Question 1

While listening to sad rather than happy music,people are more likely to perceive a spoken word as mourning rather than morning.This best illustrates that perception is influenced by

Accepted Answer

The fact that listening to sad music influences our perception of spoken words suggests that our interpretation of sensory information is influenced by our cognitive expectations and prior experiences, which is a key aspect of top-down processing. Sensory adaptation (A) refers to the diminishing sensitivity to a constant stimulus over time, which is not relevant in this scenario. Subliminal stimuli (B) are below the threshold of conscious awareness and are not likely to affect perception in this way. Weber's law (C) refers to the principle that the just noticeable difference between two stimuli is proportional to the magnitude of the stimuli, which is also not relevant in this context.

Question 2

When researchers added a few drops of vinegar to a brand-name beer,the beer tasters disliked it only if they had been told they were drinking vinegar-laced beer.This best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

This scenario best exemplifies the concept of perceptual set, which refers to a person's predisposition to perceive certain aspects of a stimulus and ignore others based on their expectations, context, and past experiences. In this case, the tasters' belief that the beer is vinegar-laced creates a specific perceptual set that biases their judgment towards perceiving vinegar-like flavors, even if there is no actual difference in taste. This phenomenon demonstrates how our expectations can shape our perception of reality.

Question 3

Although Sue Yen sees her chemistry professor several times a week,she didn't recognize the professor when she saw her in the grocery store.This best illustrates the importance of

Accepted Answer

Context effects refer to the influence of environmental factors on perception. In this case, seeing the professor in a different context (grocery store) than in the usual academic setting led to Sue Yen's inability to recognize her.

Question 4

When Rick learned that many students had received a failing grade on the midterm exam,he was no longer disappointed by his C grade.His experience best illustrates the importance of

Accepted Answer

Rick's perception of his grade changed in response to the context of other students receiving failing grades, highlighting the importance of context effects.

Question 5

Visual perceptions of objects often change when the objects are viewed in different surroundings.This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Context effects refer to the influence that a particular context or environment can have on perception. This means that visual perceptions of objects can be altered based on the surroundings in which they are viewed. For example, the color of an object may appear different depending on the lighting in a room or the colors of nearby objects.

Question 6

After learning that her new college roommate had experienced several depressive episodes during her high school years,Erin incorrectly perceived her roommate's laughter as artificial and phony.This best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

Perceptual set is a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another. This predisposition can be influenced by expectations, context, and past experiences. In this case, Erin's previous knowledge of her roommate's depressive episodes led her to perceive her roommate's laughter as artificial and phony. This shows how our preexisting beliefs and expectations can shape our perceptions.

Question 7

The influence of schemas on our interpretations of unfamiliar information best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Schemas are pre-existing knowledge structures that help us interpret new information. This use of prior knowledge in interpreting new information is an example of top-down processing, where higher-level cognitive processes influence lower-level sensory processing. Context effects refer to how the context in which information is presented can influence our perception of it, while bottom-up processing refers to the process of building up perceptions from individual sensory stimuli. Sensory adaptation refers to the decrease in sensitivity of sensory receptors to constant, unchanging stimuli.

Question 8

After hearing rumors about the outbreak of an infectious disease,Alyosha began to perceive his normal aches and pains as disease-related symptoms.His reaction best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

Alyosha's perception of his normal aches and pains as disease-related symptoms is influenced by his perceptual set, which is the set of mental tendencies and assumptions that shape our interpretation of sensory information. In this case, his expectation of being infected with a disease due to the rumors he heard influenced his perceptual set, leading him to perceive his bodily sensations as symptoms of the disease.

Question 9

A softball may appear smaller to batters who are discouraged by their poor performance than to batters who are hitting well.This best illustrates that perceptions are influenced by

Accepted Answer

The statement suggests that a batter's perception of the softball's size is influenced by their emotion, specifically their level of discouragement or success. This indicates that perceptions can be influenced by factors beyond just the physical characteristics of the stimulus, such as emotions and expectations.

Question 10

In one study,a pictured woman was perceived by some as balancing a box on her head and by others as sitting under a window.The study best illustrated that perceptions are influenced by

Accepted Answer

The study showed that the way a woman in a picture was perceived varied among viewers, indicating that perception is influenced by context effects. Context effects refer to how the context in which a stimulus is presented can influence how it is perceived or interpreted by the viewer.

Question 11

A perceptual set refers to

Accepted Answer

A perceptual set is a mental predisposition or expectation that influences what we perceive. It is based on our previous experiences, motivations, and cultural background, and it can lead us to selectively attend to certain features of a stimulus while ignoring others. This can result in perceptual illusions or bias, as we tend to perceive what we expect to perceive, rather than what is actually there.

Question 12

Scary-sounding music accompanied a movie scene in which mountain climbers scaled a steep slope.The fact that the music made the climbing appear more dangerous to viewers illustrates that perceptions are influenced by

Accepted Answer

The use of scary-sounding music is intended to evoke fear and anxiety in viewers, which affects their emotional response to the scene and influences their perception of the climbers' predicament. This illustrates how emotions can shape our perceptions.

Question 13

We may perceive a bottle of fruit juice as less expensive when we are most thirsty.This best illustrates that perceptions are influenced by

Accepted Answer

Our levels of motivation can influence how we perceive things. When we are thirsty, we may be more motivated to quench that thirst and therefore perceive a bottle of fruit juice as less expensive than we would if we were not thirsty. Therefore, the best choice is D - motivation.

Question 14

Brandon is playing softball and hits almost every ball the pitcher throws.Which of the following is true of Brandon?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Brandon is playing softball and hits almost...

Question 15

The tendency to perceive a moving light in the night sky as belonging to an airplane rather than a moving meteor best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

Perceptual set is the tendency to perceive and interpret information in a particular way based on previous experiences, expectations, and context. In this case, our perceptual set based on prior experience and expectations of the frequency of airplanes in the sky leads us to perceive a moving light as belonging to an airplane rather than a meteor. This overrides the bottom-up processing of simply observing the movement of the light.

Question 16

A concept that helps us to interpret ambiguous sensations is called a

Accepted Answer

A schema is a mental framework for organizing and interpreting information. It helps us to make sense of ambiguous or unfamiliar sensations by relating them to our existing knowledge and experiences. Sensory adaptation is the process of becoming less sensitive to a constant or repetitive stimulus, while a signal detector is a statistical method used to determine whether a given stimulus is present or absent. A masking stimulus is a sensory input that interferes with the perception of another stimulus.

Question 17

After gazing at an angry face,you immediately turn to look at a morphed blend of an angry and a scared face.The face appears scared to you.This best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of sensory adaptation, where our sensory receptors become less responsive to a constant stimulus (in this case, an angry face). This means that when we turn to look at a new stimulus (the morphed blend of an angry and scared face), our brain may not fully process the angry expression because of the previous exposure, resulting in perceiving it as scared.

Question 18

Stereotypes are mental conceptions that can strongly influence the way we interpret the behaviors of individuals belonging to specific racial or ethnic groups.A stereotype is most similar to a

Accepted Answer

A stereotype is a preconceived belief or expectation that influences our perception of individuals from certain groups. This is similar to a perceptual set, which is a mental predisposition to perceive certain things and not others. Similar to how our perceptual sets can shape our interpretation of incoming sensory information, stereotypes can shape our interpretation of individuals' behaviors based on their group membership.

Question 19

Define bottom-up and top-down processing,and explain how research on subliminal priming might be used to indicate that our responses to stimulation below the absolute threshold may sometimes involve top-down processing.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Define bottom-up and top-down processing,and explain how...

Question 20

Samantha just lost 40 pounds.What will she experience when walking up the stairs at work?

Accepted Answer

Losing 40 pounds would mean that Samantha is now lighter than she was before, which would make it easier for her to climb up the stairs. The stairs would not seem as steep to her now as she has less weight to carry up.

Quiz 17: Perceptual Interpretation