Question 1

The absolute sensory threshold for audition refers to the softest sound any human has ever accurately detected.

Accepted Answer

The absolute sensory threshold for audition refers to the softest sound that an average human can detect 50% of the time under ideal listening conditions, not the softest sound any human has ever accurately detected.

Question 2

Because there are no receptor cells where the optic nerve leaves the retina,all people have a blind spot.

Accepted Answer

This is true, as the optic nerve leaves the retina at a point called the optic disc, which contains no photoreceptor cells.

Question 3

The cones are adapted for color vision,daytime vision,and detailed vision.

Accepted Answer

Cones are specialized photoreceptor cells in the retina of the eye that are responsible for color vision, daytime vision, and detailed vision. Therefore, the statement is true.

Question 4

After decades of research,psychologists now accept the opponent process theory as the correct theory of color vision and reject the trichromatic and retinex theories as incorrect.

Accepted Answer

This statement is not entirely accurate. While opponent process theory is widely accepted as an important component of color vision, it is not necessarily seen as a complete replacement for the trichromatic theory. Many researchers recognize the importance of both theories in understanding color perception, and the retinex theory has not been definitively proven or disproven.

Question 5

Although no human has ever traveled to other galaxies,based on our knowledge of color vision,psychologists predict that the universe is filled with new colors that are very different than the colors we happen to see on earth.

Accepted Answer

While our knowledge of color vision may help us better understand the colors we see in the universe, there is no evidence to suggest that there are colors that are completely different than what we perceive on Earth.

Question 6

Sensation is the conversion of energy from the environment into a pattern of response by the nervous system.

Accepted Answer

This is the definition of sensation, as it involves the process of transduction where sensory receptors convert physical stimuli such as light, sound, or touch into electrochemical signals that can be interpreted by the brain.

Question 7

The auditory system responds differently to sounds that are low-frequency compared to sounds that are high-frequency.

Accepted Answer

The auditory system is designed to be sensitive to a wide range of frequencies, but different parts of the inner ear respond better to different frequency ranges. For example, the part of the cochlea closest to the oval window is most sensitive to high-frequency sounds, while the part farthest from it is most sensitive to low-frequency sounds. Additionally, the brain processes low-frequency sounds differently than high-frequency sounds.

Question 8

According to the retinex theory,we perceive color when the cerebral cortex compares various retinal patterns.

Accepted Answer

The retinex theory proposes that color perception occurs when the cerebral cortex compares information from different areas of the retina, allowing for the processing of color constancy and the perception of objects with consistent color despite changes in lighting conditions.

Question 9

In signal detection terms,reporting that a stimulus is present,when in fact the stimulus was not present,is known as a "false alarm."

Accepted Answer

In signal detection terms, reporting a stimulus as present when it was not is indeed known as a "false alarm."

Question 10

Proximity is the tendency to perceive objects that are close together as belonging to a group.

Accepted Answer

Proximity is one of the Gestalt principles of perception which states that objects that are close together are perceived as belonging to a group.

Question 11

Researchers have now established that there are seven primary qualities of odor,and there are seven corresponding types of olfactory receptors.

Accepted Answer

While researchers have identified hundreds of different types of olfactory receptors, there is not a one-to-one correspondence between receptor types and specific odor qualities. The relationship between a given odorant and the receptors it activates is more complex and varies depending on the context in which the odor is experienced.

Question 12

Men are more likely to suffer color vision deficiency than are women.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that approximately 8% of men and 0.5% of women have color vision deficiency. This is because the genes responsible for color vision are located on the X chromosome, and men only have one X chromosome while women have two. If a man inherits a faulty gene for color vision from his mother, he will have color vision deficiency, while a woman would need to inherit two faulty genes (one from each parent) to have this condition.

Question 13

Vision is possible because a form of energy comes out of our eyes.

Accepted Answer

Vision is possible because our eyes detect light that is either emitted by or reflected off objects, not because energy comes out of our eyes.

Question 14

Because cones are located in the fovea,we cannot detect color in our extreme peripheral vision.

Accepted Answer

The fovea contains a high concentration of cones, which are responsible for color vision, while the peripheral vision mainly relies on rods, which are more sensitive to light but cannot distinguish color. Therefore, we cannot detect color in our extreme peripheral vision where cones are not present.

Question 15

Imagine that a song has the phrase "buy me" recorded as a backward message.According to the research on subliminal perception,this message is likely to increase music sales for this particular song.

Accepted Answer

The research on subliminal perception is controversial and inconclusive. Some studies suggest that subliminal messages may influence behavior, while others have found no significant effect. In any case, backward messages in music have not been shown to reliably increase sales or have any significant impact on consumer behavior.

Question 16

According to the Gestalt psychologists,visual perception is an active process,not just the summing of all the smaller pieces.

Accepted Answer

Gestalt psychologists believed that visual perception is not simply the passive accumulation of sensory input, but rather an active process that involves the brain organizing and interpreting visual information in a holistic and meaningful way. This concept is known as the Gestalt principles of perception.

Question 17

The "pain" of feeling rejected is processed in the anterior cingulate cortex,the same brain area that responds to the emotional aspect of the cutaneous sensation of pain.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that the anterior cingulate cortex is activated both by physical pain and the social pain of rejection. This suggests that the brain processes social rejection as if it were a painful physical sensation.

Question 18

Humans have an approximately equal number of rods and cones.

Accepted Answer

Humans have approximately 120 million rods and 6 million cones in each eye, which means there are roughly 20 times more rods than cones.

Question 19

Sound waves with greater amplitude are perceived as having a higher pitch than sound waves with lower amplitude.

Accepted Answer

The amplitude of a sound wave corresponds to its volume (or loudness), not its pitch. Pitch is determined by the frequency of the sound wave.

Question 20

Our perception of human faces can be explained entirely in terms of the activity of neurons known as feature detectors.

Accepted Answer

While feature detectors do play a role in facial recognition, our perception of human faces is a complex process that involves multiple areas of the brain, including the fusiform gyrus and the amygdala. It also involves recognizing the configuration and arrangement of facial features, as well as emotional cues conveyed by facial expressions.

Quiz 4: Sensation and Perception