Sensation/Perception Study Guide
Be able to define and apply:
 Sensation and bottom-up
processing
 Perception and top-down
processing
 Prospogansia
 Psychophysics
 Basic Sensation Principles:
o Absolute threshold
o Difference threshold (Just
Noticeable Difference)
 Weber’s Law
 Fechner’s Law
o Signal detection theory
o Sensory adaptation
o Subliminal Perception
 Transduction
 Accommodation
 Color constancy
 Parallel processing
 Feature detectors
 Characteristics of rods and cones
 Sensorineural and conductive
hearing damage
 Sensory restriction
 All of the diagrams for the
senses: vision, hearing, taste,
smell, touch, kinesthesia,
vestibular
 The physical energy, receptors,
location of receptor, route of
stimuli processing, elements of
stimulus and related perception,
related theories, examples of
sensory adaptation and sensory
interaction for each sense
 Selective attention
 Visual capture
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Gestalt psychology and
principles
o Proximity
o Continuity
o Closure
o Similarity
o Connectedness
Visual cliff
Binocular cues of depth
perception
o Retinal disparity
o Convergence
Monocular cues of depth
perception
o Interposition
o Relative height
o Linear perspective
o Relative motion (motion
parallax)
o Relative clarity
o Texture gradient
Size and shape constancy
Phi phenomenon
Ponzo illusion
Muller-Lyer illusion
Sensory restriction
Human factors psychology
ESP (extrasensory perception)
Observer characteristics
o Experience and culture
o Cognitive style: fieldindependent and fielddependent
o Expectations: perceptual
set, context effects,
schemas, stereotypes
o Personality
o Motivation
o Values
Sensation and Perception Practice Test
1. law states that:
A) the absolute threshold for any stimulus is a constant.
B) the jnd for any stimulus is a constant.
C) the absolute threshold for any stimulus is a constant proportion.
D) the jnd for any stimulus is a constant proportion.
2. Which of the following is not one of the basic tastes?
A) Sweet
B) Salty
C) umami
D) Bland
3. The phantom limb sensation indicates that:
A) pain is a purely sensory phenomenon.
B) the central nervous system plays only a minor role in the experience of pain.
C) pain involves the brain's interpretation of neural activity.
D) all of the above are true.
4. The inner ear contains receptors for:
A) audition and kinesthesis.
B) kinesthesis and the vestibular sense.
C) audition and the vestibular sense.
D) audition, kinesthesis, and the vestibular sense.
5. A decrease in sensory responsiveness accompanying an unchanging stimulus is called:
A) sensory fatigue.
B) accommodation.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) sensory interaction.
6. The size of the pupil is controlled by the:
A) lens.
B) retina.
C) cornea.
D) iris.
7. The Young-Helmholtz theory proposes that:
A) there are three different types of color-sensitive cones.
B) retinal cells are excited by one color and inhibited by its complementary color.
C) there are four different types of cones.
D) rod, not cone, vision accounts for our ability to detect fine visual detail.
8. Superman's eyes used ________, while his brain used ________.
A) perception; sensation
B) top-down processing; bottom-up processing
C) bottom-up processing; top-down processing
D) sensory adaptation; subliminal perception
9. Dr. Frankenstein has forgotten to give his monster an important part; as a result, the monster cannot transduce sound. Dr.
Frankenstein omitted the:
A) eardrum.
B) middle ear.
C) semicircular canals.
D) basilar membrane.
10. The process by which sensory information is converted into neural energy is:
A) sensory adaptation.
B) feature detection.
C) signal detection.
D) transduction.
11. Which of the following is the most accurate description of how we process color?
A) Throughout the visual system, color processing is divided into separate red, green, and blue systems.
B) Red-green, blue-yellow, and black-white opponent processes operate throughout the visual system.
C) Color processing occurs in two stages: (1) a three-color system in the retina and (2) opponent-process cells en route to
the visual cortex.
D) Color processing occurs in two stages: (1) an opponent-process system in the retina and (2) a three-color system en
route to the visual cortex.
12. The transduction of light energy into nerve impulses takes place in the:
A) iris.
B) retina.
C) lens.
D) optic nerve.
13. Which of the following is the correct order of the structures through which light passes after entering the eye?
A) lens, pupil, cornea, retina
B) pupil, cornea, lens, retina
C) pupil, lens, cornea, retina
D) cornea, pupil, lens, retina
14. Our experience of pain when we are injured depends on:
A) our biological make-up and the type of injury we have sustained.
B) how well medical personnel deal with our injury.
C) our physiology, experiences and attention, and our surrounding culture.
D) what our culture allows us to express in terms of feelings of pain.
15. According to the gate-control theory, a way to alleviate chronic pain would be to stimulate the ________ nerve fibers that
________ the spinal gate.
A) small; open
B) small; close
C) large; open
D) large; close
16. Which of the following is an example of sensory adaptation?
A) finding the cold water of a swimming pool warmer after you have been in it for a while
B) developing an increased sensitivity to salt the more you use it in foods
C) becoming very irritated at the continuing sound of a dripping faucet
D) all of the above are examples
17. The hearing losses that occur with age are especially pronounced for:
A) low-pitched sounds.
B) middle-pitched sounds.
C) high-pitched sounds.
D) chords.
18. If you can just notice the difference between 10- and 11-pound weights, which of the following weights could you
differentiate from a 100-pound weight?
A) 101-pound weight
B) 105-pound weight
C) 110-pound weight
D) There is no basis for prediction.
19. In shopping for a new stereo, you discover that you cannot differentiate between the sounds of models X and Y. The
difference between X and Y is below your:
A) absolute threshold.
B) signal detection.
C) receptor threshold.
D) difference threshold.
20. Nearsightedness is a condition in which the:
A) lens has become inflexible.
B) lens is too thin.
C) image falls behind the retina.
D) image falls in front of the retina.
21. Experiments with distorted visual environments demonstrate that:
A) adaptation rarely takes place.
B) animals adapt readily, but humans do not.
C) humans adapt readily, while lower animals typically do not.
D) adaptation is possible during a critical period in infancy but not thereafter.
22. ________ processing refers to how the physical characteristics of stimuli influence their interpretation.
A) Top-down
B) Bottom-up
C) Parapsychological
D) Human factors
23. The historical movement associated with the statement “The whole may exceed the sum of its parts” is:
A) parapsychology.
B) behavioral psychology.
C) functional psychology.
D) Gestalt psychology.
24. ________ processing refers to how our knowledge and expectations influence perception.
A) Top-down
B) Bottom-up
C) Parapsychological
D) Human factors
25. In the absence of perceptual constancy:
A) objects would appear to change size as their distance from us changed.
B) depth perception would be based exclusively on monocular cues.
C) depth perception would be based exclusively on binocular cues.
D) depth perception would be impossible.
26. The study of perception is primarily concerned with how we:
A) detect sights, sounds, and other stimuli.
B) sense environmental stimuli.
C) develop sensitivity to illusions.
D) interpret sensory stimuli.
27. The visual cliff tests an infant's perceptual sensitivity to which depth cue?
A) interposition
B) relative height
C) linear perspective
D) texture gradient
28. According to the philosopher ________, we learn to perceive the world.
A) Locke
B) Kant
C) Gibson
D) Walk
29. According to the principle of light and shadow, if one of two identical objects reflects more light to your eyes it will be
perceived as:
A) larger.
B) smaller.
C) farther away.
D) nearer.
30. Although carpenter Smith perceived a briefly viewed object as a screwdriver, police officer Wesson perceived the same
object as a knife. This illustrates that perception is guided by:
A) linear perspective.
B) shape constancy.
C) retinal disparity.
D) perceptual set.
31. The term gestalt means:
A) grouping.
B) sensation.
C) perception.
D) whole.
32. As her friend Milo walks toward her, Noriko perceives his size as remaining constant because his perceived distance
________ at the same time that her retinal image of him ________.
A) increases; decreases
B) increases; increases
C) decreases; decreases
D) decreases; increases
33. Your friend tosses you a frisbee. You know that it is getting closer instead of larger because of:
A) shape constancy.
B) relative motion.
C) size constancy.
D) all of the above.
34. The illusion that the St. Louis Gateway arch appears taller than it is wide (even though its height and width are equal) is
based on our sensitivity to which monocular depth cue?
A) relative size
B) interposition
C) relative height
D) retinal disparity
35. Which of the following is not a monocular depth cue?
A) texture gradient
B) relative height
C) retinal disparity
D) interposition
36. Which of the following is a monocular depth cue?
A) light and shadow
B) convergence
C) retinal disparity
D) all of the above are monocular depth cues
37. The tendency to perceive hazy objects as being at a distance is known as ________. This is a ________ depth cue.
A) linear perspective; binocular
B) linear perspective; monocular
C) relative clarity; binocular
D) relative clarity; monocular
38. As we move, viewed objects cast changing shapes on our retinas, although we do not perceive the objects as changing. This
is part of the phenomenon of:
A) perceptual constancy.
B) relative motion.
C) linear perspective.
D) continuity.
39. Regina claims that she can bend spoons, levitate furniture, and perform many other “mind over matter” feats. Regina
apparently believes she has the power of:
A) telepathy.
B) clairvoyance.
C) precognition.
D) psychokinesis.
40. Objects higher in our field of vision are perceived as ________ due to the principle of ________.
A) nearer; relative height
B) nearer; linear perspective
C) farther away; relative height
D) farther away; linear perspective
20. D
image falls in front of the retina.
21.
C
D
humans adapt readily, while lower animals typically do not.
the jnd for any stimulus is a constant proportion.
22. B
D
Bottom-up
Bland
23. D
C
Gestalt psychology.
pain involves the brain's interpretation of neural activity.
24. A
C
Top-down
audition and the vestibular sense.
25. A
C
objects would appear to change size as their distance from us c
sensory adaptation.
26. D
D
interpret sensory stimuli.
iris.
27. D
A
texture gradient
there are three different types of color-sensitive cones.
28. A
C
Locke
bottom-up processing; top-down processing
29. D
D
nearer.
basilar membrane.
30. D
D
perceptual set.
transduction.
31. D
C
whole.
Color processing occurs in two stages: (1) a three-color system in the
32.retina
D and (2) opponent-process cells en route to the
visual cortex.
decreases; increases
B
33. C
retina.
size constancy.
D
34. C
cornea, pupil, lens, retina
relative height
C
35. C
our physiology, experiences and attention, and our surrounding culture. retinal disparity
D
36. A
large; close
light and shadow
A
37. D
finding the cold water of a swimming pool warmer after you have been in
it for aclarity;
while monocular
relative
C
38. A
high-pitched sounds.
perceptual constancy.
C
39. D
110-pound weight
psychokinesis.
D
40. C
difference threshold.
farther away; relative height
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