?

A)It helps with the perception of continuity,even when an animal is well hidden.
B)It helps an animal stand out against its background,even when it is well camouflaged.
C)It helps colors appear more vibrant,even in very low light.
D)It helps with motion detection,even for the slightest of movements.

Question 65

Dr.Tanner is studying the effects of continuous pesticide exposure on auditory function.Using a rodent model,Dr.Tanner monitors the organ of Corti in rats with long-term pesticide exposure via two-photon microscopy.Based on his observations,he suspects that pesticides do indeed disrupt auditory function in the organ of Corti.What did Dr.Tanner observe?

A)Pesticide exposure caused the organ of Corti to fill with fluid,preventing the transmission of sound waves.
B)Pesticide exposure caused the eustacian tube to constrict,restricting the passage of sound waves.
C)Pesticide exposure caused the ossicles to fracture and fail to vibrate in response to sound waves.
D)Pesticide exposure caused damage to hair cells,preventing them from bending in response to sound.

Question 66

For his creative writing class,Dorian writes a short story about the adventures and perils of space travel.As he describes an epic space battle between two enemy ships,Dorian portrays the battle fought in an eerie silence.Why is Dorian correct that an otherwise noisy battle would produce no sound in space?

A)Sound waves cannot be generated in a vacuum.
B)Sound waves are too diffuse in the absence of gravity.
C)In the absence of matter,sounds waves travel in a multipath direction.
D)Sound waves are readily absorbed by gamma particles.

Question 67

When Genaya drops a plate in the kitchen,her roommate Kayla in the next room quickly turns her head toward the kitchen.What brain structure is responsible for Kayla reflexively turning her head toward the loud noise?

A)Primary auditory cortex
B)Secondary auditory cortex
C)Pons
D)Midbrain

Question 68

In the middle ear,the purpose of three tiny bones located in the middle ear is to ____.

A)buffer sound waves before entering the inner ear
B)decode the frequency and amplitude of sounds waves
C)transfer sound energy to the fluid of the inner ear
D)directly stimulate the auditory nerve

Question 69

According to the Müller-Lyer illusion,we tend to see lines with outward-pointing arrowheads as ____.

A)the focal point of an image
B)the secondary object of an image
C)being farther away from us
D)being closer to us

Question 70

Which structure of the ear contains the auditory receptors?

A)Cochlea
B)Tympanic membrane
C)Pinna
D)Auditory nerve

Question 71

Kathy,a neuroscience graduate student,is running the final experiments for her thesis,The Effects of Loud Noise on Auditory Perception.Kathy stimulates the auditory nerve of rodents exposed to loud noise and records the activity of neurons in the primary and secondary cortices.Through which brain pathway is sound input processed prior to arriving at the primary and secondary cortices?

A)Cerebellum-substantia nigra-amygdala
B)Striatum-hippocampus-hypothalamus
C)Pons-reticular formation-hippocampus
D)Medulla-midbrain-thalamus

Question 72

Tarik is designing a new race car video game.To create the illusion of depth,how should Tarik design the backdrop in relationship to the first person driver?

A)Show distant objects traveling in the opposite direction of the first person driver;show closer objects moving with the driver.
B)Show distant objects traveling with the first person driver;show closer objects moving in the opposite direction of the driver.
C)Show peripheral objects traveling with the first person driver;show central objects moving in the opposite direction of the driver.
D)Show central objects traveling with the first person driver;show peripheral objects moving in the opposite direction of the driver.

Question 73

The ability of an infant to use a binocular depth cue to use the relative size of objects to determine their distance first appears around _______ months of age.

A)1 to 3
B)4
C)5 to 7
D)10

Question 74

The best term to describe how the monocular depth cue of occlusion works would be ________.

A)continuity
B)parallel
C)overlapping
D)perpendicularity

Question 75

How do hair cells stimulate the auditory nerve?

A)Neurotransmitter release
B)Direct mechanical stimulation
C)Direct electrical stimulation
D)Stimulate muscle contractions

Question 76

Ruth is 78 years of age,and recently reported to her ophthalmologist that she has developed some changes in the way she sees colors.Which of the following age-related changes to the eye might best explain her experience?

A)The corneas in her eyes are changing in their thickness.
B)The lenses in her eyes are beginning to yellow.
C)The irises in her eyes are losing their elasticity.
D)The retinas of her eyes are losing photoreceptors.

Question 77

Before entering the auditory canal,sound waves are funneled into the outer ear via the ____.

A)cochlea
B)eustachian tube
C)oval window
D)pinna

Question 78

Ginger examines a painting of a stone path extending into the horizon of a field.Two sticks lie horizontally across the path: one in the beginning of the path and the other near the horizon.Each stick measures 10 centimeter in length,but the stick near the horizon appears much larger than the stick at the beginning of the path.Which illusion explains this phenomenon?

A)Roger Shepard parallelogram illusion
B)Munker illusion
C)Müller-Lyer illusion
D)Ponzo illusion

Question 79

What portion of the organ of Corti transduces sound energy into neural signals?

A)Ossicles
B)Hair cells
C)Flagella
D)Microvilli

Question 80

A high-amplitude,high-frequency sound wave is perceived as ____.

A)loud and high-pitched
B)loud and low-pitched
C)soft and high-pitched
D)soft and low-pitched