Psychology Test Unit 2

All summer Thomas hears the sound of the icecream truck approaching before his brother Oscar hears it. Thomas most likely has which of the following? Responses A A lower absolute threshold for hearing than Oscar B A greater difference threshold for hearing than Oscar C A deficit in a sensory system other than hearing D A greater amount of experience with approaching ice-cream trucks than Oscar

A: a lower absolute threshold for hearing than Oscar

Which process transfers information from sensory memory to short-term memory? Responses A Attention B Cognition C Perception D Sensation

A: attention

Visual acuity is best in the Responses A lens B pupil C fovea D cornea

C: Fovea

Dizziness is most closely associated with which of the following senses? Responses A Kinesthetic B Auditory C Vestibular D Olfactory

C: Vestibular

The fovea has the greatest visual acuity in bright light primarily because the fovea is Responses A near the center of the visual field B close to the lens C not close to the blind spot D made up of only cones

D: Made up of only cones

An individual's ability to focus on a particular conversation in a noisy and crowded room is called Responses A auditory localization B dichotic listening C divided attention D selective attention

D: Selective attention

After waking from sleep, participants were given a reaction time test. The average reaction time, in seconds, for each participant is displayed in the table. What is the mean reaction time for the group that slept 8 hours?

A: 3 seconds

The intensity at which a sound becomes audible for a given individual is known as the individual's Responses A absolute threshold B response threshold C critical frequency D just noticeable difference

A: Absolute threshold

When Alexus traveled to another country, she experienced jet lag and had trouble adjusting to the new time zone. Alexus' experience is most likely linked to which of the following concepts? Responses A Circadian rhythm B Fight-flight-freez response C Night terrors D REM rebound

A: Circadian rhythm

Kaori is traveling on an airplane for the first time. As the plane takes off, she watches the automobiles driving on the freeway below. Even though the automobiles seem to get smaller as the airplane gains altitude, Kaori does not perceive the cars as shrinking but still perceives them to be their normal size. Which perceptual principle best describes this phenomenon? Responses A Constancy B Absolute threshold C Contrast D Illusion

A: Constancy

The psychological experience of pitch is related to a sound wave's Responses A frequency B amplitude C complexity D loudness

A: Frequency

Martin fell off his skateboard and badly bruised his elbow. He immediately began rubbing the area around the bruise until the pain subsided. This method of reducing pain can be explained by which of the following? Responses A Gate-control theory B Opponent-process theory C Expectancy theory D Phantom pain

A: Gate-control theory

The ability to see a cube in the diagram above is best explained by which of the following? Responses A Gestalt principles of closure B The inverted and reversed image that a visual stimulus produces on the retina C The opponent process theory of vision D The trichromatic theory of vision

A: Gestalt principles of closure

In adult humans, which of the following is typically true of REM sleep? Responses A It is correlated with dreaming. B It alternates with NREM sleep in 30-minute cycles. C It occurs during the first half of an individual's sleep cycle. D It involves decreased blood pressure and heart rate.

A: It is correlated with dreaming.

Annette begins staring at the red, white, and blue colors of the flag hanging at the front of her classroom. When she shifts her gaze to the white wall, she perceives a green, black, and yellow afterimage of this flag. Which of the following theories best explains Annette's experience? Responses A Opponent-process B Frequency C Trichromatic D Place

A: Opponent-process

Dr. Schmidt was interested in the relationship between sensation of a stimulus and the sensation of change in a stimulus. She tested this using sensation of weight. Participants were blindfolded and given two equal weights to hold one in each hand. With each trial, she added a slightly heavier weight to one hand than the other. The participant was asked to notify her if or when one felt heavier. She found that it was more difficult for the participants to determine the difference in the weights when the equal weights from the first trial were heavy. What was the independent variable in this research study? Responses A Blindfolding the participants B Comparison of the weights in both hands C The number of trials completed D The heaviness of the weights

D

Dr. Lee is interested in the effect of lighting on people's ability to concentrate. Dr. Lee studies this by manipulating the amount of lighting while participants read and then measuring their scores on a reading comprehension test. Group 1 receives dim light, and group 2 receives bright light. Which of the following research methods is Dr. Lee using? Responses A A case study B A correlational study C An experiment D A simulation

Experiment

A research group conducted a study investigating the connection between self-reported number of hours slept in a given week and scores on a happiness measure. Based on the scatterplot above, the group can report that there is (Scatter plot that is goes to the right upward) Responses A no relationship between amount of self-reported sleep and happiness B a positive correlation C a negative correlation D a perfect, positive relationship between amount of self-reported sleep and happiness

B: A positive correlation

Which of the following scenarios most clearly describes the effects of a strong kinesthetic sense? Responses A Developing a craving for a food after smelling it B Being able to tell exact bodily position without looking at the body C Being able to locate where a sound is coming from D Balancing oneself on a ladder

B: Being able to tell exact bodily position without looking at the body

Janna is an artist and likes using bright, pastel colors in her art. Which of the following refers to the photoreceptors responsible for color vision? Responses A Rods B Cones C Optic nerves D Hues

B: Cones

People who are color blind most likely have deficiencies in their Responses A rods B cones C lens D optic nerve

B: Cones

The reversible figure above illustrates the Gestalt organizing principle of Responses (2 faces) A proximity B figure-ground C closure D simplicity

B: Figure-ground

Latisha noticed that in the early evening she begins to have difficulty seeing the vibrant colors in her artwork. Which of the following best explains her difficulty? Responses A Her rods are functioning improperly and are not sensing color. B Her cones cannot detect color well in dim light. C Light adaptation prevents sensation of color. D Her blindspot is not correctly transferring color neural impulses.

B: Her cones cannot detect color well in dim light.

Carrison views a movie in her home. In the figure, what letter corresponds to the light-sensitive surface of the eye that contains photoreceptors that receive the images of the movie? Responses A B C D

I believe its D because it points to the retina which houses photoreceptors (outer part of the eye in the back)

Dr. Keith conducted a study to investigate whether caffeine improves focus and attention. He selected a random sample of students from his college class and then randomly assigned each of them to drink a cup of coffee or a cup of water before class. At the end of class, he administered a test on their knowledge of class material presented that day. Dr. Keith found that students who drink coffee demonstrate less focus and attention, as evidenced by lower test scores, and then claimed that he expected that result all along. Based on this description, which of the following is Dr. Keith displaying? Responses A Availability heuristic B Hindsight bias C Actor/observer bias D Fundamental attribution error

B: Hindsight bias

Hyrum is at a concert when a flute player hits a very high note at the end of a song. Which of the following best explains why the pitch of the note sounds so high? Responses A It has a long wavelength and high frequency. B It has a short wavelength and high frequency. C It has a long wavelength and low frequency. D It has a large amplitude.

B: It has a short wavelength and high frequency.

Which of the following statements about the perception of taste is true? Responses A Infants are not able to perceive taste differences until they are at least twelve months old. B Older adults frequently experience decreases in the sense of smell that make it more difficult to perceive the flavor of food. C The basilar membrane is responsible for sending messages about tastes from the tongue to the brain. D The five primary taste qualities are spicy, sour, salty, bitter, and sweet.

B: Older adults frequently experience decreases in the sense of smell that make it more difficult to perceive the flavor of food.

In psychology, Gestalt principles are used to explain Responses A somatic behavioral disorders B perceptual organization C stimulus-detection thresholds D altered states of consciousness

B: Perceptual organization

Laura arrives at a park that is located very close to a factory that produces cookies. She immediately notices the strong odor of chocolate chip cookies, but after a while she no longer detects the smell of the cookies. This can best be explained by which of the following? Responses A Accommodation B Sensory adaptation C Weber's law D Assimilation

B: Sensory adaptation

Carlos sees the figure above as six unified columns, not four unified rows. Which of the following Gestalt principles is operating most strongly? XOXOXOX Responses A Proximity B Similarity C Closure D Good continuation

B: Similarity

Which of the following is an appropriate conclusion to draw from the data presented in the scatterplot? (Basically it was going to the right downward) Responses A The experience of flavor is not related to the ability to smell. B The experience of flavor is negatively correlated with levels of nasal congestion. C The experience of flavor is positively correlated with levels of nasal congestion. D Nasal congestion causes our sense of taste to improve.

B: The experience of flavor is negatively correlated with levels of nasal congestion.

In a groundbreaking study, a researcher shared a translation of an American Indian folk tale with middle-class British participants. Later, the participants were asked to repeat the story. The researcher measured the accuracy of their recollections when they were repeating the story. Several of the participants changed the words "canoes" to "boats" and "hunting seals" to "fishing". Which of the following explains why the participants made errors in their recollections? Responses A The participants only had the chance to repeat the story five times. B The participants had difficulty repeating the story because the details didn't fit with their cultural schema. C The participants were experienced drive-reduction and, therefore, could not carefully to the story. D The participants experienced the serial position effect.

B: The participants had difficulty repeating the story because the details didn't fit with their cultural schema.

A researcher wants to examine how much information from waking life ends up in dreams. The researcher recruits 40 volunteers from a local community college to record the details of their daily activities. The participants will be given a sleep monitor that gently wakes them each time they end an REM cycle, after which they will complete a detailed dream diary. The study is planned to last for two weeks. Why would an institutional review board be hesitant to approve this study? Responses A This type of research should be done with animal subjects. B The researchers are disrupting sleep for an extended period, which may cause harm. C The researchers would not be able to hide the identities of the participants. D The researchers would be using deception without debriefing.

B: The researchers are disrupting sleep for an extended period, which may cause harm.

One theory of hearing suggests that a neuron may fire and then stop firing when a second neuron fires. The first neuron then fires again, while the second one does not. This type of sequence is then repeated in response to auditory stimuli. Which of the following describes this pattern? Responses A Place theory B Volley theory C Gate-control theory D Opponent-process theory

B: Volley theory

Which of the following scenarios best describes the monocular depth cue of relative size? Responses A Abel judges the distance of an object based on the difference between the images processed by the retina in each eye. B Yvonne judges the distance of an object based on how large the image is on the retina. C Kenzi judges the distance of an object based on whether it is partially blocked by another object. D Selah judges the distance of an object based on its location in the visual field compared with other objects in the scene.

B: Yvonne judges the distance of an object based on how large the image is on the retina.

George was involved in an accident and experienced head trauma. Although his eyes were functioning normally, he was unable to see. Which area of the brain was most likely affected by the accident? Responses A The parietal lobe B The occipital lobe C The hippocampus D Wernicke's area

B: the occipital lobe

Dr. Schmidt was interested in the relationship between sensation of a stimulus and the sensation of change in a stimulus. She tested this using sensation of weight. Participants were blindfolded and given two equal weights to hold one in each hand. With each trial, she added a slightly heavier weight to one hand than the other. She found that it was more difficult for the participants to determine the difference in the weights when the equal weights from the first trial were heavy. What type of research study did Dr. Schmidt conduct? Responses A A correlational study B A meta-analysis C An experiment D A cross-sectional study

C: An experiment

Dr. Handler conducted research to explore the extent to which hearing acuity changes with age. She tested the absolute threshold for hearing in 10 subjects of various ages. The results are presented in the table. Which of the following is an appropriate conclusion based on the data presented in the table? Responses A There is no relationship between age and pitch perception. B There is a causal relationship between age and pitch perception. C As age increases, the ability to detect higher pitched sounds tends to decrease. D No conclusions can be drawn because the subjects were not randomly assigned.

C: As age increases, the ability to detect higher pitched sounds tends to decrease.

Dr. Felder is studying whether the color of a drink impacts how a person experiences the taste of the drink. She has an orange-flavored liquid that she dyes either orange, purple, or blue, and gives it to participants to drink. She then asks them to describe the taste. Which of the following would best help her evaluate the impact of vision on taste? Responses A Have participants taste it as a group and take turns describing the taste out loud. B Obscure the purpose of the experiment until after participants have completed the study. C Create an additional control condition in which participants wear blindfolds while they taste the drink. D Use participants who have the same gender identity.

C: Create an additional control condition in which participants wear blindfolds while they taste the drink.

Dr. Keith conducted a study to investigate whether caffeine improves focus and attention. He selected a random sample of students from his college class and then randomly assigned each of them to drink a cup of coffee or a cup of water before class. At the end of class, he administered a test on their knowledge of class material presented that day. Which of the following elements of Dr. Keith's research would most strengthen Dr. Keith's ability to infer a causal relationship between caffeine intake and improved focus and attention? Responses A Dr. Keith selects a random sample of students in the class. B Dr. Keith gains approval from an Institutional Review Board. C Dr. Keith keeps conditions the same between the two groups except for the independent variable. D Dr. Keith debriefs the students at the end of the study.

C: Dr. Keith keeps conditions the same between the two groups except for the independent variable.

Which of the following theories most accurately explains pitch perception? I. Opponent process II. Frequency III. Place Responses A II only B I and II only C II and III only D I, II, and III

C: II and III only

A doctor is assessing a patient with a sensory disorder. In the first assessment, she asks the patient to touch his nose with his eyes closed. In the next assessment, she asks the patient to walk a short distance with his eyes closed. Which of the following senses is the doctor most likely evaluating? Responses A Gustation B Vision C Kinesthesis D Touch

C: Kinesthesis

Ana injured her eye in an accident and has to wear a patch over the eye while it heals. Which of the following cues would she best be able to use to make judgments about the distance objects are from her? Responses A Convergence B Binocular disparity C Linear perspective D Closure

C: Linear perspective

As you watch a friend walk away from you, your retinal image of your friend gets smaller. Despite this, you do not perceive him to be shrinking. This is an example of Responses A motion parallax B retinal disparity C size constancy D continuity

C: Size constancy

Dr. Keith conducted a study to investigate whether caffeine improves focus and attention. He selected a random sample of students from his college class and then randomly assigned each of them to drink a cup of coffee or a cup of water before class. At the end of class, he administered a test on their knowledge of class material presented that day. Which of the following is the operational definition of the dependent variable? Responses A A cup of coffee B A cup of water C Test scores on the class material D Focus and attention

C: Test scores on the class material

Why is it necessary in this study to have at least one experimental condition and one control condition? Responses A Without the experimental condition, there would not be enough participants in the study. B It is necessary to determine if the placebo effect played a role in the outcome of the study. C The control condition provides a comparison to the experimental condition. D The inclusion of an experimental condition eliminates the possibility of confounding variables.

C: The control condition provides a comparison to the experimental condition.

Julia is practicing her trumpet and produces a loud sound. Which of the following is the best explanation for the loudness of the sound? Responses A The sound has a long wavelength. B The sound has a short wavelength. C The sound has a high-amplitude sound wave. D The sound has a low-amplitude sound wave.

C: The sound has a high-amplitude sound wave.

Holly asks her brother to turn up the music he is playing so she can hear it better. He turns it up one level, and Holly asks him why he didn't turn it up like she asked. Which of the following concepts explains why Holly did not think her brother turned up the music? Responses A The volume was below her absolute threshold. B Perception was not activated by the music. C The volume had not yet reached the just-noticeable difference threshold. D The music was a subliminal stimulus.

C: The volume had not yet reached the just-noticeable difference threshold.

An adult with a healthy sleep cycle is most likely to enter REM sleep in which of the following ways? Responses A immediately after falling asleep B after the dream stage is completed C after cycling through the NREM sleep stages D soon after falling asleep and then remain there for the majority of the night

C: after cycling through the NREM sleep stages

In vision, transduction occurs within the Responses A optic nerve B visual cortex C retina D cornea

C: retina

Luz, a math major, sees the drawing above as a Venn diagram. Her brother, an art major, sees it as two circles. The difference in perception is an example of Responses A synesthesia B stimulus variables C top-down processing D feature detection

C: top-down processing

Karolina is a ballerina who does not get dizzy when she performs spins. Which part of her brain receives messages from the hair-like receptors that are involved in the vestibular sense? Responses A Frontal lobes B Cerebellum C Medulla D Hypothalamus

Cerebellum

Which of the following psychological perspectives would best support a researcher's belief that the dreams that occur in REM sleep are a result of random neural firing in the brain stem? Responses A Cognitive B Sociocultural C Psychodynamic D Biological

D: Biological

In an experiment, participants sat at a computer and were told to focus on an X on the screen for 50 milliseconds. After this, a horizontal or vertical line was presented for 100 milliseconds. Participants were instructed to press a button every time a horizontal line appeared. Participants in the Reward condition received ten cents for each time they correctly pressed the button when the horizontal line appeared, while participants in the Punishment condition started the experiment with $10 and lost ten cents every time they incorrectly pressed the button when there was no horizontal line. The results are given in the table. Reward ConditionPunishment ConditionHits5442Misses1040False Positives3618 Which of the following is the best conclusion based the data in the table? Responses A Participants in the Reward condition are more likely to report seeing a horizontal line even when there isn't one. B Participants in th

A: Participants in the Reward condition are more likely to report seeing a horizontal line even when there isn't one.

Alice is shopping with her daughter when she hears the word "mom." Alice answers, only to realize that the sales clerk said "ma'am" to a customer. This inaccurate perception can be attributed to Responses A perceptual set B the Law of Effect C Weber's law D sound localization

A: Perceptual set

Sleep researchers conducted a study to determine if wearing a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine helps individuals who are experiencing symptoms of sleep apnea to increase their levels of REM sleep compared to those not using a CPAP device. Twenty participants with sleep apnea who did not previously wear a CPAP device were randomly placed into What is the independent variable in this study? Responses A The use or nonuse of the CPAP device by participants B The percentage of total sleep time that participants spent in REM sleep C The severity of sleep apnea symptoms for each participant D The number of participants in each group

A: The use or nonuse of the CPAP device by participants

Dr. Schmidt was interested in the relationship between sensation of a stimulus and the sensation of change in a stimulus. She tested this using sensation of weight. Participants were blindfolded and given two equal weights to hold one in each hand. With each trial, she added a slightly heavier weight to one hand than the other. The participant was asked to notify her if or when one felt heavier. She found that it was more difficult for the participants to determine the difference in the weights when the equal weights from the first trial were heavy. Dr. Schmidt's findings best support which of the following psychological concepts? Responses A Weber's law B The Law of Effect C Sensory adaptation D Yerkes-Dodson Law

A: Webers law

One-year-old Marcus turns away in disgust if a bitter substance is placed on his tongue. The reason for such a reaction is most likely Responses A an inborn distaste for bitter that protects us from potential poisons in the environment B an inherited familial characteristic C an example of imitation of behavior modeled by other family members D a classically conditioned taste aversion response

A: an inborn distaste for bitter that protects us from potential poisons in the environment

While attending a concert, Anthony finds that he can clearly recognize the melody coming from the lead violin above all the other instruments playing in the orchestra, even though the other instruments may be louder. Gestalt psychologists would explain Anthony's ability using the principle of Responses A figure-ground B simplicity C constancy D proximity

A: figure-ground

In the dark, an object is more clearly seen when viewed in peripheral vision than when viewed directly. This phenomenon occurs because the rods located in the retina are Responses A more sensitive in the dark than cones and are not found in the fovea B less sensitive in the dark than cones and are not found in the fovea C as sensitive in the dark as cones and are few in number in the fovea D more numerous than cones are in the fovea

A: more sensitive in the dark than cones and are not found in the fovea

The difference between divided attention and selective attention is that divided attention Responses A requires more automatic processing than selective attention does B is used primarily in simple tasks, whereas selective attention is used primarily in complex tasks C is more highly correlated with intelligence than selective attention is D is related only to auditory processing, whereas selective attention is related only to visual processing

A: requires more automatic processing than selective attention does

Climbing an irregular set of stairs is more difficult for an individual who wears a patch over one eye primarily because Responses A some depth perception is lost B half of the visual field is missing C the ability to perceive interposition is lost D the patch disrupts the functioning of the vestibular system

A: some depth perception is lost

Research has shown that a major reason for poor performance while multitasking is that while multitasking, people Responses A switch their attention rapidly from task to task, so they miss critical information associated with a task that is not receiving their attention B confuse information in long-term memory associated with the various tasks they are trying to perform C have a heightened awareness of each task they are trying to perform, so it is difficult for them to ignore one task temporarily in order to complete another task D process information associated with the various tasks at a deep level, so they encode too much information to recall easily and therefore their performance deteriorates

A: switch their attention rapidly from task to task, so they miss critical information associated with a task that is not receiving their attention

While at a crowded gathering, Zach realized that his attention was being drawn away from his conversation every time a person nearby said the word "exactly." Zach's response is an example of Responses A the cocktail party effect B sensory adaptation C bottom-up processing D the just-noticeable difference

A: the cocktail party effect

The process of converting incoming physical energy into a neural code that can be processed is called Responses A transduction B sensory threshold C sensory adaptation D parallel processing

A: transduction

The table shows players' ratings of the level of pain they experienced while using their heads to make goals with a soccer ball. Measures were first taken during practice without an audience and later in front of a crowd during warmups prior to a game. What is the average level of pain experienced by the players during practice without an audience? (Simply just a table)

D: 6

The graph depicts which of the following? Responses (Graph is an S curve thats positive going up, X axis is stimulus intensity increasing, and y axis is probability of detection (percent)). A Transduction B A reflex arc C An action potential D An absolute threshold

D: An absolute threshold

The place in the retina where the optic nerve exits to the brain is called the Responses A lens B sclera C fovea D blind spot

D: Blind spot

The graph depicts the stages of sleep, including REM and NREM (Stages 1, 2, and 3). For the person with the results shown in the graph, progressing across the x-axis, there is most likely to be an increase in which of the following? Responses (Graph shows stages of sleep going up and down, it ends with it going up which is at the awake stage) A REM sleep behavior disorder B Somnambulism C Night terrors D Dreaming

D: Dreaming

The perceived pitch of a tone is largely determined by its Responses A loudness B timbre C amplitude D frequency

D: Frequency

Which monocular depth cue is illustrated in the figure above? Responses (Sun shine) A Texture gradient B Relative size C Interposition D Linear perspective

D: Linear perspective

After Sharon stares at a patch of saturated green color for a brief period of time, she looks at a white surface and sees a red patch of color. This perceptual phenomenon is best explained by Responses A retinal disparity B color constancy C trichromatic theory D opponent-process theory

D: Opponent-process theory

Ana is instructed by her doctor to wear a patch over one eye while an infection heals. While wearing the patch, Ana will lose her ability to use which of the following depth perception cues? Responses A Relative size B Interposition C Linear perspective D Retinal disparity

D: Retinal disparity

When Rosa has a cold, she cannot taste the flavor of her pizza. Which of the following psychological terms describes Rosa's inability to taste? Responses A Vestibular sense B Just-noticeable difference C Feature analysis D Sensory interaction

D: Sensory interaction

Consider the relationship between various body parts and the size of their corresponding somatosensory cortex areas in the brain. How does a body part relate to the devoted cortical area? Responses A The larger the body part, the larger the area of the somatosensory cortex. B The closer the body part is to the brain, the smaller the area of the somatosensory cortex. C The closer the body part is to the trunk, the larger the area of the somatosensory cortex. D The more sensitive the body part, the larger the area of the somatosensory cortex.

D: The more sensitive the body part, the larger the area of the somatosensory cortex.

It can be assumed that an individual described as a supertaster Responses A is a man B represents a majority of the United States population C has a low density of taste buds on the tongue D is very sensitive to hot peppers

D: is very sensitive to hot peppers

A sound is often detected by one ear more intensely and a fraction of a second earlier than it is detected by the other ear. These cues help individuals determine the Responses A pitch of the sound wave B absolute threshold for sound perception C frequency of the sound wave D location of the source

D: location of the source

Evidence for the opponent-process theory of color vision is provided by the fact that Responses A it takes several minutes for the eyes to fully adapt to darkness B there are three different types of cones in the retinas C the eyes perceive visual illusions, such as the Müller-Lyer illusion D the eyes see negative afterimages after staring at saturated colors for several minutes

D: the eyes see negative afterimages after staring at saturated colors for several minutes