Question 1

Weber's law is relevant to an understanding of

Accepted Answer

Weber's law pertains to difference thresholds, which is the smallest amount of change in a stimulus (such as sound or light) that can be detected by a person. It states that the amount of change needed for detection is proportional to the initial intensity of the stimulus.

Question 2

Diminished sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus is known as

Accepted Answer

Sensory adaptation is the phenomenon of diminished sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus. Accommodation refers to the lens of the eye changing shape to focus on objects at different distances, prosopagnosia is the inability to recognize faces, and transduction refers to the process of converting sensory stimuli into neural signals.

Question 3

In 1972, a British newspaper published pictures of a "Loch Ness Monster." Many people readily perceived photographs of a floating tree trunk as the partially submerged monster. This illustrates the powerful influence of

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described in the scenario is an example of how a person's expectations or preconceived notions (perceptual set) can influence their perception of a given stimulus. In this case, people were expecting to see the Loch Ness Monster, so they interpreted the photograph of a floating tree trunk as the monster. This is a classic example of how prior expectations or context can shape how we perceive and interpret sensory information. Features detectors would apply to specific aspects of the image being perceived, sensory adaptation would involve a decrease in sensitivity to a continuous stimulus, and interposition would involve partial blocking of one object by another in the visual field.

Question 4

If the just noticeable difference for a 10-ounce weight is 1 ounce, the just noticeable difference for an 80-ounce weight would be ________ ounce(s).

Accepted Answer

The answer of If the just noticeable difference for a...

Question 5

Once we have formed a wrong idea about reality, we have more difficulty seeing the truth. This best illustrates the importance of

Accepted Answer

Top-down processing refers to perception being influenced by one's pre-existing beliefs and expectations. This can cause us to form wrong ideas about reality and make it more difficult to see the truth. The other options do not directly relate to this concept.

Question 6

Pablo sees 75-watt light bulbs as giving off more light than 60-watt bulbs. His wife sees them as giving off the same amount of light. Pablo apparently has a ________ threshold for light than his wife.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Pablo sees 75-watt light bulbs as giving...

Question 7

After watching a scary television movie, Julie perceived the noise of the wind rattling her front windows as the sound of a burglar breaking into her house. Her mistaken interpretation best illustrates the influence of

Accepted Answer

Perceptual set refers to a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another, and can be influenced by factors such as past experiences, expectations, and emotions. In this case, Julie's fear from watching a scary movie influenced her perceptual set, causing her to interpret the sound of the wind as a potential threat of a burglar breaking in. Interposition refers to when one object partially blocks our view of another object, perceptual adaptation refers to the ability to adjust to changes in our sensory input, and bottom-up processing refers to the analysis of individual sensory stimuli to build up to a complete perception. None of these concepts fully explain Julie's mistaken interpretation of the sound.

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of sensory adaptation?

Accepted Answer

Sensory adaptation refers to the decrease in sensitivity to a stimulus over time. In this case, not realizing how cold it is after being outdoors for a while in winter is an example of sensory adaptation because your body has adjusted to the cold temperature.

Question 9

Schemas are best described as

Accepted Answer

Schemas are mental frameworks that help us organize and make sense of information that we encounter in our environment. They are cognitive structures that help us understand and interpret sensory input.

Question 10

Context effects illustrate that our perception of particular stimuli is influenced by the ________ of those stimuli.

Accepted Answer

Context effects refer to how our perception of a stimulus can be influenced by the surroundings or context in which it is presented. This means that the environment in which a stimulus is presented can impact how we perceive it. Therefore, choice D, environmental surroundings, is the best answer.

Question 11

If told an infant is "David," children may perceive him as bigger and stronger than if the same infant is called "Diana." This best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of how our expectations and prior experiences can shape our perception, which is known as perceptual set. The name "David" may be associated with traits like strength and power, therefore, children may perceive the infant as larger and stronger than if it were named "Diana." This has nothing to do with retinal disparity, linear perspective, or sensory adaptation.

Question 12

It wasn't until Clara heard some of her classmates laughing loudly during history class that she began to perceive the professor's ongoing lecture to be very funny. This provides an illustration of

Accepted Answer

The laughter of Clara's classmates changed the context of the lecture, causing her to perceive it as funny. This is an example of context effects, as the perception of a stimulus is influenced by the context in which it is experienced.

Question 13

If we could stop our eyes from quivering as we stared at a stationary object, the object would probably

Accepted Answer

The answer of If we could stop our eyes from...

Question 14

John Locke would have suggested that a perceptual set results from

Accepted Answer

John Locke believed in tabula rasa, the idea that the mind is a blank slate at birth and that all knowledge and ideas come from sensory experiences. Therefore, he would suggest that perceptual sets are formed by prior experiences, as they shape our expectations and interpretations of incoming sensory information.

Question 15

After reading her horoscope in the morning newspaper, Sabrina readily interpreted many experiences that day as clear verifications of its accuracy. This best illustrates the dangers of

Accepted Answer

Sabrina's interpretation of her experiences as verification of her horoscope's accuracy is an example of perceptual set, which refers to a mental predisposition to perceive and interpret information in a particular way based on pre-existing beliefs or expectations.

Question 16

Some people are better than others at detecting slight variations in the tastes of various blends of coffee. This best illustrates the importance of

Accepted Answer

Difference thresholds refer to the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection. This question specifically references the ability to detect slight variations in the taste of coffee, which is a perfect example of difference thresholds.

Question 17

Sensory adaptation helps us to focus our attention on ________ stimuli.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Sensory adaptation helps us to focus our...

Question 18

In one experiment, preschool children judged french fries as tasting better when served in a McDonald's bag rather than a plain white bag. This best illustrates the impact of

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon demonstrated in this experiment is perceptual set. Perceptual set refers to a mental predisposition to perceive something in a certain way, which can be influenced by contextual cues such as packaging or branding. The children in the experiment had a preconceived notion that the french fries from McDonald's would taste better and this influenced their perception of the taste of the fries when they were presented in a McDonald's bag.

Question 19

According to Weber's law, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum

Accepted Answer

Weber's law states that the noticeable difference between two stimuli is a constant proportion of the intensity or magnitude of the initial stimulus, rather than a constant amount.

Question 20

We experience the difference threshold as a(n)

Accepted Answer

JND (just noticeable difference) is the minimum difference between two stimuli that can be detected by an observer. It is also called the difference threshold.

Quiz 6: Sensation and Perception