Psych 384 Exam 1

A condition in which incoming light focuses behind the retina, leading to difficulty focusing on close-up objects, common in older adults, in whom the lens becomes less elastic, is known as ______. a. presbyopia b. myopia c. cataracts d. macular degeneration

A

A food company wants to develop a psychological measure to evaluate people's perception of sweetness. What should they do? a. Ask participants to rate a number of levels of sweetness on a numerical scale. b. Ask participants to indicate the sweetest food that they like to eat. c. Ask participants to judge the point at which a drink becomes too sweet. d. Ask participants to judge the amount of capsaicin in the foods they consume.

A

A marathon runner finishing a race can feel both pain and exhilaration because ______. a. senses are interpreted in the context in which they are experienced b. exhaustion causes the body to misinterpret sensory data c. pain can be either an internal or an external stimulus d. sense experience is altered by extreme physical exertion

A

A method whereby an observer controls the level of the stimulus and sets it at the perceptual threshold is known as the method of ______. a. adjustment b. constant stimuli c. thresholds d. limits

A

A plot of false alarms versus hits for any given sensitivity, indicating all possible outcomes for a given sensitivity, is known as ______. a. a ROC curve b. a noise plot c. criterion processing d. object-substitution masking

A

A psychophysical method in which a participant is required to report when or where a stimulus occurs instead of whether it was perceived is known as the ______. a. forced-choice method b. open response method c. free-choice method d. closed response method

A

A psychophysical method in which participants judge and assign numerical estimates to the perceived strength of a stimulus is known as ______. a. magnitude estimation b. response compression c. threshold sensitivity d. the signal detection axis

A

Animals such as antelope that have eyes on the sides of their head have the advantage of a ______. a. wider field of view b. better binocular vision c. better depth perception d. great perception of detail

A

Bob and Caroline are sitting next to each other while watching a tennis match. What is one reason that they might disagree on a judge's call, based on principles of perception? a. Because each is cheering for a different player, their perceptions of the match are affected. b. Because they see the play from very different angles, they interpret it differently. c. Because vision and emotion are casually linked, their visual experiences of the match are affected. d. Because watching sports causes different neurons to fire in male and female brains, they experience the event differently.

A

Carl notices that he has trouble keeping his balance in the dark. He is likely having a problem with his ______ system. a. vestibular b. proprioception c. auditory d. olfactory

A

Humans must choose which stimuli to focus on. Important or interesting stimuli that stand out to us are known as ______ stimuli. a. attended b. potential c. internal d. favored

A

In absolute threshold detection experiments, the crossover point is defined as the point at which ______. a. a person is first able to detect a stimulus b. a person ceases to detect a stimulus c. all stimuli in a sequence will be correctly detected d. the number of hits and false alarms doubles

A

In signal detection theory, if the cost of a miss is very high and the risk of a false alarm is very low, the criterion will be set ______. a. very low to maximize hits b. very low to maximize correct rejections c. very high to minimize false alarms d. very high to maximize hits

A

In the Aristotle illusion, two crossed fingers are touched by a pencil. Participants observe that ______. a. two points are perceived instead of one b. the pencil feels larger than it is c. the two touches cancel each other out d. the touch is felt only on the bottom finger

A

In two-point thresholds across the skin, one measures ______. a. the minimum distance at which two touches are perceived as two touches and not one b. the maximum distance at which two touches are perceived as two touches and not one c. the minimum distance at which one touch is perceived as two touches d. only the maximum distance for touches in the most sensitive areas of the skin

A

Masking experiments require participants to determine whether a stimulus is ______. a. present b. pleasant c. strong or weak d. increasing or decreasing

A

Permanent hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea or auditory nerve is called ______ hearing loss. a. sensorineural b. conductive c. innate d. bichromal

A

Retinal ganglion cells that increase their firing rate (excitation) when light is presented in the middle of the receptive field and decrease (inhibition) their firing rate when light is presented in the outside or surround of the receptive field are known as ______. a. on-center receptive fields b. off-center receptive fields c. mediated-center receptive fields d. switch-center receptive fields

A

Rocio enjoys star-gazing. When using a flashlight to look at her star chart on a dark but clear light, she should use a flashlight with ______. a. red light because red light least interferes with scotopic vision b. blue light because blue light has higher reflectance values c. a broad range of wavelengths to compensate for the low ambient light level d. green light, as green closely corresponds to the wavelengths emitted by stars

A

The identification of a stimulus with the help of context, previous knowledge, and/or expectations is called: a. top-down processing. c. materialism. b. bottom-up processing. d. phenomenal consciousness.

A

The registering of a physical stimuluson our sensory receptors is referred to as ______. a. sensation b. perception c. attention d. registration

A

The smallest difference between two stimuli that can be detected is known as the ______. a. difference threshold b. absolute threshold c. just observable difference d. remarkable difference

A

Time to collision is ______. a. the estimate of when an approaching object will contact another b. the likelihood that a moving object will self-destruct c. the idea that the further an object is away from you, the closer it appears d. the idea that when two objects collide, we perceive one as faster than the other

A

Visible light is usually measured by its ______. a. wavelength b. Angstrom units c. DeGrasse function d. amplitude

A

What diagnosis might a patient receive after a test of visual acuity? a. presbyopia b. macular degeneration c. retinopathy d. conjunctivitis

A

What is remarkable about Kanizsa's triangle? a. The triangle is seen because we perceive edges that are not present. b. The triangle is physically presented but masked so that it is not seen. c. The triangle appears to fade in and out when you stare at it. d. The triangle appears to be in motion even though it is not.

A

What is retinal? a. a derivative of vitamin A b. a protein found in cones c. a wall dividing the lens and the retina d. a muscle attaching the retina to the lens

A

Which neuroimaging technique uses electrodes to determine the time course of perceptual processes? a. EEG b. MEG c. fMRI d. TMS

A

Which of the following is TRUE of transmagnetic stimulation? a. It induces changes in brain function. b. It picks up continuous electric signal. c. It uses magnetic sensors to detect brain activity. d. It takes a picture every 30 milliseconds.

A

Which of the following statements about neuroscience is TRUE? a. It is interested in the cellular level. b. It envisions the brain as a giant computer. c. It focuses on the whole rather than its parts. d. It is primarily concerned with a single region of the brain.

A

Why is the location of the optic disc associated with the blind spot? a. Receptor cells are not present in this region. b. There are only cones and no rods in this region. c. The receptors cells do not connect to retinal ganglion cells. d. The retinal ganglion cells are non-functional in this region.

A

You are driving a car. As you prepare to turn, you see a motorcycle coming toward you. The motorcycle is likely to appear farther away than it is because it is ______. a. smaller than your car b. facing you directly c. moving faster than your car d. moving slower than your car

A

According to evidence using Stevens' power law (the formula): a. The exponent for "brightness" sensing is greater than one b. The exponent for "pain" sensing is greater than one c. Both a and b d. None of the above

B

Agnosia is a deficit in ______ due to brain damage. a. memory b. perception c. a balance d. a sensation

B

Artist Bev Doolittle paints pictures of horses in snow. What do these painting show about human perception? a. We struggle to identify shapes if we are not told what to see. b. We use our knowledge to discern camouflaged shapes. c. Our perception is influenced by our biases, even when we try to be objective. d. Our ability to differentiate between objects is affected by our vantage point.

B

Cardinals are red because their feathers ______. a. absorb red light b. reflect red light c. absorb ultraviolet light d. reflect ultraviolet light

B

Dr. Wong is doing a psychophysical experiment to determine the smallest detectable concentration of coffee. He presents some coffee concentrations that are clearly detectable, others that cannot be detected, and some that are just detectable. These presentations are randomized. What method is Dr. Wong using? a. adjudication b. constant stimuli c. inverse thresholds d. limits

B

Harry is a 90-year-old man. He shows impaired visual acuity and color vision in both eyes, though his peripheral vision is unimpaired. He has difficulties reading even with powerful reading glasses. Your diagnosis? a. retinitis pigmentosa b. macular degeneration c. cataracts d. heterochromia

B

Hubel and Wiesel used single-cell recording to ______. a. uncover the basic organization of the olfactory system b. determine the function of individual neurons in mammalian visual cortex c. determine the rate at which information moves across synapses in the mammalian visual cortex d. uncover the role of dopamine and other neurotransmitters in perceptual processes

B

If a psychophysics measure is better at distinguishing the signal from noise (compared to a different measure), then sensitivity will be __________ and d' will be ____. a. Larger; smaller b. Larger; larger c. Smaller; smaller d. Smaller; larger

B

In order to design safer self-driving cars, it would be most useful for engineers to understand ______. a. the history of sensation and perception research b. how human eyes and brains work c. the systemic biases that human drivers share d. the relative sizes of different objects

B

Karin has trouble seeing at night. It is possible that she is suffering from a deficiency of ______. a. opsin b. vitamin A c. vitamin D d. photons

B

Keyon enjoys exploring caves. Upon emerging from a very dark cave, he squints at first, but then he adjusts to the bright sunshine. This process is known as ______ adaptation. a. dark b. light c. transition d. gradient

B

Molecules that absorb light, triggering events that alter the voltage in the cell, are known as ______. a. hyperoptonic chemicals b. photopigments c. neurotransmitters d. Zonule fibers

B

Professor Everdine has devised a scale to examine people's perception of saltiness. She finds that for every milligram of salt added, the perception of saltiness increases fourfold. That is, the perception of saltiness increases faster than the actual increase in salt. This finding illustrates response ______. a. compression b. expansion c. subtraction d. addition

B

Retinal ganglion cells that decrease their firing rate (inhibition) when light is presented in the middle of the receptive field and increase (excitation) their firing rate when light is presented in the outside or surround of the receptive field are known as ______. a. on-center receptive fields b. off-center receptive fields c. mediated-center receptive fields d. switch-center receptive fields

B

Robinson et al (2016) conducted a study of whether olfaction interacts with vision. What did they find? a. There was no measurable interaction between the two senses. b. Interaction between the two senses was more pronounced in women. c. Interaction between the two senses was more pronounced in men. d. There was a high degree of interaction between the senses.

B

The doctrine that there are functionally two distinct ways in which our eyes work, the photopic, associated with the cones, and the scotopic, associated with the rods, is known as the ______ theory of vision. a. Young-Helmholtz b. duplex c. inverse d. retinal-macular

B

The ecological approach to perception finds fault with experiments that ______. a. focus on audition because vision is more important b. use laboratory stimuli that do not correspond to real-world stimuli c. use neuroimaging technology to study perceptual phenomena d. focus on physiological rather than psychological processes

B

The inability of sound to be transmitted to the cochlea is known as ______ hearing loss. a. sensorineural b. conductive c. innate d. bichromal

B

The mathematical measure of sensitivity in signal-detection theory is known as ______. a. the cost coefficient b. d-prime c. alpha d. the ROC curve

B

The saying "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" is most related to a. Structuralism b. Gestalt psychology c. Functionalism d. Direct perception

B

The wavelength distribution of visible light is ______. a. 100-850 nm b. 400-700 nm c. 50-2500 nm d. 20-20,000 nm

B

What is a receptive field? a. the range of wavelengths that a particular sensory neuron responds to b. the area in the visual world that a particular sensory neuron responds to c. the range of intensities that a particular sensory neuron responds to d. the range of speeds at which a particularly sensory neuron reacts

B

What is electromagnetic energy? a. the prions that make up visual particles b. a form of energy that includes light that is both a wave and a particle c. a form of energy that produces both visual and auditory experiences d. the neural basis for all sensation and perception

B

What is the goal of lateral inhibition? a. mediating on-center surround cells b. facilitating edge detection c. overriding illusory processes d. integrating figure and ground

B

What is the point of subjective equality? a. the point at which the method of limits generates the same responses as the method of adjustment b. the point at which observers experience two different stimuli as being identical c. the point at which subject estimates correspond to objective measures d. the point at which the sensation of piquancy transforms from pleasant to unpleasant

B

Which is NOT considered one of the five canonical senses but is, in fact, a human sensory ability? a. touch b. proprioception c. vision d. lateralization

B

Which of the following is the most likely application of sensation and perception research? a. developing a more efficient car engine b. inventing a safer self-driving car c. creating an alternative to gasoline d. building more fuel-efficient vehicles

B

Why is the Scoville scale considered a psychophysical scale? a. It measures the relation of velocity to loudness. b. It measures a psychological variable (piquancy) as a function of a physical dimension (the amount of capsaicin). c. It measures a physical variable (the amount of heat) as a function of a sensory dimensions (taste and touch). d. It focuses on the psychological, rather than the physical, experience of consuming hot peppers.

B

You stare at a downward-moving escalator for some time, then look at a black suitcase sitting stationary on the floor. Most likely, the suitcase will appear to be ______. a. colored b. moving upward c. moving downward d. wobbly

B

A central goal of our perceptual processes is producing a ______ representation. a. quick b. pleasing c. truthful d. creative

C

Damage to area V1 in patient DB's occipital cortex resulted in ______. a. a condition known as apraxia b. a condition known as visual agnosia c. blindness in certain parts of the visual field d. no behavioral changes

C

Dr. Chudnofsky is interested in the smallest differences in the wavelength of light and the ability of humans to detect these differences. He should therefore design an experiment that will look at ______. a. correct rejections b. absolute thresholds c. difference thresholds d. false alarms

C

In signal detection theory, an internal cutoff above which the observer makes one response and below which the observer makes another response is known as a ______. a. threshold b. limit c. criterion d. series

C

In the video "Sensation and Perception" from class (part of the Discovering Psychology video series), vision perception was described. Specifically, when you view a scene, is it represented upside down on your _________________ a. Pupil b. Cornea c. Retina d. Iris

C

Jaime is a participant in a psychophysical experiment on sound detection. He is asked to determine the softest sound he can hear at a particular frequency. That sound is his ______. a. motivational limit b. signal detection limit c. absolute threshold d. difference threshold

C

The adjustable focusing element of the eye, located right behind the iris of the eye, is known as the ______. a. cornea b. rods and cones c. lens d. zonule fibers

C

The greatest density of cones can be found in the ______. a. iris b. hypocratus c. fovea d. optic disc

C

The process of distinguishing where one object ends and the next begins, making edges as clear as possible, is known as ______. a. edge prediction b. edge continuation c. edge detection d. edge integration

C

The signal produced by receptor cells that can then be sent to the brain is known as the ______. a. perceptual attribute b. perceptual absolute c. neural signal d. transduction signal

C

The smallest amount of a stimulus necessary to allow an observer to detect its presence is known as the ______ threshold. a. complete b. partial c. absolute d. relative

C

This visual abnormality results from the clouding of the lens. It affects older adults more than younger adults but can occur in anyone at any age. What is it? a. macular degeneration b. presbyopia c. cataracts d. corneal contusions

C

Transduction is the process of ______. a. having a visual experience b. having an auditory experience c. converting physical energy into a neural signal d. converting a neural signal into physical energy

C

Wanda is smelling coffee. The receptor cells in Wanda's nose are ______. a. converting light waves into an olfactory experience b. responding to signals produced by the vestibular system c. transducing the presence of airborne chemicals into a neural signal d. interrupting the normal sequence of mental operations

C

What did Helmholtz and Hering disagree about? a. what should be considered perception and what should be considered sensation b. signal detection theory and just-noticeable differences c. the nature of color vision and whether perception involves unconscious inferences d. the doctrine of specific energy and the role of psychophysics in understanding perception

C

What is physicist Thomas Young (1773-1829) known for? a. the doctrine of specific nerve energies b. the discovery of the sensory experience known as motion aftereffect c. the view that three nerve fibers are responsible for color vision d. the first acuity test for vision

C

What is the Purkinje shift? a. the observation that photopic vision is less sensitive to color than scotopic vision b. the observation that long wavelength light excites the L-cone more than short-wavelength light does c. the observation that short wavelengths tend to be relatively brighter than long wavelengths in scotopic vision compared to photopic vision d. the observation that people with color deficiencies shift to greater dependence on scotopic at higher light levels than people with normal color vision

C

Which of the following is TRUE of visual acuity in infants? a. Most infants are born with 20/20 vision. b. Most infants develop 20/20 vision within the first year of life. c. Infants' vision is poor at birth but develops rapidly in the first year of life. d. Infants' vision is poor at birth and remains so throughout the first three years of life.

C

Which term describes a receptive field whose center responds in a way opposite to how the rest of the receptive field responds? a. annular receptive field b. oppositional receptive field c. center-surround receptive field d. off-center receptive field

C

Which term names the fovea and its surrounding area? a. foveal junction b. anterior chamber c. macula d. photon

C

Why are sensation and perception studied by psychologists? a. to understand how mood disorders arise from deficits in perception b. because biologists tend to shy away from neuroscience issues c. to understand how our brains make sense of the world around us d. because biology has little effect on sensation or perception

C

Zonule fibers and the ciliary muscles work to ______. a. stretch the retina to be thin enough to allow light to pass through it b. ensure that the cornea is clear of materials, such as hair and other debris c. change the curvature of the lens, allowing accommodation d. adjust the amount of fluid in the posterior chamber

C

A condition that develops from an irregular shape of the cornea or the lens, which makes it impossible for the lens to accommodate a fully focused image, is known as ______. a. retinitis pigmentosa b. macular degeneration c. presbyopia d. astigmatism

D

A graph that illustrates the thresholds for the frequencies as measured by the audiometer is known as a(n) ______. a. Snellen chart b. frequency curve c. acuity graph d. audiogram

D

According the size-arrival effect, smaller objects are perceived as ______. a. moving faster b. moving slower c. closer to the viewer d. farther from the viewer

D

An observer is asked to adjust the level of pressure on the skin until the person can just barely feel the lightest pressure on his or her skin. Then the observer starts again from a different starting level of pressure. Which technique does this best represent? a. magnitude estimation b. response compression c. signal-inverse method d. method of adjustment

D

Dr. Patel is doing an experiment on the softest volume humans can hear at a particular frequency. He asks participants to set a dial to the softest possible sound they can hear. What method is Dr. Patel using? a. control b. limits c. sensitivity d. adjustment

D

In what method are stimuli presented in a graduated scale, with participants asked to judge the stimuli along a certain property that goes up or down? a. the method of adjustment b. the method of repugnancy c. the magnitude method d. the method of limits

D

Karwan is a participant in a psychophysical experiment on visual detection. He is shown a mix of near-threshold stimuli with stimulus-absent catch trials. When Karwan indicates that he saw a light in a stimulus-absent catch trial, he is making a ______. a. hit b. correct rejection c. miss d. false alarm

D

Ricardo requires glasses to correct a problem in which his lens cannot become thin enough to focus light from more distant objects. What condition does Ricardo have? a. presbyopia b. hyperopia c. astigmatism d. myopia

D

The approach to perception that claims that information in the sensory world is complex and abundant, and therefore the perceptual systems need only directly perceive such complexity, is known as ______. a. the signal detection view b. the cognitive approach c. the unconscious inference approach d. the direct perception view

D

The clear front surface of the eye that allows light in, which is also a major focusing element of the eye, is known as the ______. a. retina b. macular loop c. iris d. cornea

D

The combination of positive signals coming from bipolar cells and inhibition coming from horizontal cells determines the strength of a signal to a retinal ganglion cell. What does this result in? a. center-surround orientation b. inhibitory excitation c. dark adaptation d. lateral inhibition

D

The outside surface of the eye, a protective membrane covering the eye that gives the eye its characteristic white appearance, is known as the ______. a. iris b. pupil c. zonule d. sclera

D

The study of the relation of brain damage to changes in behavioral and cognitive function is known as ______. a. functional neuroscience b. gestalt psychology c. psychophysics d. neuropsychology

D

The term "visual acuity" refers to the ______ of vision. a. direction b. depth c. range d. clarity

D

What is the name for the condition that causes an inability to focus clearly on far objects, which occurs because accommodation cannot make the lens thin enough? a. presbyopia b. amblyopia c. macular degeneration d. myopia

D

Which of the following is an example of cognitive penetration? a. wanting to listen to a favorite song when you are sad b. craving ice cream on a hot day c. having a car accident on an already-bad day d. thinking flowers look more vibrant when you are happy

D