Question 1

When Rick learned that many students had received a failing grade on the midterm exam, he was no longer disappointed by his C grade. His experience best illustrates the importance of

Accepted Answer

Rick's perception of his grade changed when he learned about the context (other students' grades) which influenced his interpretation of his own grade. This demonstrates the impact of context effects on perception.

Question 2

Visual perceptions of objects often change when the objects are viewed in different surroundings. This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Context effects refer to how perceptions of an object can be influenced by the context or surroundings in which it is viewed. This can include factors such as lighting, background, and other visual cues. As such, this is the best choice to describe how visual perceptions can change based on the environment in which an object is viewed.

Question 3

A concept that helps us to interpret ambiguous sensations is called a

Accepted Answer

A schema is a cognitive framework or concept that helps us to organize and interpret information. Schemas can be based on past experiences or cultural norms and can help us to make sense of ambiguous or incomplete sensory information. Gestalt refers to the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and is a theory of how the brain organizes sensory information. Signal detection theory is a mathematical framework used to understand how we detect signals in the presence of noise. A masking stimulus is a sensory cue that interferes with the processing or perception of another sensory cue.

Question 4

Although Sue Yen sees her chemistry professor several times a week, she didn't recognize the professor when she saw her in the grocery store. This best illustrates the importance of

Accepted Answer

Context effects refer to how the context in which we perceive stimuli can influence our perception. In this case, Sue Yen was not in the context of a chemistry classroom, so she did not recognize her professor.

Question 5

Use your understanding of absolute thresholds, sensory adaptation, and pain control to argue that sensation is often influenced by our motives, expectations, and psychological states of mind.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Use your understanding of absolute thresholds, sensory...

Question 6

While listening to sad rather than happy music, people are more likely to perceive a spoken work as mourning rather than morning. This best illustrates that perception is influenced by

Accepted Answer

The fact that people are more likely to perceive "mourning" instead of "morning" while listening to sad music suggests that their perception is being influenced by their pre-existing cognitive schemas and expectations, which is an example of top-down processing.

Question 7

When researchers added a few drops of vinegar to a brand-name beer, the beer tasters disliked it only if they had been told they were drinking vinegar-laced beer. This best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

Perceptual set refers to a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another. In this case, the tasters were influenced by the expectation of drinking vinegar-laced beer, which affected their perception of the beer's taste. This demonstrates how perceptual set can influence our experiences and reactions to stimuli. Sensory adaptation refers to the diminishing sensitivity of our senses to constant or repetitive stimuli, opponent processes refer to the physiological processes responsible for color vision, and the McGurk effect involves a perceptual illusion that occurs when the auditory and visual components of speech contradict each other. None of these concepts are directly relevant to the given scenario.

Question 8

The tendency to perceive a moving light in the night sky as belonging to an airplane rather than a weather balloon best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

Perceptual set refers to a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another. In this case, our prior experiences and expectations of seeing more airplanes in the sky than weather balloons lead us to perceive the moving light as belonging to an airplane.

Question 9

If rewards were linked to seeing an old woman rather than a young woman's profile, viewers would tend to perceive an old woman after exposure to an ambiguous drawing. This illustrates the impact of ________ on perception.

Accepted Answer

The scenario describes how rewards can influence a person's perception. This is an example of motivation impacting perception. Option A (subliminal stimulation) refers to stimuli too weak to be detected consciously. Option B (sensory adaptation) refers to the process by which our sensitivity to a stimulus decreases over time. Option C (critical periods) refers to specific times during development where certain skills must be learned.

Question 10

The horizon Moon appears to shrink in size if it is viewed through a narrow tube that eliminates the perception of distance cues. This best illustrates the importance of

Accepted Answer

The horizon Moon illusion is influenced by context effects, where the perceived size of the Moon is affected by surrounding visual cues. Removing these cues with a narrow tube reduces the illusion, highlighting the role of context in perception.

Question 11

The influence of schemas on our interpretations of ambiguous sensations best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Schemas are mental constructs that influence how we interpret information. Top-down processing, or using existing knowledge and expectations to interpret incoming sensory information, is heavily influenced by schemas. This can lead to the creation of interpretations or assumptions that may not be entirely accurate or objective.

Question 12

After hearing rumors about the outbreak of an infectious disease, Alyosha began to perceive his normal aches and pains as disease-related symptoms. His reaction best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

Alyosha's belief about the outbreak of a disease likely created a perceptual set, which is a mental predisposition to perceive something in a certain way. In this case, Alyosha's perceptual set led him to interpret his normal aches and pains as symptoms related to the rumored disease.

Question 13

To those throwing a very heavy rather than a light object at a target, the target is likely to be perceived as

Accepted Answer

The answer of To those throwing a very heavy rather...

Question 14

Stereotypes are mental conceptions that can strongly influence the way we interpret the behaviors of individuals belonging to specific racial or ethnic groups. A stereotype is most similar to a

Accepted Answer

A perceptual set is a mental predisposition to perceive something in a certain way. Stereotypes are a type of perceptual set that influences our interpretation of behaviors based on group membership. Therefore, a stereotype is most similar to a perceptual set. Signal detection theory and difference threshold are related to sensory processing, while perceptual adaptation refers to adjusting to changes in sensory input over time.

Quiz 17: Basic Principles of Sensation and Perception