Psychology Unit 4 Test
Certain stroke victims report seeing nothing when shown a series of sticks, yet they are able to correctly report whether the sticks are vertical or horizontal. This best illustrates
blindsight
Current research suggests that
both the trichromatic and opponent-process theories are valid in explaining color vision
Trying to see a hidden representational image in a piece of abstract art by looking carefully at each element in the picture and trying to form an image employs which kind of perceptual process?
bottom-up processing
Which receptor cells most directly enable us to distinguish different wavelengths of light?
cones
When looking at the hands of a clock showing 8 o'clock, certain brain cells in the visual cortex are more responsive than when the hands show 10 o'clock. This is most indicative of
feature detection
Visual information is processed by
ganglion cells before it is processed by feature detectors
According to the opponent-process theory, cells that are stimulated by exposure to
green light are inhibited by exposure to red light
Intensity is to brightness as wavelength is to
hue
In one experiment, most of the participants who viewed a videotape of men tossing a basketball remained unaware of an umbrella-toting woman sauntering across the screen. This illustrated
inattentional blindness
Photographs of people were rated more positively if the photos immediately followed a briefly flashed image of kittens. This best illustrates the impact of
priming
Bipolar cells are located in the
retina
The light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the rods and cones, is the
retina
The receptor cells that convert light energy into neural signals are called
rods and cones
Which cells for visual processing are located closest to the back of the retina?
rods and cones
Because she was listening to the news on the radio, Mrs. Schultz didn't perceive a word her husband was saying. Her experience best illustrates
selective attention
In University of Utah driving-simulation experiments, students conversing on cell phones were slower to detect and respond to traffic signals. This best illustrates
selective attention
As you look at an apple, its reflected light travels to the eye. The rods and cones absorb the light and help transmit the information to the brain. This process best illustrates
sensation
Hearing a sequence of sounds of different pitches is to ________ as recognizing the sound sequence as a familiar melody is to ________
sensation; perception
After listening to your high-volume car stereo for 15 minutes, you fail to realize how loudly the music is blasting. This best illustrates
sensory adaptation
An exhausted forest ranger may notice the faintest scent of a forest fire, whereas much stronger but less important odors fail to catch her attention. This fact would be of greatest relevance to
signal detection theory
When you are expecting an incoming text message, you are much more likely to notice it the second it arrives. This best illustrates
signal detection theory
Which theory emphasizes that personal expectations and motivations influence the level of absolute thresholds?
signal detection theory
News about the supposed effects of briefly presented messages on people's feelings of being thirsty involved false claims regarding
subliminal stimulation
Standing atop a mountain on an utterly dark, clear night, most of us would see a candle flame atop another mountain 30 miles away. This best illustrates
the absolute threshold
The ability to pay attention to only one voice at a time is called
the cocktail party effect
Humans experience the longest visible electromagnetic waves as
the color red and the shortest visible waves as blue-violet
According to the opponent-process theory, cells that are stimulated by exposure to ________ light are inhibited by exposure to ________ light
yellow; blue
Which theory best explains the occurrence of afterimages?
opponent-process
Perceiving the color, motion, and form of a bird in flight illustrates
parallel processing
As the brain receives information about the lines, angles, and edges of objects in the environment, higher-level cells process and interpret the information to consciously recognize objects. This process best illustrates
perception
Damage to the temporal lobe area of the brain essential for facial recognition produces a loss of
perception
If the just-noticeable difference for a 10-ounce weight is 1 ounce, the just noticeable difference for an 80-ounce weight would be ________ ounce(s)
8
If an image falls on the eye's blind spot, you do not detect it. Which of the following best explains this phenomenon?
The image is not perceived because without receptor cells, transduction cannot occur
Giulio's bag of marbles is twice as heavy as Jim's. If it takes 5 extra marbles to make Jim's bag feel heavier, it will take 10 extra marbles to make Giulio's bag feel heavier. This best illustrates
Weber's law
The principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant proportion for their difference to be perceived is known as
Weber's law
Evidence that some cones are especially sensitive to red light, others to green light, and still others to blue light is most directly supportive of the ________ theory
Young-Helmholtz
Although Manuel was sitting right next to his parents, he smelled a skunk minutes before they did. Apparently, Manuel has a lower ________ for skunk odor than his parents have
absolute threshold
During a hearing test, many sounds were presented at such a low level of intensity that Mr. Antall could hardly detect them. These sounds were below Mr. Antall's
absolute threshold
The minimum amount of stimulation a person needs to detect a stimulus 50 percent of the time is called the
absolute threshold
A subliminal message is one that is presented
below one's absolute threshold for awareness
When Jason briefly turned to summon the waiter, his wife quickly switched her glass of red wine with his glass of white wine. Jason's failure to notice that his chosen wine had been replaced best illustrates
change blindness
While a man provided directions to a construction worker, two experimenters rudely interrupted by passing between them carrying a door. The student's failure to notice that the construction worker was replaced by a different person during this interruption illustrates
change blindness
Researchers found that 40 percent of people focused on repeating a list of challenging words failed to notice a change in the person speaking. This best illustrates
change blindness (deafness)
Research participants picked one of two photographed faces as more attractive. When researchers cleverly switched the photos, participants readily explained why they preferred the face they had actually rejected. Their behavior illustrated
choice blindness
Which of the following is the correct order of structures light passes through in the eye?
cornea, iris, pupil, lens, retina
Sensation is to ________ as perception is to ________
detection; interpretation
Some people are better than others at detecting slight variations in the tastes of various blends of coffee. This best illustrates the importance of
difference thresholds
Which process allows more light to reach the periphery of the retina?
dilation of the pupil
Light-wave amplitude determines the
intensity of colors
Dilation and constriction of the pupil are controlled by the
iris
Objects are brought into focus on the retina by changes in the curvature and thickness of the
lens
Compared with rods, cones are
less sensitive to dim light and more sensitive to fine detail
Experiencing a green afterimage of a red object is most easily explained by
the opponent-process theory
The fact that people who are colorblind to red and green may still see yellow is most easily explained by
the opponent-process theory
As the text notes, "Once we have formed a wrong idea about reality, we have more difficulty seeing the truth." This best illustrates the impact of
top-down processing
The local fire department sounds the 12 o'clock whistle. The process by which your ears convert the sound waves from the siren into neural impulses is an example o
transduction
Damage to the fovea would have the greatest effect on
visual acuity