Question 1

The practice of firewalking has been used to help people build confidence, or even to experience 'enlightenment'. Which of the following is most important for successful firewalking?

Accepted Answer

Using wood that has a low rate of heat exchange is the most important factor in successful firewalking. This allows for a layer of cooler ash to form on top of the coals, which the walker can more easily walk on without being burned. The other options listed do not play a significant role in firewalking.

Question 2

Stanton is taking chemistry with Ms. Neville and has heard many negative stories about her class from his friends. The fact that his beliefs about Ms. Neville affect his interpretation of her during the school year is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of top-down processing because Stanton's preconceived beliefs and expectations about Ms. Neville (based on the stories he heard from his friends) influence his interpretation and perception of her class. This is in contrast to bottom-up processing, where someone's perception is solely based on the sensory information presented to them, and subliminal processing, where perception occurs without conscious awareness. Parallel processing refers to the brain's ability to process multiple things at once.

Question 3

Juanita is holding her cat, Belle. Juanita is getting information about Belle's weight, the sound of Belle's purrs, the sight of Belle's eye movements, and the expectation that Belle is about to leap to the ground. This complex experience is the result of

Accepted Answer

Juanita's ability to simultaneously process the various aspects of holding her cat (weight, purrs, eye movements, and predicting behavior) exemplifies parallel processing. This cognitive ability allows us to process multiple types of information at the same time.

Question 4

The fact that Dale perceives a taxi cab to be bright orange during the day and bright orange at night demonstrates the concept of

Accepted Answer

The fact that Dale perceives the taxi cab to be the same bright orange during the day and at night, despite changes in lighting conditions, suggests that he is experiencing color constancy. This means that his brain is adjusting his color perception based on the surrounding context in order to maintain a consistent understanding of the object's color.

Question 5

The gate control model of pain perception argues that neural mechanisms in the __________ are involved in controlling the flow of sensory input to the central nervous system.

Accepted Answer

The gate control model of pain perception proposes that the spinal cord is involved in processing and modulating sensory input, acting as a "gate" that can either allow or block the transmission of pain signals to the brain. This model suggests that other inputs, such as touch or vibration, can help to close the gate and reduce pain perception. While the thalamus and somatosensory cortex are also involved in processing sensory information, they are not directly implicated in the gate control model. Mechanoreceptors are sensory receptors that detect mechanical stimuli, such as pressure, but are not part of the neural mechanisms involved in the gate control model.

Question 6

The ability to detect and keep our balance as we move around in our daily life is known as

Accepted Answer

The ability to detect and keep our balance is associated with the vestibular sense, which is located within the inner ear. The olfactory sense is related to smell, somatosensory information is related to touch, and proprioceptive sense refers to the ability to perceive the position and movement of our body parts.

Question 7

A disorder of the inner ear would be most likely to impact our

Accepted Answer

The inner ear is responsible for our sense of balance and equilibrium, so any disorder affecting this area would likely impact our ability to maintain balance and spatial orientation.

Question 8

There is a door in my office that I tend to push instead of pull, because the door handle is oriented horizontally instead of vertically. Which discipline within psychology studies these sorts of influences on our behaviour and experiences?

Accepted Answer

Human factors (also known as ergonomics) is the discipline within psychology that studies how people interact with products, equipment, and environments. This includes the design of objects such as door handles and how they influence our behavior and experiences.

Question 9

The fluid in our __________ is involved in sensing equilibrium and helping us to maintain balance.

Accepted Answer

The semicircular canals contain fluid that helps to sense movement and changes in acceleration, which is important for maintaining balance and equilibrium. The other choices (spinal cord, orbitofrontal cortex, vomeronasal organ) are not directly involved in sensing equilibrium or balance.

Question 10

The receptors for the proprioceptive senses are located in the

Accepted Answer

Proprioceptive senses relate to the awareness of one's body position and movement. Receptors for these senses are found in the muscles and tendons of the body, allowing for the detection of changes in muscle length and tension. The inner and middle ears are involved in auditory and vestibular senses, the temporal and parietal lobes are involved in integrating sensory information, and the olfactory and visual cortices are involved in processing smell and vision, respectively.

Question 11

Jordan and her friends are in the front row for a rock concert. During the concert, the lead singer moves all around the stage, but Jordan continues to perceive him as the same height even though the image on her retina gets longer and shorter as he moves. What accounts for this smooth perception?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Jordan and her friends are in the...

Question 12

The authors mentioned the interesting correlation between natural red hair and lower pain thresholds compared to persons with other natural hair colours. This is most likely to be due to the fact that

Accepted Answer

Genetics are likely to play a role in both pain threshold and hair colour, and therefore the two traits may be linked through shared genetic factors.

Question 13

People differ in their pain thresholds, and there is evidence that we are capable of withstanding extreme pain under some conditions. Which of the following is supported by this evidence?

Accepted Answer

Evidence suggests that pain has an emotional component, and we are capable of learning to control our experience of pain through techniques such as mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapy. While genetics may play a role in pain sensitivity, it is not the sole determinant, as environmental and psychological factors can also influence pain perception. Hormones may also play a role in pain sensitivity, but again, it is not the primary factor. The idea that we simply learn to feel pain is not supported by evidence, as pain is a complex sensation involving both physical and psychological factors.

Question 14

As the dog runs after a ball, his body is sometimes stretched right out with his head low and sometimes very condensed with his front paws behind his rear paws. When you watch the dog, you perceive him as the same dog throughout the entire run. Which principle allows this smooth perception?

Accepted Answer

Perceptual constancy allows us to perceive objects as the same despite changes in their appearance, such as the stretching and condensing of the dog's body during the run. This principle helps us maintain a stable perception of objects in the world around us.

Question 15

Information about __________ travels to the spinal cord and brain more quickly than information about __________.

Accepted Answer

Information about touch travels to the spinal cord and brain more quickly than information about pain. This is because touch information is transmitted through faster, myelinated nerve fibers, while pain information is transmitted through slower, unmyelinated or thinly myelinated fibers.

Question 16

The fact that our beliefs and expectations often influence our sensory experiences is an example of

Accepted Answer

Top-down processing refers to how our previous knowledge, expectations, and beliefs affect our perception and interpretation of incoming sensory information. This means that our beliefs and expectations can influence what we perceive, making it an example of top-down processing.

Question 17

__________ is conceptually driven, whereas __________ is stimulus-driven.

Accepted Answer

Top-down processing is driven by the individual's expectations and beliefs, whereas bottom-up processing is driven by incoming sensory information.

Question 18

When our perception of a stimulus, such as a misshapen letter or an image, depends on our knowledge or expectations, we are using __________ to interpret the stimulus.

Accepted Answer

A perceptual set is a predisposition or readiness to perceive something in a certain way based on our experiences, expectation, and context. It can influence our perception of ambiguous stimuli, as our brain tries to interpret the information we are receiving. For example, if we are expecting to see a certain word on a page, we may misread a similar-looking word as the expected one.

Question 19

Which of the following provides evidence that our visual system interacts with our somatosensory system?

Accepted Answer

Mirror box treatments for phantom limb pain involve using a mirror to create a visual illusion of the missing limb, which can alleviate pain and improve function. This demonstrates a direct interaction between the visual and somatosensory systems.

Question 20

Which of the following body parts would be LEAST sensitive to pain, based on the number of free nerve endings that are present?

Accepted Answer

The middle of the back has fewer free nerve endings compared to areas like the fingertips, lips, and feet, making it less sensitive to pain.

Quiz 4: Sensation and Perception