Unit 4

What is umami?

A. a savory, meaty taste sensation for which researchers recently discovered receptors on the tongue

As we look at a flower, the intensity, or brightness, of the color we see is related to the light wave's:

A. amplitude.

You are most likely to observe the phi phenomenon while:

A. looking at a string of Christmas tree lights that blink quickly in succession.

The hammer, anvil, and stirrup are found in the:

A. middle ear.

After hearing that Bryce had served a prison sentence, Janet began to perceive his friendly behavior as insincere and manipulative. This best illustrates the impact of:

A. perceptual sets.

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

A. top-down processing.

Which of the following activities requires you to use the absolute threshold for sensation?

B. detecting a tiny, faint light on a radar screen

Researcher James Haxby (2001) stated, "We can tell if a person is looking at a shoe, a chair, or a face, based on the pattern of their brain activity." This statement is relevant to:

B. feature detection.

Rather than saying a person is "colorblind," it would be more accurate to say that the person:

B. lacks red- or green-sensitive cones.

You are an artist and you are interested in completing a painting that gives a three-dimensional appearance. You want to show a beach in the foreground of the painting, people swimming in the ocean, and sailboats in the distance. Which perceptual principles will be most helpful as you complete your painting?

B. monocular depth cues

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

B. proximity.

Which of the following is TRUE?

C. Stimuli presented below the absolute threshold can have a subtle, brief effect on behavior.

Makers of 3-D movies rely most heavily on:

C. retinal disparity.

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

C. sensory adaptation.

As we perceive the environment, we use Gestalt principles of good form to help organize things into meaningful groups and forms. In observing a football game on TV we are immediately able to recognize the players as members of their respective teams, regardless of their positions on the field. Which Gestalt principle is most responsible for this ability?

C. similarity

Your roommate, who has trouble understanding Weber's Law, asks you, "How different do two stimuli need to be, in order for a person to notice the difference?" You explain that:

C. the minimum difference needed for detection depends on the type of stimulus.

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

C. top-down processing.

The eye's "blind spot" is related to:

D. an area without receptor cells where the optic nerve leaves the eye.

If a person were able to sense that his friend's dog was lost and needed help, this person would be said to have:

D. clairvoyance.

As you talk with a friend at a party, her voice is distinct from all the other voices you hear. This illustrates the perceptual principle of:

D. figure-ground.

In the same football game, we watch as a team attempts a field goal. Since the goal posts are distant and the time to make a decision is short, the referee must use many perceptual cues to decide whether the kick is good or not. One important ability is depth perception. Which of the following cues might be most helpful in deciding whether the field goal is successful?

D. interposition

As a professional chef, which of the following sensations would you rely on most?

D. smell