ch6 sensations & perceptions

In a sense, phantom limb pain is a purely _______ phenomenon. A) sensory B) combat-specific C) perceptual D) modality-general

perceptual

Sound traveling through air or water consists of alternating waves of A) pitch. B) pressure. C) frequency. D) amplitude.

press

Our two chemosensory systems are the _______ system and the _______ system. A) taste; olfactory B) taste; auditory C) auditory; visual D) olfactory; touch

taste; olfactory

Weber's fraction to detect a difference in weight is _______ percent. A) 2 B) 5 C) 25 D) 50

2

Neuropathic pain is caused by A) a damaged or malfunctioning nervous system. B) drugs that are designed to silence parts of the nervous system. C) regeneration of nociceptors in the stump of a missing limb. D) damage to the myelin sheath of spinal neurons.

a damaged or malfunctioning nervous system

The concept of labeled lines refers to the fact that A) a separate set of nerves transmits information from each sensory receptor organ to the brain. B) the brain operates like a telephone switchboard. C) separate areas of the thalamus process all of the sensory information at once. D) each neuron in your body can be labeled according to the shape and size of its axon.

a separate set of nerves transmits information from each sensory receptor organ to the brain

A person who has lost her sense of smell is most likely to experience A) a significant reduction in the ability to experience flavor. B) a loss in the ability to detect sweet and sour tastes only. C) an enhanced ability to experience flavor with the tongue. D) a compromised ability to differentiate among flavors.

an enhanced ability to experience flavor with the tongue.

The main difference between binocular and monocular depth cues is that A) monocular cues are generally more complex than binocular cues. B) monocular cues require information from both eyes, while binocular cues do not. C) binocular cues are used mostly for Gestalt perception, while monocular cues are used for motion. D) binocular cues require information from both eyes, while monocular cues do not.

binocular cues require information from both eyes, while monocular cues do not

If you were an artist drawing a cityscape, you would apply the linear perspective depth cue by A) ensuring that foreground buildings occlude background objects. B) drawing the streets converging with the edges of buildings at the horizon. C) making sure background objects are much larger than foreground objects. D) preserving the actual shape of each object while drawing it.

drawing the streets converging with the edges of buildings at the horizon

The specialized receptor cells inside the cochlea are called A) photons. B) rods. C) hair cells. D) stapes.

hair cells

Which of the following research questions is a psychophysicist likely to be most interested in asking? A) Which neurons relay information from the thalamus to the cerebral cortex? B) What kinds of neurons relay information from the spinal cord to the muscles? C) How is perceptual information encoded and stored for later use by the brain? D) How much louder must a sound be before a person can detect that it is louder than the original sound?

how much louder must a sound be before a person can detect that it is louder than the original sound?

How does the figure illustrate the concept of a sensory threshold? A) Sensory thresholds and sensory codes are essentially the same concept. B) A stimulus that is strong enough to cause a sensory receptor to fire will not cause the sensory receptor to reach threshold. C) Stimulus strength is the only sensory modality that affects sensory thresholds. D) If the stimulus is weak enough, the sensory receptor will not reach threshold and will not produce an action potential.

if the stimulus is weak enough, the sensory receptor will not reach threshold and will not produce an action potential.

Which of the following examples best illustrates an application of the Gestalt rule of continuity? A) In the movie theater, you perceive that an actor is moving rather than just appearing first in one place and then in another place on the screen. B) It is difficult to read the word "term" when written T eR m. C) It is difficult not to think of your family members as a group. D) Though you know all of your friends' names, it is hard for you to remember exactly where they live

in the movie theater, you perceive that an actor is moving rather than just appearing first in one place and then in another place on the screen

According to the duplex theory, we use both _______ differences and _______ differences to localize sounds. A) latency; convergence B) intensity; conflict resolution C) intensity; latency D) latency; frequency

intensity; latency

Weber's fraction expresses the _______ as a proportion of the original stimulus. A) absolute threshold B) just noticeable difference (JND) C) stimulus intensity D) response magnitude

just noticeable difference (JND)

The flexible, transparent structure in the eye that helps focus an image on the back of the eye's interior is called the A) iris. B) optic disc. C) fovea. D) lens.

lens

The adequate stimulus for the visual system is _______, and the adequate stimulus for the auditory system is _______. A) position of the head; position of the body C) light; contact with the body surface B) changes in electrical current; a chemical in the air D) light; sound

light; sound

An absolute threshold is the A) ability to detect stimuli of all intensities. B) degree to which a stimulus is mapped to a given response. C) lowest intensity of a stimulus that a person can detect half the time. D) lowest intensity of a stimulus that a person can detect 100 percent of the time.

lowest intensity of a stimulus that a person can detect half the time.

Among the various touch receptors, _______ have a role in sensing touch and _______ have a role in sensing vibration. A) free nerve endings; Meissner's corpuscles C) Meissner's corpuscles; Merkel's discs B) Pacinian corpuscles; free nerve endings D) Merkel's discs; Pacinian corpuscles

merkel's discs; pacinian corpuscles

n which of the following scenarios would you be most likely to succumb to a false alarm in signal detection? A) Listening for the kitchen timer to beep while you are cooking dinner B) Monitoring for the vibration of your phone in your pocket while you are sitting C) Listening for the sound of unknown creatures while you are walking alone in the woods at night D) Listening for raindrops on a quiet afternoon

monitoring for the vibration of your phone in your pocket while you are sitting

Occlusion is a _______ depth cue. A) monocular B) binocular C) proprioceptive D) vestibular

monocular

The olfactory system routes information directly to the _______ of the brain. A) lateral geniculate nucleus B) primary visual cortex C) olfactory bulb D) parietal cortex

olfactory bulb

Sensory adaptation is the A) progressive loss of responsiveness in sensory cells exposed to a constant stimulus. B) progressive evolution of sensory systems throughout human history. C) heightening of sensory responses to unfamiliar stimuli. D) heightening of sensory responses to familiar stimuli.

progressive loss of responsiveness in sensory cells exposed to a constant stimulus

Which of the following would be an effective way to determine a just noticeable difference (JND)? A) Piling five-pound bean bags on your friend's foot until he reaches his pain threshold B) Turning a radio on and off repeatedly until your roommate stops noticing it C) Lifting the lid from a pot of cooking stew and inhaling deeply D) Reducing the intensity of a light beam against a wall until you can no longer detect it

reducing the intensity of a light beam against a wall until you can no longer detect it

While you are sitting in a park, you see a tulip that is exposed to the sun. Shortly after you notice it, the tulip is exposed to the shade. According to the concept of color constancy, you perceive that the color of the tulip has A) changed, based on your prior experience with objects. B) remained the same, but the lighting conditions have changed. C) remained the same, because you cannot trust your sensations in bright light. D) changed, because tulips normally change in color due to the heat.

remained the same, but the lighting conditions have changed

A food that excites the taste receptors that allow positively charged hydrogen ions to enter cells is likely to have a _______ taste. A) sour B) salty C) bitter D) sweet

sour

The fact that _______ are relatively _______ to light explains why people have more difficulty seeing color in poorly lit places. A) rods; sensitive B) cones; sensitive C) rods; insensitive D) cones; insensitive

rods; sensitive

Eyes and ears are A) sensory codes. B) sensory receptor organs. C) labeled lines. D) interneurons.

sensory receptor organs

A _______ is a physical event that a sensory receptor cell might detect, whereas a _______ is the final interpretation of that physical event. A) percept; stimulus B) stimulus; response C) response; percept D) stimulus; percept

stimulus; percept

The retina is the A) flexible material on the outside of the eye. B) transparent layer below the cornea that passes light through the eye. C) surface at the back of the eye where the image is focused. D) muscular portion of the eye that changes size to allow more or less light in.

surface at the back of the eye where the image is focused.

Biting into a lemon is likely to stimulate taste receptor cells for _______ and _______. A) salty; sweet B) bitter; salty C) sweet; sour D) umami; bitter

sweet; sour

Chemicals in the mouth encounter the surface of taste receptor cells at A) epithelial cells. B) olfactory pores. C) tastants. D) taste pores.

taste pores

The optic disc is the part of the retina A) where most of the cones are located. C) that has no photoreceptors. B) where most of the rods are located. D) that focuses light onto the rest of the retina.

that has no photoreceptors

In psychology, the word "noise" is defined as A) an unwanted sound. B) the firing of a sensory cell without a stimulus or in response to an irrelevant stimulus. C) the misclassification of a hit or miss in a signal detection experiment. D) a factor that is always manipulated in controlled psychophysical experiments.

the firing of a sensory cell without a stimulus or in response to an irrelevant stimulus.

The figure shows the response of a touch receptor in response to two stimulus strengths. What can you conclude about the relationship between the strength of the stimulus and the likelihood of the touch receptor to fire? A) The lighter the push against the skin, the more likely it is that the touch receptor will fire. B) The harder the push against the skin, the more likely it is that the touch receptor will fire. C) The strength of the stimulus is unrelated to the likelihood of the touch receptor to fire. D) Light touches cannot cause the touch receptor to fire.

the harder the push against the skin, the more likely it is that the touch receptor will fire

The main idea behind Gestalt psychology is that A) the whole perception is more than just the sum of our separate sensations. B) photons are perceived by a mental organ separate from the visual system. C) sensations and perceptions have a one-to-one correspondence. D) perception is essentially the sum of our separate sensations.

the whole perception is more than just the sum of our separate sensations

Why would you feel pain when placing your hand on both a hot and a cold pipe at the same time? A) Touch receptors are reporting the sensations of heat and cold, but the brain combines the two and perceives pain. B) The juxtaposition of hot and cold metal scalds your skin. C) Any vibration of the pipes interferes with the normal functioning of your free nerve endings. D) The free nerve endings in your hand cannot distinguish between hot and cold sensations.

touch receptors are reporting the sensations of heat and cold, but the brain combines the two and perceives pain

The primary function of the three ossicles of the middle ear is to A) act as a funnel for sounds from the outside world. C) deflect sounds from the inner ear. B) transmit vibrations to the inner ear. D) stand still as the outer ear vibrates.

transmit vibrations to the inner ear

The greatest adaptive, perceptual advantage to having two ears rather than one is that A) we are more easily able to localize sounds with two ears. B) the head does not cast a sound shadow when there are ears on opposite sides. C) sounds seem more pleasant when heard with two ears. D) the cochlea functions more efficiently if both ears are functioning properly.

we are more easily able to localize sounds with two ears.

Which of the following is the best example of a sensation? A) Your skin receptors detect the touch of a student walking by. B) You recognize the sound of your friend's voice in the cafeteria. C) You smile while listening to your favorite song. D) You gasp when you realize that you forgot about today's exam.

your skin receptors detect the touch of a student walking by.