Chapter 3 - Understand Concepts

14 October 2022
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question
Ernst Weber provided a formulation that is used to determine the ________. a) largest detectable stimulus b) smallest detectable stimulus c) largest detectable difference between two stimuli d) change in smallest detectable difference between two stimuli
answer
D Correct. Weber provided a formulation that is used to predict the smallest detectable difference between two stimuli.
question
Sensation is to perception as ________ is to ________. a) stimulation; interpretation b) awareness; interpretation c) interpretation; awareness d) organization; interpretation
answer
A Correct. The stimulation of our sensory receptors by energy from the world around us is sensation. The process by which that energy is interpreted into recognized patterns is perception.
question
The minimal stimulus necessary for detection is called the _____________, while the smallest noticeable change in a stimulus is referred to as __________________. a) absolute threshold; difference threshold b) base value; just noticeable difference (jnd) c) response criterion; sensory constant d) difference threshold; absolute threshold
answer
A Correct. The lowest stimulus intensity required for detection is the absolute threshold, and the smallest noticeable difference between a standard stimulus intensity and another stimulus value is the difference threshold.
question
Our eyes don't adapt completely to a repeated visual stimulus because ________. a) eye movements called microsaccades cause the stimulus image to vibrate slightly on the retina b) the optic chiasm enables fibers to carry messages to all parts of the brain c) ganglion cells fire continuously d) visual acuity is greatest in the fovea
answer
A Correct. Microsaccades cause the stimulus image to vibrate slightly on the retina and not fade.
question
Light is said to have a dual nature, meaning it can be thought of in two different ways. These two ways are _________. a) particles and photons b) waves and frequencies c) waves and particles d) dark light, daylight
answer
C Correct. Light comes in individual particles called photons but does demonstrate the properties of waves.
question
It is difficult to distinguish between colors at night because ______. a) we are seeing primarily with the cones b) rods do not adapt to the dark c) we are seeing primarily with the rods d) we are used to seeing mostly with the fovea
answer
C Correct. It is difficult to distinguish between colors at night because we are seeing primarily with the rods, and rods are not involved in color processing.
question
The trichromatic and opponentprocess theories of color vision are not in conflict because each corresponds to ________. a) a different portion of the spectrum b) the opposite half of perceivable colors c) one type of color blindness d) a different stage of visual processing
answer
D The trichromatic theory is concerned with what happens when light hits the cones in the retina, whereas the opponent-process theory concerns neural signals on their way to the brain.
question
Why do researchers believe color deficiencies often have genetic causes? a) Dietary patterns affect color deficiencies. b) Color perception changes somewhat as we get older. c) Color deficiencies are more common in some cultures. d) More males than females suffer from color deficiencies.
answer
D More males than females suffer from color deficiencies due to the sex-linked inheritance of most forms of color blindness.
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Which of the following is a characteristic of both light waves and sound waves? a) hue b) decibels c) amplitude d) wavelength
answer
D Wavelength is the common characteristic of both light waves and sound waves.
question
Pitch is to frequency as ________. a) frequency is to amplitude b) high is to low c) loudness is to amplitude d) peak is to wave
answer
C Correct. Just as the pitch of the tone we hear is determined by the frequency of the sound wave, the loudness (or volume) that we experience is determined by the amplitude or intensity of a sound wave.
question
Which of the following properties of sound is the most similar to the brightness of light? a) pitch b) volume c) purity d) timbre
answer
B Correct. Volume is the most similar to brightness and is based on the intensity of the stimulus.
question
Which of the following properties of sound would be the most similar to the color, or hue, of light? a) pitch b) loudness c) timbre d) purity
answer
A Correct. Pitch relates to sound wavelengths, and color relates to light wavelengths.
question
Which of the following describes what happens if you trace an auditory stimulus from the time it first reaches the ear until it arrives at the brain? a) The outermost part of the ear (pinna) gathers sound waves and funnels them down the auditory canal striking the eardrum. b) The basilar membrane causes the hammer, anvil, and stirrup to vibrate, striking the oval window. c) The auditory cones respond to the various tonal frequencies, which lead the auditory nerve to send a message to the brain. d) The auditory nerve joins with the nasal nerve to produce an input to the olfactory lobe.
answer
A Correct. The outermost part of the ear serves as a sort of funnel to concentrate sound energy.
question
The place theory of pitch suggests that pitch is determined by the ________. a) specific location where hair cells are stimulated b) number of hair cells that are stimulated c) size of the hair cells that are stimulated d) degree of bend in the stimulated hair cells
answer
A Correct. The place theory of pitch suggests that pitch is determined by the specific location where hair cells are stimulated.
question
If a person hears a tone of 300 Hz, three groups of neurons take turns sending the message to the brain—the first group for the first 100 Hz, the second group for the next 100 Hz, and a third for the next 100 Hz. This principle is known as the ________. a) place theory b) volley theory c) frequency theory d) rotational theory
answer
B Correct. The volley theory proposes that three groups of neurons take turns sending the message to the brain.
question
The idea that pain signals must pass through a type of "doorway" in the spinal cord is referred to as the ________. a) opponent-process theory of pain b) revolving door theory of pain c) substance P theory of pain d) gate-control theory of pain
answer
D Correct. The gate-control theory is based on the concept of a doorway in the spinal cord.
question
The reason that there are three semicircular canals is so that we _________. a) have one canal to sense motion in each of the three planes b) can see the world in three dimensions c) can detect sound locations in the three-dimensional world d) have an extra if one is broken
answer
A Correct. The reason is that we have one canal to sense motion in each of the three planes.
question
Dizziness, nausea, and disorientation may result if the information from the eyes conflicts a little too much with that from the vestibular organs, according to the _________ of motion sickness. a) sensory conflict theory b) motor conflict theory c) vestibular conflict theory d. semicircular canal conflict theory
answer
A Correct. The sensory conflict theory says there may be conflict between the eyes and vestibular system.
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Figure is to ground as ________. a) light is to dark b) obvious is to hidden. c) objects are to background d) shape is to texture
answer
C Correct. The figure is that which we look and focus on, while the background refers to the ground against which the figure is set.
question
Closure is the tendency ________. a) to perceive objects, or figures, on some background b) to complete figures that are incomplete c) to perceive objects that are close to each other as part of the same grouping d) to perceive things with a continuous pattern rather than with a complex, broken-up pattern
answer
B Correct. Closure is the tendency to complete figures that are incomplete.
question
The Müller-Lyer illusion exists in cultures in which there are ________. a) more men than women b) more women than men c) lots of telephone poles d) buildings with lots of corners
answer
D Correct. The Müller-Lyer illusion exists in cultures in which there are buildings with lots of corners, which leads to misperception of depth.
question
The best explanation of the moon illusion is the _________. a) apparent distance hypothesis b) angle world hypothesis c) cultural bias hypothesis d) top-down processing hypothesis
answer
A Correct. Apparent distance hypothesis states that, since the moon appears behind trees and houses, it is seen as being "behind" these objects and, therefore, farther away from the viewer. Because people know that objects that are farther away from them but still seem large must be very large, they "magnify" the moon in their perception.
question
People's tendency to perceive a thing a certain way because their previous experiences or expectations influence them is called _________. a) top-down processing b) telepathy c) bottom-up processing d) perceptual expectancy
answer
D Correct. Perceptual expectancy refers to a person's tendency to experience things in a certain way.