Question 1

Which of the following is true with respect to information presented in the left visual field? It is processed __________.

Accepted Answer

Information presented in the left visual field is processed in the right hemisphere of the brain. This is due to the way visual information is routed; the left visual field of both eyes is processed by the right hemisphere, and the right visual field of both eyes is processed by the left hemisphere.

Question 2

Which of the following correctly portrays the general pathway for the process of vision?

Accepted Answer

The process of vision begins with the retina, which captures light and converts it into neural signals. These signals are then transmitted through the optic nerve to the thalamus, which relays them to the visual cortex for processing and interpretation.

Question 3

Specialized neurons called __________________ analyze and respond to specific attributes and shapes of objects in our visual field.

Accepted Answer

Feature detectors are specialized neurons in the visual cortex that respond to specific characteristics of a visual stimulus, such as edges, lines, angles, and movements.

Question 4

When experiments closed one eye of a newborn cat, what happened to the cat's visual system?

Accepted Answer

The brain's plasticity allows it to adapt by reallocating resources, so the part of the brain for the closed eye starts processing information from the open eye.

Question 5

Which of the following is likely dependent upon experience to be perceived visually correctly?

Accepted Answer

All of these options (depth, gender, and faces) are likely dependent upon experience to be perceived visually correctly. Experience plays a crucial role in how we interpret and understand visual information, including depth perception, recognizing gender cues, and identifying faces.

Question 6

Which of the following describes the "Halle Berry neuron" mentioned in the text?

Accepted Answer

The "Halle Berry neuron" refers to a neuron found in a research subject that responded specifically to different pictures, drawings, and even the written name of Halle Berry, illustrating the concept of concept cells or neurons that respond to complex ideas or individuals rather than simple visual stimuli.

Question 7

Christophe is looking at a lighted sign on which a rapid succession of lit bulbs appears to be an arrow in motion pointing to a store. This visual effect is called __________.

Accepted Answer

This visual effect is called apparent motion, which is a perception of movement created by a sequence of still images or lights shown in rapid succession, rather than actual motion. This phenomenon is what makes animations and movies appear to move.

Question 8

Neurons that fire when images move, but not when the eye moves, are called _________.

Accepted Answer

Real movement neurons are specialized neurons that respond specifically to actual movement in the visual field, rather than to movement of the eye itself. This distinguishes them from other types of visual neurons that may respond to any visual change, including those caused by eye movements.

Question 9

Which of the following processes allows us to perceive depth due to the distance between images projected on our two retinas?

Accepted Answer

Binocular disparity is the difference in the position of an object in the visual field of the two eyes. This difference is used by the brain to calculate the distance to the object.

Question 10

One's eyes move inward when an object moves closer in a process known as __________.

Accepted Answer

Convergence is the process where the eyes move inward toward each other to focus on an object that is getting closer. This is a key aspect of depth perception.

Question 11

A car is partially obstructing Cara's view of the garage and therefore Cara knows the car is in front of the garage. This cue to depth is known as __________.

Accepted Answer

Interposition, also known as occlusion, is a visual signal that an object is closer to the observer than another object when it blocks the view of the other object. In this scenario, because the car is blocking Cara's view of the garage, it indicates that the car is closer to Cara than the garage is, utilizing the depth cue of interposition.

Question 12

Sapphie is flying a kite, and as it flies farther up into the sky it looks like it is getting smaller and smaller. However, Sapphie knows the kite is not shrinking, due to her brain's ability to maintain __________.

Accepted Answer

Perceptual constancy allows us to perceive objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, sizes, brightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change. In this case, it helps Sapphie understand that the kite's size hasn't changed, despite its appearance of getting smaller as it moves farther away.

Question 13

_______________ psychologists recognize that we perceive wholes as more than just the sum of their parts.

Accepted Answer

Gestalt psychologists focus on how we perceive wholes as more than just the sum of their parts, emphasizing patterns and configurations in human perception.

Question 14

Lillian sees a store sign that says CL SED. Due to the Gestalt law of __________, Lillian knows the store is closed even though the sign is missing a letter.

Accepted Answer

The Gestalt law of closure explains how we perceive objects as being whole even when they are not complete. In this case, Lillian perceives the word "CLOSED" as complete despite the missing letter, thanks to this principle.

Question 15

Escher's famous face-vase figure is a classic example of the Gestalt principle of __________.

Accepted Answer

Escher's face-vase figure exemplifies the Gestalt principle of figure-ground, which describes how viewers can shift their perception to see either a vase (the figure) or two faces (the background) in the same image.

Question 16

Which of the following perceptual phenomena may be offered as an explanation for the "moon illusion"?

Accepted Answer

The "moon illusion" is often explained by monocular depth cues, which affect how we perceive the size and distance of the moon when it is near the horizon compared to when it is high in the sky.

Question 17

Yesenia is at a junkyard looking for car parts. As she wanders through the rows of cars, she sees familiar wheels, a windshield, doors, a hood, and a trunk, and she realizes she is looking at her model car. This type of visual perception is known as __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Yesenia is at a junkyard looking for...

Question 18

Lincoln is pretty sure he sees his sister far off in the crowd. When he gets closer, he sees her familiar hair style and unmistakable nose, and knows it is she. This type of visual perception is called __________.

Accepted Answer

Lincoln's recognition of his sister based on her familiar features and his expectations is an example of top-down processing. This cognitive process involves using background knowledge to influence perception.

Question 19

The maximum wavelength on the electromagnetic spectrum that humans can see will lead to the perception of which of the following colors?

Accepted Answer

The maximum wavelength visible to humans is perceived as red. Green is seen at shorter wavelengths than red, but the question specifically asks about the maximum wavelength, which corresponds to red.

Question 20

The trichromatic theory of color vision states that all colors humans experience result from a mixture of which three colors of light?

Accepted Answer

The trichromatic theory of color vision, proposed by Young and Helmholtz, suggests that the human eye has three types of receptors sensitive to red, blue, and green light. These receptors work together to allow us to perceive a wide spectrum of colors.

Quiz 4: Sensing and Perceiving Our World