Question 1

Which Gestalt principle causes you to group the "h" at the end of the first word in this sentence with the first word rather than seeing it as part of the second word?

Accepted Answer

The principle of proximity causes us to group visual elements that are close to each other. In this sentence, the "h" is physically closer to the first word than the second word, which makes us group it with the first word rather than seeing it as part of the second word.

Question 2

Loosely translated,"Gestalt" means

Accepted Answer

"Gestalt" is a German word that loosely translates to "overall pattern" or "configuration". It refers to the concept that our perception of things isn't just based on their individual parts, but also on how those parts fit together to form a larger, cohesive whole. This idea is commonly applied in psychology and design.

Question 3

People stare at a pattern of narrow black-and-white lines for a minute and then look at some wider lines.The second set of lines appears even wider than usual to them.Why?

Accepted Answer

Staring at the narrow black-and-white lines fatigues the brain's feature detectors that are specific to processing the width of lines. When viewers then look at wider lines, the fatigued detectors respond less strongly, making the wider lines appear even wider than they are.

Question 4

A feature detector is a kind of

Accepted Answer

A feature detector is a type of neuron that is specialized in detecting certain features or patterns in sensory input, such as edges or lines in vision or frequencies in sound. They play a crucial role in early sensory processing in the brain.

Question 5

One reversible figure can be seen either as a vase or as two profiles looking toward each other.This example illustrates the Gestalt principle of

Accepted Answer

The principle of figure and ground explains how we can perceive an image in two different ways by distinguishing between the figure (object of focus) and the ground (background). In the vase/profiles illusion, we can either see a vase (figure) against a background, or two profiles (figures) facing each other with the vase becoming the background.

Question 6

A neuron in the visual cortex becomes excited whenever light of a particular shape (such as a line)falls on a particular part of the retina.That neuron is said to be a

Accepted Answer

The description given describes a feature detector neuron, which is specialized to respond to specific features or stimuli. Option A is incorrect because visual constancy refers to the ability to perceive a stable, unchanging perception of an object despite changes in the visual input. Option C refers to a type of cell in the retina, which transmits visual information to the brain. Option D refers to a structure in the inner ear involved in hearing.

Question 7

What is a feature detector in the visual system?

Accepted Answer

A feature detector is a type of neuron in the visual system that responds selectively to specific features of a visual stimulus, such as orientation, color, movement, or shape. When a particular feature is present in the visual field, the corresponding feature detector neuron will increase its activity and send a signal to higher visual areas in the brain. These feature detectors are thought to be the building blocks of visual perception and are responsible for detecting and processing basic visual features before combining them into more complex visual representations.

Question 8

Which of the following experiments attempts to demonstrate the presence of feature detectors in the visual cortex of the human brain?

Accepted Answer

The experiment described in choice B is the classical demonstration of feature detectors in the visual cortex. It is known as the "orientation tuning" experiment where participants stare at bars of one width (the "preferred orientation") for a minute, causing neurons in the visual cortex to adapt and become less responsive to that stimulus. Subsequently, when presented with bars of different orientations, participants have difficulty detecting them, indicating that specific neurons in the visual cortex respond selectively to particular features such as orientation. The other experiments described in choices A, C, and D do not test for the presence of feature detectors in the visual cortex.

Question 9

After you stare at a pattern of narrow lines long enough to fatigue certain feature detectors,you now stare at slightly wider lines.How will your perception of those lines differ from your usual perception of them?

Accepted Answer

Fatiguing the feature detectors for narrow lines causes an aftereffect where wider lines appear even wider than they actually are. This is known as the width-contrast illusion.

Question 10

Gestalt psychologists specialized in studying

Accepted Answer

Gestalt psychologists focused on studying how we perceive a complex pattern as a whole, rather than just the individual parts. They believed that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and therefore focused on studying how we experience and perceive things holistically.

Question 11

According to the "feature detector" approach to vision,your ability to see a line (or any other pattern)depends on a particular kind of

Accepted Answer

The "feature detector" approach to vision suggests that particular neurons, known as feature detectors, are responsible for detecting certain features of visual stimuli, such as lines, edges, and angles. Therefore, the ability to see a line or any other pattern depends on the activation of these specific neurons. Choices A, B, and D do not relate to the "feature detector" approach to vision.

Question 12

A feature detector in the visual cortex is most likely to answer which of these questions?

Accepted Answer

A feature detector in the visual cortex is responsible for detecting specific features of an image, such as straight lines or edges. Therefore, it would be most likely to answer whether the center of the retina is looking at a straight horizontal line.

Question 13

Many psychologists believe that the brain has a special module devoted specifically to face recognition because

Accepted Answer

Brain damage can impair the recognition of faces even though recognition of other objects is unimpaired. This suggests that there is a specialized module in the brain dedicated to face recognition that can be selectively impaired. The other options are not accurate – while there is a map of the face on the cortex, this does not necessarily mean there is a specialized module for face recognition. The brain does not store every face we have ever seen, as this would be impossible given the brain's limited capacity. And while humans are particularly adept at recognizing faces, other animals such as monkeys have also been shown to have specialized face recognition abilities.

Question 14

The slogan of Gestalt psychology is

Accepted Answer

The answer of The slogan of Gestalt psychology is
...

Question 15

Gestalt psychology emphasizes the way our perception depends on

Accepted Answer

Gestalt psychology focuses on how we perceive patterns and configurations rather than just individual features. It emphasizes that our perception is more than just the sum of its parts and that we organize sensory information into meaningful wholes. Therefore, the correct answer is D - patterns and configurations.

Question 16

What group of psychologists are most closely associated with the slogan "The whole is different from the sum of its parts"?

Accepted Answer

The slogan "The whole is different from the sum of its parts" is a central idea in Gestalt psychology. Gestalt psychologists emphasized the importance of looking at the organization of stimuli and how they create a unified whole perception, rather than breaking things down into individual parts and analyzing them separately.

Question 17

Experimenters Hubel and Wiesel found that cells in the visual cortex of monkeys respond vigorously only when light falls on their retina in a particular shape and in a particular location.Therefore those cells act as

Accepted Answer

Hubel and Wiesel's discovery of cells in the visual cortex of monkeys responding to specific patterns and locations of light is evidence of feature detection, where certain cells respond to specific features or characteristics of stimuli. This phenomenon cannot be explained by photopigments, opponent processes, or ganglion cells.

Question 18

Which of the following is one of the Gestalt principles of perception?

Accepted Answer

Proximity is a Gestalt principle of perception that suggests that elements that are close to one another tend to be grouped together. This principle helps us organize complex visual scenes into discrete objects and groups.

Question 19

Which of the following phenomena demonstrates the effects of fatiguing one set of cells in the brain,followed by a rebound of activity by another set?

Accepted Answer

Staring at a color, a waterfall, or a set of lines can lead to "afterimages," which are caused by fatiguing the cells in the visual system that respond to that particular stimulus. After these cells become fatigued, another set of cells that respond to opposite or complementary stimuli become active, leading to a rebound of activity and the perception of an afterimage. This demonstrates the effects of fatiguing one set of cells in the brain, followed by a rebound of activity by another set.

Question 20

Hubel and Wiesel's Nobel prize-winning research with monkeys and cats provided evidence for the existence of

Accepted Answer

Hubel and Wiesel's research demonstrated that specific feature-detector cells in the visual cortex responded to specific visual stimuli, such as lines oriented at particular angles. This provided evidence for the existence of specialized neurons that detect specific visual features, which is a key component of visual perception.

Quiz 4: Sensation and Perception