CHAPTER 4 - SENSATION & PERCEPTION - EXAM
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1. While ____ involves the stimulation of sense organs, ____ involves the selection, organization, and
interpretation of sensory input.
a. activation; sensation
b. activation; perception
c. sensation; perception
d. perception; sensation
2. The minimum stimulus intensity that an organism can detect is the
a. signal-detect threshold
b. just noticeable threshold
c. absolute threshold
d. detection threshold
3. The smallest difference in stimulus intensity that a specific sense can detect is
a. an absolute difference
b. a detection difference
c. a Weber fractional difference
d. a just noticeable difference
4. Weber’s law states that the size of ____ is a constant proportion of the size of the initial stimulus.
a. an absolute difference
b. a subliminal difference
c. a just noticeable difference
d. a novel difference
5. That the detection of stimuli involves decision processes as well as sensory processes, which are both
influenced by a variety of factors besides stimulus intensity describes
a. subliminal perception
b. signal-detection theory
c. Weber’s law
d. sensory adaptation
6. The gradual decline in sensitivity to stimuli that follows prolonged stimulation is
a. perceptual adaptation
b. sensory adaptation
c. perceptual overload
d. sensory overload
7. Light, the stimulus for vision, is
a. the result of vibrations of molecules
b. a form of chemical energy
c. a form of electromagnetic energy
d. a form of mechanical energy
8. Perception of color is associated with the
a. amplitude of light waves
b. purity of light waves
c. wavelength of light waves
d. frequency of light waves
9. A red light, green light, and blue light differ in
____ 10.
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____ 12.
____ 13.
____ 14.
____ 15.
____ 16.
____ 17.
____ 18.
a. complexity
b. purity
c. amplitude
d. wavelength
The purity of light waves corresponds to the perception of richness or
a. brightness
b. complexity
c. saturation
d. color
Light first enters the eye through a transparent structure on the surface of the eye called the
a. cornea
b. lens
c. retina
d. pupil
The process in which the lens adjusts its shape depending on the distance between the eye and the object
viewed in order to project a clear image onto the retina is
a. accommodation
b. dilation
c. constriction
d. focusing
Changes in the size of the ____ help regulate the amount of light entering the inner areas of the eye.
a. cornea
b. lens
c. retina
d. pupil
The structure of the eye that absorbs light, processes images and sends visual information to the brain is the
a. retina
b. lens
c. fovea
d. rods and cones
While ____ are the receptor cells for color vision, ____ allow us to see in dim light.
a. rods; cones
b. ganglion cells; bipolar cells
c. cones; rods
d. bipolar cells; ganglion cells
The fovea is the area of the retina where ____ is best in large part because the fovea contains only ____.
a. visual acuity; cones
b. visual acuity; rods
c. peripheral vision; cones
d. peripheral vision; rods
Neurons that respond selectively to very specific features of more complex stimuli are
a. perception detectors
b. selective detectors
c. feature detectors
d. appearance detectors
If a child mixes yellow and blue fingerpaints together to produce green, the child is using
a. complementary color mixing
b. additive color mixing
c. primary color mixing
____ 19.
____ 20.
____ 21.
____ 22.
____ 23.
____ 24.
____ 25.
____ 26.
____ 27.
d. subtractive color mixing
Most accurately, additive color mixing occurs when combining
a. two or more colors
b. pigments of different colors
c. the three primary colors
d. lights of different colors
The trichromatic theory of color vision is consistent with
a. complementary color afterimages
b. subtractive color mixing
c. the visual receptors consist of rods and cones
d. additive color mixing
Which of the following is not one of the three pairs of opponent colors consistent with the opponent process
theory of color vision?
a. red - green
b. yellow - blue
c. orange - violet
d. black - white
Given our present knowledge concerning color vision, which theory seems more accurate?
a. both the trichromatic and opponent process theories are partly correct
b. the opponent process theory
c. the trichromatic theory
d. neither the trichromatic nor the opponent process theories is plausible
Reversible figures illustrate the observation that
a. individuals may fail to see fully visible objects
b. expectations do not influence perceptions
c. there is a one-to-one correspondence between sensory input and perception
d. the same visual input can result in different perceptions
The process of detecting specific elements in visual input and assembling them into a more complex form is
a. accommodation
b. feature detection
c. sensation
d. feature analysis
The basic assumption of Gestalt psychology is that
a. our perception of form has a preference for stationary objects over moving objects
b. our perception of a "whole" may have qualities that do not exist in any of the parts
c. there is a one-to-one correspondence between sensory input and perception
d. our perception has a preference for complex forms over simple forms
The perceptual tendency to group together objects that are near each other is called
a. continuity
b. proximity
c. common fate
d. similarity
The perceptual tendency to perceive a pile of change as being composed of pennies, nickels, and dimes is the
result of
a. continuity
b. similarity
c. proximity
d. closure
____ 28. The difference in the visual image of an object projected to each eye provides an important cue for depth that
is referred to as
a. accommodation
b. retinal disparity
c. linear disparity
d. interposition
____ 29. When your psychology professor is lecturing to your class, your professor can tell which students are sitting
in the first, second, third, etc., row, in part because students in the closer rows appear to have more distinct or
clearer facial feature than students in more distant rows. This illustrates the depth perception cue of
a. interposition
b. texture gradient
c. linear perspective
d. relative size
____ 30. The tendency to experience a stable perception of an object even though the sensory input we receive is
continually changing is
a. a possible figure
b. feature analysis
c. a perceptual constancy
d. a visual illusion
____ 31. If a piano player softly taps a key and then hits the same key with a lot of force the second note will sound
louder because of a difference in the ____ of the sound wave.
a. amplitude
b. timbre
c. frequency
d. wavelength
____ 32. You can detect the difference between a musical note played on a trumpet and the same note played on a
trombone because the two instruments have a different
a. key
b. timbre
c. loudness
d. pitch
____ 33. Which of the following is not a structure of the inner ear?
a. cochlea
b. oval window
c. basilar membrane
d. eardrum
____ 34. The fluid-filled tunnel that contains the receptors for hearing is the
a. middle ear
b. ossicles
c. cochlea
d. basilar membrane
____ 35. The auditory receptor cells are the
a. hair cells
b. ossicles
c. cochlea
d. basilar membrane
____ 36. The correct order that auditory information travels as sounds enter the ear is from the auditory canal to
a. eardrum - ossicles - oval window - cochlea
b. cochlea - ossicles - oval window - eardrum
____ 37.
____ 38.
____ 39.
____ 40.
____ 41.
____ 42.
____ 43.
____ 44.
____ 45.
c. cochlea - oval window - ossicles - eardrum
d. eardrum - oval window - ossicles - cochlea
Place theory suggests that receptor cells
a. at different locations on the basilar membrane respond to sounds of different frequencies
b. at different locations on the basilar membrane respond to sounds of different loudness
c. along the entire basilar membrane vary their rate of responding to correspond to the
loudness of a sound
d. along the entire basilar membrane vary their rate of responding to correspond to the
frequency of a sound
Which theory of hearing states that the perception of pitch depends on the rate at which the entire basilar
membrane vibrates?
a. place theory
b. gate theory
c. opponent process theory
d. frequency theory
Given our present knowledge concerning pitch perception, which theory seems more accurate?
a. place theory
b. both the frequency and place theory are partly correct
c. frequency theory
d. neither the frequency nor place theory are plausible
Two important cues that people use to locate the source of a sound are the
a. loudness and pitch of the sounds arriving at each ear
b. timbre and timing of the sounds arriving at each ear
c. pitch and timbre of the sounds arriving at each ear
d. loudness and timing of the sounds arriving at each ear
Which of the following is not one of the four primary tastes?
a. sweet
b. salty
c. spicy
d. sour
The olfactory cilia are the
a. receptors for the sense of taste
b. physical stimuli for the sense of taste
c. physical stimuli for the sense of smell
d. receptors for the sense of smell
Our perception of the flavor of food is dependent on
a. the sense of taste only
b. the sense of smell only
c. both the senses of smell and taste
d. either the sense of smell or taste
The only sensory system that does not send information to the thalamus before it is sent to the cortex is
a. vision
b. hearing
c. taste
d. smell
Pain messages transmitted to the brain through the fast pathway are associated with ____, while messages
transmitted through the slow pathway are associated with ____.
a. a longer-lasting aching pain; sharp pain
b. internal; external
____ 46.
____ 47.
____ 48.
____ 49.
____ 50.
____ 51.
____ 52.
____ 53.
____ 54.
c. external; internal
d. sharp pain; a longer-lasting aching pain
The gate-control theory suggests that incoming pain sensations may be blocked at the
a. cortex
b. spinal cord
c. location of the injury
d. thalamus
The kinesthetic system
a. responds to gravity and keeps you informed of your body’s location in space
b. monitors the internal temperature of the body
c. monitors the positions of the various parts of the body
d. responds to painful stimuli
The semicircular canals in the inner ear are part of the
a. auditory system
b. olfactory system
c. kinesthetic system
d. vestibular system
One's ability to overcome tremendous amounts of pain in certain situations (such as an athlete who plays with
a broken foot and does not feel the pain until later) can be partially explained by
a. the hypnotic induction control theory of pain
b. an overactive thyroid response (hormone release)
c. sympathetic nervous system control mechanisms
d. the gate-control theory of pain
____ psychologists are concerned with changes in behavior throughout the life span.
a. Cognitive
b. Developmental
c. Personality
d. Social
Which of the following can cause disruption of your vestibular system?
a. having a cold that temporarily robs you of your sense of taste
b. temporarily losing sensation in your arm because you slept on it
c. having an upset stomach
d. riding on an amusement park thrill ride that spins you around
An area of specialization in applied psychology that is primarily involved in the treatment of less severe
problems of everyday life (such as marriage counseling) is
a. clinical psychology
b. cognitive psychology
c. counseling psychology
d. social psychology
A researcher is investigating the effect of high room temperature on aggressive behavior in preschoolers. Half
of the children are in a classroom where the temperature is a warm 88 degrees and half are in a classroom
where the temperature is a normal 77 degrees. The researcher measures the number of hitting incidents that
occur in each classroom. In this study the children in the warm classroom are the
a. secondary group
b. experimental group
c. primary group
d. control group
Variables, other than the independent variable, that seem likely to influence the behavior of subjects in a study
are called
____ 55.
____ 56.
____ 57.
____ 58.
____ 59.
____ 60.
____ 61.
____ 62.
____ 63.
a. dependent variables
b. extraneous variables
c. random variables
d. control variables
A disadvantage or limitation of the experimental research method is
a. it does not allow for a description of behavior
b. it does not allow for conclusions concerning cause and effect relationships
c. because of practical or ethical reasons it cannot be used to study some research questions
d. the researcher has little control over the situation
In the case study method the researcher
a. conducts an in-depth investigation of an individual subject
b. uses questionnaires or interviews to gather information about specific aspects of
participants' behavior
c. engages in careful observation of behavior without intervening directly with subjects
d. manipulates a variable under carefully controlled conditions
In the survey method the researcher
a. engages in careful observation of behavior without intervening directly with subjects
b. uses questionnaires or interviews to gather information about specific aspects of
participants' behavior
c. conducts an in-depth investigation of an individual subject
d. manipulates a variable under carefully controlled conditions
How much the scores in a data set vary from each other and from the mean refers to the concept of
a. correlation
b. standard deviation
c. variability
d. central tendency
Which of the following correlation coefficients indicates the strongest relationship between two variables?
a. +.50
b. -1.51
c. -.80
d. 0
Which of the following is not included in the ethical guidelines for human participants in psychological
research?
a. Participants should not be subjected to harmful or dangerous treatments.
b. Participants’ right to privacy should not be compromised.
c. Participants should volunteer to participate.
d. Participants should be paid for their participation.
Terminal buttons are located
a. at the end of dendrites
b. at the end of axons
c. in the synaptic cleft
d. on the soma
The reticular formation is involved in
a. relaying sensory information to the cerebral cortex
b. the regulation of sleep and wakefulness and contributes to arousal
c. relaying information between the brainstem and cerebellum
d. coordinating bodily movements and balance
The hypothalamus influences or regulates all of the following except
a. the autonomic nervous system
____ 64.
____ 65.
____ 66.
____ 67.
____ 68.
____ 69.
____ 70.
b. the endocrine system
c. feeding
d. memory
Following split-brain surgery an individual would have difficulty naming an object that he briefly saw in the
left visual field because while the ____ hemisphere "saw" the object, naming tasks are under the control of the
____ hemisphere.
a. left; right
b. dominant; nondominant
c. right; left
d. nondominant; dominant
Imagine that you have stumbled across a secret laboratory where an evil scientist is conducting unauthorized
brain research. By altering brain structures he has created superheroes that have specialized powers or
abilities. One of these superheroes is absolutely fearless and willing to undertake extremely dangerous
missions. In this case, the brain structure that the scientist most likely altered would be
a. the amygdala
b. the cerebellum
c. the medulla
d. the midbrain
Ryan is hooked up to an electroencephalograph (EEG) in a sleep lab. As the researcher watches the printout
from the EEG, sleep spindles begin to appear. Based on this information, the researcher can conclude that
Ryan
a. has just entered Stage 2 sleep
b. is currently in REM sleep
c. is still awake, but is relaxed and drowsy
d. has just entered Stage 1 sleep
The stage of sleep in which the slowest brain waves occur is
a. stage 1
b. REM
c. stage 2
d. stage 4
Bailey is hooked up to an electroencephalograph (EEG) in a sleep lab. She has been asleep for just over an
hour now, and her EEG is showing low amplitude, irregular brain wave patterns. Her breathing and pulse rate
are irregular, and her eyes are darting back and forth beneath her closed eyelids. The researcher who is
monitoring Bailey's sleep can conclude that Bailey
a. has just entered REM sleep
b. has just entered Stage 4 sleep
c. suffers from a sleep disorder
d. is experiencing sleep anoxia and needs immediate medical attention
Nathaniel's wife cannot sleep through the night. She claims that her husband seems to stop breathing in his
sleep and then suddenly jerks awake, gasping for breath. This not only disturbs his sleep, it also awakens her.
It is likely that Nathaniel
a. is experiencing night terrors
b. has sleep apnea
c. has developed pseudoinsomnia
d. has narcolepsy
Drugs such as morphine and heroin that are capable of relieving pain are know as
a. MDMA
b. sedatives
c. hallucinogens
d. narcotics
CHAPTER 4 - SENSATION & PERCEPTION - EXAM
Answer Section
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