AP Psychology: Sensation/Perception Schoology

Our sense of taste originally was thought to involve only the following four sensations

bitter, sweet, sour, and salty

The area of the retina where the optic nerve leaves the eye is called the

blind sport

Current research suggests

both the trichromatic and opponent-process theories are valid in explaining color vision.

Trying to see a hidden representational image in a piece of abstract art by looking carefully at each element in the picture and trying to form an image employs which kind of perceptual process?

bottom-up processing

The amplitude of electromagnetic waves determines the ________ of light.

brightness

Researchers found that 40 percent of people focused on repeating a list of challenging words failed to notice a change in the person speaking. This best illustrates

change blindness

Although Sue Yen sees her chemistry teacher several times a week, she didn't recognize the teacher when she saw her in the grocery store. This best illustrates the importance of

context effects

Which of the following is the correct order of structures light passes through in the eye?

cornea, iris, pupil, lens, retina

The organization of two-dimensional retinal images into three-dimensional perceptions is called

depth perception

Sensation is to ________ as perception is to ________.

detection; interpretation

Some people are better than others at detecting slight variations in the tastes of various blends of coffee. This best illustrates the importance of

difference thresholds

Weber's law is relevant to an understanding of

difference thresholds

Sensory adaptation refers to

diminishing sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus.

Frequency theory best explains _______, while place theory best explains ________.

how we perceive low-pitched sounds; how we perceive high-pitched sounds

Standing in the checkout line at the grocery store, Jerry kept looking at his watch to see the time. As a result, he failed to see that a store employee was being robbed by a person just in front of him. Jerry most clearly suffered

inattentional blindness

Dilation and constriction of the pupil are controlled by the

iris

Receptor cells for kinesthesis are located in the

joints, tendons, bones, and ear.

While playing tennis you need to know where your limbs are located so you can move them into the right positions to run or swing your racket. Which of the following senses provides this information?

kinesthesis

The greatest difficulty facing contemporary parapsychology is the

lack of reproducible ESP phenomenon

Objects are brought into focus on the retina by changes in the curvature and thickness of the

lens

If we see two of the same object but one of them appears to be dimmer, we will interpret the dimmer object as farther away. What is this monocular cue for depth called?

light and shadow

The convergence of parallel lines provides the distance cue known as

linear perspective

A time lag between left and right auditory stimulation is important for accurately

locating sounds

Brightness is to light as ________ is to sound

loudness

A perceptual set is a

mental predisposition that influences what we perceive.

Sound wave vibrations are transmitted by three tiny bones located in the

middle ear

The constant quivering movements of our eyes enable us to

minimize sensory adaptation

Depth perception that uses information transmitted to only one eye depends on

monocular cues

Rods are 13

more light-sensitive and less color-sensitive than are cones.

If you burn your finger, ________ transmit pain-triggering signals to your central nervous system.

nociceptors

Sensory adaptation helps us to focus our attention on what kind of stimuli?

novel

Lightness constancy refers to the fact that

objects are perceived to have consistent lightness even if the amount of light they reflect changes.

Interposition is a cue for depth perception in which closer objects

obstruct our view of distant objects

The sense of smell is known as

olfaction

The ability to simultaneously recognize the color, shape, size, and speed of an oncoming automobile best illustrates

parallel processing

The human ability to speedily recognize familiar objects best illustrates the value of

parallel processing

The process by which we select, organize, and interpret sensory information in order to recognize meaningful objects and events is called

perception

ESP refers to

perception that occurs apart from sensory input.

Although he was wearing a pair of glasses that shifted the apparent location of objects 20 degrees to his right, Lars was still able to play tennis very effectively. This best illustrates the value of

perceptual adaptation

After learning that her new school friend had experienced several episodes of depression during junior high, Erin incorrectly perceived her friend's laughter as artificial and phony. This best illustrates the impact of

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

perceptual set

As Maria and her little brother looked up at the clouds, he exclaimed, "That one looks like a giant dinosaur!" Maria thought it looked more like a giant duck. Which of the following concepts best explains their different interpretations of the same ambiguous stimuli?

perceptual set

When researchers added a few drops of vinegar to a brand-name beer, the beer tasters disliked it only if they had been told they were drinking vinegar-laced beer. This best illustrates the impact of

perceptual set

The volley principle is most directly relevant to our perception of

pitch

The discovery that high-frequency sounds trigger large vibrations near the beginning of the basilar membrane supports the ________ theory.

place

Margo insists that her dreams frequently enable her to perceive and predict future events. Margo is claiming to possess the power of

precognition

Alex tickles his brother by stroking adjacent ________ spots on his skin.

pressure

In experiments, an image is quickly flashed and then replaced by a masking stimulus that inhibits conscious perception of the original image. In these experiments, the researchers are studying the effects of

priming

Accommodation refers to the

process by which the lens changes shape to focus images on the retina.

The perceptual tendency to group together stimuli that are near each other is called

proximity

Andre claims that he can make a broken watch begin to run again simply by entering a state of intense mental concentration. Andre is claiming to possess the power of

psychokinesis

The adjustable opening in the center of the eye is the

pupil

The process of receiving and representing stimulus energies through the nervous system is called

sensation

A cochlear implant would be most helpful for those who suffer

sensorineural hearing loss

As the retinal image of a horse galloping toward you becomes larger, it is unlikely that the horse will appear to grow larger. This best illustrates the phenomenon of

size constancy

We tend to perceive more pain when others around us also report feeling pain. This research finding indicates that pain perception is affected by both biological and what other influences?

socio-cultural

The classic gate-control theory suggests that pain is experienced when small nerve fibers activate and open a neural gate in the

spinal cord

The quick succession of briefly flashed images in a motion picture produces

stroboscopic movement

Parapsychology refers to the

study of phenomena such as ESP and psychokinesis.

Kinesthesis refers to the

system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.

Supercell clusters are

teams of cells that fire in response to complex patterns, such as the human face.

Shauna claims that she knows at any given moment exactly what important political figures are thinking. Shauna is claiming to possess the power of

telepathy

Opponent-process cells have been located in the

thalamus

If we see a speaker mouthing day while actually hearing someone else saying may, we may perceive a third syllable bay that blends both inputs. This phenomenon is known as

the McGurk effect

Experiments with the visual cliff suggest that

the ability to perceive depth is at least partly innate

The ability to pay attention to only one voice at a time is called

the cocktail party effect

Humans experience the longest visible electromagnetic waves as

the color red and the shortest visible waves as blue-violet

The pitch of a sound is determined by what?

the frequency of the sound wave

The axons of ganglion cells converge to form

the optic nerve

The sequentially flashing Christmas tree lights appeared to generate pulsating waves of motion. This best illustrates

the phi phenomenon

According to frequency theory

the rate at which impulses travel up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of the tone being heard.

Which of the following play the biggest role in our feeling dizzy and unbalanced after a thrilling roller coaster ride?

the semicircular canals

The ability to detect whether your body is in a horizontal or vertical position depends most directly on

the vestibular sense

The semicircular canals are most directly relevant to

the vestibular sense.

The effect of prior experience and current expectations on perception best illustrates the importance of

top-down processing

The principles of continuity and closure best illustrate the importance of

top-down processing

Which basic taste attracts us to protein-rich foods?

umami

The feature detectors identified by Hubel and Weisel respond to specific aspects of ________ stimulation.

visual

Damage to the fovea would have the greatest effect on

visual acuity

People who demonstrate blindsight have most likely suffered damage to their

visual cortex

The area of the brain that receives information from the nose is directly connected with the limbic system. This connection may explain why smells are often involved in which of the following?

vivid memories

According to the opponent-process theory, cells that are stimulated by exposure to ________ light are inhibited by exposure to ________ light.

yellow;blue

The simultaneous stimulation of adjacent cold and warmth spots on the skin produces the sensation of

hot

If the just-noticeable difference for a 10-ounce weight is 1 ounce, the just noticeable difference for an 80-ounce weight would be ________ ounce(s).

8

Who emphasized that the whole may exceed the sum of its parts?

Gestalt psychologists

A football player was tackled hard during a very physical game, but he did not feel any pain until the post-game celebration party. Which of the following best explains this phenomenon?

Psychological factors, such as distraction, can diminish pain sensations.

Which of the following is true of psychics who have worked with police departments in an effort to solve difficult crimes?

They have reported visions that are no more accurate than guesses.

What is the purpose of the eardrum?

To transmit sound from the air to the bones of the middle ear.

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.

Young-Helmholtz

An integrated understanding of pain control in terms of mental distraction, the release of endorphins, and the presence of empathic caregivers is most clearly provided by

a biopsychosocial approach

Mr. Logwood's eyewitness perceptions of a car accident were influenced by his inborn ways of organizing sensory experiences, his learned schemas, and by other eyewitnesses' reactions to the car accident. An integrated understanding of Mr. Logwood's perceptions of the accident is most clearly provided by

a biopsychosocial approach

Humans born blind or kittens raised under restricted conditions do not have the cortical regions needed to interpret visual stimuli. Sensory restriction does not appear to do damage if it occurs later in life. This suggests that

a critical period exists for normal perceptual development

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.

absolute threshold

Tinnitus is a phantom ________ sensation.

auditory

Hair cells line the surface of the

basilar membrane

A subliminal message is one that is presented

below one's absolute threshold for awareness

Taste and smell are both what kind of senses?

chemical

Jamal claims that his special psychic powers enable him to perceive exactly where the body of a recent murder victim is secretly buried. Jamal is claiming to possess the power of

clairvoyance

While singing to you on your birthday, your friends leave off the very last word of the song, "Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear David, Happy birthday to...." Your tendency to mentally fill in the last word best reflects which of the following Gestalt principles of organization?

closure

The coiled, fluid-filled tube in which sound waves trigger nerve impulses is called the

cochlea

The retina is to the eye as the ________ is to the ear.

cochlea

As your teacher dims the lights to show a movie clip, you still perceive your friend's shirt as red. Which of the following best explains this phenomenon?

color constancy

Damage to the hammer, anvil, and stirrup is most likely to cause

conduction hearing loss

Which receptor cells most directly enable us to distinguish different wavelengths of light?

cones

Which of the following is the correct sequence of structures that sound waves pass through on the way to the auditory nerve?

eardrum, hammer, anvil, stirrup, cochlea

In an experiment, participants who wore a doctor's white lab coat made fewer errors on a test of perception that participants who wore regular clothes. This finding concurs with the belief that our bodies can alter our cognitive preferences and judgements, which is known as

embodied cognition

When given a placebo that is said to relieve pain, we are likely to be soothed by the brain's release of

endorphins

To those throwing a very heavy rather than a light object at a target, the target is likely to be perceived as

farther away

Which of the following types of cells are located in the brain's occipital lobe?

feature detectors

The cocktail party effect is your ability to selectively attend to one voice among many. This ability also illustrates the Gestalt principle of

figure and ground

A floating sea vessel is to the ocean water as ________ is to ________.

figure; ground

Which theory suggests that large-fiber activity in the spinal cord can prevent pain signals from reaching the brain?

gate-control theory

Distant trees were located closer to the top of the artist's canvas than were the nearby flowers. The artist was clearly using the distance cue known as

relative height

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

relative size

Bipolar cells are located in the

retina

The light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the rods and cones, is the

retina

A 3-D movie enhances our sense of depth perception by simulating the effects of

retinal disparity

We compute motion based on the assumption that shrinking objects are

retreating

The receptor cells that convert light energy into neural signals are called

rods and cones

Because she was listening to the news on the radio, Mrs. Schultz didn't perceive a word her husband was saying. Her experience best illustrates

selective attention

Phantom limb sensations best illustrate that pain can be experienced in the absence of

sensory input

During the months when there is a large amount of pollen in the air, your hay fever severely affects your sense of smell. At the same time your food all seems to taste the same. This illustrates the importance of

sensory interaction

Although textbooks frequently cast a trapezoidal image on the retina, students typically perceive the books as rectangular objects. This illustrates the importance of

shape constancy

When you are expecting an incoming text message, you are much more likely to notice it the second it arrives. This best illustrates

signal detection theory

Which theory can best explain why people respond differently to the same stimuli?

signal detection theory