Question 1

The trichromatic theory applies to the level of processing that occurs in the:

Accepted Answer

The trichromatic theory, also known as the Young-Helmholtz theory, proposes that there are three types of cones in the retina that are responsible for color vision. These cones are sensitive to either short (blue), medium (green), or long (red) wavelengths of light. Therefore, the trichromatic theory applies to the level of processing that occurs in the retina.

Question 2

Neural tissue lining the back of the eyeball's interior is called the _______________.

Accepted Answer

The neural tissue that lines the back of the eyeball's interior and contains the photoreceptor cells responsible for detecting light and creating visual signals is called the retina. The pupil is the black circular opening in the center of the iris that allows light to enter the eye. The iris is the colored part of the eye that surrounds the pupil and controls the amount of light entering the eye. The cornea is the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye and helps to focus light.

Question 3

The information from rods and cones is communicated to ganglion cells by:

Accepted Answer

Rods and cones communicate their information to bipolar cells, which in turn communicate to ganglion cells. This is the main pathway of information flow in the retina. Feature-detector cells and opponent-process cells are more related to processing of visual information beyond the retina, while optic disks are structures within the retina that are involved in the distribution of blood vessels and nerve fibers.

Question 4

Ganglion cells and neurons in the _______________ respond to simple features of the environment, such as spots of light and dark.

Accepted Answer

Ganglion cells and neurons in the thalamus respond to simple features of the environment, such as spots of light and dark. The thalamus acts as a relay station for sensory information, including visual, on its way to the cortex.

Question 5

Researchers who have studied color blindness and color deficiency have found that:

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that total color blindness in humans is usually caused by dysfunctional or absent cones in the retina.

Question 6

_______________ psychologists studied how people organize the world visually into meaningful units and patterns.

Accepted Answer

Gestalt psychologists studied the way in which humans perceive and organize visual information into meaningful units or wholes, rather than perceiving individual elements separately. They believed that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and emphasized the importance of context and organization in perception.

Question 7

The Gestalt psychologists were especially interested in research about _______________.

Accepted Answer

The Gestalt psychologists were primarily interested in studying form perception, which refers to how people organize visual stimuli into coherent and meaningful objects or patterns. They believed that perception was largely holistic and that people tend to perceive overall patterns rather than individual parts. Therefore, their research often focused on how people group and organize visual elements to create meaningful objects and patterns. While they did study other aspects of perception such as color and distance perception, form perception was the primary focus of Gestalt psychology.

Question 8

When the lens of the eye focuses light on the retina, the result is a(n):

Accepted Answer

When the lens of the eye focuses light on the retina, the image formed is actually flipped upside down due to the way the light bends as it passes through the lens. The brain then interprets the upside-down image and corrects it, so we see the world right-side up.

Question 9

Neurons in the retina of the eye that gather information from receptor cells are called _______________.

Accepted Answer

Ganglion cells are found in the retina of the eye and they receive information from receptor cells, such as rods and cones, and transmit that information to the brain via the optic nerve. Optic disks are the locations where the optic nerve fibers exit the eye, while rods and cones are the types of receptor cells in the retina that respond to light.

Question 10

The opponent-process theory of color vision describes:

Accepted Answer

The opponent-process theory of color vision explains how ganglion cells in the retina code color information by responding to pairs of primary colors (red-green, blue-yellow) in an antagonistic manner.

Question 11

Hubel and Wiesel identified neurons in the visual cortex that responded to lines at a particular orientation. These cells are called _______________.

Accepted Answer

Hubel and Wiesel's neurons are known as feature detectors because they respond to specific features of visual stimuli, such as lines at a particular orientation. While they may also be called Hubel-Wiesel cells, this is not a commonly used term. Similarly, while they do respond to patterns, they are not typically referred to as pattern-sensitive neurons, and line cells is too generic a term to adequately describe their function.

Question 12

Research on rods and cones has revealed that:

Accepted Answer

Rods and cones are two types of photoreceptor cells in the retina of the eye. There are approximately 120 to 125 million rods, which are more sensitive to light and thus enable vision in low light conditions, and about 7 to 8 million cones, which are responsible for color vision and function best in bright light. The other options contain inaccuracies regarding the distribution and functions of rods and cones.

Question 13

The visual receptors are located in the _______________, which is located in the back of the eye.

Accepted Answer

The visual receptors, also known as rods and cones, are located in the retina, which is located in the back of the eye. The pupil controls the amount of light that enters the eye, the iris controls the size of the pupil, and the cornea is the clear outer layer of the eye that helps to focus incoming light.

Question 14

The optic nerve is formed by:

Accepted Answer

The optic nerve is formed by the axons of ganglion cells, which transmit visual information from the retina to the brain.

Question 15

The trichromatic theory explains:

Accepted Answer

The trichromatic theory, also known as the Young-Helmholtz theory, explains the first level of color processing, which occurs in the retina. This theory suggests that there are three types of cones in the retina that are each sensitive to different wavelengths of light and work together to produce the perception of color.

Question 16

The trichromatic theory states that:

Accepted Answer

The trichromatic theory states that there are three types of cones in the retina, each sensitive to a particular range of wavelengths. This theory suggests that all colors perceived by humans can be created by combining the neural signals from these three types of cones.

Question 17

Hubel and Wiesel discovered feature detector cells in the visual cortex that respond selectively to:

Accepted Answer

Hubel and Wiesel discovered feature detector cells in the visual cortex that respond selectively to lines at different orientations.

Question 18

Although she is normally not aware of its existence, Ingrid discovers that she has a blind spot in her vision by closing one eye and focusing on a fixed point. What explains why Ingrid has this blind spot in her vision?

Accepted Answer

No photoreceptors are located where the optic nerve leaves the eye, resulting in a blind spot in the visual field.

Question 19

The most common form of color blindness is:

Accepted Answer

Red-green color blindness is the most common form of color blindness, affecting approximately 8% of males and 0.5% of females with Northern European ancestry. This type of color blindness is caused by a genetic mutation that affects the photopigments in the red and green cones of the retina. As a result, individuals with red-green color blindness have difficulty distinguishing between red and green hues.

Question 20

The process by which rods and cones become more sensitive to light in response to lowered levels of illumination is called:

Accepted Answer

The process of becoming more sensitive to light in response to lowered levels of illumination is called dark adaptation. This allows the rods and cones in our eyes to adjust to the lower light conditions and perceive details more clearly.

Quiz 6: Sensation and Perception