AP Psychology Unit 4 and 5
perceptual set
After watching a scary television movie, Julie perceived the noise of the wind rattling her front windows as the sound of a burglar breaking into her house. Her mistaken interpretation best illustrates the influence of
absolute threshold
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
perception
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
sensation
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
Sensory adaptation
diminishing sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus
cochlea
fluid-filled tube in which sound waves trigger nerve impulses
ESP
perception that occurs apart from sensory input
Young-Helmholtz
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.
top-down processing
Heather Sellers suffers from prosopagnosia and is unable to recognize her own face in a mirror. Her difficulty stems from a deficiency in
absolute threshold for light is likely to increase
If an adult develops cataracts, his or her
hue
Intensity is to brightness as wavelength is to
blindsight
Ms. Shields, a recent stroke victim, cannot consciously perceive the large book on the coffee table in front of her. Yet, when urged to identify the book, she correctly reads aloud the printed title on the book cover. Her response best illustrates
subliminal stimulation
News about the supposed effects of briefly presented messages on people's feelings of being thirsty involved false claims regarding
selective attention
Ohio State University pedestrians were more likely to cross streets unsafely if they were talking on a cell phone. This best illustrates the impact of
figure-ground
One of the ways we perceive images is by organizing stimuli into an object seen against its surroundings. What is this perceptual tendency called?
sensory input
Phantom limb sensations best illustrate that pain can be experienced in the absence of
priming
Photographs of people were rated more positively if the photos immediately followed a briefly flashed image of kittens. This best illustrates the impact of
have inadequate neural connections in her visual cortex
Rebecca was born with cataracts that were not surgically removed until she was 3 years old. As a result, Rebecca is most likely to
relative size
Renny knew the red tulip was closer to her than the yellow tulip because the red one cast a larger retinal image than the yellow one. This illustrates the importance of the distance cue known as
minimize sensory adaptation
The constant quivering movements of our eyes enable us to
the opponent-process theory
The fact that people who are colorblind to red and green may still see yellow is most easily explained by
transduction
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 of
depth perception.
The organization of two-dimensional retinal images into three-dimensional perceptions is called
Weber's law
The principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant proportion for their difference to be perceived is known as
rods are more light-sensitive than cones
Under very dim levels of illumination
change blindness
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
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
rods and cones
Which cells for visual processing are located closest to the back of the retina?
cornea, iris, pupil, lens, retina
Which of the following is the correct order of structures light passes through in the eye?
feature detectors
Which of the following types of cells are located in the brain's occipital lobe?
dilation of the pupil
Which process allows more light to reach the periphery of the retina?
cones
Which receptor cells most directly enable us to distinguish different wavelengths of light?
frequency theory
Which theory best explains how we perceive low-pitched sounds?
signal detection theory
Which theory emphasizes that personal expectations and motivations influence the level of absolute thresholds?
selective attention
You typically fail to consciously perceive that your own nose is in your line of vision. This best illustrates
Accommodation
process by which the lens changes shape to focus images on the retina
Parapsychology
study of phenomena such as ESP and psychokinesis
Kinesthesis
system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.
Supercell clusters
teams of cells that fire in response to complex patterns, such as the human face.
retinal disparity
A 3-D movie enhances our sense of depth perception by simulating the effects of
below one's absolute threshold for awareness
A subliminal message is one that is presented
conduction hearing loss.
Damage to the hammer, anvil, and stirrup is most likely to cause
retina
Bipolar cells are located in the
choice blindness
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
detection; interpretation
Sensation is to ________ as perception is to ________.
the cocktail party effect
The ability to pay attention to only one voice at a time is called
parallel processing
The ability to simultaneously process the pitch, loudness, melody, and meaning of a song best illustrates
iris
The amount of light entering the eye is regulated by the
brightness
The amplitude of electromagnetic waves determines the ________ of light
the optic nerve
The axons of ganglion cells converge to form
Clairvoyance
extrasensory perception of events that occur at places remote to the perceiver
Telepathy
extrasensory transmission of thoughts from one mind to another