Question 1

When you are in a group of people,surrounded by voices,you can choose to focus on the voice of the person you are facing or even choose to eavesdrop on conversations around the room.This is a good example of
A)selective adaptation.
B)selective attention.
C)sensory overload.
D)sensory deceleration.

Accepted Answer

Selective attention is the ability to focus on specific stimuli while filtering out other distractions in the environment. In this scenario, the individual is selectively attending to the voice of the person they are facing or eavesdropping on other conversations, while ignoring the other voices in the room. Selective adaptation refers to a change in sensitivity to a specific stimulus over time. Sensory overload occurs when the amount of sensory information exceeds the brain's capacity to process it, leading to feelings of overwhelm. Sensory deceleration refers to a decrease in sensitivity to sensory information.

Question 2

Voluntarily placing priorities on sensory messages refers to the process of
A)selective attention.
B)divided perception.
C)repetitious stimulation.
D)subliminal attention.

Accepted Answer

Selective attention is the process of voluntarily placing priorities on sensory messages and ignoring others. This means that individuals intentionally focus on one particular stimulus while disregarding others.

Question 3

In order to artificially restore sight,researchers have used a miniature television camera to send electrical signals directly to the brain,bypassing damaged eyes and optic nerves.This system involved the use of sensory
A)adaptation.
B)localization.
C)gating.
D)assimilation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In order to artificially restore sight,researchers have...

Question 4

Failure to perceive a stimulus that is in plain view but not the focus of attention is known as
A)inattentional blindness.
B)habituation.
C)adaptation level.
D)subliminal stimuli.

Accepted Answer

Inattentional blindness refers to the phenomenon of not perceiving a stimulus that is in plain view but not the focus of attention. This can occur because our attentional resources are limited and we prioritize certain stimuli over others.

Question 5

Simons and Chabris showed participants a film of two basketball teams,one wearing black shirts and the other wearing white.Observers were asked to watch the film closely and count how many times a basketball passed between members of one of the teams,while ignoring the other team.As the observers watched and counted,a person wearing a gorilla suit walked into the middle of the basketball game,faced the camera,thumped its chest,and walked out of view.Which of the following occurred?
A)All of the participants lost count of the number of basketball passes because of the unexpected appearance of the gorilla.
B)Half of the participants failed to notice the gorilla's appearance.
C)All of the participants failed to notice the gorilla's appearance.
D)Only the female participants noticed the gorilla.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the selective attention test known as the gorilla experiment. The unexpected appearance of the gorilla is meant to distract participants from their task of counting basketball passes, and many participants fail to notice the gorilla at all. Therefore, choice B is the best answer as half of the participants failed to notice the gorilla's appearance.

Question 6

Which of the following can be thought of as a "bottleneck," or a narrowing in the information channel linking the senses to perception,that is,when one message enters the bottleneck,it seems to prevent others from passing through?
A)selective attention
B)sensory gating
C)sensory adaptation
D)subliminal attention

Accepted Answer

Selective attention is the process of filtering out irrelevant sensory information and focusing on the important ones. It acts as a bottleneck by allowing only selected sensory input to pass through to perception while blocking out the rest, thus narrowing the information channel. Sensory gating and sensory adaptation also involve filtering sensory input, but they do not necessarily create a bottleneck effect. Subliminal attention refers to the processing of stimuli below the threshold of conscious awareness and does not involve a bottleneck effect.

Question 7

You are about to take your psychology test when in the next room a nature video is being shown to another class.You focus intensely on reading and answering the test questions.When you look up a few minutes later,you realize that the video has stopped,and you hadn't even noticed.This situation illustrates your
A)sensory adaptation.
B)selective attention.
C)sensory gating.
D)selective accommodation.

Accepted Answer

Selective attention is the ability to focus on a specific stimulus while filtering out other distractions. In this scenario, the student is able to focus on the test questions and not be distracted by the nature video playing in the next room. This demonstrates selective attention. Sensory adaptation refers to the process by which our sensory receptors become less responsive to constant stimuli. Sensory gating refers to the neurological process of filtering out unnecessary or redundant stimuli in order to focus on the most important stimuli. Selective accommodation is not a recognized psychological concept.

Question 8

The "seat of your pants phenomenon" and the "cocktail party effect" refer to
A)sensory conflict and the involuntary focusing on a specific sensory input.
B)mixed attention and the voluntary focusing on many inputs.
C)selective attention and the voluntary focusing on a specific sensory input.
D)subliminal perception and the involuntary focusing on many inputs.

Accepted Answer

The "seat of your pants phenomenon" and the "cocktail party effect" both refer to selective attention, which is the voluntary focusing on a specific sensory input. The "seat of your pants phenomenon" describes the feeling of automatic control that arises when we engage in an activity that we have practiced extensively, such as driving a car. The "cocktail party effect" is the ability to focus on a particular conversation amid a noisy social gathering. Both phenomena involve the ability to choose which sensory input to allocate attention towards.

Question 9

After a musical concert that you enjoyed without distraction,a companion complains that she heard little of the music due to frequent shuffling and throat-clearing in the audience.The difference in your experience and hers is related to
A)just noticeable differences.
B)subliminal thresholds.
C)sensory adaptation.
D)selective attention.

Accepted Answer

The difference in the two experiences is due to the companion's selective attention, as she was focusing on the distractions in the audience rather than the music itself.

Question 10

When you are in a group of people,surrounded by voices,you can choose to focus on the voice of the person you are facing or even choose to eavesdrop on conversations around the room.This is known as
A)the "cocktail party effect."
B)the multisensory approach.
C)"mindblindness."
D)the sound threshold barrier.

Accepted Answer

The "cocktail party effect" is a term used to describe the human ability to selectively listen to one conversation in a crowded and noisy environment. This phenomenon is commonly experienced in social situations, such as parties or networking events. The ability to focus on one particular sound amidst a cacophony of noises demonstrates the brain's remarkable ability to parse through auditory information and select the most relevant sounds.

Question 11

Which of the following processes can be consciously controlled?
A)sensory coding
B)selective attention
C)sensory adaptation
D)sensory analysis

Accepted Answer

Selective attention can be consciously controlled as it involves focusing on specific stimuli while ignoring others. Sensory coding, sensory adaptation, and sensory analysis are all automatic processes that occur without conscious control.

Question 12

Which of the following appears to be based on the ability of brain structures to choose and divert incoming sensory messages?
A)sensory deceleration
B)sensory adaptation
C)selective attention
D)selective accommodation.

Accepted Answer

Selective attention refers to the ability of the brain to selectively focus on specific sensory inputs while ignoring others. It involves the activation of certain brain structures that help in choosing and diverting incoming sensory messages. This allows individuals to effectively navigate and respond to various stimuli in their environment. Option A is not a recognized term. Option B refers to a decrease in sensitivity to a constant input over time. Option D is not a recognized term in psychology or neuroscience.

Question 13

Being able to focus on the traffic signals among all the neon signs and lights illustrates
A)sensory gating.
B)selective attention.
C)control biasing.
D)physiological nystagmus.

Accepted Answer

Selective attention refers to the ability to focus on one specific stimulus while filtering out others. In this scenario, the individual is able to focus on the traffic signals despite the other distractions around them, which is an example of selective attention.

Question 14

As you sit reading this page,receptors for touch and pressure in the seat of your pants are sending nerve impulses to your brain.Although these sensations have been present all along,you were probably not aware of them until just now.This "seat­of­the­pants phenomenon" is an example of
A)selective attention.
B)selective accommodation.
C)sensory deceleration.
D)sensory gating.

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described is an example of selective attention, where the brain focuses on certain sensory inputs while filtering out others that may be present in the environment. In this case, the brain was not actively attending to the sensations from the seat of the pants until it was brought to conscious awareness.

Question 15

You are at a party and are listening intensely to a friend tell the "latest gossip," when another person in the room mentions your name in a conversation in a group to the left of where you are standing.According to research on selective attention,you will most likely
A)shift your attention to the person who mentioned your name.
B)not hear your name mentioned since you are intensely listening to your friend's story.
C)not perceive your name being called since this occurred on your left side,not your right side.
D)shift your attention every 30 seconds,regardless of whether your name was called or not.

Accepted Answer

Selective attention refers to the brain's ability to focus on a specific stimuli while filtering out other stimuli. In this scenario, the brain is actively focusing on the friend's gossip and filtering out other conversations. However, when the person mentions your name, it becomes a personally relevant stimulus and therefore, the brain is more likely to shift attention to that conversation. This is because personal relevance increases the saliency of the stimulus and draws attention towards it. Therefore, the most likely response would be to shift attention towards the group where your name was mentioned.

Question 16

When our attention is narrowly focused,we may experience
A)sane hallucinations.
B)habituation.
C)retinal disparity.
D)inattentional blindness.

Accepted Answer

Inattentional blindness occurs when our attention is narrowly focused on a specific task or object, causing us to miss other stimuli in our environment, even if they are right in front of us.

Question 17

Fans of opposing sports teams often act as if they have seen completely different games.This probably results from the fans of each team focusing intently on their own players and not the other team,which illustrates
A)psychokinesis.
B)retinal disparity.
C)inattentional blindness.
D)the apparent-distance hypothesis.

Accepted Answer

Inattentional blindness refers to the phenomenon where individuals fail to perceive unexpected stimuli in their visual field because they are focused on something else. In the context of the question, fans of opposing sports teams are so focused on watching their own team's players that they may fail to perceive or attend to what the other team is doing. This can lead to different perceptions and interpretations of the game outcome.

Question 18

Although the senses reduce a mixture of sights,sounds,odors,tastes,and touch sensations to more manageable amounts,they are still too much for the brain to handle.That's why the brain further filters sensory information through
A)selective accommodation.
B)sensory deceleration.
C)selective attention.
D)control biasing.

Accepted Answer

Selective attention is the process by which the brain filters out irrelevant or less important sensory information and focuses on what is deemed important or relevant. This helps to further reduce the amount of sensory information the brain has to process and allows for more efficient processing of important information.

Question 19

Regarding inattentional blindness,we are more likely not to perceive something when
A)we are experiencing retinal disparity.
B)our attention is narrowly focused.
C)we are experiencing subliminal adaptation.
D)our attention is broadly focused.

Accepted Answer

Inattentional blindness occurs when our attention is narrowly focused on one thing, causing us to miss other things in our environment. This is why we may not notice something even if it is right in front of us.

Question 20

The ability to selectively attend to incoming sensory information is believed to result from
A)the inability of the brain to handle more than one message at a time.
B)faulty transmission of neural impulses.
C)the brain's ability to give some messages priority while putting others on hold.
D)a mismatch between the sensory systems.

Accepted Answer

Selective attention is based on the brain's ability to prioritize certain messages over others. This enables individuals to focus on relevant information and ignore irrelevant distractions. It is not due to the brain's inability to handle more than one message at a time or a mismatch between sensory systems. Faulty neural transmission can impact attention, but it is not the primary factor underlying selective attention.

Quiz 18: Sensation and Perception: Sensory Processes

When you are in a group of people,surrounded by voices,you can choose to focus on the voice of the person you are facing or even choose to eavesdrop on conversations around the room.This is a good example of

Voluntarily placing priorities on sensory messages refers to the process of

In order to artificially restore sight,researchers have used a miniature television camera to send electrical signals directly to the brain,bypassing damaged eyes and optic nerves.This system involved the use of sensory

Failure to perceive a stimulus that is in plain view but not the focus of attention is known as

Which of the following can be thought of as a "bottleneck," or a narrowing in the information channel linking the senses to perception,that is,when one message enters the bottleneck,it seems to prevent others from passing through?

The "seat of your pants phenomenon" and the "cocktail party effect" refer to

After a musical concert that you enjoyed without distraction,a companion complains that she heard little of the music due to frequent shuffling and throat-clearing in the audience.The difference in your experience and hers is related to

When you are in a group of people,surrounded by voices,you can choose to focus on the voice of the person you are facing or even choose to eavesdrop on conversations around the room.This is known as

Which of the following processes can be consciously controlled?

Which of the following appears to be based on the ability of brain structures to choose and divert incoming sensory messages?

Being able to focus on the traffic signals among all the neon signs and lights illustrates

As you sit reading this page,receptors for touch and pressure in the seat of your pants are sending nerve impulses to your brain.Although these sensations have been present all along,you were probably not aware of them until just now.This "seatofthepants phenomenon" is an example of

You are at a party and are listening intensely to a friend tell the "latest gossip," when another person in the room mentions your name in a conversation in a group to the left of where you are standing.According to research on selective attention,you will most likely

When our attention is narrowly focused,we may experience

Fans of opposing sports teams often act as if they have seen completely different games.This probably results from the fans of each team focusing intently on their own players and not the other team,which illustrates

Although the senses reduce a mixture of sights,sounds,odors,tastes,and touch sensations to more manageable amounts,they are still too much for the brain to handle.That's why the brain further filters sensory information through

Regarding inattentional blindness,we are more likely not to perceive something when

The ability to selectively attend to incoming sensory information is believed to result from