Question 1

We consider several sources of information, such as size, color, and texture, when we try to identify an object, but the MOST important source of information is the object's:

Accepted Answer

While size, color, and texture contribute to object identification, the most important source of information is the object's shape. This is because objects can have the same size or color but different shapes, making shape the most unique and reliable identifier. Distance is also important for perception, but it is not the primary factor in object identification.

Question 2

Professor Johann was fond of stating, "Remember, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts!" Professor Johann was most likely influenced in his thinking by:

Accepted Answer

Professor Johann's statement reflects the principles of Gestalt psychology, which emphasizes that the whole perception is more than the sum of the individual sensory components.

Question 3

The tendency to group objects that are close to one another as a single unit is called the law of _____.

Accepted Answer

The law of proximity states that objects that are close to one another are perceived as a single unit, and this grouping occurs automatically and unconsciously. This principle is part of Gestalt psychology, which focuses on how the brain organizes and perceives visual information.

Question 4

The ability to perceive the three dimensions of an object, along with its distance from you, is called:

Accepted Answer

Depth perception is the ability to perceive the three dimensions of an object, along with its distance from you. Texture gradient refers to the way the details of a texture appear to become smaller and less defined as its distance from you increases. Linear parallax refers specifically to the way distant objects appear to move more slowly than nearby objects when you move your head or eyes. Relative perception is not a term typically used in psychology to describe perception.

Question 5

Looking out the window you perceive a tree in front of a car. Even though the tree interrupts your visual image of the car, you still perceive the car to be a solid shape and not split where the tree blocks your view of it. This is an example of the law of _____.

Accepted Answer

The law of closure states that our brains tend to fill in missing information to create a complete whole. In this example, even though part of the car is visually blocked by the tree, our brain still perceives the car as a complete, solid shape.

Question 6

In the classic faces/vase drawing you can see both the faces and the vase if you are able to reverse the _____ relationship.

Accepted Answer

The ability to see both the faces and the vase require the ability to switch between two possible interpretations, where the images form the “figure” or foreground and the background is the “ground”. This is known as the figure-ground relationship, which allows us to differentiate between objects and their surroundings, and hence, enables us to perceive the faces and the vase from the same image.

Question 7

Research suggests that the brain's response to figure-ground relationships discovered that:

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that brain neurons that become active in response to a specific shape when it is presented as a figure do not respond to the same shape when it is part of the background, indicating that the brain distinguishes between figures and background.

Question 8

From the third floor you look down at the sidewalk crowded with students walking between buildings. Because of the law of _____, you perceive the students walking in each direction on the sidewalk as separate units.

Accepted Answer

The law of good continuation suggests that elements arranged on a line or curve are perceived as more related than elements not on the line or curve. This helps in perceiving students walking in each direction as separate units.

Question 9

Who was the founder of Gestalt psychology?

Accepted Answer

Max Wertheimer is considered the founder of Gestalt psychology. He published a paper in 1912 that introduced the concept of phi phenomenon, which formed the basis for the Gestalt theory.

Question 10

The letters on a flashing neon sign actually read "CPEN FOR BUSINESS!" However, because of the law of _____, Joe never noticed that part of one neon letter was burned out and perceived it as reading "OPEN FOR BUSINESS!"

Accepted Answer

The law of closure refers to the tendency of the brain to fill in the missing parts of a visual image to create a complete and recognizable whole. In this case, Joe's brain filled in the missing part of the burnt-out letter to make it complete and read "OPEN FOR BUSINESS."

Question 11

The ability to accurately gauge the distance of the coffee cup on your desk as you reach for it is called:

Accepted Answer

Depth perception is the ability to accurately determine the distance between objects in space, including the coffee cup on your desk. Motion parallax refers to the slight shifting of objects as we move, which also helps us determine distance. Biofeedback refers to techniques to control physiological responses, and accommodation refers to the ability of the eye to change its focus between objects at different distances.

Question 12

At the corner of Lisa's desk is one of her favorite seashells. If you looked at Lisa's desk, you would tend to perceive the seashell as _____ and her desk as _____.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of figure-ground perception, where the seashell becomes the figure and the desk becomes the ground.

Question 13

According to one important perceptual principle when we look at a scene we automatically tend to separate the elements of that scene into an object and its background. This principle is called:

Accepted Answer

The principle described in the question is the figure-ground relationship, which refers to the tendency to perceive objects as standing out from their background. This principle helps us to differentiate between objects in our environment and their surroundings. Perceptual constancy refers to our ability to perceive objects as maintaining their shape, size, color, and other properties even when viewed from different angles or distances. The law of closure refers to the tendency to perceive objects as complete even when they are incomplete or have gaps. The law of similarity refers to the tendency to group objects together based on their similarities in color, shape, or texture.

Question 14

The term gestalt means a(n):

Accepted Answer

Gestalt refers to the concept of perceiving a unified whole or form, rather than individual parts. This is a fundamental principle in gestalt psychology.

Question 15

When Arnie was sent to Afghanistan for military duty he was issued a special camouflage uniform so that he would not be as readily visible against the rocky desert landscape. Camouflage is an alteration of the perceptual principle called:

Accepted Answer

Camouflage is designed to alter the figure-ground relationship by making the individual wearing it blend in with the background, making it more difficult to perceive them as a separate figure. Therefore, the correct perceptual principle is the figure-ground relationship.

Question 16

The group of psychologists who investigated the basic rules of perception in the early 1900s were:

Accepted Answer

The group of psychologists who investigated the basic rules of perception in the early 1900s and developed the Gestalt principles were known as Gestalt psychologists. They rejected the traditional approach of breaking down perception into smaller components and instead focused on how the brain organizes sensory information into meaningful patterns.

Question 17

We tend to interpret visual stimuli in the way that produces the best, simplest, and most stable possible shape. This tendency is called _____, and the Gestalt psychologists believed that this law encompassed all the other Gestalt principles.

Accepted Answer

The law described in the question is the law of Prägnanz, which states that we tend to interpret visual stimuli in the way that produces the best, simplest, and most stable possible shape. The other options, Dunker's law, Weber's law, and the Müller-Lyer law, are all different principles that describe specific phenomena related to perception, but they do not encompass all the other Gestalt principles.

Question 18

The law of Prägnanz refers to the fact that:

Accepted Answer

The law of Prägnanz, also known as the law of simplicity, states that we tend to interpret ambiguous figures in the simplest and most efficient way. This means that we strive to organize sensory information in a way that makes the fewest assumptions, requires the least cognitive effort and preserves the most meaningful aspects of the stimulus.

Question 19

The Gestalt psychologists:

Accepted Answer

The Gestalt psychologists emphasized that we perceive whole figures rather than isolated bits of information. They believed that perception is not simply the addition of discrete sensory elements, but rather a process of organizing sensory information into meaningful wholes.

Question 20

Carley believes that we perceive whole objects rather than isolated bits of information. Her belief about how we perceive the world is:

Accepted Answer

Carley's belief that we perceive whole objects rather than isolated bits of information is consistent with the view proposed by the Gestalt psychologists. The Gestalt psychologists believed that the brain organizes sensory information into meaningful wholes, and that perception is governed by principles such as similarity, proximity, closure, and continuity. This is in contrast to the data-driven processing view, which suggests that perception is driven by the features of individual stimuli. Parapsychology is not a relevant field for this question as it deals with supernatural phenomena, not perception.

Quiz 3: Section 2: Sensation and Perception