Question 1

Eli has been wearing green welding goggles for the past 30 minutes. Based on the opponent-process theory of colour vision, what colour will white objects appear to be for a brief time after Eli takes off the green goggles?

Accepted Answer

According to the opponent-process theory of color vision, staring at a color for an extended period of time causes the brain to produce an afterimage in the opponent color. In this case, wearing green goggles for 30 minutes will cause the brain to produce an afterimage in the opponent color, which is red. Therefore, after taking off the green goggles, white objects will briefly appear to be red.

Question 2

Which type of processing is most important for the ability to rapidly process words that you are reading?

Accepted Answer

Top-down processing is most important for the ability to rapidly process words that you are reading. This involves the use of prior knowledge, context, and expectations to interpret and understand incoming information quickly. Bottom-up processing, on the other hand, involves the analysis of individual stimulus features, which is less efficient for rapid processing of language. Lateral and bottom-to-top processing are not relevant to the processing of written language.

Question 3

If you mix red, green, and blue paint, what colour will you get?

Accepted Answer

When mixing all three primary colors of light (red, green, and blue), you get black. However, if you mix the primary colors of pigment (cyan, magenta, and yellow), you get black as well.

Question 4

Denise was momentarily blinded when paparazzi snapped her picture using a blue flash. Following the flash, she saw spots for several minutes. What colour were the spots, based on the opponent-process theory of colour vision?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Denise was momentarily blinded when paparazzi snapped...

Question 5

What do we mean when we say that perception is influenced by a perceptual set?

Accepted Answer

A perceptual set is a tendency or expectation to perceive certain stimuli or interpretations based on prior experiences or context. This can lead people to see what they expect to see, even if it may not be accurate or complete.

Question 6

Television sets are able to recreate the entire visible spectrum by additively mixing three primary colours. Which theory of human colour vision is similar to this mechanism?

Accepted Answer

The trichromatic theory of color vision proposes that there are three types of color receptors in the human eye, each sensitive to a different primary color (red, green, and blue). These receptors work together to create the perception of all other colors. This is similar to the mechanism used in television sets which use additive mixing of the primary colors red, green, and blue to create all other colors.

Question 7

Which theory of colour vision is supported by the action of the lateral geniculate nucleus?

Accepted Answer

The opponent process theory proposes that color perception is based on the opponent nature of three color pairs: red-green, blue-yellow, and black-white. The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) is a region in the brain's thalamus that receives input from the retinas and sends output to the visual cortex. The LGN has been found to exhibit opponent processing, supporting the opponent process theory of color vision.

Question 8

What differs in the visual perception of a human dichromat and a human trichromat?

Accepted Answer

A human dichromat has only two types of cones in their retina, while a human trichromat has three types of cones. This means that a dichromat has limited color vision compared to a trichromat.

Question 9

What colour should you wear on a date if you want to enhance your perceived attractiveness, based on results of research examining colour effects on behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that wearing red can enhance perceived attractiveness, as it is associated with passion, romance, and sexual attraction.

Question 10

Hering's opponent-process theory suggests that receptors are linked antagonistically in pairs. What are his opposed pairs?

Accepted Answer

Hering's opponent-process theory suggests that our visual system has three pairs of opposite colors: red-green, yellow-blue, and black-white. Choice C matches these pairs.

Question 11

Sima was listening to a tape recording of a famous speech that was being played backward. She just heard gibberish until a classmate told her that the phrase "meet me in St. Louis" was clearly spoken. The tape was rewound and as Sima listened this time, she also clearly heard the same phrase. Which of the following models of perception is illustrated by Sima's ability to detect the phrase the second time through the tape?

Accepted Answer

Sima's ability to detect the phrase "meet me in St. Louis" on the second listen shows the use of top-down processing, which involves using prior knowledge and expectations to interpret sensory information. Her classmate's tip gave her the expectation of what phrase to listen for, allowing her to recognize it on the second listen.

Question 12

Mike and Sandy were walking down the street and Mike was telling Sandy a story about a party he went to. As they were walking, a car full of clowns drove past and waved at them. Sandy waved back. Later, Mike reported truthfully that he had never seen the clowns and did not notice that Sandy waved at them. Which of the following could explain this apparent lapse in perception?

Accepted Answer

Inattentional blindness is a phenomenon where a person fails to notice an unexpected and salient stimulus that is fully visible and within the visual field when their attention is focused on something else. In this scenario, Mike's attention was focused on telling Sandy a story, so he may not have noticed the car full of clowns driving past.

Question 13

At the musical he attended over the weekend, Andrew noticed that whenever the red and green spotlights overlapped, they seemed to change to a yellow spotlight. Which principle explains this perception?

Accepted Answer

Additive colour mixing is the principle where colours are created by combining different amounts of red, green, and blue light. When red and green light overlap, they combine to create yellow light, which is seen as a yellow spotlight. This principle is commonly used in stage lighting and LED displays.

Question 14

Three people look at the same sketch and report seeing three different things. Which of the following does this demonstrate that perception is influenced by?

Accepted Answer

Perceptual set refers to the tendency for our expectations and pre-existing beliefs to influence our perception of incoming information. In this scenario, the fact that three people saw three different things suggests that their perceptual sets were different and influenced what they perceived in the sketch. The other answer options may also play a role in perception but do not directly explain why three people saw different things.

Question 15

Which of the following is the best description of the current view of how colour is coded in the visual system?

Accepted Answer

The current view of how color is coded in the visual system asserts that it begins with a trichromatic process, where three types of cones (S-cones, M-cones, and L-cones) respond to different wavelengths of light. Once this information is processed, it is then sent to opponent cells in the visual system that compare the activity levels between different cone types (e.g. S-cone vs. L-cone) to create the sensation of color contrast. Therefore, option D is the best choice as it correctly describes the sequential process of trichromatic coding followed by opponent processing.

Question 16

Psychologists who took the structuralist approach to the study of consciousness believed that the best way to understand an individual's conscious experiences was to understand all the component parts that combined to produce the experience. With which model of perception is this most consistent?

Accepted Answer

The structuralist approach to the study of consciousness is most consistent with the bottom-up model of perception, which suggests that sensory information is processed in a step-by-step manner from basic features to more complex representations, ultimately leading to a conscious experience. This is in contrast to the top-down model, which suggests that our expectations and knowledge about the context in which we are perceiving something can influence and shape our perceptions. The opponent-process and eclectic models are not directly related to the structuralist approach to consciousness.

Question 17

After having your picture taken with a yellow flash, you momentarily see blue spots floating before your eyes. Which process best explains this phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

The opponent process theory explains the complementary color afterimages and how the colors red and green, blue and yellow, and black and white are perceived as opposing pairs. The blue spots seen after a yellow flash are a result of the opponent processes in the visual system, creating afterimages in complementary colors.

Question 18

Feature analysis assumes that we progress from individual elements to the whole in the formation of our perceptions. Which of the following processes describes feature analysis?

Accepted Answer

Feature analysis involves starting with individual elements (features) and gradually building up to form a perception of the whole object. This is a bottom-up process as it starts with the smallest units and progresses to the final perception.

Question 19

Vanessa describes a new melody that she heard at a concert by telling you each of the individual notes, in the order that they were played. In providing this type of description, which type of processing does Vanessa appear to use?

Accepted Answer

Vanessa is using bottom-up processing, which involves taking in individual sensory experiences to build a cohesive perception of the whole. In this case, she is describing the melody by identifying the individual notes in order, which is a bottom-up approach to processing.

Question 20

According to one theory of colour vision, colours are signalled in pairs by neurons that fire faster to one colour and slower to another colour. What is this theory called?

Accepted Answer

The opponent process theory states that our perception of color is based on three types of opposing pairs of colors - red/green, blue/yellow, and black/white. This theory posits that when we see a color, it is signaled by neurons firing at different rates, with one set of neurons firing more quickly to one color and another set firing more quickly to its opposite color in the pair (i.e., red vs. green, blue vs. yellow, or black vs. white). This theory helps to explain some of the ways in which we perceive colors and the afterimages we see when looking at a bright color and then shifting our gaze to a neutral surface.

Quiz 4: A: Sensation and Perception