Question 1

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

Julie's mistaken interpretation of the wind as a burglar breaking in suggests that her perceptual set, or her expectations and prior experiences, influenced her perception.

Question 2

Subliminal priming effects best illustrate

Accepted Answer

Subliminal priming effects refer to the influence that unperceived stimuli can have on subsequent behavior or perception. This demonstrates that information can be processed outside of conscious awareness, as individuals are still affected by stimuli that they are not consciously aware of.

Question 3

Which of the following strategies best illustrates the use of subliminal stimulation?

Accepted Answer

Subliminal stimulation refers to when stimuli is presented below the threshold of conscious awareness. In this case, flashing a trim female figure on the TV screen during an ad for a weight-reduction clinic would be the best example of subliminal stimulation. The viewer is unlikely to consciously register the image, but it may influence their subconscious thoughts and desires.

Question 4

Some participants in a subliminal persuasion experiment thought that they were receiving subliminal affirmations of their self-esteem when in reality they were receiving subliminal memory-enhancement instructions. These individuals subsequently demonstrated

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some participants in a subliminal persuasion experiment...

Question 5

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 experiment with preschoolers illustrates the impact of perceptual set, which is a mental tendency to perceive stimuli in a particular way based on previous experiences or expectations. In this case, the children likely associated McDonald's with positive experiences and therefore perceived the french fries as tasting better when served in the McDonald's bag.

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

Weber's law is relevant to an understanding of

Accepted Answer

Weber's law states that the difference threshold is proportional to the magnitude of the stimulus, meaning that the larger the stimulus, the larger the difference must be for a person to notice a change. Therefore, it is most relevant to understanding difference thresholds.

Question 8

Diminished sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus is known as

Accepted Answer

Diminished sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus is known as sensory adaptation. Accommodation refers to the process by which the shape of the lens in the eye adjusts to focus on objects at different distances, while prosopagnosia is a neurological condition characterized by difficulty recognizing faces. Transduction refers to the process by which sensory stimuli are converted into electrical impulses that can be transmitted by the nervous system.

Question 9

We experience the difference threshold as a(n)

Accepted Answer

The difference threshold refers to the minimum difference between two stimuli that a person can detect 50% of the time. It is also known as the just noticeable difference (JND). Therefore, the correct answer is D.

Question 10

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

Perceptual set refers to the tendency for our expectations and prior experiences to influence our perception, often leading us to see what we expect or want to see. In this case, people were primed to look for a Loch Ness Monster due to cultural beliefs and prior reports of sightings, leading them to interpret a floating tree trunk as the monster.

Question 11

Those who believe in the value of subliminal audiotapes would be wrong to claim that

Accepted Answer

Unconsciously processed information is not unusually persuasive; research has shown that subliminal messages have limited influence on behavior and decision-making.

Question 12

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 verifications of her horoscope's accuracy is an example of how our expectations and prior beliefs can influence our perception and interpretation of events. This is known as perceptual set, and it can cause us to perceive or interpret things in ways that confirm our preconceived notions, even if they may not be accurate. Sensory adaptation refers to our diminished sensitivity to constant or unchanging stimuli, the phi phenomenon refers to the illusion of movement created by rapidly flashing lights in sequence, and the McGurk effect involves the integration of visual and auditory information in speech perception. None of these concepts are relevant to Sabrina's situation.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 14

Soothing musical recordings accompanied by unheard verbal messages designed to increase a desire to lose weight best illustrate

Accepted Answer

Soothing musical recordings accompanied by unheard verbal messages designed to increase a desire to lose weight are an example of subliminal stimulation, which involves sensory stimuli that are below an individual's threshold for conscious perception but may still have an effect on their behavior or attitudes.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

Our eyes constantly make tiny movements called microsaccades to refresh the image on the retina. If these movements stopped, the image would fade and eventually vanish because the photoreceptors in the retina would adapt to the unchanging stimulus.

Question 16

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 17

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

The ability to detect slight variations in taste is related to difference thresholds, which refer to the minimum difference between stimuli that a person can detect.

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of sensory adaptation?

Accepted Answer

Sensory adaptation occurs when we become less sensitive to constant or repeated stimuli. In this case, not realizing how cold it is after being outdoors for a while is an example of sensory adaptation to the temperature. Option A is an example of aesthetic appreciation increasing with prolonged exposure to a stimulus. Option B is an example of a reflex, and option D is an example of compensating for a lack of visual input by relying more on auditory input.

Question 19

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 10-ounce...

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

The statement in the text about forming a wrong idea and having difficulty perceiving the truth relates to the concept of top-down processing, which refers to how perception is influenced by preexisting knowledge and expectations.

Quiz 17: A: Basic Principles of Sensation and Perception