Practice Questions 3.1 Sensation

The ability to choose specific stimuli to learn about, while filtering out or ignoring other information, is called A. selective attention B. shadowing C. subliminal perception D. time-sharing E. masking

A

The longer an individual is exposed to a strong odor, the less aware of the odor the individual becomes. This phenomenon is known as sensory A. adaptation B. awareness C. reception D. acuity E. overload

A

When Rocco views the image below, he sees it as a 13 when it is part of a larger number but as a B when it is part of a word. Rocco's response shows the importance of what perceptual concept? A. Context effects B. Bottom-up processing C. Binocular cues D. Divided attention E. Schemas

A

Which of the following refers to the just-noticeable difference between two stimuli? A. Difference threshold B. Absolute threshold C. Perception D. Subliminal stimulus E. Sensation

A

Which of the following refers to the transformation of stimulus energy into neural impulses? A. Transduction B. Psychophysics C. Top-down processing D. Perception E. Bottom-up processing

A

Which of the following scenarios best demonstrates a context effect? A. Jeannette does better on her exam when she takes it in the same room where she studies. B. Vernon is more social at parties when he has had caffeine. C. Edgar solves his jigsaw puzzles faster when he completes the edges first. D. Carol performs better in her recital when she practices in short sessions, several times a day. E. Rosemarie shoots more accurately at her archery competition when other people are around

A

Julia is practicing her trumpet and produces a loud sound. Which of the following is the best explanation for the loudness of the sound? A. The sound has a long wavelength. B. The sound has a high-amplitude sound wave. C. The sound is complex. D. The sound has a short wavelength. E. The sound has a low-amplitude sound wave.

B

To study the effects of smoking on sense of smell, a researcher would most likely conduct a A. longitudinal study on 200 smokers to determine whether their sense of smell improved over time B. longitudinal study on 100 smokers and a matched sample of 100 nonsmokers to determine whether the smokers' sense of smell declined more over time than the nonsmokers' did C. cross-sectional study of 100 nonsmokers to determine whether nonsmokers' sense of smell improved with age D. a survey asking 100 participants how long they have been smoking and how many packs of cigarettes a day they smoke E. cross-sectional study on 200 smokers to determine whether smokers' sense of smell stayed the same over time

B

Luis constructed a flip-book with 30 different still images of a cartoon cat. When Luis quickly flipped through successive images of the cat, the cat appeared to move. Which of the following concepts does the example illustrate? A. Depth perception, because Luis needs both eyes to view the movement. B. Perceptual constancy, because Luis still views the cat as a cat even though it appears as a moving picture. C. Stroboscopic movement, because the book is a series of images presented at separate time intervals. D. Color constancy, because the cat does not appear to change color. E. Interposition, because the pictures are in a sequence that is logical.

C

The human vestibular sense is most closely associated with the A. rods and cones B. olfactory bulb C. semicircular canals D. skin E. taste buds

C

Which of the following refers to the photoreceptors responsible for color vision? A. Rods B. Optic nerves C. Cones D. Wavelengths E. Hues

C

Which of the following scenarios most clearly describes the effects of a strong kinesthetic sense? A. Developing a craving for a food after smelling it B. Being able to locate where a sound is coming from C. Being able to navigate using directions D. Being able to tell exact bodily position without looking at the body E. Balancing oneself on a ladder

C

Which part of the brain receives messages from the hair-like receptors that are involved in the vestibular sense? A. Medulla B. Amygdala C. Cerebellum D. Hypothalamus E. Frontal lobes

C

Which study is a researcher who wants to draw correct cause-and-effect conclusions about the sense of smell likely to conduct? A. A case study in which the researcher asks a person to name the smells the person is experiencing and then finds that the person has a hard time naming smells that are offensive. B. A study in which 50 participants are asked to rate the degree to which different smells evoke happy memories. The researcher then determines which smells are associated with happy memories. C. A study in which the researcher randomly assigns 50 people to a group that is exposed to a strong smell of roses and 50 people to a group that experiences an odor-free environment to see whether the group exposed to the strong smell of roses reports experiencing more memories. D. A case study in which the researcher records a person's facial expressions when the person encounters different smells and then determines that when a person smells a good smell, the person smiles. E. A study in which the researcher randomly selects two groups of 30 people and exposes one group to the smell of roses and the other group to the smell of gasoline to determine whether members of the group that smelled roses act nicer to one another afterward.

C

A person who has a brain injury is having difficulty seeing and hearing. These symptoms indicate that damage has occurred in the A. frontal lobe only B. temporal lobe only C. parietal and occipital lobes D. frontal and temporal lobes E. occipital and temporal lobes

D

A researcher studied 30 people ages twenty to forty, 30 people ages forty-one to sixty, and 30 people ages sixty-one to eighty. The researcher set up two rooms—one with a faint rose smell, and one with a faint lemon smell. Each participant was asked to enter each room and identify the smell in the room. What research method did the researcher use, and what outcome would be found? A. Longitudinal. As people age, their sense of smell diminishes, especially in older age. B. Cross-sectional. No conclusions can be made because cause and effect cannot be inferred. C. Cross-sectional. Middle-aged people have the strongest sense of smell. D. Cross-sectional. As people age, their sense of smell diminishes, especially in older age. E. Longitudinal. Middle-aged people have the strongest sense of smell.

D

After his friend said a new movie was the funniest he had seen in years, Willard found himself laughing throughout the viewing, even though the movie was not very funny. What concept is Willard demonstrating? A. Inattentional blindness B. Functional fixedness C. Context-dependent memory D. Perceptual set E. Bottom-up processing

D

Even though it was nearly dark outside, Kaci could still tell that the basketball she was playing with was orange. Which of the following concepts is best illustrated in this example? A. Interposition B. Absolute threshold C. Shape constancy D. Color constancy E. Perceptual adaptation

D

When Jason practices the drums, he tends not to hear the phone. Today he is expecting a call from a record producer and answers the phone each time it rings even when he is practicing the drums. Which of the following explains why Jason hears the phone today? A. Harmonics B. Accommodation C. Frequency Theory D. Signal detection theory E. Weber's Law

D

Which of the following is an example of shape constancy? A. Mariann still saw an apple as red even when the light in the room got darker. B. Sarah did not notice the sound of the air conditioner until it suddenly shut off. C. Allison's hair was still perceived as bright pink even when the sky became overcast. D. Even though the angle from which she viewed the table had changed, Elise still perceived the table as rectangular. E. Marcia is able to catch the basketball because of binocular cues.

D

Which of the following scenarios is most likely to result in impairment of the kinesthetic sense? A. A tumor in the somatosensory cortex B. Destruction of part of the hypothalamus C. Severing of the corpus callosum D. Damage to the cerebellum E. Removal of a portion of the olfactory bulb

D

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? A. It has a long wavelength and high frequency. B. It has a large amplitude. C. It has a long wavelength and low frequency. D. It has a small amplitude. E. It has a short wavelength and high frequency.

E

A subliminal stimulus is a stimulus that A. activates unconscious associations that affect perceptions, memories, and responses B. has been transformed into neural impulses C. can be detected 5 percent of the time D. triggers a diminished response due to constant activation E. falls below the threshold for conscious detection

E

Domingo has just hit Play to begin listening to a new song he bought. Based on the structure of the ear, what will the sound waves contact first after moving through Domingo's auditory canal? A. The eardrum B. The cochlea C. The anvil D. The stirrup E. The auditory nerve

A