Question 1

A researcher wants to find support for the trichromatic theory of colour vision by recording the activity in visual cells. Which of the following cells should he be recording from?

Accepted Answer

The trichromatic theory of color vision posits that the human eye has three types of receptors sensitive to different wavelengths of light, corresponding to the colors red, green, and blue. Cones are the photoreceptor cells in the retina responsible for color vision, aligning with the trichromatic theory.

Question 2

Professor Jordan is conduction an experiment using a technique called shadowing. Most likely, Professor Jordan is studying

Accepted Answer

Shadowing is a technique used in cognitive psychology to study selective attention. It involves asking participants to repeat or "shadow" a message heard in one ear while a different message is presented to the other ear, to see how well they can focus on the attended message.

Question 3

Joie de Vivre is a new perfume from Chanel that claims to be a sexual attractant based on naturally occurring human chemicals. If this is accurate, then the perfume most likely contains

Accepted Answer

Pheromones are chemicals released by one individual that can affect the behavior or physiology of another individual, often within the same species, and are known for their role in sexual attraction among animals, including potentially humans. This makes them the most likely ingredient in a perfume claiming to be a sexual attractant.

Question 4

All of these are found in the retina EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Feature detectors are not found in the retina; they are located in the visual cortex of the brain and are responsible for detecting specific features of a visual stimulus, such as edges, lines, and movement. The retina contains rods, cones, ganglion cells, and bipolar cells, which are involved in the initial processing of visual information.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

Monochromacy, or total color blindness, means that a person can only see in shades of gray, essentially black, white, and the grays in between, but cannot distinguish colors.

Question 6

A researcher wants to find support for the opponent process theory of colour vision by recording the activity in visual cells. Which of the following cells should she be recording from?

Accepted Answer

The opponent process theory of color vision is supported by the activity in ganglion cells, which process signals from cones and are involved in the perception of color opposites.

Question 7

Let's say that you have a painful ache in your hand. If you rub your hand, the pain will be diminished and may disappear for a while. Most likely, this reflects the operation of

Accepted Answer

The gate control theory of pain suggests that non-painful input closes the "gates" to painful input, which prevents pain sensation from traveling to the central nervous system. Rubbing your hand can serve as non-painful input, thus reducing the perception of pain.

Question 8

Promise Technology has just introduced a new hearing aid. Which of the following disorders should most likely be helped by this invention?

Accepted Answer

Conduction deafness is caused by problems in the outer or middle ear that prevent sound from being conducted to the inner ear. Hearing aids can amplify sound to help overcome these issues.

Question 9

Dr. Richards is trying to explain why we are able to see colour afterimages. She should probably explain this by referring to

Accepted Answer

The opponent process theory explains how we perceive colors as the result of complex processes involving opposing neural processes for different pairs of colors, which can lead to the experience of color afterimages. This theory suggests that certain colors are linked in the brain in opposing pairs, and when one color in a pair is viewed for an extended period, the opposing color can be seen as an afterimage once the initial color is removed.

Question 10

Sarah fell and banged her arm on the sidewalk. She rubbed the area that was hurt and to her surprise, found the pain actually decreased. How can we explain this?

Accepted Answer

The gate control theory explains how non-painful input closes the "gates" to painful input, which prevents pain sensation from traveling to the central nervous system. Rubbing the area where Sarah felt pain likely activated this mechanism, reducing her perception of pain.

Question 11

You've noticed that a friend of yours has a hearing problem. Her doctor said that she might be able to improve her hearing by using a hearing aid. Most likely, your friend's problem involves

Accepted Answer

Conduction deafness involves problems with the transmission of sound waves through the outer or middle ear, which can often be improved with a hearing aid.

Question 12

A very faint light source is best detected by using ______, but we maximize our ability to see fine detail by using ______.

Accepted Answer

The rods are more sensitive to light and are therefore better at detecting faint light sources, while the cones, especially those in the fovea, are responsible for our ability to see fine detail.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

Staring directly at a target utilizes the fovea, the area of the retina with the highest density of photoreceptor cells, specifically cones, which are responsible for high-resolution vision. This is why direct gaze at an object improves visual acuity.

Question 14

The trichromatic theory of colour vision seems reasonable, but it has trouble explaining _____, which be best explained by ______.

Accepted Answer

The trichromatic theory of color vision, which posits that the eye detects colors through the relative rates of response by three types of cones sensitive to different wavelengths, cannot easily explain color afterimages. This phenomenon is better accounted for by the opponent process theory, which suggests that colors are perceived in terms of opposing pairs: red-green, blue-yellow, and black-white. This theory explains why, for example, staring at a green image and then looking away can result in seeing a red afterimage.

Question 15

Consider the following image: +. Using ______ processing, we are likely to see this as a horizontal and vertical line intersecting. But using _____ processing, we are likely to perceive this as the mathematical symbol for addition.

Accepted Answer

Bottom-up processing involves analyzing the smaller features to build up to a complete perception, which would lead us to see the intersecting lines. Top-down processing involves using our background knowledge and expectations to interpret what we see, which in this case would lead us to recognize the symbol for addition.

Question 16

You are observing sound waves being produced on the cochlea and notice that an abrupt wave peaks close to the oval window. According to von Bekesy and the place theory of auditory perception, you interpret this event as a

Accepted Answer

According to the place theory of auditory perception, high frequency sounds produce peak vibrations close to the oval window of the cochlea. This theory suggests that different parts of the cochlea are activated by different frequencies of sound, with higher frequencies peaking closer to the base (near the oval window) and lower frequencies peaking further along the cochlea.

Question 17

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 posits that there are three types of cones in the retina, each sensitive to a different part of the spectrum (usually red, green, and blue). Finding support for this theory in a new species would imply the presence of three types of cones in their retinas.

Question 18

Juan can see black and white plus some colour. Juan is

Accepted Answer

Juan is a dichromat because he can see black and white plus some color, indicating he has two types of functioning color receptors.

Question 19

Let's say that you are viewing a picture of the Mona Lisa. According to the research discussed in the text, what should happen as you shift your gaze from her hands to her mouth?

Accepted Answer

When you shift your gaze to her mouth, the fovea, which is responsible for sharp central vision, detects it, and the smile may appear less pronounced or stop because the fovea is less sensitive to the subtle shadows that create the illusion of a smile.

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

Dichromacy is a type of color vision deficiency where a person can see colors but has difficulty distinguishing between certain shades because one of the three basic color mechanisms is absent or not functioning properly. They do not see only in black and white; that condition is called achromatopsia. Dichromats can still see colors, but their color perception is limited compared to individuals with trichromatic vision.

Quiz 5: Sensation and Perception