Chapter 8 Sensation and Perception
True/False
Indicate whether the sentence or statement is true or false.
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1. Absolute thresholds for the five senses are the same in all mammals.
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2. The vestibular sense is the sense of spatial movement and gravitational pull that is controlled by the inner ear.
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3. When you enter a dark room you may not be able to see the furniture and other obstacles in the room until
your eyes adjust to the change from light to dark. This process is known as sensory adaptation.
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4. The lens is located at the back of the eye as shown in Figure 8-1.
Figure 8-1
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5. In the electromagnetic spectrum, the section of visible light is a very small portion of the total spectrum.
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6. Figure-ground perception applies only to the sense of sight.
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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7. You do not constantly feel your clothing on your body because of
a. Weber's law.
c. sensory adaptation.
b. kinesthesis.
d. difference threshold.
8. Filling in gaps in what our senses tell us is called
a. proximity.
c. perceptual inference.
b. figure-ground perception.
d. perceptual constancy.
9. The absolute threshold is the ____ that a person can detect half of the time.
a. greatest change in a stimulus
c. smallest change in a stimulus
b. weakest amount of a stimulus
d. greatest amount of a stimulus
10. Specialized receptor cells responsible for night vision are called
a. lenses.
c. rods.
b. pupils.
d. cones.
11. Smell receptors send messages to the brain via the ____ nerve.
a. olfactory
c. optic
b. auditory
d. vestibular
12. Which of the following is NOT a Gestalt principle?
a. proximity
c. similarity
b. continuity
d. illusion
13. Which of the following is NOT part of signal-detection theory?
a. adaptation
c. decision making
____ 14.
____ 15.
____ 16.
____ 17.
b. motivation
d. sensitivity
Which of the following explains the phenomenon of being able to follow one person's voice at a noisy
meeting?
a. perceptual inference
c. subliminal perception
b. figure-ground perception
d. depth perception
Light enters the eye through the
a. retina.
c. pupil.
b. lens.
d. cornea.
The four primary sensory experiences that make up taste are
a. sour, salty, bitter, and sweet.
c. sweet, spicy, hot, and sour.
b. warm, cold, spicy, and bland.
d. salty, sweet, hot, and cold.
Which of the following monocular depth cues explains why objects appear to move when you move your
head from side to side?
a. interposition
c. motion parallax
b. texture-density gradient
d. relative motion
Completion
Complete each sentence or statement.
18. The ____________________ contains the light-sensitive receptor cells that allow us to see light and color.
19. Loudness is measured in ____________________.
20. The organization of sensory information into meaningful experiences is called ____________________.
21. The ____________________ threshold is the minimum amount of difference a person can detect between two
stimuli.
22. People perceive objects as the same size, whether they are far or near. This is an example of perceptual
____________________.
23. The relationship between the magnitude of a stimulus and the amount of change necessary to detect a
difference is part of ____________________.
24. Much of what we taste is actually produced by the sense of ____________________.
25. Messages that are presented below the absolute threshold for hearing or sight are called
____________________ messages.
26. The phenomenon of filling in the gaps in what our senses tell us is called _________________________.
27. The two chemical senses are smell and ____________________.
Matching
Match each item with the correct statement below.
a. psychophysics
i.
b. kinesthesis
j.
c. optic nerve
k.
d. vestibular system
l.
e. ESP
m.
f. signal-detection theory
n.
g. Weber's law
o.
attentive process
auditory nerve
just noticeable difference
vestibular system
preattentive process
olfactory nerve
constancy
h. illusions
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28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
p. retinal disparity
carries impulses from the retina to the brain
perceptions that misrepresent physical stimuli
studies people's tendencies to make correct judgments in detecting the presence of stimuli
gaining information by means other than ordinary senses
sense of movement and body position
regulates the body's sense of balance
smallest increase or decrease in the intensity of a stimulus a person can detect
carries impulses from the inner ear to the brain
Essay: Select ONE of the following essays to complete on a separate sheet of paper (10 points). Once you have
completed the entire test, you may complete a second essay for extra credit. Credit will be based on the quality of
the essay written for a maximum of 10 points.
36. Explain Weber's law using at least one example.
37. Discuss the physiology of vision.
38. Discuss the differences between absolute and difference thresholds.
Chapter 8 Sensation and Perception
Answer Section
TRUE/FALSE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
F
T
T
F
T
F
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
E
A
E
C
A
A
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
A
A
C
A
A
C
C
A
E
E
A
MULTIPLE CHOICE
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
C
C
B
C
A
D
A
B
C
A
C
COMPLETION
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
retina
decibels
perception
difference
constancy
Weber's law
smell
subliminal
perceptual inference
taste
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
MATCHING
28.
29.
30.
31.
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
C
H
F
E
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
A
A
A
A
A
E
A
C
A
C
E
A
A
E
32.
33.
34.
35.
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
B
L
K
J
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
DIF:
A
A
A
A
ESSAY
36. ANS:
Weber's law is the principle that for any change (S) in a stimulus to be detected, a constant proportion of
that stimulus (S) must be added or subtracted. An example of this principle is adding a 3-lb package into an
empty backpack as compared to adding the same amount to a 100-lb backpack.
DIF: A
37. ANS:
Light enters the eye through the pupil. It reaches the lens, which focuses the light on the retina. Lightsensitive receptor cells on the retina, called rods and cones, change the light energy into chemical and
electrical impulses. These impulses travel over the optic nerve to the brain.
DIF: E
38. ANS:
The smallest stimulus that a person can detect in half the trials is the absolute threshold. The smallest
difference between two physical stimuli that a person can detect is the difference threshold.
DIF:
A