AP PSYCH - UNIT 3

[Study Design Taste and Age] A researcher wants to study the human sense of taste over a life span. The researcher has a group of participants taste foods that are salty, bitter, sweet, sour, and umami. Which study would best allow the researcher to test the sensation of taste as people age, and what is the likely outcome? A. The researcher follows the same group of people over the course of 40 years. The researcher also measures the number of the people's taste buds throughout the 40 years. The researcher finds that as people grow older, their sense of taste diminishes and their number of taste buds decreases. B. The researcher follows the same group of people over the course of 40 years. The researcher also measures the number of the people's taste buds throughout the 40 years. The researcher finds that as people grow older, their sense of taste remains the same because as their number of taste buds decreases, each taste bud becomes more sensitive. C. The researcher tests a group of 50 ten to twenty-five year olds, 50 twenty-six to fifty year olds, and 50 fifty-one to seventy-five year olds at the same time. The researcher also measures the number of the people's taste buds for each group. The researcher finds that as people grow older, their sense of taste diminishes and their number of taste buds decreases. D. The researcher tests a group of 50 ten to twenty-five year olds, 50 twenty-six to fifty year olds, and 50 fifty-one to seventy-five year olds. The researcher also measures the number of the people's taste buds for each group. The researcher finds that as people grow older, their sense of taste remains the same because as their number of taste buds decreases, each taste bud becomes more sensitive. E. The researcher tests a group of 50 ten to twenty-five year olds, 50 twenty-six to fifty year olds, and 50 fifty-one to seventy-five year olds. The researcher also measures the number of the people's taste buds for each group. The researcher finds that as people grow older, their sense of taste remains the same because as their number of taste buds increases, each taste bud becomes less sensitive.

A. The researcher follows the same group of people over the course of 40 years. The researcher also measures the number of the people's taste buds throughout the 40 years. The researcher finds that as people grow older, their sense of taste diminishes and their number of taste buds decreases. A longitudinal study would be the best way to study changes in taste over time because it would allow the researcher to avoid cohort effects. Research shows taste sensitivity and the number of taste buds decreases with age.

Helena did not recognize her English teacher when she unexpectedly saw him while traveling in Paris, even though she knew him well back in the classroom. The fact that Helena can recognize her teacher back home more easily than in Paris best demonstrates what concept? A. Perceptual set B. Change blindness C. Synesthesia D. Functional fixedness E. Extrasensory perception

A. Perceptual set Helena's recognition of her teacher is facilitated by a context in which he would be expected.

[Vestibular Sense Anatomical Structure] Which of the following anatomical structures is involved in the vestibular sense? A. Semicircular canals B. Olfactory bulb C. Nociceptors D. Taste buds E. Retinas

A. Semicircular canals The semicircular canals are involved in the vestibular sense.

[Hearing Loss] Marlene had an infection that led to deafness in her left ear. Which of the following will be the most likely impact of losing her hearing in her left ear? A. She will have trouble locating the source of sounds. B. She will not be able to hear high pitches. C. She will show less activity in her left temporal lobe. D. She will not be able to detect harmony in music. E. Her hearing overall will improve.

A. She will have trouble locating the source of sounds. Both ears are necessary for accurate sound localization.

[Auditory Nerve Impairment] Denise has damaged her auditory nerve and now has difficulty understanding what people are saying. Which of the following descriptions explains how that damage impairs her hearing? A. Sound messages fail to be transmitted directly to the brain. B. The hair cells fail to vibrate sufficiently to transmit the message. C. The ear components fail to amplify the sound to render it sufficiently detectable. D. The brain receives the sound message, but it is unable to process the sound. E. Sound vibrations are not strong enough to stimulate middle-ear activity.

A. Sound messages fail to be transmitted directly to the brain. The auditory nerve is in charge of transmitting messages from the ear to the brain.

[Absolute Threshold] Which of the following is the best definition for absolute threshold? A. The lowest strength of a stimulus that a person can detect 50% of the time B. The highest strength of a stimulus that a person can detect 50% of the time C. The smallest change between two stimuli that a person can detect D. The largest change between two stimuli that a person can detect E. The difference between two stimuli that can be detected 50% of the time

A. The lowest strength of a stimulus that a person can detect 50% of the time This is the definition of absolute threshold.

[Schemas] Which of the following best illustrates the most predictable effect of schemas on perception? A. Roberto sees trees that are higher up in a painting as being farther away than lower trees. B. Lindsey recognizes that her shirt's color has not changed in the dim light, even though the color is less brilliant. C. Grant has more difficulty recognizing a penguin as a bird than he does a blue jay. D. Doris sees a shape as a five-pointed star, even though one of the points is blocked from her vision. E. Erick has more difficulty understanding a speech made by someone with a British accent than by someone with an American accent.

C. Grant has more difficulty recognizing a penguin as a bird than he does a blue jay. Blue jays manifest more elements of the "bird" schema than penguins.

[Supertasters] Dr. Ramen recruited 100 adults to participate in her study. The taste buds of each participant were measured, and the participants tasted a number of foods. She found there was a relationship between the size of a participant's taste buds and the number of foods that a participant could taste. What research method did Dr. Ramen use, and what was she most likely studying? A. Correlational; sensitivity to the taste of umami B. Correlational; the sensitivity of supertasters C. Correlational; sensitivity to the taste of salt D. Experimental; sensitivity to the taste of umami E. Experimental; the sensitivity of supertasters

B. Correlational; the sensitivity of supertasters This is a correlational study. There was no random assignment or control group. Dr. Ramen was most likely studying the sensitivity of supertasters because supertasters tend to have larger taste buds.

[Eye-To-Brain Vision Pathway] Which of the following is the correct order of the eye-to-brain pathway of vision? A. Retina, thalamus, optic nerve, occipital lobe B. Retina, optic nerve, thalamus, occipital lobe C. Optic nerve, retina, thalamus, occipital lobe D. Occipital lobe, retina, optic nerve, thalamus E. Optic nerve, thalamus, occipital lobe, retina

B. Retina, optic nerve, thalamus, occipital lobe This is the correct order

[Stimulus Conversion} Which of the following is the process of detecting environmental stimuli and converting them into signals that can be detected by the nervous system? A. Perception B. Sensation C. Top-down processing D. Difference threshold E. False alarm

B. Sensation This is the definition for the process of sensation.

[Inner Ear Anatomical Structure] Tracey was in pain from an ear infection, which her doctor said was in her inner ear. Which of the following is the most likely location of the infection? A. The pinna B. The cochlea C. The eardrum D. The anvil E. The hammer

B. The cochlea The cochlea is in the inner ear.

[Interposition] Which of the following examples best illustrates the concept of interposition? A. Because the tree was higher than the bush in Jane's field of vision, she perceived the tree as being farther away than the bush. B. Because Miranda stared at the burger restaurant sign as she drove by it, the restaurant behind the sign looked like it was moving backward. C. Because the chair partially obscured his view of the sofa, Brendan perceived the chair as being closer than the sofa. D. Because the train tracks had a large angle of convergence, Miko perceived them to go quite far into the distance. E. Because all of the zucchini she had seen in the past were green, Candice continued to perceive a zucchini held under a black light as green.

C. Because the chair partially obscured his view of the sofa, Brendan perceived the chair as being closer than the sofa. This example illustrates the concept of interposition.

[Opponent-Process Theory of Color Vision] Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the opponent-process theory of color vision? A. Manuel sees the color yellow when the EE note is played. B. Conrad can identify specific features in his environment, such as color. C. Kayla sees afterimages of opposing colors when she stares at a poster for a long time. D. Randy is able to process many aspects of a visual scene simultaneously. E. Russell is able to differentiate between dark green and light green.

C. Kayla sees afterimages of opposing colors when she stares at a poster for a long time. The opponent-process theory accounts for afterimages as being determined by the activity of opponent-color systems.

[Gate Control Theory of Pain] According to the gate control theory of pain, which of the following contains a neurological gate that controls the transmission of pain messages to the brain? A. Nerve cells B. Skin tissues C. The spinal cord D. Nociceptors E. Muscles and organs

C. The spinal cord According to the gate control theory of pain, the spinal cord contains a neurological gate that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain.

[Distinct Skin Senses] Human tactile sense is actually a mix of which of the following distinct skin senses? A. Pressure, warmth, tickle, pain B. Warmth, cold, wet, dry C. Pressure, pain, wet, dry D. Pressure, pain, tickle, wet E. Pressure, warmth, cold, pain

E. Pressure, warmth, cold, pain These are the four distinct skin senses.

[Synesthesia] Which of the following scenarios is the best example of synesthesia? A. Susie sees afterimages of opposing colors when she stares at a poster for a long time because light that stimulates one half of an organized pair of cones inhibits the other half. B. Kara sees afterimages of opposing colors when she stares at a poster for a long time because the optic nerve sends impulses to the occipital lobe. C. Manuel sees swirls of color when he hears music because his retina contains three types of color receptors. D. Anastasia sees swirls of color when she hears music because stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to the experience of another sensation. E. Rufus sees swirls of color when he hears music because only his cones are stimulated.

D. Anastasia sees swirls of color when she hears music because stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to the experience of another sensation. Synesthesia is the phenomenon where stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to automatic experiences in a second pathway.

[Perception Concept] Kimmie stood on the sidewalk rather than crossing the street because she saw that the approaching car was quite close to her. Which of the following concepts is best illustrated in this example? A. Gestalt B. Figure-ground relationship C. Closure D. Depth perception E. Color constancy

D. Depth perception This example illustrates the ability to judge distance.

[Umami Taste Sensation] In a study on taste, what would researchers need to do to test participants' ability to distinguish umami from similar sensations? A. Blindfold the participants and ask them to distinguish between the smell of pork and the smell of a lemon. B. Blindfold the participants and ask them to distinguish between the smell of a rose and the smell of a honeysuckle. C. Blindfold the participants and ask them to distinguish between the taste of pork broth and the taste of beef broth. D. Place disks soaked in MSG on the participants' tongues. Then replace those disks with disks that have been soaked in water. Compare the participants' reactions. E. Place disks soaked in lemon juice on the participants' tongues. Then replace those disks with disks that have been soaked in water. Compare the participants' reactions.

D. Place disks soaked in MSG on the participants' tongues. Then replace those disks with disks that have been soaked in water. Umami has recently been identified as a fifth taste sensation that is related to savory, meaty tastes such as MSG. Additionally, comparing the participants' reactions to a placebo (the water-soaked disks) lets researchers know whether the participants can actually distinguish the taste.

[Attention Concept] Orville is talking with his friends at a cafeteria table when suddenly he is distracted by hearing his name at a neighboring table. Orville's shift of attention most clearly illustrates which psychological concept? A. Inattentional blindness B. Gestalt psychology C. The phi phenomenon D. The cocktail party phenomenon E. Stimulus desensitization

D. The cocktail party phenomenon Although Orville is generally filtering out the other conversations, salient information still gets through and gains his attention.

[Perception Process] Bryan perceived a duck instead of other animals when viewing an ambiguous image because he watched a documentary about ducks the previous night. Which of the following best explains why Bryan perceived a duck? A. Bottom-up processing, because he constructed the image of the duck piece by piece, starting with his sensory receptors. B. Bottom-up processing, because his perception of the duck was influenced by past experience. C. Top-down processing, because he constructed the image of the duck piece by piece, starting with his sensory receptors. D. Top-down processing, because his perception of the duck was influenced by past experience. E. Color constancy, because his perception of the duck was not affected by different illuminations.

D. Top-down processing, because his perception of the duck was influenced by past experience. This example illustrates top-down processing.

[Diminished Stimulus Sensitivity] Which of the following concepts refers to the diminished sensitivity to a stimulus that occurs due to constant exposure to that stimulus? A. Perceptual set B. Difference threshold C. Absolute threshold D. Transduction E. Sensory adaptation

E. Sensory adaptation This is the definition for sensory adaptation.