Perception Quiz

In gate-control theory, the neurotransmitter Substance P a. activates neurons that send their messages through spinal gates b. stimulates the pain receptor cells c. reduces anxiety and helplessness d. consists primarily of endorphins e. dampens the experience of pain

a. activates neurons that send their messages through spinal gates

What are the five basic tastes? a. bitter, sweet, sour, umami, and salty b. fruity, fatty, silky, mealy, and coarse c. sweet, salty, starch, umami, and bitter d. sour, bitter, tangy, sweet, and starchy e. salty, fatty, tangy, bitter, and sweet

a. bitter, sweet, sour, umami, and salty

While singing to you on your birthday, your friends leave off the very last word of the song, "Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear David, Happy birthday to..." Your tendency to mentally fill in the last word best reflects which of the following Gestalt principles of organization? a. closure b. similarity c. figure and ground d. proximity e. connectedness

a. closure

As your teacher dims the lights to show a movie clip, you still perceive your friend's shirt as red. Which of the following best explains this phenomenon? a. color constancy b. context effects c. lightness constancy d. perceptual adaptation e. perceptual set

a. color constancy

Although Sue Yen sees her chemistry teacher several times a week, she didn't recognize the teacher when she saw her in the grocery store. This best illustrates the importance of a. context effects b. perceptual adaptation c. proximity d. monocular cues e. linear perspective

a. context effects

The philosopher John Locke believed that people a. learn to perceive the world through experience b. experience the whole as different from the sum of its parts c. are unable to adapt to an inverted visual world d. are born with the ability to perceptually adapt e. are endowed at birth with perceptual skills

a. learn to perceive the world through experience

Renny knew the red tulip was closer to her than the yellow tulip because the red one cast a larger retinal image than the yellow one. This illustrates the importance of the distance cue known as a. relative size b. proximity c. relative height d. continuity e. interposition

a. relative size

Although textbooks frequently cast a trapezoidal image on the retina, students typically perceive the books as rectangular objects. This illustrates the importance of a. shape constancy b. size constancy c. binocular cues d. interposition e. linear perspective

a. shape constancy

Almost half the birds in the yard were brown cardinals and the rest were bright red cardinals, so Jimmy perceived them as two distinct groups of birds. This best illustrates the principle of a. similarity b. disparity c. proximity d. connectedness e. closure

a. similarity

The ability to see a cube in the diagram above is best explained by which of the following? a. the resting potential of neurons in the optic nerve b. Gestalt principles of closure and continuity c. the inverted and reversed image that a visual stimulus produces on the retina d. the opponent process theory of vision e. the trichromatic theory of vision

b. Gestalt principles of closure and continuity

According to the gate-control theory, a back massage would most likely reduce your physical aches and pains by causing a. deactivation of the pain receptors on the surface of your skin b. activation of nerve fibers in your spinal cord c. the cochlea to transduce impulses sent to the spinal cord d. release of pain-killing endorphins in your muscles e. the release of adrenaline into your bloodstream

b. activation of nerve fibers in your spinal cord

Many researchers believe that pleasing tastes attracted our ancestors to energy-or protein-rich foods that enabled their survival. Such researchers are most likely a. behavior geneticists b. evolutionary psychologists c. behaviorists d. neuropsychologists e. molecular geneticists

b. evolutionary psychologists

Receptor cells for kinesthesis are located in the a. auditory cortex b. joints, tendons, bones, and ear c. olfactory epithelium d. inner ear e. fovea

b. joints, tendons, bones, and ear

When viewed from the window of a moving train, nearby objects seem to pass more quickly than do more distant objects. This cue for depth perception is called a. linear perspective b. motion parallax c. motion constancy d. the Muller-Lyer illusion e. stroboscopic movement

b. motion parallax

Inter position is a cue for depth perception in which closer objects a. reflect light to one eye more quickly than the other b. obstruct our view of distant objects c. appear lower in the horizontal plane than do distant objects d. reflect more light to our eyes than do distant objects e. create larger retinal images than do distant objects

b. obstruct our view of distant objects

The Moon illusion can best be explained in terms of the relationship between a. atmospheric air pressure and diffusion of light waves b. perceived distance and perceived size c. proximity and closure d. place theory and frequency theory e. relative motion and relative height

b. perceived distance and perceived size

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. perceptual adaption b. perceptual organization c. feature detectors d. interposition e. relative luminance

b. perceptual organization

As we move, objects that are fixed in place (a light pole, for example) may appear to move. What is this monocular cue for depth called? a. continuity b. relative motion c. interposition d. proximity e. retinal disparity

b. relative motion

During the months when there is a large amount of pollen in the air, your hay fever severely affects your sense of smell. At the same time your food all seems to taste the same. This illustrates the importance of a. kinesthesis b. sensory interaction c. accommodation d. serial processing e. sensory adaptation

b. sensory interaction

The classic gate-control theory suggests that pain is experienced when small nerve fibers activate and open a neural gate in the a. fovea b. spinal cord c. semicircular canals d. basilar membrane e. olfactory bulb

b. spinal cord

The sequentially flashing Christmas tree lights appeared to generate pulsating waves of motion. This best illustrates a. frequency theory b. the phi phenomenon c. relative motion d. perceptual adaptation e. retinal disparity

b. the phi phenomenon

The area of the brain that receives information from the nose is directly connected with the limbic system. This connection may explain why smells are often involved in which of the following? a. pain sensations b. vivid memories c. subliminal perception d. retinal disparity e. altered states of consciousness

b. vivid memories

Which of the following best explains why children are more likely to resist eating strong-tasting foods? a. receptor cells on a child's tongue are replaced more slowly than those of adults b. young children have more taste receptors, so their sensitivity to taste is greater c. sensory interaction makes certain foods more unpleasant to taste d. children are more strongly influenced by the McGurk effect than adults are e. only children are deterred from eating foods with aversive tastes

b. young children have more taste receptors, so their sensitivity to taste is greater

The convergence of parallel lines provides the distance cue known as a. continuity b. closure c. linear perspective d. relative height e. interposition

c. linear perspective

Which of the following sensory receptors detect hurtful temperatures, pressure, or chemicals? a. bipolar b. hair cells c. nociceptors d. ganglion e. olfactory

c. nociceptors

The sense of smell is known as a. subliminal stimulation b. the vestibular sense c. olfaction d. the gustatory sense e. transduction

c. olfaction

A gestalt is best described as a(n) a. illusion b. perceptual adaptation c. organized whole d. perceptual set e. binocular cue

c. organized whole

Distant trees were located closer to the top of the artist's canvas than were the nearby flowers. The artist was clearly using the distance cue known as a. light and shadow b. interposition c. relative height d. relative size e. linear perspective

c. relative height

A 3-D movie enhances our sense of depth perception by simulating the effects of a. linear perspective b. gestalt cues c. retinal disparity d. interposition e. perceptual constancy

c. retinal disparity

Which of the following play the biggest role in our feeling dizzy and unbalanced after a thrilling roller coaster ride? a. eardrum b. basilar membranes c. semicircular canals d. olfactory receptors e. feature detectors

c. semicircular canals

Olfactory receptor cells are essential for our sense of a. kinethesis b. equilibrium c. smell d. hearing e. touch

c. smell

Research has shown that a major reason for poor performance while multitasking is while multitasking, people a. confuse information in long-term memory associated with the various tasks they are trying to perform b. process information associated with the various tasks at a deep level, so they encode too much information to recall easily and therefore their performance deteriorates c. switch their attention rapidly from task to task, so they miss critical information associated with a task that is not receiving their attention d. encode information efficiently, but they have a difficult time retrieving it for use on a given task e. have a heightened awareness of each task they are trying to perform, so it is difficult for them to ignore one task temporarily in order to complete another task

c. switch their attention rapidly from task to task, so they miss critical information associated with a task that is not receiving their attention

Experiments with the visual cliff suggest that a. unlike other animals, humans do not perceive depth until about 8 months of age b. our brains don't learn how to combine signals from both eyes until months after birth c. the ability to perceive depth is at least partly innate d. binocular cues are more important than monocular cues e. humans most learn to recognize depth

c. the ability to perceive depth is at least partly innate

Tina is reading an important letter when she accidentally splashes water on the paper. The water has smudged a few words, but she is still able to understand what the letter says. This can be explained by a. bottom-up processing b. parallel processing c. top-down processing d. psychophysics e. retinal disparity

c. top-down processing

An integrated understanding of pain control in terms of mental distraction, the release of endorphins, and the presence of empathic caregivers is most clearly provided by a. the phi phenomenon b. the visual cliff c. perceptual constancy d. a biopsychosocial approach e. opponent-process theory

d. a biopsychosocial approach

Humans born blind or kittens raised under restricted conditions do not have the cortical regions needed to interpret visual stimuli. Sensory restriction does not appear to do damage if it occurs later in life. This suggests that a. a given stimulus may trigger widely different perceptions b. detecting a stimulus depends on the signal's strength and our psychological state c. much of our information processing occurs automatically d. a critical period exists for normal perceptual development e. perceptual adaptation to changed visual input can be dramatic

d. a critical period exists for normal perceptual development

When given a placebo that is said to relieve pain, we are likely to be soothed by the brain's release of a. synapses b. umami c. nociceptors d. endorphins e. feature detectors

d. endorphins

A floating sea vessel is to the ocean water as _________ is to __________. a. light and shadow; relative height b. closure; continuity c. lightness constancy; relative height d. figure; ground e. proximity; similarity

d. figure; ground

After watching a scary television movie, Julie perceived the noise of the wind rattling her front windows as the sound of a burglar breaking into her house. Her mistaken interpretation best illustrates the influence of a. bottom-up processing b. perceptual adaptation c. binocular cues d. perceptual set e. stroboscopic movement

d. perceptual set

Psychologists are skeptical about ESP claims because a. such abilities cannot be tested scientifically b. parapsychologists accept fraudulent evidence c. researchers have difficulty finding participants for such research d. studies claiming to demonstrate such abilities fail at replication e. ethical concerns make testing such abilities relatively impossible

d. studies claiming to demonstrate such abilities fail at replication

The impact of top-down processing on the sense of touch is best illustrated by a. retinal disparity b. place theory c. psychokinesis d. the rubber-hand illusion e. sensory interaction

d. the rubber-hand illusion

How are receptor sites on neurons similar to taste receptor cells? a. they are located on the tongue and on the roof of the mouth b. they line the walls of small bumps known as papilae c. they are only able to identify and process taste sensations d. they receive molecules of substances that fit into receptors e. they are located on the postsynaptic membrane of a neuron

d. they receive molecules of substances that fit into receptors

The principles of continuity and closure best illustrate the importance of a. binocular cues b. perceptual constancy c. perceptual adaptation d. top-down processing e. Weber's law

d. top-down processing

Taste and smell are both what kind of senses? a. perceptual b. vestibular c. kinesthetic d. energy e. chemical

e. chemical

Imagine your friend walking toward you in the hall at school. As your friend gets closer, the image cast on your retina a. stays exactly the same b. appears higher in your field of vision c. gets darker d. gets smaller e. gets larger

e. gets larger

With her eyes closed, Sierra can accurately touch her mouth, nose, and chin with her index finger. Sierra's accuracy illustrates the importance of a. sensory interaction b. accommodation c. feature detectors d. sensory adaptation e. kinesthesis

e. kinesthesis

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 adaptation b. the phi phenomenon c. sensory interaction d. perceptual set e. lightness constancy

e. lightness constancy

After losing his left hand in an accident, Jack continued to experience pain in his nonexistent hand. His experience illustrates a. sensory adaptation b. top-down processing c. the vestibular sense d. bottom-up processing e. phantom limb sensations

e. phantom limb sensations

Researchers have identified receptors for which of the following skin sensations? a. pain b. cold c. warmth d. hot e. pressure

e. pressure

A football player was tackled hard during a very physical game, but he did not feel any pain until the post-game celebration party. Which of the following best explains this phenomenon? a. sensors in the kinesthetic system released pain-killing endorphins b. the process of accommodation delayed pain sensations from reaching the brain c. small nerve fibers in the spinal cord were activated, stopping the pain signals d. phantom pain sensations occur when the brain misinterprets spontaneous central nervous system activity e. psychological factors, such as distraction, can diminish pain sensations

e. psychological factors, such as distraction, can diminish pain sensations

The ability to detect whether your body is in a horizontal or vertical position depends most directly on a. subliminal stimulation b. olfactory receptors c. accommodation d. sensory adaptation e. the vestibular sense

e. the vestibular sense