Question 1

Jaspar received a ViewMaster for his birthday. When he looks through the lenses, the image inside the ViewMaster appears to be three-dimensional. This is because each of Jaspar's eyes is seeing a slightly different image of the picture. This is called

Accepted Answer

Binocular disparity refers to the difference in image location of an object seen by the left and right eyes, resulting from the eyes’ horizontal separation. This disparity allows for depth perception and the three-dimensional effect experienced when using a ViewMaster.

Question 2

When we are reading, the distance of each letter from those around it affects the word that we see. For example, scarcity means something different from scar city, therapist is different from the rapist, and prosecute is different from prose cute. Which Gestalt principle are we using to decide which letters to consider part of full words?

Accepted Answer

The Gestalt principle of proximity explains how we perceive elements close to each other as part of a group, which helps us determine which letters form words based on their spatial closeness.

Question 3

If a researcher records a particular stimulus as having a decibel (db) level of 50, what can we predict about this sound?

Accepted Answer

A sound at 50 decibels is generally considered to be within the range of normal conversation or a quiet suburban area, which is loud enough for the average person to hear but not typically loud enough to cause discomfort or hearing damage.

Question 4

Niguel is required to give a speech as part of his psychology class. Esme, who is also in the class, opens a note from her boyfriend during Niguel's speech and grows angry at something her boyfriend wrote. Though he hasn't been paying attention to how many people are smiling at him, Niguel immediately notices Esme's angry face. Why do psychologists think we are so much quicker to recognize an angry face than a happy one?

Accepted Answer

Angry faces are perceived as potential threats, and our brains are wired to quickly recognize and respond to threats for survival reasons. This heightened sensitivity to anger helps us react to potential dangers promptly.

Question 5

You are in an arena watching a hockey game. Because your seat is closer to one end of the rink than the other, the goalie at the far end forms a much smaller image on your retina than the goalie at the other end. Despite this, you perceive both goalies as being more or less similar in size. What mechanism is responsible for this?

Accepted Answer

Size constancy is the perceptual mechanism that allows us to perceive objects as being the same size regardless of their distance from us, which explains why both goalies appear similar in size despite the difference in the image size on the retina.

Question 6

What happens in the Ponzo illusion?

Accepted Answer

In the Ponzo illusion, converging lines (like railway tracks) give the impression that one bar is farther away than the other. Because of this context, the bar that appears farther away is perceived as larger, even though both bars are the same size. This is due to our brain's use of depth cues to interpret size at different distances.

Question 7

You are in an arena watching a hockey game. Despite the fast pace of the game and constant movement of the players, you find it relatively easy to keep track of who is on which team. What is one factor that can help explain how you are able to group the players into their respective teams?

Accepted Answer

The Gestalt law of similarity explains how we group elements based on their similarity. In the context of a hockey game, players on the same team wear similar uniforms, making it easier for spectators to group them into their respective teams.

Question 8

Imagine that you are trying to create a computer program to localize sound based on input to two microphones, in a manner similar to how humans use the information reaching each of their ears. What would you need to calculate?

Accepted Answer

Humans localize sound based on both the difference in timing and the difference in intensity of sounds reaching each ear. This dual approach allows for more accurate localization across a variety of environments and sound sources.

Question 9

Colin was involved in an accident that damaged his left eardrum. Though the injury reduced his ear's capacity to transmit vibrations, a hearing aid greatly improves his ability to hear. Colin has ___________________ deafness.

Accepted Answer

Conduction deafness occurs when there is a problem conducting sound waves anywhere along the route through the outer ear, tympanic membrane (eardrum), or middle ear. In Colin's case, the damaged eardrum impairs the transmission of sound, which is characteristic of conduction deafness. Hearing aids can often help with this type of deafness by amplifying sound, allowing it to be conducted more effectively despite the damage.

Question 10

A rock band recently covered (i.e., remade) a classic country song. Though the band uses different kinds of instruments and a different tempo, Colby still recognizes it due to

Accepted Answer

Perceptual constancy allows us to recognize objects as being the same under different conditions, such as changes in lighting, distance, or, in this case, variations in sound or tempo. This is why Colby can recognize the song despite the changes made by the rock band.

Question 11

Scientists created a visual cliff by placing a thick sheet of clear glass over a drop-off. They found that by the time children are old enough to crawl, they will not venture over the "edge" of the "cliff." What skill have the children developed that makes them wary?

Accepted Answer

The children have developed depth perception, which allows them to perceive the drop-off beneath the glass and understand that it represents a potential danger, making them wary of venturing over the "edge."

Question 12

Though we cannot overtly smell them, chemical signals are contained in natural body scents. These chemicals are so powerful that they have been associated with attraction and phenomena like menstrual synchrony. What are these chemical signals?

Accepted Answer

Pheromones are chemical signals released by an organism that influence the behavior or physiology of others of the same species, often related to attraction and other social behaviors.

Question 13

You are meeting some friends at a pub. You haven't been to this particular pub before but know they are sitting near a stage where some musicians are playing. When you arrive, you hear a band playing a cover of a song you recognize and walk towards the music, finding your friends almost immediately. Given that the band playing the song you recognized were not playing it exactly the same way as you were used to, and had never heard their version before, what helps explain how you were able to recognize it?

Accepted Answer

Perceptual constancies allow us to recognize familiar stimuli under varying conditions, which explains how you could identify the song despite differences in the band's rendition.

Question 14

The use of animated GIFs, or moving pictures, is common on the internet. Although they are perceived as conveying movement (like a video), they are actually just a series of still images cycled very quickly. This demonstrates the principle of _____.

Accepted Answer

Stroboscopic movement is the visual phenomenon where a series of static images presented in rapid succession appear to be moving. This principle explains how animated GIFs create the illusion of motion by cycling through still images quickly.

Question 15

Becky's mother and father load the luggage into the car while Becky gives Grandmother a hug good-bye. As the family drives away, Becky watches Grandmother get smaller and smaller, until she seems to disappear. Becky asks her parents why Grandma always becomes the size of an ant when they leave. Her parents attempt to explain to Becky the principle of

Accepted Answer

Becky's observation of her grandmother appearing to shrink as they drive away is an example of size constancy, a perceptual phenomenon where the perceived size of an object remains constant despite changes in the distance from the object, which alters the size of the image on the retina.

Question 16

You are meeting some friends at a pub. You haven't been to this particular pub before but know they are sitting near a stage where some musicians will be playing. When you arrive, you hear a band playing a cover of a song you recognize and walk towards the music, finding your friends almost immediately. How did your sense of hearing accomplish the task of locating where the sound was coming from?

Accepted Answer

EThe ability to locate the source of a sound involves comparing both the timing and intensity of auditory signals reaching each ear. This process allows the brain to determine the direction and distance of the sound source. Timing differences help with identifying the direction, while intensity differences can provide clues about the distance of the sound source.

Question 17

You are in an arena watching a hockey game. In the third period you ask the person sitting next to you if they know how much time is left. They laugh at you before pointing at a giant clock that had been in front of you the whole game. What can help explain the fact that you missed something that seems so obvious?

Accepted Answer

Inattentional blindness is a psychological phenomenon where an individual fails to perceive an unexpected stimulus that is in plain sight, simply because their attention was focused on another task, event, or aspect of their environment. This explains why you missed seeing the giant clock despite it being clearly visible.

Question 18

You are meeting some friends at a pub. You haven't been to this particular pub before but know they are sitting near a stage where some musicians are playing. When you arrive, you hear a band playing a cover of a song you recognize and walk towards the music, finding your friends almost immediately. Which of the following forms of processing would have to take place in this example?

Accepted Answer

In this scenario, both bottom-up and top-down processing occur. Bottom-up processing involves sensory input leading to perception (hearing the music), while top-down processing involves using pre-existing knowledge or expectations (knowing friends are near the stage where music is playing) to interpret and find your friends.

Quiz 5: Sensation and Perception