Question 1

The study of the relationship between properties of physical stimuli and psychological reactions to those properties is called __________________?

Accepted Answer

The study of the relationship between properties of physical stimuli and psychological reactions to those properties is called psychophysics. This involves measuring how changes in physical characteristics, such as intensity or wavelength, lead to changes in psychological experiences, such as brightness or color perception.

Question 2

The absolute threshold is defined as the smallest intensity required for the stimulus to be reported:

Accepted Answer

The absolute threshold is defined as the smallest intensity required for a stimulus to be detected 50% of the time. This means that the stimulus is not always perceived, but is detected half of the time it is presented at that specific intensity level.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a method of determining absolute thresholds described in "The Elements of Psychophysics"?

Accepted Answer

The method of sensitivity is not described in "The Elements of Psychophysics" as a method for determining absolute thresholds. The other three methods (method of adjustment, method of limits, method of constant stimuli) are all described and used in psychophysics research.

Question 4

In the __________________, the experimenter presents a stimulus that is clearly noticeable and then presents increasingly weaker stimuli until the participant cannot
 detect it.

Accepted Answer

The method described is the "method of limits," where the experimenter presents stimuli in a set order with increasing or decreasing intensity until the participant can no longer detect them. The other options (method of sensitivity, method of adjustment, and method of constant stimuli) involve different procedures for measuring thresholds.

Question 5

Katie is interested in how much lemon juice needs to be added to water for her friend Paul to detect it. She knows that a glass with only water (i.e., no lemon juice) will clearly be below threshold. She gives Paul this solution followed by 5 other solutions with an increasing amount of lemon juice. Paul reports being able to taste the lemon flavor at solution #4. Katie is employing the:

Accepted Answer

Katie is using the method of limits as she is testing Paul's threshold for detecting the lemon juice by gradually increasing the amount of lemon juice in the solutions until he can detect its presence. In this method of psychophysical testing, the experimenter gradually increases or decreases the intensity of a stimulus until the participant detects or stops detecting it, allowing for the determination of a threshold.

Question 6

In using the method of limits to determine absolute thresholds, an experimenter may begin with a noise that is below threshold and then sequentially increase the intensity until the listener says, "I hear it!" This sequence would be:

Accepted Answer

The method described in the question is an example of an ascending series of trials. This method involves starting with a stimulus below threshold and gradually increasing the intensity until the listener is able to detect it. This enables the experimenter to determine the minimum level of intensity required for the listener to detect the stimulus.

Question 7

In performing a listening task, Tracey incorrectly reports hearing a tone when none was present. When asked why she did that, she said, "I know I heard something on the first 7 trials, so surely there was a tone on trial 8, too.
 i. Tracey has made an:

Accepted Answer

The answer of In performing a listening task, Tracey incorrectly...

Question 8

An observer commits an error of anticipation when he answers incorrectly because:

Accepted Answer

The answer of An observer commits an error of anticipation...

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of the method of adjustment?

Accepted Answer

In the method of adjustment, the participant, not the experimenter, adjusts the intensity of the stimulus to find the threshold.

Question 10

Which method of determining absolute thresholds is very time-consuming and utilizes pre-tested stimuli?

Accepted Answer

The method of constant stimuli involves presenting a range of pre-tested stimuli in a random order to determine the point at which the stimulus can be detected at least 50% of the time. While it is time-consuming, it provides a more accurate measurement of absolute threshold compared to other methods.

Question 11

When using the method of constant stimuli, how are stimuli presented?

Accepted Answer

In the method of constant stimuli, stimuli are presented in a random order to prevent the participant's expectations from influencing their responses.

Question 12

Cara has just finished eating a huge piece of sweet chocolate cake. She is then asked to participate in a taste-test to determine whether she can detect small amounts of sugar added to water. She is likely to have:

Accepted Answer

Consuming a large amount of sweet food can temporarily increase a person's threshold for detecting sweetness, as the taste receptors in their mouth become saturated. This means that they would need a higher concentration of sugar in order to detect it. Therefore, Cara is likely to have a high threshold and thus a low sensitivity to small amounts of sugar added to water.

Question 13

If an observer has a low threshold for a smell:

Accepted Answer

A low threshold for smell means that the observer can detect small amounts of a smell, so only a small amount of the smell must be present to be detected.

Question 14

On a trial in which only noise is present and no target stimulus, John responds, "No, I didn't hear anything." John has made:

Accepted Answer

A correct rejection occurs when the participant correctly identifies the absence of a target stimulus in a trial. Since John correctly stated that he did not hear anything in a trial with only noise, he has made a correct rejection.

Question 15

If an observer becomes distracted during a detection task and fails to notice a stimulus that appears, this is:

Accepted Answer

If an observer becomes distracted during a detection task and fails to notice a stimulus that appears, this is a "miss" because they failed to detect the target stimulus.

Question 16

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent. 
-Which cell represents a false alarm?

Accepted Answer

In a confusion matrix, a false alarm (or false positive) is when the model incorrectly predicts a positive class. This is typically represented by cell C.

Question 17

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent. 
-Which cells represent correct detections?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Kyle performs a detection task in which...

Question 18

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent. 
-Which cell represents a correct rejection?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Kyle performs a detection task in which...

Question 19

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent. 
-What does cell A represent?

Accepted Answer

Cell A represents a hit because it correctly identifies a true positive.

Question 20

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent. 
-What does cell B represent?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Kyle performs a detection task in which...

Quiz 2: Research Methods

The study of the relationship between properties of physical stimuli and psychological reactions to those properties is called __________________?

The absolute threshold is defined as the smallest intensity required for the stimulus to be reported:

Which of the following is NOT a method of determining absolute thresholds described in "The Elements of Psychophysics"?

In the __________________, the experimenter presents a stimulus that is clearly noticeable and then presents increasingly weaker stimuli until the participant cannot detect it.

In using the method of limits to determine absolute thresholds, an experimenter may begin with a noise that is below threshold and then sequentially increase the intensity until the listener says, "I hear it!" This sequence would be:

In performing a listening task, Tracey incorrectly reports hearing a tone when none was present. When asked why she did that, she said, "I know I heard something on the first 7 trials, so surely there was a tone on trial 8, too. i. Tracey has made an:

An observer commits an error of anticipation when he answers incorrectly because:

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of the method of adjustment?

Which method of determining absolute thresholds is very time-consuming and utilizes pre-tested stimuli?

When using the method of constant stimuli, how are stimuli presented?

Cara has just finished eating a huge piece of sweet chocolate cake. She is then asked to participate in a taste-test to determine whether she can detect small amounts of sugar added to water. She is likely to have:

If an observer has a low threshold for a smell:

On a trial in which only noise is present and no target stimulus, John responds, "No, I didn't hear anything." John has made:

If an observer becomes distracted during a detection task and fails to notice a stimulus that appears, this is:

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent. -Which cell represents a false alarm?

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent. -Which cells represent correct detections?

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent. -Which cell represents a correct rejection?

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent. -What does cell A represent?

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent. -What does cell B represent?