Outcome 1:Practice Test
Multiple Choice questions (Circle the correct answer: A, B, C or D)
Question 1
The process of reception in visual perception occurs when
A. photoreceptors in the back of the eye detect light.
B. rods and cones differentiate between different shapes.
C. visual information is received by the occipital lobe.
D. electromagnetic energy is received and converted by the lens.
Question 2
A red light, green light and blue light differ in
A. amplitude.
B. complexity.
C. wavelength.
D. purity.
Question 3
Visual acuity is greatest
A. in the fovea where there are only rods.
B. in the fovea where there are only cones.
C. in the area of the retina where there are equal numbers of rods and cones.
D. in the area of the retina where the optic nerve attaches.
Question 4
The process of converting one kind of energy to another by cells in the eye is called
A. feature detection.
B. perceptual organisation.
C. transmission.
D. transduction.
Question 5
Absolute threshold refers to the
A. difference between visual sensations received under two different conditions.
B. maximum amount of energy possible before a change is detected 50% of the time.
C. minimum amount of energy necessary before a stimulus is detected 50% of the time.
D. type of energy required for an organism to detect it.
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Question 6
The adjustment of the shape of the lens to focus on a near object is known as
A. convergence.
B. retinal disparity.
C. accommodation.
D. transduction.
Question 7
An open drawer is perceived as having the same shape when seen from the front, the side, or from above.
This is an example of
A. perceptual constancy.
B. perceptual set.
C. similarity.
D. visual illusion.
Use the following figure to answer Questions 26 to 29.
The following illustrates the floor plan of the Ames room.
Peephole
The Ames room is viewed through the peephole.
Lachlan walks from position A to position B in the Ames room.
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Question 8
According to the Ames room illusion, when Lachlan is at position A he is perceived as being __________ than
when at position B.
A. more distant
B. closer
C. smaller
D. bigger
Question 9
Lachlan __________ on the viewer’s retina when at position A compared to position B.
A. casts a larger image
B. casts a smaller image
C. casts the same size image
D. does not cast an image
Question 10
The floor of the Ames room
A. slants downwards from the viewer at the peephole to position A.
B. slants downwards from the viewer at the peephole to position B.
C. does not slant and neither does the ceiling.
D. does not slant but the ceiling does have a slant.
Question 11
The Ames room illusion is produced by our tendency to maintain __________ constancy while __________
constancy is not maintained.
A. orientation; size
B. shape; size
C. size; shape
D. size; orientation
Question 12
Visual perception processes begin when __________ energy is changed into _________ energy.
A. chemical; electromagnetic
B. electromagnetic; electrochemical
C. electromagnetic; chemical
D. electrochemical; electromagnetic
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Question 13
In the visual perception process, which of the following occurs first?
A. selection
B. reception
C. transmission
D. feature detection
Question 14
In visual perception, the process of transduction takes place in the
A. lens.
B. pupil.
C. occipital lobe.
D. photoreceptors.
Question 15
The process of selection in the visual perception system involves
A. coding particular features of a visual stimulus.
B. selecting groups of visual data to create a whole image.
C. selecting data in the visual field for focusing on the retina.
D. selecting the visible light spectrum and ignoring ultraviolet and infrared waves.
Question 16
James was asked to sit in a brightly lit room while a researcher slowly turned a dimmer switch until James
could identify a decrease in the amount of light in the room.
This was testing James’
A. light threshold.
B. absolute threshold.
C. perceptual awareness threshold.
D. just noticeable difference threshold.
Question 17
Rory was in his bedroom listening to music when there was a power failure and all the lights in his house and
the street went out for one hour. There was no moonlight or any other source of light so Rory could not see
anything in his room during this time.
Which of the following statements best describes Rory’s inability to see anything in the room?
A. The amount of light was below the absolute threshold for Rory.
B. The amount of light was below the differential threshold for Rory.
C. The wavelengths of light energy were just within the visible light spectrum.
D. Rory had a 50 per cent chance of being able to see objects in his room because the light was above his
threshold.
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Question 18
If you move an object closer to the viewer
A. it has little or no effect on the viewer’s perception of the object’s size.
B. it causes the viewer to perceive the object as getting bigger.
C. it changes the viewer’s perception of the object’s shape.
D. it decreases the size of the retinal image of the object.
Question 19
The pattern on soldiers’ uniforms is designed to assist camouflage in a jungle.
The camouflage occurs because
A. the principle of figure-ground is applied.
B. the principle of proximity is applied.
C. the principle of figure-ground is not applied.
D. the principle of proximity is not applied.
Question 20
Cara is lying under her bed hiding from her big brother, Jason. When Jason comes into the room she
perceives him as standing upright, even though her retinal image of him is sideways.
Cara can do this because she is using
A. size constancy.
B. shape constancy.
C. linear perspective.
D. orientation constancy.
Question 21
Jemima has had an operation on one eye and has to wear a protective eye patch.
She will probably have some difficulty perceiving the distance of objects because she cannot use
A. retinal disparity.
B. accommodation.
C. Gestalt principles.
D. pictorial depth cues.
Question 22
A number of depth cues are used when perceiving the Ames room illusion.
Which of the following is a depth cue that is not used?
A. figure-ground
B. convergence
C. accommodation
D. linear perspective
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Question 23
Which one of the following constancies is not maintained in the Ames room illusion?
A. size
B. shape
C. brightness
D. orientation
Question 24
When Ricky views the diagram above, he perceives two triangles. On closer inspection, he notices that one
triangle is made up of 6 parts and the other triangle is made up of 8 parts.
When Ricky perceived the diagram as two triangles, he applied the Gestalt principle(s) of
A. closure and proximity.
B. closure and similarity.
C. figure-ground only.
D. closure only.
Question 25
Psychology is a discipline that is interested in:
A only understanding things that can be observed.
B only understanding things that cannot be observed.
C understanding and explaining why things occur.
D explaining things that are supernatural.
Question 26
Rowan has just been drafted to Richmond Football Club. He loved playing for his school team last year but
now that he is playing professionally, he finds he is very nervous and is not playing his best. What sort of
psychologist should Rowan consult?
A Sports psychologist
B Health psychologist
C Organisational psychologist
D Academic psychologist
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Question 27
Simon has just lost his job and is feeling as though he has let his family down. He has agreed to go and talk to
a professional to discuss how he feels about the situation and to get some coping strategies. It would most
likely be advantageous for Simon to visit a:
A physiotherapist.
B dietician.
C psychiatrist.
D psychologist.
Question 28
There are many perspectives that govern how different psychologists approach their work. One of these is
the biological perspective of psychology. What is the biological perspective of psychology?
A The study of how cultural factors affect behaviours.
B The study of how anatomical structures and principles affect behaviours.
C The study of actions and behaviours and how they are formed and shaped.
D The study of internal mental process, such as thought and memory.
Question 29
Natalie was reading an article in the newspaper that claimed that chewing gum while you are learning
information improves your ability to recall that information. This research was most likely undertaken by
psychologists interested in the _____________ perspective of psychology.
A biological
B behavioural
C cognitive
D socio-cultural
Question 30
Pseudoscience is best defined as:
A scientific explanations for supernatural findings.
B the study of astrology.
C the ability to accurately predict the future.
D a fake or false science.
Question 31
When individuals tend to believe statements about themselves that are generally positive and vague, this is
known as:
A the placebo effect.
B pseudoscience.
C behavioural psychology.
D the Barnum effect.
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Short Answer Questions
Question 1
Sasha is sitting at her desk examining the nail polish on her outstretched hand.
a. She closes one eye after another and notices that her hand appears to move a little to the side.
Why did her hand appear to move a little to the side?
________________________________________________________________________________________
1 mark
b. Name a binocular depth cue and explain how this depth cue can help Sasha judge the distance of her
outstretched right hand.
Name __________________________________________________________________________________
Explanation
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
2 marks
Question 2
What is orientation constancy? Give an example to support your answer.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
2 marks
Question 3
Sergio is designing the set for the school play. He wishes to camouflage the stage door so it blends into the
wall on the set.
Sergio studies psychology and understands Gestalt principles.
Name one relevant Gestalt principle and explain how Sergio may apply his knowledge of this Gestalt
principle in order to camouflage the stage door.
Name of Gestalt principle ___________________________________________________________________
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Explanation ______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
2 marks
Question 4
A country town wants to advertise its monthly market. The town council asks an artist to draw an interesting
two-dimensional scene of a market along the sides of its main street, with lots of people buying from the
stalls.
How can the artist use relative size and height in the visual field to create the appearance of depth and
distance in this market scene?
Relative size
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Height in the visual field
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
4 marks
Question 5
Emma-Jane and Kirk view a picture of an ambiguous figure that can be perceived as a young woman or an
old woman.
Emma-Jane perceives the figure as a young woman. Kirk perceives it as an old woman. Their perceptions
may be because both Emma-Jane and Kirk have formed a perceptual set for viewing the picture.
Name one factor that may explain their different perceptual sets. Use examples to show how this factor
could influence Emma-Jane and Kirk differently when viewing the ambiguous figure.
Name ___________________________________________________________________________________
Example – Emma-Jane ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
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Example – Kirk ____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
3 marks
Question 6
a. Using only height in the visual field, describe how an artist would draw a second balloon of the same size
to show that it is further away than the one in the picture above.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
1 mark
b. Trees need to be added to the picture.
How could an artist use texture gradient to show that one tree is closer than another?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
1 mark
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Question 7
a. Define the term ‘perceptual set’.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
1 mark
b. i. Name a factor that can affect our perceptual set.
________________________________________________________________________________________
ii. Give an example to show how this factor can affect our perceptual set.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
1 + 2 = 3 marks
Question 8
Describe the Müller-Lyer illusion and give one explanation of how this illusion works.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
3 marks
Question 9
a What is the visible light spectrum?
b What is the range of wavelengths that the human eye can detect?
1 + 1 = 2 marks
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Question 10
For each of the behaviours in the table below, tick the appropriate column to show those that are examples
of overt behaviours and those that are examples of covert behaviours.
Covert behaviour
Overt behaviour
Driving a car
Daydreaming
Feeling sad
Baking a cake
2 marks
Question 11
a What is the socio-cultural perspective of psychology?
b Give an example of one research question that the socio-cultural perspective of psychology may be
interested in investigating.
1 + 1 = 2 marks
Multiple choice:
/31
Short answer:
/29
________________________________
Total:
/60
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