Basic Concepts of Sensation and Perception

A neutral facial expression may be perceived as sadder at a funeral than at a circus. This best illustrates a(n) _____ effect.

context

Both perceptual set and _____ indicate how our experiences help us to construct perception.

context

A natural facial expression may be perceived as sadder at a funeral than at a circus. This best illustrates:

context effect.

People perceive an adult-child pair as looking more alike when told they are parent and child. This best illustrates the impact of:

perceptual set.

Absolute threshold is the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular sensory stimulus (e.g., light, sound, pressure, taste) _____ percent of the time.

50

The difference threshold is the minimum difference that a person can detect between any two stimuli _____ percent of the time.

50

The difference threshold is the minimum difference that a person can detect between any two stimuli:

50 percent of the time.

_____ threshold is the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular sensory stimulus (e.g., light, sound, pressure, taste) 50 percent of the time.

Absolute

_____ is the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular sensory stimulus (e.g., light, sound, pressure, taste) 50 percent of the time.

Absolute threshold

Perceptual set may influence which of the following senses?

All of the senses are influenced.

If we stare at an object, why doesn't it disappear?

Our nerve cells are constantly firing.

_____ refers to the process of organizing and interpreting sensations.

Perception

_____ refers to the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information.

Perception

_____ is the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.

Priming

_____ is the process by which we detect physical energy in the environment and encode that energy as neural signals.

Sensation

_____ stimulation occurs below our absolute threshold for conscious awareness.

Subliminal

_____ occurs below our absolute threshold for conscious awareness.

Subliminal stimulation

_____ refers to the conversion of one form of energy into another.

Transduction

The principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage rather than a constant amount is called _____ law.

Weber's

The principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage rather than a constant amount is called:

Weber's law.

Subliminal stimulation occurs below our _____ threshold for conscious awareness.

absolute

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

adaptation

Sensory _____ allows people to be aware of things that change.

adaptation

Signal detection theory predicts that a person's ability to detect weak signals is partly dependent on the person's experience, expectations, motivation, and _____.

alertness

A study referred to in your text showed that a softball will appear _____ when you are hitting well.

bigger

Sensory analysis starts at the entry level (i.e., with the sensory receptors) and works to integrate the sensory information in the brain. This process is called:

bottom-up processing.

Sensory adaptation helps people:

concentrate on more important things.

The size of the _____ threshold is greater for heavier objects than for lighter ones. This best illustrates Weber's law.

difference

Sensory adaptation can be defined as:

diminished sensitivity as a result of repeated stimulation.

Transduction refers to the conversion of one form of _____ into another.

energy

Signal detection theory predicts that a person's ability to detect weak signals is partly dependent on the person's:

experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.

When an extremely tired person is walking toward their parked car after a long day at work, they are more likely to perceive it as being:

farther away from them.

A researcher subliminally flashes words that have either emotionally positive content (e.g., puppies, people embracing) or negative content (e.g., murder, accidents) immediately before showing participants pictures of houses. Then, asked to rate the houses in terms of attractiveness, the participants:

give the houses that were viewed following positive images higher ratings.

If we stare at an object, it does not disappear because our eyes are _____.

moving

You open your eyes in the morning to see flowers by your bedside. At that point, your eyes are receiving light energy, which they change into _____ messages for the brain to process. This conversion of one form of energy into another is called transduction.

neural

Both perceptual set and context indicate how our experiences help us to construct _____.

perception

Both _____ set and context indicate how our experiences help us to construct perception.

perceptual

When people look at a photograph of an adult-child pair and are told that the two individuals are parent and child, the people tend to say the pair looks more alike than people who are told the pair is unrelated. This is most likely due to _____.

perceptual set

When people look at a photograph of an adult-child pair and are told that the two individuals are parent and child, the people tend to say the pair looks more alike than people who are told the pair is unrelated. This is most likely due to:

perceptual set.

Both _____ and _____ indicate how our experiences help us to construct perception.

perceptual set; context

Bottom-up processing is to top-down processing as _____ is to _____.

processing sensations; interpreting sensations

Perceptual sets are the result of _____, which we form to organize and interpret unfamiliar information.

schemas

When you arrived at the gym Tuesday morning, you noticed the musty odor of the showers in the locker room. As you finished changing, you did not notice the smell. This is probably the result of _____ adaptation.

sensory

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

sensory adaptation.

When you arrived at the gym Tuesday morning, you noticed the musty odor of the showers in the locker room. As you finished changing, you did not notice the smell. This is probably the result of:

sensory adaptation.

Once John learned of Sara's abusive past, he began to perceive her cautious behavior around men as more self-protective rather than rude. This best illustrates the impact of perceptual _____.

set

Perceptual _____ are the result of schemas, which we form to organize and interpret unfamiliar information.

sets

Studying the impact of boredom and fatigue on people's absolute thresholds would involve research based on:

signal detection theory.

A study referred to in your text showed that a softball will appear _____ when you are hitting poorly.

smaller

The principle that, to be perceived as different, two _____ must differ by a constant minimum percentage rather than a constant amount is called Weber's law.

stimuli

If a visual image is first presented _____, the chance of a person later recognizing the same briefly presented image is improved.

sublimity

The fact that perception involves more than the sum of our sensations best illustrates the importance of _____ processing.

top-down

Analysis that is guided by higher-level mental processes, such as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations. This process is called:

top-down processing.

Cultural differences can sometimes bias our perceptions of others' behaviors. This best illustrates the impact of:

top-down processing.

Interpreting new sensory information within the framework of a past memory illustrates:

top-down processing.

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

top-down processing.

You open your eyes in the morning to see flowers by your bedside. At that point, your eyes are receiving light energy, which they change into neural messages for the brain to process. This conversion of one form of energy into another is called:

transduction.

Perceptual sets are the result of schemas, which we form to organize and interpret _____ information.

unfamiliar