Neuroscience, Sensation and Perception

Psychologist Michael Gazzaniga asked split-brain patients to stare at a dot as he flashed HE-ART on a screen. HE appeared in the left visual field, ART in the right. When asked to point to the word with their left hand, patients pointed to a. HE b. ART c. HEART d. EA e. nothing. They were unable to complete the task

a. HE

The depolarization of a neural membrane can create a(n) a. action potential b. myelin sheath c. lesion d. neural network e. interneuron

a. action potential

Someone skilled at word processing thinks several letters ahead while typing, whereas a beginner must focus on one letter at a time. A novice is most likely using __________ to complete the task. a. conscious serial processing b. the right hemisphere c. the limbic system d. unconscious parallel processing e. the reticular formation

a. conscious serial processing

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-Helmholtz theory e. frequency theory

a. the opponent-process theory

Sheelah was able to jerk her hand out of the scalding water before sensing any pain because this withdrawal reflex a. was activated by interneurons in her spinal cord b. did not involve activity in her central nervous system c. was activated by the rapidly responding brain d. was activated by her self-regulating autonomic nervous system e. was controlled by both her nervous system and impulses form her endocrine system

a. was activated by interneurons in her spinal cord

Which receptor cells most directly enable us to distinguish different wavelengths of light? a. rods b. cones c. bipolar cells d. feature detectors e. optic nerves

b. cones

Weber's law is relevant to an understanding of a. absolute threshold b. difference threshold c. sensory adaption d. sensory interaction e. parallel processing

b. difference threshold

Neurosurgeons have severed the corpus callosum in human patients in order to reduce a. aphasia b. epileptic seizures c. depression d. neural plasticity e. reward deficiency syndrome

b. epileptic seizures

The secretions of the pituitary gland are most directly regulated by the a. reticular formation b. hypothalamus c. amygdala d. cerebellum e. thalamus

b. hypothalamus

In one experiment, most of the participants who viewed a videotape of men tossing a basketball remained unaware of an umbrella-toting woman sauntering across the screen. This illustrated a. opponent-process theory b. inattentional blindness c. blind spot d. visual cliff e. figure-ground

b. inattentional blindness

The amount of light entering the eye is regulated by the a. lens b. iris c. retina d. optic nerve e. feature detectors

b. iris

The tendency to hear the steady drip of a leaky sink faucet as if it were a repeating rhythm of two or more beats best illustrates a. interposition b. perceptual organization c. relative luminance d. perceptual adaptation e. feature detectors

b. perceptual organization

Deaf people who use sign language typically a. demonstrate greater mathematical competence than hearing persons b. process language in their left cerebral hemisphere c. recognize facial expressions of emotion with their left rather than their right cerebral hemisphere d. have a smaller corpus callosum than hearing persons e. process language in the right hemisphere rather than the left

b. process language in their left cerebral hemisphere

The selective permeability of a neural membrane creates a(n) a. myelin sheath b. resting potential c. neural network d. reuptake e. dendrite

b. resting potential

The goal of constraint-induced therapy is to a. eliminate epileptic seizures by cutting the corpus callosum b. rewire damaged brains by forcing patients to use a nonfunctioning limb c. trigger the release of dopamine in specific brain regions associated with reward centers d. help those in whom damage to the angular gyrus has left them unable to read aloud e. destroy tiny clusters of defective cells, leaving the surrounding tissue unharmed

b. rewire damaged brains by forcing patients to use a nonfunctioning limb

The parietal lobes are to __________ as the occipital lobes are to __________. a. hearing; speaking b. sensing touch; seeing c. sensing pleasure; sensing pain d. tasting; smelling e. speaking; seeing

b. sensing touch; seeing

As you are reading this question, the cells in your eyes are firing in response to the light coming from this paper. Which type of neuron is carrying this message to the brain? a. interneuron b. sensory c. presynaptic d. motor e. efferent

b. sensory

When Mr. Valdez thought his 1-year-old daughter had fallen down the stairs, his heartbeat accelerated, his blood pressure rose, and he begun to perspire heavily. Mr. Valdez's state of arousal was activated by his __________ nervous system a. parasympathetic b. sympathetic c. somatic d. sensorimotor e. central

b. sympathetic

The minimum level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse is called the a. reflex b. threshold c. synapse d. action potential e. refractory period

b. threshold

Mr. Logwood's eyewitness perceptions of a car accident were influenced by his inborn ways of organizing sensory experiences, his learned schemas, and by other eyewitnesses' reactions to the car accident. An integrated understanding of Mr. Logwood's perceptions of the accident is most clearly provided by a. parapsychology b. gate-control theory c. a biopsychosocial approach d. the Young-Hemholtz trichromatic theory e. perceptual constancy

c. a biopsychosocial approach

While mapping the motor cortex, researchers Foerster and Penfield found that a. although the mind's subsystems are localized in specific brain regions, the brain acts like a unified whole b. damage to a specific area in the left frontal lobe disrupted speech ability c. body areas requiring the greatest control occupied the greatest amount of cortical space d. if one part of the brain is damaged, the brain will compensate by putting other area to work e. our brain processes most information out

c. body areas requiring the greatest control occupied the greatest amount of cortical space

Current research suggests that a. the Young-Helmholtz theory best explains how we experience color b. opponent-process theory is the most comprehensive theory for explaining color vision c. both the trichromatic and opponent-process theories are valid in explaining color vision d. both Young-Helmholtz and the opponent-process theories are wrong in explaining color vision e. frequency theory shows promise in explaining how we experience color vision

c. both the trichromatic and opponent-process theories are valid in explaining color vision

The "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem is called the a. limbic system b. corpus callosum c. cerebellum d. reticular formation e. thalamus

c. cerebellum

Split-brain patients have had their __________ surgically cut. a. hippocampus b. limbic system c. corpus callosum d. sensory cortex e. reticular formation

c. corpus callosum

Which process allows more light to reach the periphery of the retina? a. accommodation of the lens b. transduction of the blind spot c. dilation of the pupil d. sensory adaptation of feature detectors e. focusing light effectively on the fovea

c. dilation of the pupil

Hormones are the chemical messengers of the a. action potential b. autonomic nervous system c. endocrine system d. peripheral nervous system e. central nervous system

c. endocrine system

In 1848, Phineas Gage, a railroad construction foreman, survived when an explosion drove an iron rod through his head. The once friendly, soft-spoken Gage became irritable and dishonest. Gage's case provided evidence that which region of the brain plays a role in personality and behavior? a. temporal lobes b. sensory cortex c. frontal lobes d. parietal lobes e. Broca's area

c. frontal lobes

Which of the following is the component of the limbic system that plays an essential role in the processing of new memories a. hypothalamus b. thalamus c. hippocampus d. medulla e. cerebellum

c. hippocampus

The chemical messengers of the endocrine system are called a. neurotransmitters b. interneurons c. hormones d. agonists e. antagonists

c. hormones

The constant quivering movements of our eyes enables us to a. focus the light on our retina b. adjust the size of the pupil c. minimize sensory adaption d. perceive speed more accuratley e. see in low levels of light

c. minimize sensory adaption

Dendrites are branching extensions of a. neuro transmitters b. endorphins c. neurons d. myelin e. endocrine glands

c. neurons

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 threshold

c. perceptual set

Margo insists that her dreams frequently enable her to perceive and predict future events. Margo is claiming to possess the power of a. telepathy b. clairvoyance c. precognition d. psychokinesis e. transduction

c. precognition

Farouk insists that by intense mental concentration he can actually influence the mechanically generated outcomes of a slot machine. Farouk is most specifically claiming to possess the power of a. telepathy b. clairvoyance c. psychokinesis d. precognition e. transduction

c. psychokinesis

Sir Charles Sherrington observed that impulses took more time to travel a neural pathway that he might have anticipated. His observation provided evidence for the existence of a. endorphins b. hormones c. synaptic gaps d. interneurons e. neural networks

c. synaptic gaps

The auditory hallucinations experienced by people with schizophrenia are most closely linked with the activation of areas in which brain areas? a. motor cortex b. amygdala c. temporal lobes d. hypothalamus e. sensory cortex

c. temporal lobes

Your friend is taking her first psychology class. She comes to you saying, "I don't understand why we are studying the brain; i thought this was a psychology class." Because of your background in psychology, your best response should be a. "It's been known since Aristotle's time that the brain is the center of intelligence and thought." b. Phrenologists established the importance of studying the physical brain to understand mental abilities." c. "Science has demonstrated that Plato's belief in

d. "Everything psychological is simultaneously biological."

Feature detectors a. are retinal cells that allow you to see in dim light and are located in the periphery of the eye b. combine to form the optic nerve, which sends visual information to the brain c. are primarily located in the fovea d. are nerve cells in the brain's visual cortex that fire in response to specific edges, lines, and angles e. cause the lens to change its curvature in response to incoming light waves

d. are nerve cells in the brain's visual cortex that fire in response to specific edges, lines, and angles

The process of anticipating that you will be punished for misbehaving takes place within the a. limbic system b. sensory cortex c. reticular formation d. association area e. sympathetic nervous sustem

d. association area

The part of a neuron that transmits neural messages to other neurons or to muscles or glands is called the a. dendrite b. synapse c. association area d. axon e. cell body

d. axon

Jamal claims that his special psychic powers enable him to perceive exactly where the body of a recent murder victim is secretly buried. Jamal is claiming to possess the power of a. psychokinesis b. precognition c. telepathy d. clairvoyance e. transduction

d. clairvoyance

A brain lesion refers to __________ of brain tissue a. electrical stimulation b. x-ray photography c. radioactive bombardment d. destruction e. development

d. destruction

If a professor accused you of cheating on a test, your adrenal glands would probably release __________ into your bloodstream a. endorphins b. acetylcholine c. seratonin d. epinephrine e. insulin

d. epinephrine

To those throwing a very heavy rather than a light object at a target, the target is likely to be perceived as a. softer b. slower moving c. larger d. farther away e. more difficult

d. farther away

Which of the following are located exclusively within the brain and spinal cord? a. sensory neurons b. motor neurons c. myelin sheath d. interneurons e. axons

d. interneurons

In 1861, Paul Broca studied a stroke patient he called "Tan." He was called this because as a result of brain damage it was the only word he could pronounce. Based on Broca's early work, which of he following brain regions is involved in speech production? a. angular gyrus b. left temporal lobe c. sensory cortex d. left frontal lobe e. auditory cortex

d. left frontal lobe

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

d. lightness constancy

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 closer d. mental predisposition that influences what we perceive e. conditioned response to a perceived event

d. mental predisposition that influences what we perceive

Depth perception that uses information transmitted to only one eye depends on a. relative luminance b. stroboscopic movement c. lightness constancy d. monocular cues e. the perceptual adaptation

d. monocular cues

A PET scan of a patient looking at a photograph of a painting would most likely indicate high levels of activity in which bran structure? a. sensory cortex b. Broca's area c. corpus callosum d. occipital lobes e. frontal lobes

d. occipital lobes

The philosopher Immanual Kant emphasized that a. perception is the same as sensation b. we learn to perceive the world through experience c. the whole is equal to the sum of its parts d. perception depends on innate ways of organizing sensory experience e. our perceptual sets are conditioned shortly after birth

d. perception depends on innate ways of organizing sensory experience

The impact of experience on perception is most clearly illustrated by a. relative luminance b. retinal disparity c. the phi phenomenon d. perceptual adaptation e. place theory

d. perceptual adaptation

John Locke would have suggested that a perceptual set results form a. retinal disparity b. psychokinesis c. natural selection d. prior experience e. genetics

d. prior experience

Humans experience the longest visible electromagnetic waves as a. the color blue-violet and the shortest visible waves as red b. the color red and the shortest visible waves as green c. the color blue and the shortest visible waves as yellow d. the color red and the shortest visible waves as blue-violet e. the color black and the shortest visible waves as white

d. the color red and the shortest visible waves as blue-violet

Researchers use dichotic listening tasks to investigate right-left differences in an intact brain. In this task a different verbal stimulus is presented simultaneously to each ear. Findings suggest that participants more quickly recall information heard by the right ear. This suggests that a. the right hemisphere excels in making inferences b. the left hemisphere outperforms the right in perceptual tasks c. the right hemisphere is the major hemisphere d. the left hemisphere is dominant in lang

d. the left hemisphere is dominant in language processing

The Ames illusion involving two girls who are perceived as very different in size can best be explained in terms of a. shape constancy b. retinal disparity c. the principle of continuity d. the misperception of distance e. the visual cliff

d. the misperception of distance

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 adaption d. top-down processing e. psychophysics

d. top-down processing

Certain stroke victims report seeing nothing when shown a series of sticks, yet they are able to correctly report whether the sticks are vertical or horizontal. This best illustrates a. prosopagnosia b. serial processing c. the McGurk effect d. sensory interaction e. blindsight

e. blindsight

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

e. change blindness

The detection and encoding of stimulus energies by the nervous system is called a. signal detection b. priming c. synaesthesia d. accomodation e. sensation

e. sensation