Question 1

Which animal can see ultraviolet light?
A)humans
B)whales
C)bees
D)snakes

Accepted Answer

Bees can detect ultraviolet light, which helps them identify flowers and navigate to them. Other animals such as butterflies and some species of birds can also see ultraviolet light. Humans, whales, and snakes cannot see ultraviolet light.

Question 2

Which of the following accurately describes how we perceive and interpret the visual world?
A)We always start with small details and use them to build a recognizable whole.
B)We always start with our expectations of what we are looking at,which guides how we will perceive it.
C)Perception involves neither top-down nor bottom-up processing.
D)Perception is a combination of both top-down and bottom-up processing.

Accepted Answer

Perception involves both top-down processing, where our previous knowledge and expectations shape how we interpret visual information, and bottom-up processing, where we start by processing individual sensory elements and build towards a recognizable whole. Both processes work together to create our overall perception of the visual world.

Question 3

In __________ processing,we construct a whole stimulus from its parts.
A)parallel
B)bottom-up
C)perceptual set
D)top-down

Accepted Answer

Bottom-up processing refers to constructing a whole stimulus from its individual parts. It involves processing information in a step-by-step manner, with each successive level building upon the previous one.

Question 4

During a break from his job as a waiter,Barnardo begins to read Hamlet and is so engrossed in the play that he fails to notice the clattering of dishes all around him.This is an example of _______________.
A)feature detection
B)absolute threshold
C)bottom-up processing
D)selective attention

Accepted Answer

Barnardo's focus on reading Hamlet and ignoring the clattering of dishes is an example of selective attention, which is the ability to focus on certain stimuli while filtering out others.

Question 5

When scuba divers take red objects underwater,they appear to lose their color,but this does not happen to bluish objects.This demonstrates that water filters out light waves that have
A)long wavelengths.
B)short wavelengths.
C)a high amplitude.
D)a low amplitude.

Accepted Answer

Water filters out light waves with long wavelengths, such as red and yellow, and allows shorter wavelength light, such as blue, to penetrate deeper. This is why red objects appear to lose their color at deeper depths while blue objects still retain their hue.

Question 6

Which of the following is true about multitasking?
A)The brain is not designed for multitasking.
B)The brain is designed to effectively do more than one cognitive task at a time,provided the two tasks can be processed by the same brain structure.
C)The brain is designed to effectively do more than one cognitive task at a time,provided the two tasks can be processed by different brain structures.
D)Compared to low multitaskers,people who like to multi-task have brains which make them more efficient at it.

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that the brain can effectively handle doing more than one cognitive task at a time, but only if the tasks can be processed by different brain structures. This is known as "task switching" rather than true multitasking, as the brain is quickly alternating between processing different tasks. The brain is not designed for true multitasking, or attempting to process two complex tasks at the same time, as this can lead to decreased efficiency and increased errors. Therefore, option C is the most accurate option.

Question 7

The intensity of the reflected light that reaches our eyes is known as ____________.
A)hue
B)contrast
C)brightness
D)saturation

Accepted Answer

Brightness is the perceived intensity of light. Hue refers to the specific color of the light, contrast refers to the difference between areas of light and dark, and saturation refers to the intensity of the hue (how pure or vivid it appears).

Question 8

Failure to consciously perceive something you are looking at because your attention is directed elsewhere is called ___________.
A)sensory overload
B)selective attention
C)inattentional blindness
D)divided attention

Accepted Answer

Inattentional blindness refers to the failure to consciously perceive something you are looking at because your attention is directed elsewhere. Sensory overload occurs when too much sensory information is presented and becomes overwhelming. Selective attention refers to our ability to focus on one specific task or stimulus while ignoring others. Divided attention is the ability to pay attention to two or more tasks at the same time.

Question 9

The process of selecting one stimulus or task to focus on and ignoring or minimizing others is called ____________.
A)selective perception
B)selective attention
C)perceptual set
D)selective processing

Accepted Answer

Selective attention refers to the process of selectively focusing on some stimuli in the environment while ignoring others. It involves filtering out irrelevant information and focusing on what is most important or relevant to the current task or goal. Selective perception is similar, but refers more to the individual's subjective interpretation of stimuli based on their beliefs and expectations. Perceptual set refers to the influence of prior experience and expectations on perception, leading us to selectively attend to certain aspects of the environment. Selective processing may refer to a broader range of cognitive processes involved in attention, perception, and decision making.

Question 10

Research indicates that people who like to multitask:
A)actually perform worse than low multitaskers on tests that measured their abilities to concentrate.
B)perform better than low multitaskers on tests that measured their abilities to concentrate.
C)have more efficient brains.
D)tend to have better recall for words they learn while simultaneously doing a second task.

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that people who like to multitask actually perform worse on tests that measure their abilities to concentrate. They experience more difficulty in filtering out irrelevant information and switching between different tasks, ultimately leading to decreased overall performance.

Question 11

Visible light with a short wavelength and a high amplitude would be perceived as _____________.
A)reddish and dim
B)bluish and dim
C)reddish and bright
D)bluish and bright

Accepted Answer

A short wavelength indicates blue light and a high amplitude indicates brightness. Therefore, blueish and bright would be the most accurate description.

Question 12

__________ processing is conceptually driven and influenced by our beliefs and expectations.
A)Bottom-up
B)Parallel
C)Top-down
D)Sensory

Accepted Answer

Top-down processing involves the use of pre-existing knowledge, expectations, and context to interpret incoming sensory information. It is driven by our beliefs and expectations, and influences how we perceive and interpret stimuli.

Question 13

Gina likes to use multiple forms of media at the same time.For example,she often watches TV while working on her computer or texting.Lilly prefers to focus on one task at a time.In class one day,the teacher gives both girls an assignment that requires concentration and switching from one task to another several times.Based on the research on multitasking discussed in your textbook,who is most likely to do a good job on the assignment?
A)Lilly
B)Gina
C)Both girls should do equally well.
D)It depends on whether the task involved memorization or not.

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that multitasking can decrease overall productivity and even impair cognitive function. Lilly, who prefers to focus on one task at a time, is more likely to do a good job on the assignment that requires concentration and switching from one task to another several times.

Question 14

Light,a central player in our visual perception of the world,is a form of _____________.
A)chemical energy
B)mechanical energy
C)vibration
D)electromagnetic energy

Accepted Answer

Light is a form of electromagnetic energy, which travels in waves and can be described by its wavelength and frequency.

Question 15

Lidia visits an art exhibit of abstract paintings.One painting is composed of seemingly random lines and shapes.However,because Lidia knows the painting is supposed to be a portrait,she perceives the various lines and shapes as forming a face.Which type of perceptual processing is Lidia most likely using?
A)Top-down
B)Parallel
C)Bottom-up
D)Sensory

Accepted Answer

Lidia is using top-down processing because she has prior knowledge (that the painting is supposed to be a portrait) that is influencing her perception of the lines and shapes in the painting.

Question 16

At the Battle of Bunker Hill,an officer supposedly gave the order,"Don't fire till you see the whites of their eyes!" This famous quote could be accurately paraphrased as: Don't fire until you see their ____________.
A)corneas
B)lenses
C)pupils
D)sclerae

Accepted Answer

The "whites of their eyes" refers to the sclera, the white part of the eye surrounding the iris.

Question 17

When you look at the drawing below,your brain fills in the gaps so that you perceive a complete form-in this case,a square.This occurs due to the principle of ___________.

A)proximity
B)continuity
C)similarity
D)closure

Accepted Answer

The principle described in the sentence is closure, which refers to the brain's tendency to complete incomplete shapes or forms.

Question 18

Freddy is looking for his girlfriend in a large crowd of people.Because he is so focused on finding her,he fails to notice when a man in a clown costume walks right up next to him.This is an example of ______________.
A)a feature detection failure
B)sensory overload
C)sensory adaptation
D)inattentional blindness

Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of inattentional blindness, which occurs when a person fails to notice an unexpected stimulus in their environment because their attention is focused on something else. In this case, Freddy's attention is focused on finding his girlfriend, making him unaware of the clown walking up next to him.

Question 19

Clay has played professional soccer for seven years and is easily able to tune out the sound of the crowd and all other irrelevant sensory information during the game.Bruce is a rookie and is often distracted by what his opponents are saying and the mood of the crowd.Clay and Bruce are showing differing levels of ______________.
A)absolute thresholds.
B)parallel processing
C)selective attention
D)top-down processing

Accepted Answer

Clay's ability to tune out irrelevant sensory information while playing soccer shows selective attention, which is the ability to focus on specific stimuli while ignoring others. On the other hand, Bruce is distracted by what his opponents are saying and the mood of the crowd, which suggests a lack of selective attention. Therefore, the differing levels of selective attention exhibited by Clay and Bruce account for their differences in performance during the game.

Question 20

Visible light with a long wavelength and a low amplitude would be perceived as ______________.
A)reddish and dim
B)bluish and dim
C)reddish and bright
D)bluish and bright

Accepted Answer

A longer wavelength corresponds with lower frequency and lower energy. This means that the light would be in the red spectrum, which is why it would be perceived as reddish. The low amplitude also indicates that the light is not very intense, which is why it would be perceived as dim.

Quiz 4: Sensation and Perception

Which animal can see ultraviolet light?

Which of the following accurately describes how we perceive and interpret the visual world?

In __________ processing,we construct a whole stimulus from its parts.

During a break from his job as a waiter,Barnardo begins to read Hamlet and is so engrossed in the play that he fails to notice the clattering of dishes all around him.This is an example of _______________.

When scuba divers take red objects underwater,they appear to lose their color,but this does not happen to bluish objects.This demonstrates that water filters out light waves that have

Which of the following is true about multitasking?

The intensity of the reflected light that reaches our eyes is known as ____________.

Failure to consciously perceive something you are looking at because your attention is directed elsewhere is called ___________.

The process of selecting one stimulus or task to focus on and ignoring or minimizing others is called ____________.

Research indicates that people who like to multitask:

Visible light with a short wavelength and a high amplitude would be perceived as _____________.

__________ processing is conceptually driven and influenced by our beliefs and expectations.

Light,a central player in our visual perception of the world,is a form of _____________.

At the Battle of Bunker Hill,an officer supposedly gave the order,"Don't fire till you see the whites of their eyes!" This famous quote could be accurately paraphrased as: Don't fire until you see their ____________.

When you look at the drawing below,your brain fills in the gaps so that you perceive a complete form-in this case,a square.This occurs due to the principle of ___________.

Freddy is looking for his girlfriend in a large crowd of people.Because he is so focused on finding her,he fails to notice when a man in a clown costume walks right up next to him.This is an example of ______________.

Visible light with a long wavelength and a low amplitude would be perceived as ______________.