Chapter 4a Learning Curves

Sioban turns around because she feels a hand on her shoulder. The process in which the receptors in the skin turn the stimulation into a neural impulse is called:

transduction

Joanna hears the local fire department's 12 o'clock whistle. The process by which her ears convert the sound waves from the siren into neural impulses is an example of: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

transduction.

The minimal intensity needed to just barely detect a stimulus in 50% of the trials is referred to as a(n):

Absolute Threshold

On one trial in a signal detection experiment, an observer responds "yes," even though no tone is presented. The observer's response is called a(n) _____.

False Alarm

Imagine that in a signal detection experiment, an observer responds "yes" when a tone is presented. The observer's response is called a:

Hit

The objective techniques of psychophysics replaced the method of _____, used by the structuralists to study people's perceptual experiences.

Introspection

Psychophysicists use the term _____ to refer to all other stimuli that are potentially competing with the sensory signal.

Noise

The simple stimulation of a sense organ is called:

Sensation

Which statement is TRUE regarding the definition of an information-processing activity?

Sensation is the registration of stimulus energy by the sense organs

According to _____, for each type of sensory judgment humans can make, the measured difference threshold is a constant fraction of the standard stimulus value used to measure it.

Weber's law

A person can detect a single drop of perfume diffused in an area the size of a one-bedroom apartment in half of a set of trials. This is a(n) _____ threshold.

absolute

Methods that measure the strength of a stimulus and the observer's sensitivity to that stimulus are collectively called _____.

psychophysics

Sofia is reading her psychology text. The stimulation of receptors in her retina is called:

sensation

Detection is to interpretation as ____ is to ____

sensation, perception

Barbara stubbed her toe last night. It hurts and all day today she has been aware of her toe. She says, "This is so weird. I usually don't think about my toe." Barbara is describing:

sensory adaptation

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

After listening to her high-volume car stereo for 15 minutes, Marcy fails to realize that the music is too loud. This BEST illustrates:

sensory adaptation.

The minute Beth walks into her mother-in-law's house to visit, she is struck by the strong smell of her perfume. However, after about 10 minutes, Beth no longer notices the smell. This is probably the result of:

sensory adaptation.

While playing golf, James forgets that his sunglasses are on top of his head. As the day goes on, he forgets that he placed them there. This demonstrates the process of:

sensory adaptation.