Question 1

Which of the following statements is true of culture?
A)It was created by groups to solve complex problems of living and social life,enabling them to survive more functionally and effectively.
B)It is not possible to access the mental models of culture that influence a person's way of thinking,feeling,and behaving.
C)It does not have a strong cognitive component like evolution of language.
D)It only refers to the individual mental representations of one's habits.

Accepted Answer

Culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that characterize a group or society. It is created by groups to solve complex problems of living and social life, enabling them to survive more functionally and effectively. Culture is a result of human adaptation to the environment and is transmitted from one generation to the next through learning.

Question 2

Which of the following best defines sensation?
A)It refers to the focusing of our limited capacities of consciousness on a particular set of stimuli.
B)It refers to the feelings that result from excitation of the sensory receptors such as touch,taste,smell,sight,and hearing.
C)It refers to the ability to understand the meaning or importance of something.
D)It refers to the ability of brain to categorize various sensory perceptions that result from chemical stimulation.

Accepted Answer

Sensation refers to the process of detecting and encoding stimulus energy from the environment through sensory receptors such as touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. It involves the initial process of registering sensory information through our senses and creating raw data. The feelings that result from this excitation of sensory receptors are also part of sensation.

Question 3

Hudson,in 1960,conducted a study that highlighted cultural differences in perception and found that:
A)even Bantu tribe members who had been educated in European schools saw the pictures as other tribe members.
B)differences in depth perception were neither related to education nor to exposure to European cultures.
C)Western people do not often use relevant size as a cue to depth in pictures.
D)Bantu tribe members did not use relative size as a cue to depth.

Accepted Answer

D

Question 4

Which of the following theories suggests that people in urbanized,industrialized societies are used to seeing things that are rectangular in shape and unconsciously come to expect things to have squared corners?
A)Carpentered world theory
B)Rectangular perception theory
C)Right angle perception theory
D)Front-horizontal theory

Accepted Answer

The carpentered world theory suggests that people in urbanized, industrialized societies are so accustomed to seeing rectangular shapes and right angles in their built environment that they unconsciously come to expect new objects to have squared corners as well. This theory has been used to explain why people in some cultures may have difficulty perceiving the Muller-Lyer illusion, which involves two lines of equal length with differently angled arrowheads at the ends.

Question 5

Which theory suggests that we interpret vertical lines as horizontal lines extending into the distance?
A)Dimensional space theory
B)Front extension theory
C)Vertical extension theory
D)Front-horizontal foreshortening theory

Accepted Answer

The theory that suggests that we interpret vertical lines as horizontal lines extending into the distance is the Front-horizontal foreshortening theory. This theory proposes that we perceive vertical lines as being foreshortened in the front-to-back direction, causing them to appear shorter than they actually are. As a result, we interpret them as being horizontal lines that extend into the distance.

Question 6

In the context of visual perception,the _____ suggests that people in Western cultures focus more on representations on paper than do people in other cultures,and in particular spend more time learning to interpret pictures.
A)vertical-horizontal line theory
B)symbolizing three dimensions in two theory
C)foreign concept theory
D)carpentered world theory

Accepted Answer

The "symbolizing three dimensions in two theory" suggests that people in Western cultures are more accustomed to interpreting two-dimensional representations (such as drawings and photographs) as three-dimensional spaces due to their extensive exposure to such representations from a young age. This contrasts with individuals from cultures where such practices are less common, potentially leading to differences in visual perception and interpretation.

Question 7

_____ are perceptions that involve an apparent discrepancy between how an object looks and what it actually is.
A)Discrepant perception
B)Optical illusions
C)Focal point illusions
D)Apparent perception

Accepted Answer

Optical illusions are visual perceptions that involve a discrepancy or mismatch between what the eyes see and what the brain interprets, resulting in an apparent distortion of how an object looks or moves. They can be caused by various factors, such as the way light is reflected or refracted, the way objects are arranged or juxtaposed, or the way the brain processes visual information. Optical illusions can be classified into different types based on the specific visual effect they produce, such as geometric, ambiguous, or motion illusions.

Question 8

Which of the following is true of the 1905 study conducted by W.H.R.Rivers on responses to the Mueller-Lyer and horizontal-vertical illusions?
A)The English were more fooled by the horizontal-vertical illusion than were the Indians and New Guineans.
B)The only factor that led to the differences in response was education.
C)The English saw the lines in the Mueller-Lyer illusion as being more different in length than Indians and New Guineans.
D)The effects of illusion did not differ by culture.

Accepted Answer

The study found that English participants saw the lines in the Mueller-Lyer illusion as more different in length than the Indian and New Guinean participants. This suggests that the effects of illusion differed by culture. Option A is incorrect as the study did not find that the English were more fooled by the horizontal-vertical illusion. Option B is incorrect as the study found that culture was a factor in the differences in response, not just education. Option D is incorrect as the study found that the effects of illusion did differ by culture.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true of the Mueller-Lyer illusion?
A)In this illusion,subjects viewing the two figures typically judge the line with the arrowheads pointing out as longer.
B)In this illusion,subjects viewing the two figures typically judge the line with the arrowheads pointing in as longer.
C)In this illusion,subjects typically judge the horizontal line as longer.
D)In this illusion,subjects typically judge the vertical line as longer.

Accepted Answer

In the Mueller-Lyer illusion, subjects viewing the two figures typically judge the line with the arrowheads pointing in as longer. This is despite the fact that both lines are actually the same length. The illusion is thought to arise because the arrowheads at the end of the lines create a sense of depth, which makes one line appear farther away than the other. As a result, the brain adjusts its perception of the length of the line to account for the distance.

Question 10

Which of the following is true of the comparative study by Segall and colleagues between the Mueller-Lyer illusion and horizontal-vertical illusions?
A)The horizontal-vertical illusion was only limited to the primitive groups.
B)The horizontal-vertical illusion was only limited to the industrialized groups.
C)The Mueller-Lyer illusion was stronger for the non-industrialized groups.
D)The Mueller-Lyer illusion was stronger for the industrialized groups.

Accepted Answer

The comparative study by Segall and colleagues found that the Mueller-Lyer illusion was stronger for the industrialized groups, while the horizontal-vertical illusion was present for both primitive and industrialized groups. Therefore, D is the correct answer as it states that the Mueller-Lyer illusion was stronger for the industrialized groups.

Question 11

In a cross-cultural study by Masuda and Nisbett (2001)involving Japanese and American students to find the influence of culture on attention,it was found that:
A)there were minor differences in recalling the focal object in the picture.
B)there were major differences in recalling the focal object in the picture.
C)the Japanese students remembered more of the background objects.
D)the American students remembered more of the background objects.

Accepted Answer

Masuda and Nisbett (2001) found that Japanese students remembered more of the background objects in the picture than American students, indicating that culture does play a role in attention and perception. Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

Question 12

All humans have a blind spot in each eye,a spot with no sensory receptors,but there is no blind spot in our conscious perception.With the help of micro eye movements called _____ our brains fill this spot in so it looks as if we see everything.
A)retinal stabilization
B)ocular microtremors
C)ocular drifts
D)microsaccades

Accepted Answer

Microsaccades are tiny, involuntary eye movements that occur even when we try to keep our gaze fixed. These movements help fill in the gaps created by blind spots and keep our visual perception coherent and continuous. Retinal stabilization, ocular microtremors, and ocular drifts are other types of micro eye movements but they do not play the same role as microsaccades in compensating for blind spots.

Question 13

In which illusion do the subjects typically report that the horizontal line closer to the origin of the diagonals is longer than the one away from the origin?
A)Poggendorff illusion
B)Muller-Lyer illusion
C)Ponzo illusion
D)Horizontal-vertical illusion

Accepted Answer

In the Ponzo illusion, the horizontal line placed over converging lines (like a railway track) appears to be longer than another horizontal line of the same length placed over parallel lines. This occurs because the brain interprets the converging lines as distant and the parallel lines as closer. Therefore, it assumes that the line placed over the converging lines must be longer to maintain the perceived distance between the lines, leading to the illusion.

Question 14

In the context of the study by Masuda and Nisbett on attention involving American and Japanese students,people in Western cultures tend to engage in context-independent and _____ processes by focusing on a salient object (or person)independently from the context in which it is embedded.
A)holistic perceptual
B)naturalistic perceptual
C)analytic perceptual
D)scientific perceptual

Accepted Answer

According to the study by Masuda and Nisbett, people in Western cultures tend to engage in context-independent and analytic perceptual processes. This means that they focus on salient objects independently from the context in which it is embedded by breaking it down into component parts and analyzing them separately. This is different from holistic perceptual processes, which involve perceiving the whole picture and the relationships between the parts. Naturalistic and scientific perceptual processes are not relevant to the study's findings.

Question 15

In the context of human thinking,_____ is a method used to determine if one stimulus affects another.
A)regression testing
B)screening
C)stimulus testing
D)priming

Accepted Answer

Priming is a technique in psychology used to train a person's memory in both positive and negative ways. It involves exposing individuals to one stimulus to affect their response to another stimulus, thereby determining if and how one stimulus influences another.

Question 16

In the horizontal-vertical illusion,subjects typically respond that:
A)the horizontal line is longer.
B)the vertical line is longer.
C)the lines are of the same length.
D)the lines are crisscrossed.

Accepted Answer

In the horizontal-vertical illusion, subjects often perceive the vertical line as being longer than the horizontal line, even when both lines are of the same length. This is a common optical illusion demonstrating how our perception can be influenced by the orientation of objects.

Question 17

_____ refers to the focusing of our limited capacities of consciousness on a particular set of stimuli.
A)Initiation
B)Aspiration
C)Perception
D)Attention

Accepted Answer

Attention refers to the ability to focus our limited cognitive resources on a particular set of stimuli, which can be external or internal in nature. It involves selecting certain aspects of the environment and suppressing others, while also allocating our mental energy to carry out specific cognitive processes, such as perception, memory, language, or problem-solving. Attention is a crucial skill for many everyday activities, including learning, communication, task performance, and social interaction.

Question 18

The term _____ denotes all the mental processes one uses to transform sensory input into knowledge.
A)aspiration
B)cognition
C)information
D)initiation

Accepted Answer

The term cognition refers to the mental processes involved in understanding and processing sensory information to create knowledge and meaning. Aspiration refers to a strong desire or ambition; information is the raw data that needs to be processed; initiation refers to the beginning of something.

Question 19

_____ refers to the process of gathering information about the world through our senses.
A)Attention
B)Focus
C)Perception
D)Initiation

Accepted Answer

Perception refers to the process of gathering information about the world through our senses. Attention is the ability to selectively focus on certain stimuli, while focus is the concentration of attention on a specific task or object. Initiation refers to the act of starting something.

Question 20

In the context of the effects of the Mueller-Lyer illusion,Stewart in 1973 reported that the effects of the illusion:
A)vary by gender.
B)decline with age.
C)differ with race.
D)diminish with rise in income.

Accepted Answer

Stewart in 1973 reported that the effects of the Mueller-Lyer illusion decline with age. This means that older individuals are less likely to be influenced by the illusion compared to younger individuals. The other options (vary by gender, differ with race, and diminish with rise in income) are not supported by research on the Mueller-Lyer illusion.

Quiz 8: Culture and Cognition

Which of the following statements is true of culture?

Which of the following best defines sensation?

Hudson,in 1960,conducted a study that highlighted cultural differences in perception and found that:

Which of the following theories suggests that people in urbanized,industrialized societies are used to seeing things that are rectangular in shape and unconsciously come to expect things to have squared corners?

Which theory suggests that we interpret vertical lines as horizontal lines extending into the distance?

In the context of visual perception,the _____ suggests that people in Western cultures focus more on representations on paper than do people in other cultures,and in particular spend more time learning to interpret pictures.

_____ are perceptions that involve an apparent discrepancy between how an object looks and what it actually is.

Which of the following is true of the 1905 study conducted by W.H.R.Rivers on responses to the Mueller-Lyer and horizontal-vertical illusions?

Which of the following statements is true of the Mueller-Lyer illusion?

Which of the following is true of the comparative study by Segall and colleagues between the Mueller-Lyer illusion and horizontal-vertical illusions?

In a cross-cultural study by Masuda and Nisbett (2001) involving Japanese and American students to find the influence of culture on attention,it was found that:

All humans have a blind spot in each eye,a spot with no sensory receptors,but there is no blind spot in our conscious perception.With the help of micro eye movements called _____ our brains fill this spot in so it looks as if we see everything.

In which illusion do the subjects typically report that the horizontal line closer to the origin of the diagonals is longer than the one away from the origin?

In the context of the study by Masuda and Nisbett on attention involving American and Japanese students,people in Western cultures tend to engage in context-independent and _____ processes by focusing on a salient object (or person) independently from the context in which it is embedded.

In the context of human thinking,_____ is a method used to determine if one stimulus affects another.

In the horizontal-vertical illusion,subjects typically respond that:

_____ refers to the focusing of our limited capacities of consciousness on a particular set of stimuli.

The term _____ denotes all the mental processes one uses to transform sensory input into knowledge.

_____ refers to the process of gathering information about the world through our senses.

In the context of the effects of the Mueller-Lyer illusion,Stewart in 1973 reported that the effects of the illusion: