AP Psychology: Sensation and Perception
Rules for organizing stimuli into coherent groups were first identified by
Gestalt psychologists
The phenomenon of blindsight best illustrates that visual information can be processed without
conscious awareness
Immanuel Kant and John Locke would have been most likely to disagree about the extent to which perception is influenced by
cultural experience
Railroad tracks appear to converge in the distance. This provides a cue for depth perception known as
linear perspective
The hammer, anvil, and stirrup are three tiny bones that transmit vibrations to the
oval window
Some stroke victims lose the capacity to perceive motion but retain the capacity to perceive shapes and colors. Others lose the capacity to perceive colors but retain the capacity to perceive movement and form. These peculiar visual disabilities best illustrate our normal capacity for
parallel processing
After some practice, Carol was able to read books while holding them upside down. This best illustrates
perceptual adaptation
The fact that we recognize objects as having a consistent form regardless of changing viewing angles illustrates
perceptual constancy
People perceive an adult-child pair as looking more alike when told they are parent and child. This best illustrates the effect of
perceptual set
The number of complete sound waves that strike one's eardrum in a given second determines the _______ of the sound
pitch
The volley principle is most relevant to understanding how we sense
pitch
Damage to a region of the temporal lobe essential to recognizing faces results in a condition known as
prosopagnosia
The way in which you quickly group the individual letters in this test item into separate words best illustrates the principle of
proximity
The lights along the runway were shrouded in such a thick fog that the pilot of an incoming plane nearly overshot the runway. The pilot was most likely misled by the distance cue known as
relative clarity
Drivers sometimes overestimate the distance between their own vehicle and pedestrians who are short because they rely on the distance cue known as
relative size
Multiple ________ send combined messages to a bipolar cell, whereas a single ________ may link directly to a single bipolar cell
rods; cone
Which philosopher would have predicted that an extended period of sensory deprivation would inhibit the development of one's perceptual capacities
Locke
The specific perceptual processes that underlie the Moon illusion also contribute to
The Ponzo illusion
Drivers detect traffic signals more slowly if they are also conversing on a cell phone. This best illustrates the impact of
selective attention
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
Blind musicians are more likely than sighted ones to develop perfect pitch. This best illustrates
sensory compensation
The rubber-hand illusion best illustrates
sensory interaction
Which of the following activities most clearly takes place in the rods and cones
sensory transduction
The size of the difference threshold is greater for heavier objects than for lighter ones. This best illustrates
Weber's law
The impact of boredom and fatigue on people's absolute thresholds is highlighted by
signal detection theory
The ability to accurately perceive distances most clearly underlies our capacity for
size constancy
Which of the following is most notable for its short-term effects on thinking
subliminal stimulation
Monocular cue is to _______ as binocular cue is to ________
texture gradient; convergence
Interpreting new sensory information within the framework of a past memory illustrates
top-down processing
Once we have formed a wrong idea about reality, we have more difficulty seeing the truth. This best illustrates the impact of
top-down processing
Our shifting perceptions of a Necker cube best illustrate the importance of
top-down processing
Racial and ethnic stereotypes can sometimes bias our perceptions of others' behaviors. This best illustrates the impact of
top-down processing
The fact that perceptions involve more than the sum of our sensations best illustrates the importance of
top-down processing
Perceiving the voice of a ventriloquist as originating from the mouth of a dummy best illustrates
visual capture
Visual information is processed by ganglion cells
after it is processed by rods and cones and after it is processed by bipolar cells
The opponent-process theory is most useful for explaining the characteristic of
afterimages
Damage to the basilar membrane is most likely to affect one's
audition
Goggles that allow animals to see only diffuse, unpatterned light have inhibiting effects on perceptual development similar to the effects of
cataracts
Receptor cells for the vestibular sense send messages to the
cerebellum
Even when seen through sunglasses, grass appears equally as green as it does without glasses. This best illustrate
color constancy
By amplifying soft sounds but not loud sounds, digital hearing aids produce
compressed sound
The central focal point in the retina where cones are heavily concentrated is known as the
fovea
ATM machines are more complex than VCRs but are easier to operate thanks to the efforts of
human factors psychologists
Pedro recognized that his son was closer to him than his daughter because his son partially obstructed his view of his daughter. Pedro's perception was most clearly influenced by a distance cue known as
interposition
The ring of muscle tissue that controls the pupil's size is called the
iris
The Moon illusion refers to our tendency to perceive the Moon as unusually
large when it is near the horizon
Infant rats deprived of their mothers' grooming touch produce
less growth hormone and have a lower metabolic rate
