Psych test unit 4

The area of the retina where the optic nerve leaves the eye is called the a) blind spot b) pupil c) visual cortex d) cornea e) lens

blind spot

Who emphasized that the whole may exceed the sum of its parts? a. evolutionary psychologists b. parapsychologists c. behaviorists d. Gestalt psychologists e. psychoanalysts

Gestalt psychologists

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. a) frequency b) Young-Helmholtz c)gate-control d) opponent process e) signal detection

Young-Helmholtz

If an adult develops cataracts, his or her a) absolute threshold for light is likely to increase. b) difference threshold for light is likely to decrease. c) absolute threshold for light is likely to decrease. d) difference threshold for light is likely to remain unchanged. e) absolute threshold for light is likely to remain the same.

absolute threshold for light is likely to increase.

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 a) feature detectors b) the blind spot c) the difference threshold d) priming e) change blindness

change blindness

Taste and smell are both what kind of senses? a. vestibular b. kinesthetic c. energy d. chemical e. perceptual

chemical

The retina is to the eye as the ________ is to the ear a. auditory nerve b. cochlea c. auditory canal d. eardrum e. eustachian tube

cochlea

The horizon moon appears to shrink in size if it is viewed through a narrow tube that eliminates the perception of distance cues. This best illustrates the importance of: a) relative clarity b) stroboscopic movement c) perceptual adaptation d) context effects e) visual capture

context effects

Which of the following is the correct sequence of structures that sound waves pass through on the way to the auditory nerve a. cochlea, hammer, anvil stirrup, eardrum b. hammer, eardrum, basilar membrane, cochlea c. hammer, anvil, stirrup, eardrum, cochlea d. inner ear, middle ear, cochlea, eardrum e. eardrum, hammer, anvil, stirrup, cochlea

eardrum, hammer, anvil, stirrup, cochlea

Which of the following types of cells are located in the brain's occipital lobe a) rods and cones b) bipolar cells c) hair cells d) feature detectors e) cochlea cells

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 a. proximity b. similarity c. connectedness d. figure and ground e. closure

figure and ground

Which theory suggests that large-fiber activity in the spinal cord can prevent pain signals from reaching the brain? a. signal detection theory b. opponent process theory c. gate control theory d. frequency theory e. parallel processing

gate control theory

The mechanical vibrations triggered by sound waves are transducer into neural impulses by a. hair cells b. the eardrum c. the oval window d. the auditory cortex e. the vestibular apparatus

hair cells

Light-wave amplitude determines the a. intensity of colors b. color hue we experience c. firing of rods in the retina d. curvature and thickness of the lens e. parallel processing of a scene

intensity of colors

With her eyes closed, Sierra can accurately touch her mouth, nose, and chin with her index finger. Sierra's accuracy illustrates the importance of a. accommodation b. kinesthesis c. sensory interaction d. sensory adaption e. feature detectors

kinesthesis

Jody's horse looks just as black in the brilliant sunlight as it does in the dim light of the stable. This illustrates what is known as a. perceptual set b. perceptual adaptation c. sensory interaction d. lightness constancy e. the phi phenomenon

lightness constancy

Brightness is to light as ________ is to sound. a. pitch b. loudness c. frequency d. amplitude e. wavelength

loudness

Interposition is a cue for depth perception in which closer objects a. create large retinal images than do distant objects b. obstruct our view of distant objects c. reflect more light to our eyes than do distant objects d. appear lower in the horizontal plane than do distant objects e. reflect light to one eye more quickly than the other

obstruct our view of distant objects

The ability to simultaneously process the pitch, loudness, melody, and meaning of a song best illustrates a) subliminal process b) kinesthesis c) accommodation d) sensory adaptation e) parallel processing

parallel processing

ESP refers to: a) perception that occurs apart from sensory input b) the ability to move objects without touching them c) a readiness to perceive an object without touching them d) the ability of our brain to use feature detectors e) how we perceive patterns through neural images

perception that occurs apart from sensory input

Perceptual adaptation refers to the a. grouping of stimuli unto smooth, uninterrupted patterns b. perception of movement created by the successive blinking of adjacent lights c. perception of an object as unchanging in shape regardless of our own viewing angle d. perceptual adjustment to an artificially displaced visual field e. tendency for novel or unfamiliar stimuli to capture our attention

perceptual adjustment to an artificially displaced visual field

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? a) shape constancy b) context effects c) perceptual set d) selective attention e) difference thresholds

perceptual set

Stereotypes are mental conceptions that can strongly influence the way we interpret the behaviors of individuals belonging to specific racial or ethnic groups. A stereotype is most similar to a: a) feature detector b) stereogram c) perceptual adaptation d) perceptual set e) texture gradient

perceptual set

Rudy claims that his special psychic powers enable him to correctly anticipate whether the outcome of a coin toss will be heads or tails. Rudy is claiming to possess the power of a) psychokinesis b) clairvoyance c) telepathy d) precognition e) transduction

precognition

Accommodation refers to the a) diminishing sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus b) system for sensing the position and movement of muscles, tendons, and joints c) quivering eye movements that enable the retina to detect continuous stimulation d) process by which stimulus energies are changed to into neural messages e) process by which the lens changes shape to focus images on the retina

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

damage to the hammer, anvil, and stirrup is likely to cause a. prosopagnosia b. sensorineural hearing loss c. phantom limb sensation d. conduction hearing loss e. synaesthesia

prosopagnosia

A football player was tackled hard during a very physical game, but he didn't feel any pain until the post game party. Which of the following best explains this phenomenon a. phantom pain sensations occur when the brain misinterprets spontaneous central nervous system b. psychological factors, such as distraction, can diminish pain sensations c. small nerve fibers in the spinal cord were activated, stopping the pain signals d. sensors in the kinesthetic system released pain killing endorphins e. the process of accommodation delayed pain sensation from reaching the brain

psychological factors, such as distraction, can diminish pain sensations

A perceptual set is a a) tendency to fill in gaps to perceive a complete, whole object b) readiness to perceive an object in an unfairly negative fashion c) tendency to view objects higher in our field of vision as closer d) mental predisposition that influences what we perceive e) conditioned response to a perceived event

readiness to perceive an object in an unfairly negative fashion

Which cells for visual processing are located closest to the back of the retina? a) ganglion cells b) bipolar cells c) rods and cones d) feature detectors e) occipital cells

rods and cones

Ohio State University pedestrians were more likely to cross streets unsafely if they were talking on a cell phone. This best illustrates the impact of a) place theory b) gate control theory c) selective attention d) the phi phenomenon e) retinal disparity

selective attention

Hearing a sequence of sounds of different pitches is to ________ as recognizing the sound sequence as a familiar melody is to ________. a) the just noticeable difference; accommodation b) absolute threshold; difference threshold c) sensory interaction; feature detection d) feature detection; sensory interaction e) sensation; perception

sensation; perception

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 a. accommodation b. sensory interaction c. kinesthesis d. serial processing e. sensory adaption

sensory interaction

The fact that fear may increase your sensitivity to an almost imperceptible pain stimulus is of most relevance to a) place theory b) frequency theory c) the Young-Helmhotlz theory d) opponent process theory e) signal detection theory

signal detection theory

olfactory receptor cells are essential for our sense of a. kinesthesis b. smell c. touch d. hearing e. equilibrium

smell

Parapsychology refers to the: a) study of phenomena such as ESP and psychokinesis b) study of perceptual illusions c) study of the phi phenomenon d) direct transmission of thoughts from one mind to another e) direct transduction of energy into neural impulses

study of phenomena such as ESP and psychokinesis

Experiments with the visual cliff suggest that a. humans must learn to recognize depth b. binocular cues are more important than monocular cues c. the ability to perceive depth is at least partly innate d. unlike other animals, humans don't perceive depth until about 8 moths of age e. our brains don't learn how to combine signals from both eyes until months after birth

the ability to perceive depth is at least partly innate

The pitch of a sound is determined by what? a. the frequency of the sound wave b. the amplitude of the sound wave c. the loudness of the sound wave d. the decibel level of the sound wave e. the vestibular level of the sound wave

the frequency of the sound wave

Experiencing a green afterimage of a red object is most easily explained by a) the opponent process theory b) the gate control theory c) place theory d) the Young-Helmhotlz theory e) frequency theory

the opponent process theory

According to frequency theory a. most sound waves are a complex mixture of many frequencies b. high frequency sounds trigger a wave of activity that peaks near the beginning of the basilar membrane c. the rate at which impulses travel up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of the tone being heard d. frequent or prolonged stimulation of a sensory receptor causes that receptor to become less sensitive e. we hear different pitches because different sound waves cause different parts of the nerve cells in the cochlea to fire

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

Our experiences, assumptions, and expectations may give us a perceptual set that influences what we perceive. This is an example of a) bottom-up processing b) accommodation c) sensory adaptation d) top-down processing e) psychophysics

top down processing

The principles of continuity and closure best illustrate the importance of a. binocular cues b. perceptual adaptation c. Weber's law d. perceptual constancy e. top-down processing

top down processing

The local fire department sounds the 12 o'clock whistle. The process by which your ears convert the sound waves from the siren into neural impulses is an example of a) sensory adaptation b) accommodation c) parallel processing d) transduction e) sensory interaction

transduction

The semicircular canals are most directly relevant to a. hearing b. kinesthesis c. the vestibular sense d. parallel processing e. accommodation

vestibular sense

brightness is to intensity as hue is to a. amplitude b. color c. pitch d. wavelength e. frequency

wavelength

Which of the following best explains why we have difficulty locating sounds that are directly overhead a. when the sound is directly overhead, it reaches both ears simultaneously b. the hair cells along the basilar membrane don't fire when the sounds are directly overhead c. the bones in the middle ear are all vibrating at different rates d. the sound has become compressed and harder to hear e. an individual neuron can' fire faster than 1000 times per second

when the sound is directly overhead, it reaches both ears simultaneously