PSYC: Chapter 3

select all that apply. which of the following are suggested by research on cultural difference in attention? a. the mechanics of sensation are the same for all human beings, regardless of culture b. the experience of perception can be shaped by the culture in which each person lives c. culture exerts very little influence on how we perceive the world d. the stimuli to which someone attends is unaffected by culture

a & b

the _______ threshold is the minimum amount of stimulus energy that a person can detect

absolute

one of characteristics of a wavelength o light is height, or ________, which determines the brightness of the stimulus

amplitude

select all that apply. which of the following are examples of extrasensory perception? a. signal detection b. precognition c. absolute thresholds d. subliminal perception e. telepathy

b & e

kaya looks out her window and sees something moving in the fog. first, she notes the direction of the movement, then notices the size. next she realizes the moving thing is gray, then notices other features, until she figures out the "moving thing" is her neighbor's cat. this is an example of a. noise b. bottom-up processing c. top-down processing d. visual agnosia

b. bottom-up processing

______ are receptor cells contained in the retina and are useful in color perception, particularly in bright-light conditions a. rods b. cones c. receptor cells d. bipolar cells

b. cones

which receptors operate best in daylight or under high illumination? a. ganglion cells b. cones c. bipolar cells d. rods

b. cones

edward gets into a minor accident because he collided with a car he didn't see while changing lanes to avoid a stray dog ahead of him. edward's failure to notice the car is an example of a. blind sight b. inattentional blindness c. signal detection theory d. the difference threshold

b. inattentional blindness

the absolute threshold is defined by psychologists as the a. maximum intensity of a stimulus that can be detected by the sense organs b. minimum amount of stimulus energy that a person can detect c. smallest change in stimulation needed in order to discriminate one stimulus from another d. largest difference in stimulation that can be detected as a change

b. minimum amount of stimulus energy that a person can detect

what structure of the eye is a bundle of ganglion axons that carries information to the brain? a. bipolar cell bundle b. optic nerve c. cornea d. retina

b. optic nerve

the process of organizing and interpreting information brought in by the senses is called a. sensation b. perception c. transduction d. adaptation

b. perception

subtle ideas or activities that are presented outside of conscious awareness are referred to as a. ESP b. primes c. noise d. thresholds

b. primes

focusing on a specific aspect of experience while ignoring others is _______ attention a. divided b. selective c. variable d. shiftable

b. selective

the _________ is a spot in the center of the retina that only contains cones and is vital to many visual tasks

fovea

laura is text messaging while she is driving. she looks down at her cell phone screen, and while she does this, she fails to see that the car in front of her is suddenly braking. this is an example of __________ ___________

inattentional blindness

martina is trying to watch the big game while she's getting a soda out of the refrigerator. as a result, she doesn't find sodas, even though they are right in front of her. this situation illustrates _____________ ___________

inattentional blindness

____________ is a form of electromagnetic energy that can be described in terms of wavelengths

light

anton is trying to study for a big exam, but he is completely distracted when he sees a person in an elaborate monster costume walk through the campus library. this situation illustrates the effect of __________ stimuli on attention

novel

even though Sofia was trying to wash her car and not get distracted, she couldn't help but stare when she saw something she'd never seen before: a hot air balloon drift over her neighborhood. this situation illustrates the effect of ___________ stimuli on attention

novel

_______ are receptor cells contained in the retina and are useful in low-light conditions

rods

in low-light conditions, which receptors are more important for vision? a. ganglion cells b. bipolar cells c. cones d. rods

rods

dionicio is carefully listening to recordings of classical music for his music appreciation test, while ignoring his roommates arguing over whose turn it is to wash the dishes. This is an example of ________ attention

selective

_______ is the process of receiving stimulus energies from the external environment and transforming those energies into neural energy

sensation

the process of receiving stimulus energy from the environment and transforming those energies into neural energy is called _________. the process of organizing and interpreting that sensory information is called _________

sensation; perception

___________ receptor neurons take information from the environment, creating local electrical currents. the receptors trigger action potentials in sensory neurons, which carry the information to the central nervous system

sensory

the openings through which the brain and nervous system experience the world and the place where all sensation begins are referred to as _________ _________

sensory receptors

_________ __________ theory focuses on decision making about stimuli under conditions of uncertainty

signal detection

which areas of the cerebral cortex are specialized to process which kinds of sensory information? 1. occipital lobes 2. temporal lobes 3. parietal lobes a. hearing information b. pain, touch, and temperature information c. visual information

1. occipital lobe - c. visual information 2. temporal lobe - a. hearing information 3. parietal lobe - b. pain, touch, and temperature information

match the three main classes of sensory receptors with their corresponding function 1. photoreception 2. mechanoreception 3. chemoreceptor a. detection of pressure and movement b. detection of smell and taste c. detection of light

1. photoreception - c. detection of light 2. mechanoreception - a. detection of pressure and movement 3. chemoreception - b. detection of smell and taste

select all that apply. which of the following statements regarding cultural differences in attention is correct? a. people from Western cultures are more likely to attend to focal objects b. people from East Asian cultures are more likely to attend to focal objects c. people from East Asian cultures are more likely to attend to aspects of the context d. people from Western cultures are more likely to attend to aspects of the context

a & c

select all that apply. which of the following are attributes of the retina? a. it is a multilayered light-sensitive surface in the eye b. it bends light to focus it on the lens c. it controls the amount of light entering the lens d. it converts light into neural impulses to be processed by the brain

a & d

select all that apply. what are the three characteristics of the stimulus of light? a. hue b. brightness c. tone d. timbre e. saturation

a, b, & e

select all that apply. which of the following are correct pairings of a sense and the lobes of the brain where most of that sense's information is processed? a. hearing: temporal lobes b. pain, touch, temperature: parietal lobes c. vision: parietal lobes d. hearing: occipital lobes e. vision: occipital lobes

a, b, & e

humans can visibly perceive light from about ____ to ____ nanometers a. 400; 700 b. 4,000; 8,000 c. 200; 2,000 d. 40; 8,000

a. 400; 700

the difference threshold is the smallest difference in the stimulation that is required to discriminate one stimulus from another _______ time a. 50 percent of the b. all of the c. just one d. 25 percent of the

a. 50 percent of the

from an evolutionary perspective, the purpose of sensation and perception is a. adaptation b. specialization c. comfort d. unclear

a. adaptation

derek is driving, but he looks down at his cell phone to check his text messages and doesn't notice that a car in the next lane over is trying to change lanes into the lane his car is occupying. this is an example of a. inattentional blindness b. signal detection c. the absolute threshold d. shiftable attention

a. inattentional blindness

when we see a person, we see many aspects of their identity at once. depending on our expectations, these various cues can affect our a. perception b. sensation c. attention d. stimuli

a. perception

the _______ are receptors in the retina that function especially well in low-light conditions and are everywhere in the retina except for the fovea a. rods b. bipolar cells c. cones d. ganglion cells

a. rods

michael is a caregiver at a daycare center. michael is listening to a child describe her stomachache while filtering out the sounds of ten other children dancing to a song playing on the classroom stereo. this is an example of _____ attention a. selective b. shiftable c. divided d. distracted

a. selective

the processes that allow us to detect and understand various stimuli are a. sensation and perception b. attention and adaption c. neurogenesis and action potential d. depth perception and difference threshold

a. sensation and perception

you buy a new pair of shoes, and when you first put them on, they feel very different on your feet than your old pair. however, within a couple of minutes, you don't even notice them anymore. this is an example of a. sensory adaptation b. sustained attention c. sensory processing d. sensory receptors

a. sensory adaptation

specialized cells that detect and transmit information to the sensory nerves and the brain are called a. sensory receptors b. interneurons c. proprioceptors d. signal detection cells

a. sensory receptors

karamo is feeding his newborn son from a bottle, but he looks up immediately when he hears his 3-year-old daughter say, "oops." karamo is demonstrating _____ attention a. shiftable b. divided c. synesthetic d. sustained

a. shiftable

mary looks from one painting to another in an art museum, focusing on the upper left corners of a painting and then the lower right area before considering the lower left corner. she is demonstrating a. shiftable attention b. synaesthesia c. perceptual set d. the Stroop effect

a. shiftable attention

my sister claims that she can taste colors. this is an example of a. dyskinesia b. graded currents c. synaesthesia d. top-down processing

a. synaesthesia

the experience of one sense inducing an automatic experience in another sense (e.g., sight and hearing) is called a. synaesthesia b. graded currents c. multiple senses d. top-down processing

a. synaesthesia

sensory receptors take information from the environment, creating local electrical currents. which of the following best explains the graded currents involved? a. the currents are sensitive to intensity b. the receptors involved cannot trigger action potentials c. the local electrical currents are not graded currents d. the currents are not sensitive to intensity

a. the currents are sensitive to intensity

the sense organs and sense receptors fall into several main classes based on a. the type of energy that is transmitted b. the all-or-nothing principle c. the location of each d. the ability to trigger action potentials

a. the type of energy that is transmitted

why do people have a blind spot in vision? a. there are no rods or cones in the space where the optic nerve passes through the retina b. rods and cones in that area have died off c. there are no ganglion cells in the space where the optic nerve passes through the retina d. light cannot pass through the pupil

a. there are no rods or cones in the space where the optic nerve passes through the retina

light is measured by a. wavelengths b. decibels c. quality d. shades

a. wavelengths

the ability of the visual system to adjust to a dark room is an example of a. contextual perception b. sensory adaptation c. sustained attention d. perceptual constancy

b. sensory adaptation

you buy a new pair of sunglasses, and the frames and tint are very different from your old ones. however, within a couple of minutes, you don't even notice them anymore. this is an example of a. sustained attention b. sensory adaptation c. sensory processing d. sensory receptors

b. sensory adaptation

sean has been asked to wake up the other campers if he hears a bear nearby. sean decides that he would be very embarrassed if he woke everyone up over nothing, so he did nothing when he heard a rustling but no growls or other bear noises. which theory focuses on such decisions and uncertainty? a. synaesthesia theory b. signal detection theory c. perceptual set d. bottom-up processing

b. signal detection theory

which of the following is an expectation that can influence someone's perception? a. difference threshold b. stereotype c. vestibular sense d. convergence

b. stereotype

when the receptor cells have registered a ________, the energy is converted to an electrochemical impulse a. threshold b. stimulus c. sensation d. perception

b. stimulus

processing that starts out with cognitive processing at the higher levels of the brain is called a. transduction processing b. top-down processing c. bottom-up processing d. sensation

b. top-down processing

when transmitting information from the retina to the brain, _________ cells receive information from the rods and cones, then relay that information to ________ cells that carry information to the optic nerve and brain

bipolar, ganglion

select all that apply. inattentional blindness is more likely to occur in which of the following situations? a. when a task is objectively easy b. when people are primed with an achievable goal to detect a stimulus c. when the distracting stimulus is different from stimuli that are relevant to the task at hand d. when a task is difficult

c & d

the two processes of sensation and perception a. rarely work in tandem b. act as separate information-processing systems c. are essentially inseparable

c. are essentially inseparable

processing that commences with sensory receptors registering environmental information and sending it to the brain for analysis and interpretation is known as ______ processing a. top-down b. auditory c. bottom-up d. transduction

c. bottom-up

processing that is initiated by sensory information about the external environment is called _____ processing a. auditory b. top-down c. bottom-up d. perceptual

c. bottom-up

the ________ contains only cones and is vital to many visual tasks a. retina b. pupil c. fovea d. iris

c. fovea

the intensity of a stimulus is communicated by a. bigger action potentials b. no action potentials c. increased frequency of action potentials

c. increased frequency of action potentials

Which of the following is at work when people do not fit with what we expect and as a result we make errors in perception or fail to notice important aspects of those people? a. kinesthetic sense b. place theory c. perceptual set d. bottom-up processing

c. perceptual set

extrasensory perception, or ESP, is a. an optical illusion involving sets of parallel lines b. the ability to taste a wider variety of foods more intensely due to the presence of extra taste buds on the tongue c. reading another person's mind or knowing future events in the absence of concrete sensory input d. the smallest possible stimuli we can detect approximately 50 percent of the time

c. reading another person's mind or knowing future events in the absence of concrete sensory input

______ is about the biological processing that occurs between our sensory systems and the environment, whereas ______ is our experience of those processes in action a. perception; sensation b. transduction; perception c. sensation; perception d. sensation; transduction

c. sensation; perception

the difference threshold is the a. maximum intensity of a stimulus that can be detected by the sense organs b. largest difference in simulation that can be detected as a change c. smallest change in stimulation needed in order to discriminate one stimulus from another d. smallest intensity of a stimulus that must be present for the stimulus to be detected

c. smallest change in stimulation needed in order to discriminate one stimulus from another

the energy that produces a response in the sense organs is called a a. psychophysic b. sensation c. stimulus d. perception

c. stimulus

even though you normally like iced tea, you took a drink of iced tea when you were expecting soda, and the iced tea tasted terrible. what type of processing is exemplified here? a. transduction processing b. bottom-up processing c. top-down processing d. synesthesia

c. top-down processing

one aspect of selective attention is the ability to focus on one voice among many in a crowded or noisy situation. this is commonly referred to by psychologists as the ___________ _________ effect

cocktail party

_______ are the receptor cells in the retina that we use for color vision

cones

which principle is demonstrated here? if you are in a room with 60 lights, you cannot tell when one goes out; but when you are in a room with 6 lights, you can easily tell when one goes out a. stimulus decay b. absolute law c. sensory adaptation d. Weber's law

d. Weber's law

which principle states that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount) to be perceived as different? a. Koenig's law b. absolute threshold law c. law of sensory adaptation d. Weber's law

d. Weber's law

a predisposition or readiness to perceive something in a particular way is a. selective attention b. divided attention c. an optical illusion d. a perceptual set

d. a perceptual set

the function of sensory receptors that detect light and are involved in visual perception is called a. synatheception b. chemoreception c. mechanoreception d. photoreception

d. photoreception

the ______ of the wavelengths determines the perceived _____ of a visual stimulus a. hue; amplitude b. amplitude; hue c. saturation; purity d. purity; saturation

d. purity; saturation

the process of receiving stimulus energies from the external environment and transforming those energies into neural energy is called a. perception b. adapation c. transduction d. sensation

d. sensation

if all sensory nerves are alike, how can an animal distinguish among the senses (e.g., sight, sound, odor, taste, and touch)? a. the ability to distinguish between the senses begins in the brain b. the energy from the different senses is all the same c. the strength of the action potential is increased depending on the energy absorbed d. sensory receptors are selective and have different neural pathways

d. sensory receptors are selective and have different neural pathways

nearly all sensory signals pass through which of the following brain areas? a. hypothalamus b. hippocampus c. brain stem d. thalamus

d. thalamus

sarah saw her car in the parking lot and didn't realize at first that it had a flat tire. what type of processing is exemplified here, where sarah noticed the big picture first? a. bottom-up processing b. transduction processing c. synaesthesia d. top-down processing

d. top-down processing

when you get ready to assemble a jigsaw puzzle, you look at the picture on the box to see how it should look when completed. this means that you are a. using recall and bottom-up processing b. engaging in perceptual constancy c. engaging in synaesthesia d. using top-down processing

d. using top-down processing

the just noticeable difference is also referred to as the ________ threshold

difference

humans can detect the vast majority of wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum (T/F)

false

the absolute threshold is the point at which the individual detects the stimulus 100 percent of the time (T/F)

false

there is no evolutionary purpose for sensation and perception (T/F)

false

the sorting out, interpretation, analysis, and integration of stimuli by the sense organs and the brain is called ________

perception

the _______ is the part of the eye in which visual images are converted to neural impulses that can be processed in the brain

retina

a(n) _________ is anything that we can detect in the world

stimulus

_________ perception refers to the detection of information below the level of conscious awareness

subliminal

most sensory signals pass through the _______ in the brain

thalamus

___________-___________ processing begins with cognitive processes in the brain

top-down

absolute thresholds are different from person to person (T/F)

true

most psychologists consider sensation and perception a unified information-processing system (T/F)

true

sensory nerves are specialized to absorb a particular type of energy and convert it into an action potential (T/F)

true

sensory neurons communicate greater intensity of a stimulus (e.g., brighter light) by increasing the frequency of action potentials (T/F)

true

the responsiveness of the sensory system can change based on the average level of surrounding stimulation (T/F)

true

top-down processing starts out with cognitive processing, whereas bottom-up processing is initiated by stimulus input (T/F)

true

very pure colors have no white light in them (T/F)

true

you buy a new game for your smartphone, and instead of going through the tutorial, you learn how the game works just through trial and error, without any prior knowledge or expectation. this is an example of bottom-up processing (T/F)

true