Unit 4 Study Guide Practice Test

Name: __________________________ Date: _____________ A) B) C) D) 1. Superman's eyes used ________, while his brain used ________. perception; sensation top-down processing; bottom-up processing bottom-up processing; top-down processing sensory adaptation; subliminal perception A) B) C) D) 2. Sensation is to ________ as perception is to ________. recognizing a stimulus; interpreting a stimulus detecting a stimulus; recognizing a stimulus interpreting a stimulus; detecting a stimulus seeing; hearing 3. Given normal sensory ability, a person standing atop a mountain on a dark, clear night can see a candle flame atop a mountain 30 miles away. This is a description of vision's: A) difference threshold. B) jnd. C) absolute threshold. D) signal detection. A) B) C) D) 4. Concerning the evidence for subliminal stimulation, which of the following is the best answer? The brain processes some information without our awareness. Stimuli too weak to cross our thresholds for awareness may trigger a response in our sense receptors. Because the “absolute” threshold is a statistical average, we are able to detect weaker stimuli some of the time. All of the above are true. 5. In shopping for a new stereo, you discover that you cannot differentiate between the sounds of models X and Y. The difference between X and Y is below your: A) absolute threshold. C) receptor threshold. B) signal detection. D) difference threshold. A) B) C) D) 6. Weber's law states that: the absolute threshold for any stimulus is a constant. the jnd for any stimulus is a constant. the absolute threshold for any stimulus is a constant proportion. the jnd for any stimulus is a constant proportion. Page 1 7. A decrease in sensory responsiveness accompanying an unchanging stimulus is called: A) sensory fatigue. C) sensory adaptation. B) accommodation. D) sensory interaction. A) B) C) D) 8. Which of the following is an example of sensory adaptation? finding the cold water of a swimming pool warmer after you have been in it for a while developing an increased sensitivity to salt the more you use it in foods becoming very irritated at the continuing sound of a dripping faucet all of the above are examples 9. The process by which sensory information is converted into neural energy is: A) sensory adaptation. C) signal detection. B) feature detection. D) transduction. 10. One light may appear reddish and another greenish if they differ in: A) wavelength. B) amplitude. C) opponent processes. D) brightness. 11. The size of the pupil is controlled by the: A) lens. B) retina. C) cornea. D) iris. 12. Which of the following is the correct order of the structures through which light passes after entering the eye? A) lens, pupil, cornea, retina C) pupil, lens, cornea, retina B) pupil, cornea, lens, retina D) cornea, pupil, lens, retina 13. The process by which the lens changes its curvature is: A) accommodation. C) feature detection. B) sensory adaptation. D) transduction. 14. In comparing the human eye to a camera, the film would be analogous to the eye's: A) pupil. B) lens. C) cornea. D) retina. Page 2 15. The transduction of light energy into nerve impulses takes place in the: A) iris. B) retina. C) lens. D) optic nerve. 16. The receptor of the eye that functions best in dim light is the: A) fovea. B) cone. C) bipolar cell. D) rod. 17. Hubel and Wiesel discovered feature detectors in the visual: A) fovea. B) optic nerve. C) iris. D) cortex. 18. The brain breaks vision into separate dimensions such as color, depth, movement, and form, and works on each aspect simultaneously. This is called: A) feature detection. C) accommodation. B) parallel processing. D) opponent processing. 19. Which of the following is the most accurate description of how we process color? A) Throughout the visual system, color processing is divided into separate red, green, and blue systems. B) Red-green, blue-yellow, and black-white opponent processes operate throughout the visual system. C) Color processing occurs in two stages: (1) a three-color system in the retina and (2) opponent-process cells en route to the visual cortex. D) Color processing occurs in two stages: (1) an opponent-process system in the retina and (2) a three-color system en route to the visual cortex. 20. The Young-Helmholtz theory proposes that: A) there are three different types of color-sensitive cones. B) retinal cells are excited by one color and inhibited by its complementary color. C) there are four different types of cones. D) rod, not cone, vision accounts for our ability to detect fine visual detail. 21. According to the opponent-process theory: A) there are three types of color-sensitive cones. B) the process of color vision begins in the cortex. C) neurons involved in color vision are stimulated by one color's wavelength and inhibited by another's. D) all of the above are true. Page 3 22. After staring at a very intense red stimulus for a few minutes, Carrie shifted her gaze to a beige wall and “saw” the color ________. Carrie's experience provides support for the ________ theory. A) green; trichromatic C) green; opponent-process B) blue; opponent-process D) blue; trichromatic 23. Which of the following explains why a rose appears equally red in bright and dim light? A) the Young-Helmholtz theory C) feature detection B) the opponent-process theory D) color constancy 24. Which of the following correctly lists the order of structures through which sound travels after entering the ear? A) auditory canal, eardrum, middle ear, cochlea B) eardrum, auditory canal, middle ear, cochlea C) eardrum, middle ear, cochlea, auditory canal D) cochlea, eardrum, middle ear, auditory canal 25. Nerve deafness is caused by: A) wax buildup in the outer ear. B) damage to the eardrum. C) blockage in the middle ear because of infection. D) damage to the cochlea. 26. Our experience of pain when we are injured depends on: A) our biological make-up and the type of injury we have sustained. B) how well medical personnel deal with our injury. C) our physiology, experiences and attention, and our surrounding culture. D) what our culture allows us to express in terms of feelings of pain. 27. Which of the following is not one of the basic tastes? A) sweet B) salty C) umami D) bland 28. Tamiko hates the bitter taste of her cough syrup. Which of the following would she find most helpful in minimizing the syrup's bad taste? A) tasting something very sweet before taking the cough syrup B) keeping the syrup in her mouth for several seconds before swallowing it Page 4 C) holding her nose while taking the cough syrup D) gulping the cough syrup so that it misses her tongue 29. Kinesthesis involves: A) the bones of the middle ear. B) information from the muscles, tendons, and joints. C) membranes within the cochlea. D) the body's sense of balance. 30. The perceptual error in which we fail to see an object when our attention is directed elsewhere is: A) visual capture. C) perceptual adaptation. B) inattentional blindness. D) divergence. 31. Which of the following illustrates the principle of visual capture? A) We tend to form first impressions of other people on the basis of appearance. B) Because visual processing is automatic, we can pay attention to a visual image and any other sensation at the same time. C) We cannot simultaneously attend to a visual image and another sensation. D) When there is a conflict between visual information and that from another sense, vision tends to dominate. 32. The term gestalt means: A) grouping. B) sensation. C) perception. D) whole. 33. Figure is to ground as ________ is to ________. A) night; day B) top; bottom C) cloud; sky D) sensation; perception 34. The tendency to organize stimuli into smooth, uninterrupted patterns is called: A) closure. B) continuity. C) similarity. D) proximity. 35. All of the following are laws of perceptual organization except: A) proximity. B) closure. C) continuity. D) convergence. Page 5 36. Studying the road map before her trip, Colleen had no trouble following the route of the highway she planned to travel. Colleen's ability illustrates the principle of: A) closure. B) similarity. C) continuity. D) proximity. 37. Figures tend to be perceived as whole, complete objects, even if spaces or gaps exist in the representation, thus demonstrating the principle of: A) connectedness. B) similarity. C) continuity. D) closure. 38. Studies of the visual cliff have provided evidence that much of depth perception is: A) innate. B) learned. C) innate in lower animals, learned in humans. D) innate in humans, learned in lower animals. 39. When we stare at an object, each eye receives a slightly different image, providing a depth cue known as: A) convergence. B) linear perspective. C) relative motion. D) retinal disparity. 40. When two familiar objects of equal size cast unequal retinal images, the object that casts the smaller retinal image will be perceived as being: A) closer than the other object. C) larger than the other object. B) more distant than the other object. D) smaller than the other object. 41. Because the flowers in the foreground appeared coarse and grainy, the photographer decided that the picture was taken too near the subject. This conclusion was based on which depth cue? A) relative size B) interposition C) retinal disparity D) texture gradient 42. The depth cue that occurs when we watch stable objects at different distances as we are moving is: A) convergence. B) interposition. C) relative clarity. D) relative motion. 43. Which of the following is a monocular depth cue? A) light and shadow B) convergence C) retinal disparity Page 6 D) all of the above are monocular depth cues 44. An artist paints a tree orchard so that the parallel rows of trees converge at the top of the canvas. Which cue has the artist used to convey distance? A) interposition B) relative clarity C) linear perspective D) texture gradient 45. As we move, viewed objects cast changing shapes on our retinas, although we do not perceive the objects as changing. This is part of the phenomenon of: A) perceptual constancy. C) linear perspective. B) relative motion. D) continuity. 46. The phenomenon of size constancy is based upon the close connection between an object's perceived ________ and its perceived ________. A) size; shape B) size; distance C) size; brightness D) shape; distance 47. Your friend tosses you a frisbee. You know that it is getting closer instead of larger because of: A) shape constancy. B) relative motion. C) size constancy. D) all of the above. 48. Which explanation of the Müller-Lyer illusion is offered by the text? A) The corners in our carpentered world teach us to interpret outward- or inward-pointing arrowheads at the end of a line as a cue to the line's distance from us and so to its length. B) The drawing's violation of linear perspective makes one line seem longer. C) Top-down processing of the illusion is prevented because of the stimuli's ambiguity. D) All of the above were offered as explanations. 49. The insensitivity of many rural Africans to the Müller-Lyer illusion proves that perception: A) is largely a “bottom-up” phenomenon. C) is influenced by cultural experience. B) is unpredictable. D) is characterized by all of the above. 50. The fact that a white object under dim illumination appears lighter than a gray object under bright illumination is called: A) relative luminance. C) color contrast. B) perceptual adaptation. D) lightness constancy. Page 7 A) B) C) D) 51. Experiments with distorted visual environments demonstrate that: adaptation rarely takes place. animals adapt readily, but humans do not. humans adapt readily, while lower animals typically do not. adaptation is possible during a critical period in infancy but not thereafter. 52. Although carpenter Smith perceived a briefly viewed object as a screwdriver, police officer Wesson perceived the same object as a knife. This illustrates that perception is guided by: A) linear perspective. C) retinal disparity. B) shape constancy. D) perceptual set. Page 8 Answer Key 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. C B C D D D C A D A D D A D B D D B C A C C D A D C D C B B D D C B D C D A D B Page 9 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. D D A C A B C A C D C D Page 10