Question 1

You are recording the electrical activity in a feature detector. Where are you recording from?

Accepted Answer

Feature detectors are specialized neurons in the visual cortex that respond to specific features of a visual stimulus, such as edges, angles, or movement.

Question 2

In order to use the depth cue of convergence, it is necessary to have

Accepted Answer

Convergence is a binocular depth cue that requires both eyes to work together to perceive depth, as it involves the inward movement of the eyes when focusing on a close object.

Question 3

Bloodhounds are very good at tracking a person by smell. The Weber fractions (for smell types of dogs are: Targus: 1/20 Bloomer: 1/10 Fugi: 1/15
Cambridge: 1/2 Otis: 1/8
Which of these dogs has the worst sense of smell?

Accepted Answer

Cambridge has the worst sense of smell because its Weber fraction is 1/2, which is the lowest among the given dogs.

Question 4

Kathy is a dichromat. What do we know for sure about her colour vision?

Accepted Answer

Dichromats have two types of functioning cone cells, allowing them to see some colors, but not the full spectrum. They can see black and white plus some color.

Question 5

Kathy is a monochromat. You would expect her to be able to see

Accepted Answer

Monochromats have only one type of cone cell or none at all, which means they can only perceive shades of black, white, and gray.

Question 6

The frequency theory of pitch makes good sense, but it has a major problem. What is this problem?

Accepted Answer

Sensory neurons in the inner ear have a firing limit of about 1000 cycles per second, which is lower than the frequency of many sounds we can hear, posing a problem for the frequency theory of pitch.

Question 7

At the level of the visual receptors in the retina, which theory seems to explain colour vision the best?

Accepted Answer

The trichromatic theory explains color vision at the level of the visual receptors in the retina by proposing that there are three types of cones, each sensitive to red, green, or blue light.

Question 8

Bloodhounds are very good at tracking a person by smell. The Weber fractions (for smell types of dogs are: Targus: 1/20 Bloomer: 1/10 Fugi: 1/15
Cambridge: 1/2 Otis: 1/8
Which of these dogs has the best sense of smell?

Accepted Answer

The Weber fraction is a measure of sensitivity; the smaller the fraction, the better the sense of smell. Targus has the smallest Weber fraction (1/20), indicating the best sense of smell among the listed dogs.

Question 9

Consider the following image _. We are likely to perceive this as a single line with a break in it. Why?

Accepted Answer

The Gestalt Law of closure suggests that we tend to perceive incomplete figures as complete, so we perceive a single line with a break rather than two separate lines.

Question 10

A researcher has just found support for the trichromatic theory of colour vision in a new species of cats. What might you expect to find in this cat's visual system?

Accepted Answer

The trichromatic theory of color vision suggests the presence of three types of cones in the retina, each sensitive to different wavelengths of light (red, green, and blue).

Question 11

Which of the following is FALSE with respect to the Muller-Lyer illusion?

Accepted Answer

The Muller-Lyer illusion is not experienced universally across all cultures; some cultures that are not exposed to certain architectural environments do not perceive the illusion in the same way.

Question 12

If you were an artist who painted pictures on a canvas, you would probably consider using all of these to create the illusion of depth EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Convergence is a binocular cue related to the inward angle of the eyes focusing on a close object, not typically used in painting to create depth.

Question 13

Imagine a species that was born with only 2 cones in the retina sensitive to colour-one in the red range and one in the blue range. We would predict that colour vision in this species would be most similar to a

Accepted Answer

A species with two types of cones would be a dichromat, as they have two channels for conveying color information, similar to humans with red-green color blindness.

Question 14

If your lens in the eye did not thicken enough, such that a focused image falls behind your retina and you see a blurry image, you are said to have _.

Accepted Answer

Hyperopia, or farsightedness, occurs when the eye's lens does not thicken enough to focus images on the retina, causing images to focus behind the retina and resulting in blurry vision for nearby objects.

Question 15

Let's say that you can just distinguish between 100 grams of Swiss cheese (the initial test stimulus) and 105 grams. According to Weber's law, how much cheese would you need to notice a difference if we changed the test stimulus to 300 grams?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Let's say that you can just distinguish...

Question 16

In observing fluid travelling on the cochlea, you note that there is a wave peak close to the oval window. According to von Bekesy and place theory, this should be interpreted as

Accepted Answer

According to von Bekesy's place theory, high frequency sounds cause wave peaks near the base of the cochlea, close to the oval window.

Question 17

If you wanted to achieve maximum visual acuity for a given target, you should

Accepted Answer

Staring directly at the target allows the image to fall on the fovea, the part of the retina with the highest density of cone cells, which are responsible for sharp central vision and maximum visual acuity.

Question 18

If you were born without cochlear nerves, we still might be able to restore some of your hearing. Which of the following procedures would we have to examine?

Accepted Answer

An implant directly to the cochlear nucleus bypasses the cochlear nerves and directly stimulates the brain, which can help restore hearing in individuals without cochlear nerves.

Question 19

Let's say that you can just distinguish between 100 grams of Swiss cheese (the initial test stimulus) and 105 grams. According to Weber's law, how much cheese would you need to notice a difference if we changed the test stimulus to 300 grams?

Accepted Answer

Weber's law states that the just noticeable difference (JND) is a constant proportion of the original stimulus. In this case, the JND is 5 grams (105 grams - 100 grams). So, if the test stimulus is changed to 300 grams, the JND would be 300 grams * 0.05 = 15 grams. Therefore, you would need to add 15 grams to the test stimulus to notice a difference, which would be 315 grams (300 grams + 15 grams).

Question 20

Jonas has just broken his arm. His best friend tells him to focus on good positive feelings rather than the pain. This seems to work. Which of the following may help to explain this effect?

Accepted Answer

Gate control theory suggests that the brain can only process a limited amount of sensory information at a time, so focusing on positive feelings may help to block the perception of pain.

Quiz 5: Sensation and Perception

You are recording the electrical activity in a feature detector. Where are you recording from?

In order to use the depth cue of convergence, it is necessary to have

Bloodhounds are very good at tracking a person by smell. The Weber fractions (for smell types of dogs are: Targus: 1/20 Bloomer: 1/10 Fugi: 1/15 Cambridge: 1/2 Otis: 1/8 Which of these dogs has the worst sense of smell?

Kathy is a dichromat. What do we know for sure about her colour vision?

Kathy is a monochromat. You would expect her to be able to see

The frequency theory of pitch makes good sense, but it has a major problem. What is this problem?

At the level of the visual receptors in the retina, which theory seems to explain colour vision the best?

Bloodhounds are very good at tracking a person by smell. The Weber fractions (for smell types of dogs are: Targus: 1/20 Bloomer: 1/10 Fugi: 1/15 Cambridge: 1/2 Otis: 1/8 Which of these dogs has the best sense of smell?

Consider the following image _. We are likely to perceive this as a single line with a break in it. Why?

A researcher has just found support for the trichromatic theory of colour vision in a new species of cats. What might you expect to find in this cat's visual system?

Which of the following is FALSE with respect to the Muller-Lyer illusion?

If you were an artist who painted pictures on a canvas, you would probably consider using all of these to create the illusion of depth EXCEPT

Imagine a species that was born with only 2 cones in the retina sensitive to colour-one in the red range and one in the blue range. We would predict that colour vision in this species would be most similar to a

If your lens in the eye did not thicken enough, such that a focused image falls behind your retina and you see a blurry image, you are said to have _.

Let's say that you can just distinguish between 100 grams of Swiss cheese (the initial test stimulus) and 105 grams. According to Weber's law, how much cheese would you need to notice a difference if we changed the test stimulus to 300 grams?

In observing fluid travelling on the cochlea, you note that there is a wave peak close to the oval window. According to von Bekesy and place theory, this should be interpreted as

If you wanted to achieve maximum visual acuity for a given target, you should

If you were born without cochlear nerves, we still might be able to restore some of your hearing. Which of the following procedures would we have to examine?

Let's say that you can just distinguish between 100 grams of Swiss cheese (the initial test stimulus) and 105 grams. According to Weber's law, how much cheese would you need to notice a difference if we changed the test stimulus to 300 grams?

Jonas has just broken his arm. His best friend tells him to focus on good positive feelings rather than the pain. This seems to work. Which of the following may help to explain this effect?