AP Psychology: Sensation and Perception

Rules for organizing stimuli into coherent groups were first identified by

Gestalt psychologists

The phenomenon of blindsight best illustrates that visual information can be processed without

conscious awareness

Immanuel Kant and John Locke would have been most likely to disagree about the extent to which perception is influenced by

cultural experience

Railroad tracks appear to converge in the distance. This provides a cue for depth perception known as

linear perspective

The hammer, anvil, and stirrup are three tiny bones that transmit vibrations to the

oval window

Some stroke victims lose the capacity to perceive motion but retain the capacity to perceive shapes and colors. Others lose the capacity to perceive colors but retain the capacity to perceive movement and form. These peculiar visual disabilities best illustrate our normal capacity for

parallel processing

After some practice, Carol was able to read books while holding them upside down. This best illustrates

perceptual adaptation

The fact that we recognize objects as having a consistent form regardless of changing viewing angles illustrates

perceptual constancy

People perceive an adult-child pair as looking more alike when told they are parent and child. This best illustrates the effect of

perceptual set

The number of complete sound waves that strike one's eardrum in a given second determines the _______ of the sound

pitch

The volley principle is most relevant to understanding how we sense

pitch

Damage to a region of the temporal lobe essential to recognizing faces results in a condition known as

prosopagnosia

The way in which you quickly group the individual letters in this test item into separate words best illustrates the principle of

proximity

The lights along the runway were shrouded in such a thick fog that the pilot of an incoming plane nearly overshot the runway. The pilot was most likely misled by the distance cue known as

relative clarity

Drivers sometimes overestimate the distance between their own vehicle and pedestrians who are short because they rely on the distance cue known as

relative size

Multiple ________ send combined messages to a bipolar cell, whereas a single ________ may link directly to a single bipolar cell

rods; cone

Which philosopher would have predicted that an extended period of sensory deprivation would inhibit the development of one's perceptual capacities

Locke

The specific perceptual processes that underlie the Moon illusion also contribute to

The Ponzo illusion

Drivers detect traffic signals more slowly if they are also conversing on a cell phone. This best illustrates the impact of

selective attention

If you move your watchband up your wrist an inch or so, you will feel it for only a few moments. This best illustrates

sensory adaptation

Blind musicians are more likely than sighted ones to develop perfect pitch. This best illustrates

sensory compensation

The rubber-hand illusion best illustrates

sensory interaction

Which of the following activities most clearly takes place in the rods and cones

sensory transduction

The size of the difference threshold is greater for heavier objects than for lighter ones. This best illustrates

Weber's law

The impact of boredom and fatigue on people's absolute thresholds is highlighted by

signal detection theory

The ability to accurately perceive distances most clearly underlies our capacity for

size constancy

Which of the following is most notable for its short-term effects on thinking

subliminal stimulation

Monocular cue is to _______ as binocular cue is to ________

texture gradient; convergence

Interpreting new sensory information within the framework of a past memory illustrates

top-down processing

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

Our shifting perceptions of a Necker cube best illustrate the importance of

top-down processing

Racial and ethnic stereotypes can sometimes bias our perceptions of others' behaviors. This best illustrates the impact of

top-down processing

The fact that perceptions involve more than the sum of our sensations best illustrates the importance of

top-down processing

Perceiving the voice of a ventriloquist as originating from the mouth of a dummy best illustrates

visual capture

Visual information is processed by ganglion cells

after it is processed by rods and cones and after it is processed by bipolar cells

The opponent-process theory is most useful for explaining the characteristic of

afterimages

Damage to the basilar membrane is most likely to affect one's

audition

Goggles that allow animals to see only diffuse, unpatterned light have inhibiting effects on perceptual development similar to the effects of

cataracts

Receptor cells for the vestibular sense send messages to the

cerebellum

Even when seen through sunglasses, grass appears equally as green as it does without glasses. This best illustrate

color constancy

By amplifying soft sounds but not loud sounds, digital hearing aids produce

compressed sound

The central focal point in the retina where cones are heavily concentrated is known as the

fovea

ATM machines are more complex than VCRs but are easier to operate thanks to the efforts of

human factors psychologists

Pedro recognized that his son was closer to him than his daughter because his son partially obstructed his view of his daughter. Pedro's perception was most clearly influenced by a distance cue known as

interposition

The ring of muscle tissue that controls the pupil's size is called the

iris

The Moon illusion refers to our tendency to perceive the Moon as unusually

large when it is near the horizon

Infant rats deprived of their mothers' grooming touch produce

less growth hormone and have a lower metabolic rate