Deck 3: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

The information-carrying signal travels from the receptor cells along a sensory pathway by way of the ________________ to specialized sensory processing areas in the brain.

A) thalamus
B) amygdala
C) hypothalamus
D) hippocampus
E) corpus callosum

Answer 1

thalamus

Question 2

Cells that are triggered by light, vibrations, sounds, touch, or chemical substances are called

A) ganglion cells.
B) bipolar cells.
C) ossicles.
D) sensory receptors.
E) amacrine cells.

Answer 2

sensory receptors.

Question 3

If you are able to taste one teaspoon of salt in a bucketful of hot buttered popcorn, this amount is above your

A) difference threshold.
B) equilibrium.
C) vestibular sense.
D) olfaction.
E) absolute threshold.

Answer 3

absolute threshold.

Question 4

The process of ________ is responsible for the conversion of physical energy to neural impulses.

A) transduction
B) plasticity
C) absolute threshold
D) psychophysics
E) adaptation

Question 5

The ________ refers to the smallest amount of physical energy needed to produce a sensory experience.

A) difference threshold
B) signal detection
C) absolute threshold
D) equilibrium constant
E) transduction threshold

Question 6

________ refers to our initial experience of a stimulus.

A) Transduction
B) Perception
C) Photoreception
D) Sensation
E) Olfaction

Question 7

Seeing a face is to sensation as recognizing a friend's face is to

A) kinesthesia.
B) olfaction.
C) transduction.
D) sensation.
E) perception.

Question 8

Jonathan I. developed ________ after sustaining brain injury.

A) loss of hearing
B) cerebral achromatopsia
C) an inability to write words
D) a change in personality
E) phantom pains

Question 9

A sensory ________ is a specialized neuron that detects sensory energy in the outside world.

A) neurite
B) axon
C) glial cell
D) receptor
E) effector

Question 10

The point at which a person can detect a stimulus 50 percent of the time it is presented is called the

A) absolute threshold.
B) range threshold.
C) difference threshold.
D) noticeable threshold.
E) signal-to-noise threshold.

Question 11

Neurons cannot

A) convert an external stimulus into a nerve impulse.
B) carry information to the cerebral cortex.
C) transmit light or sound waves or any other external stimulus.
D) transform stimuli into diverse sensations.
E) code sensory information.

Question 12

Sensation is to perception as ________ is to ________.

A) stimulation; recognition
B) awareness; interpretation
C) interpretation; awareness
D) organization; interpretation
E) awareness; transduction

Question 13

When Ann went to her doctor, he gave her a hearing test. During the test, the doctor presented tones to Ann through earphones. The tones started at a low intensity and then became louder. The doctor asked Ann to raise her hand whenever she started to hear a sound. The doctor was testing Ann's

A) auditory convergence.
B) absolute threshold.
C) refractory threshold.
D) difference threshold.
E) Weber threshold.

Question 14

Your roommate can hear a hum from the air conditioner that you are unable to hear. This difference reflects the operation of

A) difference thresholds.
B) equilibrium.
C) vestibular activity.
D) cortical processing.
E) absolute thresholds.

Question 15

Which of the following was NOT an adaptation that Jonathan I. was able to make following his unique visual loss?

A) He became a night person.
B) He reinterpreted his loss as a gift.
C) He began painting in black and white.
D) He used more vivid colors in his paintings.
E) He began sculpting.

Question 16

Nerve impulses that carry information travel along ________ to specialized processing areas in the brain.

A) vestibular canals
B) nerve endings
C) sensory pathways
D) olfactory epithelium
E) photoreceptors

Question 17

Through the process of ________, we are able to interpret incoming sensory patterns.

A) sensation
B) kinesthesis
C) transduction
D) gustation
E) perception

Question 18

Activation of receptors by external stimuli is called

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

Question 19

The lowest stimulus intensity required for detection is the ______ and the smallest noticeable difference between a standard stimulus intensity and another stimulus value is the ______.

A) absolute threshold; just noticeable difference
B) base value; just noticeable difference (jnd)
C) response criterion; sensory constant
D) difference threshold; absolute threshold
E) sensory detector; Weberian threshold

Question 20

The perceptual threshold for vision is defined as the ability to detect ________ located _________ on a clear night.

A) a candle flame; 1 mile away
B) car headlight; 1 mile away
C) an emergency flare; 30 miles away
D) a candle flame; 30 miles away
E) a camp fire; 8 miles away

Question 21

The difference threshold is defined as the degree of change in a stimulus level that is required in order for a person to detect a change __________ of the time.

A) 25 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 75 percent
D) 90 percent
E) 100 percent

Question 22

The term just noticeable difference is synonymous with

A) separation threshold.
B) response threshold.
C) difference threshold.
D) absolute threshold.
E) Weber's law.

Question 23

The average threshold for human hearing is the tick of a watch from ______ under very quiet conditions.

A) 20 feet
B) 60 feet
C) 40 feet
D) 80 feet
E) 100 feet

Question 24

Which of the following examples best illustrates the principle of sensory adaptation?

A) the shock felt by a swimmer who jumps into a pool of ice cold water
B) your awareness of the weight of your backpack when you first pick it up
C) the irritation felt when your roommate turns on your bedroom light at 3
D) your eventual failure to notice the background music at a restaurant
E) A and B are

Question 25

Suppose Maria is painting while the sun is setting; once she notices that the room is getting darker, she decides to call it quits for the day. This example illustrates the role of

A) threshold.
B) a just noticeable difference.
C) absolute threshold.
D) bias.
E) attention.

Question 26

The principle that the just noticeable difference of any given sense is proportional to the stimulus being judged is called

A) the opponent-process principle
B) the doctrine of specific nerve energies
C) the phi phenomenon
D) Weber's law
E) Gestalt's law

Question 27

Each retina of the eye has about ______ million rods.

A) 1
B) 25
C) 75
D) 125
E) 250

Question 28

________ suggests that we are more likely to notice when a newborn gains five pounds than when a sumo wrestler gains five pounds.

A) Subliminal perception
B) Transduction theory
C) Sensory adaptation
D) Weber's law
E) Kinesthesia

Question 29

The ________ approach to sensory thresholds explains how we detect signals consisting of stimulation affecting our eyes, ears, nose, skin, and other sense organs.

A) classical psychophysics
B) signal detection theory
C) evolutionary
D) cognitive neuroscience
E) somatosensory

Question 30

Signal detection theory suggests that differences in absolute thresholds between different people reflect

A) signal strength.
B) sensory processes.
C) human judgment.
D) absolute thresholds.
E) sensory adaptation.

Question 31

Which component of the eye contains the visual receptors?

A) sclera
B) retina
C) cornea
D) anterior chamber
E) macula

Question 32

Visual transduction occurs within the

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

Question 33

The most complex and highly developed sense for humans is

A) hearing.
B) sight.
C) pain.
D) touch.
E) taste.

Question 34

________ refers to the loss of responsiveness in receptor cells due to constant stimulation.

A) Absolute threshold
B) Sensory adaptation
C) Signal detection
D) Weber's law
E) Equilibrium

Question 35

A(n) ________ refers to the smallest change in physical energy between two stimuli that is recognized as different.

A) difference threshold
B) absolute threshold
C) signal detection
D) sensorimotor threshold
E) supraliminal threshold

Question 36

The eye is uniquely able to extract information about the world from

A) sound waves.
B) objects touching the skin.
C) actual objects.
D) temperature changes.
E) light waves.

Question 37

The fact that the great smell of baked goods is more powerful when you first enter a bakery than when you have been there for awhile is because of

A) sensory adaption.
B) the just noticeable difference.
C) Weber's law.
D) closure.
E) subliminal messaging.

Question 38

Weber's law states that the higher the intensity of the stimulus, the ________ it will have to be ________ to result in a noticeable difference in sensory experience.

A) more; changed
B) less; reduced
C) less; increased
D) faster; reduced
E) faster; removed

Question 39

Weber's law states that ________ are a function of the initial stimulus intensity.

A) absolute thresholds
B) signal detection
C) just noticeable differences
D) false alarms
E) sensorimotor thresholds

Question 40

Another name for the ________ is the just noticeable difference.

A) just say when effect
B) statoacoustic effect
C) difference threshold
D) signal detection error rate
E) absolute threshold

Question 41

Bundles of axons from ganglion cells make up the

A) fovea.
B) optic nerve.
C) optic schism.
D) rods and cones.
E) pupil.

Question 42

The place in the retina where the axons of all the ganglion cells come together to leave the eye is called the

A) fovea.
B) blind spot.
C) optic chiasm.
D) optic nerve.
E) optic vitreous.

Question 43

Which of the following is true of rods?

A) They respond to color.
B) They are found mainly in the fovea.
C) They operate mainly in the daytime.
D) They are responsible for night vision.
E) They combine to make up the iris.

Question 44

Which of the following properties of sound would be the most similar to the color, or hue, of light?

A) pitch
B) loudness
C) timbre purity
D) hue
E) "it signals the hypothalamus to commence with eating behaviors."

Question 45

The wavelength of the light reaching your eyes determines in part what ______ you see.

A) brightness
B) saturation
C) hue
D) fine detail
E) gross detail

Question 46

What color would you report seeing if a researcher projects the longest wavelength in the visible spectrum onto a screen?

A) red
B) blue
C) yellow
D) violet
E) white

Question 47

The longest wavelengths we can see are experienced as ______ colors.

A) red
B) blue-violet
C) green
D) yellow
E) orange

Question 48

It is difficult to distinguish between colors at night because

A) we are seeing primarily with the cones.
B) rods do not adapt to the dark.
C) we are seeing primarily with the rods.
D) we are used to seeing mostly with the fovea.
E) visual accommodation cannot occur in the dark.

Question 49

Which of the following is true about cones?

A) They are responsible for black and white vision.
B) They are found mainly in the center of the eye.
C) They operate mainly at night.
D) They respond only to black and white.
E) They combine to make up the cornea.

Question 50

Which of the following properties of sound is the most similar to the brightness of light?

A) pitch
B) volume
C) purity
D) timbre
E) timbre.

Question 51

We are able to perceive color and fine detail when a visual scene stimulates ________ within the ________.

A) rods; retina
B) cones; fovea
C) photoreceptors; lens
D) ganglion cells; iris
E) bipolar cells; cornea

Question 52

The brain senses ________ by the level of neural activity produced in the retina and passed along the neural pathways.

A) movement
B) afterimages
C) brightness
D) color
E) distance

Question 53

Which of the following lists the correct order in which light activates the visual cells of the retina?

A) rod and cone cells; bipolar cells; ganglion cells
B) ganglion cells; bipolar cells; photoreceptors
C) bipolar cells; ganglion cells; rod and cone cells
D) ganglion cells; rod and cone cells; photoreceptors
E) glial cells; cones; ganglion cells; bipolar cells

Question 54

The visible spectrum refers to the

A) portion of the whole spectrum of light that is visible to the human eye.
B) effect of intensity on how we see dark to grey to white.
C) effect of the sound density on the perceptions of those with synesthesia.
D) well-known fact that colors are less visible to some men's eyes.
E) radiation waves that fall between 20 and 20,000 hz.

Question 55

Receptor cells in the retina responsible for color vision and sharp vision are

A) bipolar cells.
B) ganglion cells.
C) rods.
D) cones.
E) amacrine cells.

Question 56

The sky appears to be blue because it reflects ________ wavelengths of light.

A) subliminal
B) short
C) medium
D) long
E) intense

Question 57

A psychological sensation caused by the intensity of light waves is called

A) shape.
B) energy level and wavelength.
C) brightness.
D) frequency.
E) timbre.

Question 58

The aspect of color that corresponds to names such as red, green, and blue is

A) brightness
B) saturation
C) hue
D) fine detail
E) timbre

Question 59

Rods are photoreceptors that would allow us to perceive

A) a bagful of jelly beans.
B) a glass of grape Kool-Aid.
C) the rainbow.
D) the stars at night.
E) a small multi-colored butterfly.

Question 60

The blind spot refers to the region of the eye at where the ________ exits the eye.

A) blood vessels
B) cones
C) optic nerve
D) retina
E) bipolar cells

Question 61

Joachim and Maricella are going for a romantic walk in the park after an afternoon storm. Maricella looks up in the sky and sees a rainbow. She exclaims, "How beautiful!" Joachim, being something of a science buff, might correctly say

A) "You are just seeing the visible spectrum."
B) "That's because you are seeing all the wavelengths of light we can see from short to long."
C) "That's because different wavelengths lead to the perception of different colors."
D) "That's because the visible spectrum ranges from red to violet wavelengths of light."
E) All of these things would be

Question 62

According to the opponent-process theory, if you stare at a red star for awhile (e.g., 60 seconds) and then look at a plain sheet of white paper you will see an afterimage of the star in which hue?

A) yellow
B) blue
C) green
D) red
E) purple

Question 63

A person who cannot distinguish pale colors such as pink and tan would be said to have a(n)

A) color weakness.
B) negative color attitude.
C) optic chiasma.
D) color complement disorder.
E) electromagnetic apperception.

Question 64

In terms of sound waves, frequency refers to the

A) peak-to-valley height of the wave.
B) number of vibrations the wave completes in a given time.
C) physical strength of the wave as determined by the listener.
D) relative complexity of the waveform.
E) loudness of the sound.

Question 65

The trichromatic and opponent?process theories of color vision are not in conflict because each corresponds to

A) a different portion of the spectrum.
B) the opposite half of perceivable colors.
C) one type of color blindness.
D) a different stage of visual processing.
E) a different area of the eye.

Question 66

A sound wave generated in outer space will travel at the rate of

A) 100 feet per second.
B) 3000 feet per second.
C) 3000 feet per minute.
D) 0 feet per second as sound waves can't be formed in outer space.
E) 1000 feet per minute.

Question 67

Which of the following is a characteristic of both light waves and sound waves?

A) hue
B) decibels
C) amplitude
D) wavelength
E) timbre

Question 68

Pitch is to frequency as

A) frequency is to amplitude.
B) high is to low.
C) loudness is to amplitude.
D) peak is to wave.
E) timbre is to saturation.

Question 69

According to the opponent-process theory of color vision, the correct pairings of opposite colors are

A) red versus green and blue versus yellow.
B) black versus gray and white versus colored.
C) blue versus red and green versus yellow.
D) blue versus green and red versus yellow.
E) grey versus black and green versus blue.

Question 70

John Russell has color blindness. He is most likely to have difficulty doing which of the following?

A) distinguishing red from blue
B) distinguishing red from green
C) distinguishing blue from yellow
D) distinguishing red from yellow
E) distinguishing light from dark

Question 71

The cochlea is where

A) fluid waves are converted to airwaves.
B) the initial sound energy is received.
C) the auditory cortex intersects the outer ear.
D) the hammer, anvil, and stirrup can be found.
E) airwaves are converted to fluid waves.

Question 72

The hammer, anvil, and stirrup transmit sound waves from the ________ to the ________.

A) middle ear; cochlea
B) outer ear; cochlea
C) retina; frontal cortex
D) cochlea; auditory cortex
E) retina; basilar membrane

Question 73

Humans can typically discriminate amongst how many different hues?

A) 5000
B) 5 million
C) 500,000
D) 50,000
E) 50 million

Question 74

A person who has the most common form of color blindness will probably have the hardest time distinguishing between

A) red and green.
B) yellow and blue.
C) tan and pink.
D) yellow and red.
E) orange and red.

Question 75

Snapping your fingers causes the surrounding air to

A) move in circles.
B) lose heat.
C) vibrate.
D) gain moisture.
E) implode.

Question 76

One of your mother's siblings is always known for putting together awful-looking colors when getting dressed. Who is this person more likely to be?

A) your aunt because women have more problems with color vision
B) your uncle because men have more problems with color vision
C) You can't tell as men and women have an equal chance of having problems with color vision.
D) You would only be able to know if you had information about the color vision of your niece or nephew.
E) Humans rarely have problems with color vision, so this wouldn't happen.

Question 77

The eardrum is also called the

A) bass fiddler membrane.
B) oval window.
C) tympanic membrane.
D) cochlea.
E) Corti membrane.

Question 78

The idea that the eye contains separate receptors for red, green, and blue is known as the ______ theory.

A) opponent-process
B) additive color mixing
C) trichromatic
D) reductive color mixing
E) Gestalt

Question 79

The sound that is produced when you strike a tuning fork has the physical properties of

A) timbre and pitch.
B) frequency and amplitude.
C) tempo and timbre.
D) loudness and speed.
E) key and intensity.

Question 80

If you stare for 30 seconds at a red object and then look at a blank sheet of white paper, you will see a greenish image of the object. This phenomenon BEST supports the ______ theory of color vision.

A) Grieco trichromatic
B) opponent-process
C) Helmholtz trichromatic
D) Hering's vibration
E) Ponzo's