Sensation - AP Psychology College Board Question Set

Researchers randomly assigned 50 elementary school children to place a plug on their nose to limit their sense of smell. The children were then presented with a series of different foods and asked to rate the taste, texture, and intensity on a scale from 1 to 5. Another 50 children were randomly placed in a group with no nose plug and asked to rate the same food using the same scale. Using random assignment in this study can help with which of the following?

Random assignment to groups would allow researcher to understand if the differences between groups was due to the independent variable (the nose plug).

Researchers were interested in whether the rods or the cones in the retina were more sensitive to detecting the movement and the color of objects in the environment. Research participants wrestle asked to stare at a focus point while the researcher, starting at 0 degrees, moved a red-colored object slowly around the edge of the arc apparatus. The degree of the angle when the participants first observed movement and color were documented. the mean degrees for each are presented in the table. Which of the following conclusions is best supported by this data?

The average angle the participant first notices movement will be larger than the average angle for first noticing the color.

Volunteers were asked to rate the taste of foods during allergy season on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 meaning low intensity of flavor and 10 meaning high intensity of flavor. The researchers also asked participants to rate their level of nasal congestion on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 meaning no nasal congestion and 10 meaning complete blockage of airways with congestion. Which of the following is an appropriate conclusion to draw from the data presented in the scatterplot?

The experiences of flavor is negatively correlated with levels of nasal congestion.

Dr. Schmidt was interested in the relationship between sensation of a stimulus and the sensation of change in a stimulus. She tested this using sensation of weight. Participants were blindfolded and given two equal weights to hold one in each hand. With each trial, she added a slightly heavier weight to one hand than the other. The participant was asked to notify her if or when one felt heavier. She found that it was more difficult for the participants to determine the difference in the weights when the equal weights from the first trial were heavy. What was the independent variable in this research study?

The heaviness of the weights

Julia is practicing her trumpet and produces a loud sound. Which of the following is the best explanation for the loudness of the sound?

The sound has a high-amplitude sound wave.

Dr. Schmidt was interested in the relationship between sensation of a stimulus and the sensation of change in a stimulus. She tested this using sensation of weight. Participants were blindfolded and given two equal weights to hold one in each hand. With each trial, she added a slightly heavier weight to one hand than the other. The participant was asked to notify her if or when one felt heavier. She found that it was more difficult for the participants to determine the difference in the weights when the equal weights from the first trial were heavy. What type of research study did Dr. Schmidt conduct?

An experiment

Dr. Handler conducted research to explore the extent to which hearing acuity changes with age. She tested the absolute threshold for hearing in 10 subjects of various ages. The results are presented in the table. Which of the following is an appropriate conclusion based on the data presented in the table?

As age increases, the ability to detect higher pitched sounds tends to decrease.

Dr. Schmidt was interested in the relationship between sensation of a stimulus and the sensation of change in a stimulus. She tested this using sensation of weight. Participants were blindfolded and given two equal weights to hold one in each hand. With each trial, she added a slightly heavier weight to one hand than the other. The participant was asked to notify her if or when one felt heavier. She found that it was more difficult for the participants to determine the difference in the weights when the equal weights from the first trial were heavy. Dr. Schmidt's findings best support which of the following psychological concepts?

Weber's law

The table shows players'' ratings of the level of pain they experienced while using their heads to make goals with a soccer ball. Measures were first taken during practice without an audience and later in front of a crowd during warmups prior to a game. What is the average level of pain experienced by the players during practice without an audience?

6

Which of the following scenarios most clearly describes the effects of a strong kinesthetic sense?

Being able to tell exact body position without looking at the body

Dr. Felder is studying whether the color of a drink impacts how a person experiences the taste of the drink. She has an orange-flavored liquid that she dyes either orange, purple, or blue, and gives it to participants to drink. She then asks them to describe the taste. Which of the following would best help her evaluate the impact of vision on taste?

Create an additional control condition in which participants wear blindfolds while they taste the drink.

Hyrum is at a concert when a flute player hits a very high note at the end of a song. Which of the following best explains why the pitch of the note sounds so high?

It has a short wavelength and high frequency.

In an experiment, participants sat at a computer and were told to focus on an X on the screen for 50 milliseconds. After this, a horizontal or vertical line was presented for 100 milliseconds. Participants were instructed to press a button every time a horizontal line appeared. Participants in the Reward condition received ten cents for each time they correctly pressed the button when the horizontal line appeared, while participants in the Punishment condition started the experiment with $10 and lost ten cents every time they incorrectly pressed the button when there was no horizontal line. The results are given in the table. Which of the following is the best conclusion based on the data in the table?

Participants in the Reward condition are more likely to report seeing a horizontal line even when there isn't one.