Question 1

In general, learning tends to create

Accepted Answer

Learning tends to create perceptual habits, as it involves acquiring knowledge or skills through experience, study, or being taught, which often leads to the development of consistent ways of perceiving the world.

Question 2

Chua, Boland, and Nisbett presented American and Chinese participants with pictures of a figure, such as a tiger, placed on a ground, such as a jungle, and monitored their eye-movement patterns. The Americans tended to focus their eye movements

Accepted Answer

Americans tended to focus their eye movements on the figure (the tiger) rather than the background or ground (the jungle), indicating a more object-focused approach typical of Western perceptual patterns.

Question 3

In the demonstration of the upside down face in the textbook, perceptual learning

Accepted Answer

Perceptual learning has less impact on our perceptions of the upside-down face because our brains are not as adept at recognizing faces in this orientation, leading to a diminished ability to notice that the features are arranged incorrectly until the face is turned right-side up.

Question 4

Which of the following refers to changes in the brain that alter how we process sensory information so that we can focus on just one part of a group of stimuli rather than processing all of the stimuli?

Accepted Answer

Perceptual learning involves changes in the brain that enhance our ability to focus on specific stimuli, improving our ability to process and interpret sensory information selectively.

Question 5

A linebacker in football may be able to tell if the next play will be a run or a pass by watching one or two key players, rather than the entire opposing team. This illustrates

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates perceptual learning, which refers to the ability to learn to recognize patterns or cues in the environment (in this case, the behavior of key players) to make informed decisions or predictions (predicting whether the play will be a run or a pass).

Question 6

In general, illusions, such as these, are produced by

Accepted Answer

The answer of In general, illusions, such as these, are...

Question 7

Regarding the upside down face illustration in the textbook, a person knows what to expect when the face is in the normal position. However, when the face is inverted, the person is forced to

Accepted Answer

When a face is inverted, our usual perceptual habits, which involve recognizing faces as a whole, are disrupted. This forces us to perceive the individual features of the face separately, as we can no longer rely on our standard holistic approach to face recognition.

Question 8

Regarding the Müller-Lyer illusion, which of the following statements is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

The statement about the San bushmen experiencing the Müller-Lyer illusion in exactly the same way as Americans is false. Research has shown that cultural background and the environment one is accustomed to can influence the perception of optical illusions, including the Müller-Lyer illusion. People from "round" cultures, who are not as exposed to environments filled with straight lines and right angles, may not experience this illusion to the same extent as those from "square" cultures.

Question 9

Regarding culture and perception, which of the following statements is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

Western cultures are generally considered to have a more analytical or focused style of perception, concentrating on central objects and using rules to categorize objects. In contrast, Eastern cultures are thought to have a more holistic perceptual style, paying more attention to context and relationships between objects. This means that the statement about Western cultures having a broader focus of attention, while Eastern cultures have a relatively narrow focus, is false.

Question 10

The Müller-Lyer illusion is best explained by

Accepted Answer

The Müller-Lyer illusion is best explained by a combination of factors including size-distance invariance, perceptual habits, and a lifetime of experience with the corners of rooms and buildings, which all contribute to how we perceive the lengths of lines in this illusion.

Question 11

Perceptual habits are

Accepted Answer

Perceptual habits refer to the learned ways in which we organize and pay attention to the environment around us. They are not innate but developed through experience.

Question 12

Research conducted by Chua, Boland, and Nisbett found that American participants tended to focus on the figure within a scene, while the Chinese participants focused on the background. They concluded that Americans tend to have a

Accepted Answer

American participants focusing on the figure rather than the background indicates a narrower focus of attention, as they concentrate on specific elements rather than the scene as a whole.

Question 13

If two objects make the same size image on the retina, but one is more distant than the other, the more distant object must be larger. This is formally known as

Accepted Answer

Size-distance invariance explains how an object can appear the same size to us even if it is at different distances, by taking into account that objects further away must be larger to produce the same size image on the retina as closer objects.

Question 14

Which of the following illusions involves a horizontal line with arrowheads at each end that appears to be shorter than a horizontal line with open V's at each end of the line?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following illusions involves a...

Question 15

Chua, Boland, and Nisbett presented American and Chinese participants with pictures of a figure, such as a tiger, placed on a ground, such as a jungle, and monitored their eye-movement patterns. The Chinese tended to focus their eye movements

Accepted Answer

The study by Chua, Boland, and Nisbett found that Chinese participants tended to focus more on the context or background (the jungle) in images, reflecting a more holistic perceptual strategy, in contrast to Americans who focused more on the main object (the tiger).

Question 16

In England, the drivers drive on the opposite side of the road than American drivers do on American roads. Therefore, Maya and the other American tourists, who are visiting England will need to be very careful crossing the streets of London since they will have a tendency to look in the wrong direction to assess the traffic. This example illustrates the powerful effect that learning has on

Accepted Answer

The example illustrates top-down processing, where individuals' perceptions are influenced by their prior knowledge and expectations—in this case, the learned habit of looking in a certain direction to assess traffic.

Question 17

Research conducted by Chua, Boland, and Nisbett found that American participants tended to focus on the figure within a scene, while the Chinese participants focused on the background. They concluded that the Chinese tend to have a

Accepted Answer

The research by Chua, Boland, and Nisbett demonstrated cultural differences in perceptual processes, where Chinese participants paid more attention to the context or background of images, indicating a broader focus of attention compared to American participants who focused more on the central object.

Question 18

When a person first begins to use a computer, he or she has to deliberately pay attention to specific stimuli, such as icons and cursors. These experiences change how the person's brain processes information regarding the use of a computer. This change is called

Accepted Answer

Perceptual learning refers to the process by which the brain adapts to interpret sensory stimuli in a more efficient or different way after repeated exposure. In the context of using a computer, as a person becomes more familiar with icons, cursors, and other elements, their brain learns to process these stimuli more effectively, which is why D) perceptual learning is the correct answer.

Question 19

The Müller-Lyer illusion is

Accepted Answer

The Müller-Lyer illusion is thought to be based upon experience with the edges and corners of rooms and buildings, where the "arrow" configurations mimic the way corners and edges are perceived in three-dimensional space, leading to the misperception of line length.

Question 20

A novice chef discovers how to tell the difference between dried basil, oregano, and tarragon by focusing on a specific aspect of each herb. This illustrates

Accepted Answer

Perceptual learning involves learning to recognize differences or similarities in stimuli, such as distinguishing between different herbs based on specific characteristics.

Quiz 4: Sensation and Perception