AP Psychology
Unit 5 Practice Test: Sensation and Perception
1. Imagine that Dr. Whatley equips a baseball player with special glasses that shift the player's visual
field up 10 degrees. When the player wears these glasses, the player sees everything higher than it
actually is. After some practice, the player can hit the ball with the glasses on. What will happen when
the player first tries to hit the ball with the glasses off?
A.
He will think the ball is higher than it is
B.
He will think the ball is lower than it is
C.
He will accurately perceive the ball's position
D.
It is impossible to predict an individual's reaction in this situation
2. Liz is looking at a flower. What is the proximal stimulus?
A.
The flower itself
B.
The larger context of which the flower is a part
C.
The image of the flower on her retina
D.
The electrochemical coding for the flower
3. What is the method of constant stimuli used to determine?
A.
absolute thresholds
B.
difference thresholds
C.
positive adaptation
D.
negative adaptation
4. My wife has tried to talk to me when I am watching SouthPark, but I rarely hear a word she is saying.
My experience best illustrates:
A.
perceptual adaptation
B.
perceptual constancy
C.
the cocktail party phenomenon
D.
the phi phenomenon
E.
I get an "F" on my listening skills
5. Which receptor cells most directly enable us to distinguish different wavelengths of light?
A.
Rods
B.
Cones
C.
Feature detectors
D.
Bipolar cells
6. You have normal color vision. You look at a strange flag that has a yellow background with black stars,
and green and black stripes for 1-minute. Then, you shift your gaze to a white piece of paper. On this
piece of white paper, you will see a:
A.
red, white, and blue flag
B.
no change
C.
green, brown, and orange flag
D.
pink, purple, and white flag
7. In the eye, the transparent body behind the iris that focuses an image on the retina is called the:
A.
fovea
B.
pupil
C.
cornea
D.
lens
8. A researcher showed a drawing of a woman that could be perceived as young or as old to a group of
participants. Participants were more likely to see the picture as a young woman if they:
A.
had just seen pictures of other young women
B.
were women themselves
C.
were not anxious about growing old
D.
were young
9. What is the major difference between the major theories of color vision?
A.
locating color vision in rods or cones
B.
specifying different types of color reception within cones
C.
determining the number of types of color receptors
D.
explaining primary versus tertiary colors
10. Your friend George is a dichromat. This means that he is:
A.
totally color blind
B.
able to see only black and white
C.
partially color blind
D.
totally blind. He cannot see anything.
11. What are Weber's constants used to express?
A.
difference thresholds
B.
positive adaptation to constant stimuli
C.
wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum
D.
additive color mixtures
12. What information do we get from the vestibular sense?
A.
what the temperature of a substance is
B.
where pain is coming from
C.
whether our body is upright
D.
what will happen in the future
13. Which of the following is matched correctly with its location in the ear?
A.
cochlea...outer ear
B.
ear drum...inner ear
C.
oval window...middle ear
D.
organ of Corti...outer ear
14. When you walk into the Parkway Mall, you are overwhelmed by a strange smell you cannot identify.
After a few minutes, you are no longer aware of the smell. This process is called:
A.
proximity
B.
closure
C.
sensitization
D.
desensitization
15. Because you have learned that parallel lines converge as their distance from you increases, you know
that this depth perception cue is known as:
A.
interposition
B.
shadowing
C.
motion parallax
D.
perspective
16. The theory that the pitch of a sound is determined by the section of the basilar membrane that vibrates
in response to the sound is the:
A.
frequency theory
B.
opponent-process theory
C.
place theory
D.
duplicity theory
17. You are at a movie with a date. You want to impress your date with your knowledge of psychology, so
you mention that the illusion of motion in a movie comes from:
A.
the autokinetic effect
B.
stroboscopic motion
C.
the phi phenomenon
D.
dark adaptation
E.
your desire to never date again by calling attention to the fact that you are a BIG psychology
GEEK!
18. The color of light, as determined by its wavelength, is called its:
A.
brightness
B.
pitch
C.
hue
D.
saturation
19. Consistent with Weber's law, if the just noticeable difference (j.n.d.) for a 10 pound weight is 1 pound,
then the j.n.d. for an 80 pound weight would be ________ pound(s).
A.
1
B.
2
C.
4
D.
8
20. Which of the following is NOT one of the four primary taste qualities?
A.
salty
B.
sweet
C.
spicy
D.
sour
21. The ability to simultaneously recognize the size, shape, color, and speed of an oncoming automobile
best illustrates:
A.
kinesthesis
B.
sensory interaction
C.
parallel processing
D.
subliminal perception
22. Which of the following best illustrates the concept of an absolute threshold?
A.
A person following the melody of a song
B.
A scientist measuring the amount of light in a room
C.
An artist choosing between two shades of blue
D.
A person hearing the tick of a watch 20 feet away
23. Suppose a female basketball player takes part in an experiment in which she wears glasses that shift
her visual field to the right. If she puts on the glasses and starts shooting baskets, then what will
happen?
A.
She will immediately compensate and make baskets
B.
She will gradually compensate and make baskets
C.
She will be unable to compensate and so be unable to make baskets
D.
Whether she can compensate depends on how good a player she is, and so results cannot be
predicted
24. Although Beaver was sitting right next to his brother Wally and Eddie Haskell, he smelled a skunk
minutes before they did. Apparently, the Beaver has a slower ________ for skunk.
A.
accommodation level
B.
tolerance level
C.
olfactory saturation level
D.
absolute threshold
25. You are at a baseball game on a date. Having ignored my earlier warning about announcing yourself as
a psychology GEEK, you explain to your date that the apparent movement of the words "HOME RUN!"
moving across the electronic scoreboard depends on the:
A.
phi phenomenon
B.
autokinetic effect
C.
stroboscopic motion phenomenon
D.
covergence of parallel lines
26. The Gestalt principle of continuity refers to our tendency to perceive:
A.
figures rather than ground
B.
elements that move together as belonging together
C.
objects in groups when they are similar
D.
a series of points or lines as having unity
27. The view that pain messages may not get through to the brain when the switchboard that transmits pain
messages becomes flooded is termed:
A.
gate theory
B.
opponent-process theory
C.
the volley principle
D.
acupuncture
28. You perceive these lines: ||||| ||||| as two groups of five, rather than as 10 separate lines due to the
Gestalt principle of:
A.
common fate
B.
proximity
C.
closure
D.
openess
29. Sensation and perception are closely related processes. Which is affected by a person's culture and
experiences?
A.
both sensation and perception
B.
only sensation
C.
only perception
D.
neither sensation nor perception
30. Although it is getting dark outside, you still perceive your friend's shirt as red. This is due to the
phenomenon of:
A.
desensitization
B.
color constancy
C.
brightness constancy
D.
saturation
31. What is the name for the opening in your eye through which light passes?
A.
the iris
B.
the retina
C.
the pupil
D.
the fovea
Answer Key
1. A
2. C
3. A
4. C
5. B
6. A
7. D
8. A
9. B
10. C
11. A
12. C
13. C
14. D
15. D
16. C
17. B
18. C
19. D
20. C
21. C
22. D
23. B
24. D
25. A
26. D
27. A
28. B
29. C
30. B
31. C