CHAPTER 4—(MC 1-200) SENSATION AND PERCEPTION

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Technically, your absolute threshold is the point which you can detect
a. a stimulus 50 percent of the time
b. a stimulus 75 percent of the time
c. any stimulus set point
d. any stimulus that registers on sensory memory
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 66%
REF: p. 120 OBJ: 4-1 KEY: Factual

2. According to psychologists, the minimum stimulus intensity of any sensory input that an organism can
detect is
a. it's sensory memory
b. subject to sensory adaptation
c. the absolute threshold
d. the just noticeable difference (JND)
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 120 OBJ: 4-1
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

3. Juanita was drinking some warm punch and she thought she could just detect a faint taste of nutmeg in
the punch. However when she took another sip the taste wasn't there. On the third sip she could just
make out the taste of nutmeg again. It is very likely that the amount of nutmeg in the punch was
a. just below her taste constancy level
b. producing inhibitory synapses rather than excitatory synapses
c. producing action potentials that were too weak to reach the terminal buttons
d. just at her absolute threshold for taste
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 120 OBJ: 4-1
KEY: Concept/Applied

4. Giovanni was watching the night sky on a clear evening in November. He noticed that sometimes
when he looked directly overhead he could detect a very faint star. A few minutes later it seemed that
the star had disappeared, and then it "appeared" again. In this case, it is very likely that the light from
the star was
a. just below Giovanni's level for perceptual invariance
b. producing action potentials that were too weak to reach the terminal buttons
c. just at Giovanni's absolute threshold for light
d. producing inhibitory synapses rather than excitatory synapses
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 120 OBJ: 4-1
KEY: Concept/Applied

5. Ron is making potato soup. His roommate tastes it and tells Ron it is great, but Ron thinks it needs
more salt. He adds just a little salt, and thinks the soup now tastes perfect. However, his roommate
tastes it again and tells Ron that the soup is ruined because it is too salty. Apparently, for the taste of
salt
a. Ron can detect a smaller just noticeable difference than his roommate
b. Ron's roommate can detect a smaller just noticeable difference than Ron can
c. Ron has a higher absolute threshold than his roommate does
d. Ron has a lower absolute threshold than his roommate does
 ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 120 OBJ: 4-1
KEY: Concept/Applied MSC: ** (new or revised)

6. Research into absolute thresholds has found that

a. there is a fixed point where the probability of detecting a stimulus jumps from 0% to
100%
b. absolute thresholds vary between 25% detection rates and 75% detection rates, depending
on the individual
c. there are significant cross-cultural differences in absolute thresholds for light and sound
d. the chances of detecting a stimulus increase as the stimulus intensity increases
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 120 OBJ: 4-1
TOP: WWW KEY: Factual

7. According to psychologists, the smallest difference in stimulus intensity that a specific sense can
detect is
a. it's sensory memory
b. subject to sensory adaptation
c. the absolute threshold
d. the just noticeable difference (JND)
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-2
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

8. If a subject is presented with a series of pairs of light bulbs of different wattages and is asked whether
the members of each pair differ in brightness, which of the following is being measured?
a. the physical intensity difference between the two lights
b. the subject's just noticeable difference for brightness
c. the subject's absolute threshold for brightness
d. the subject's visual acuity
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 81%
REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-2 KEY: Concept/Applied

9. If a 100-Hz tone had to be increased to 110 Hz for a subject to just notice the difference, you would
predict that a 1000-Hz tone would have to be increased to
a. 1010 to be noticed
b. 1050 to be noticed
c. 1100 to be noticed
d. 1200 to be noticed
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 87%
REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-2 KEY: Critical Thinking

10. Evelyn turned the thermostat up from 68 degrees to 70 degrees; however, she doesn't think it feels any
warmer and she wants to turn it up even higher. Her roommate thinks that it is now too hot, and she
wants to turn the thermostat back down. Apparently Evelyn has
a. a smaller just noticeable difference for temperature than her roommate does
b. a lower absolute threshold for temperature than her roommate does
c. a larger just noticeable difference for temperature than her roommate does
d. a higher absolute threshold for temperature, compared to her roommate
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-2
KEY: Concept/Applied
11. When Celeste was playing her stereo at 40 decibels and she turned it up to 44 decibels, she could
notice that it was louder. Based on this information you could predict that if Celeste has her stereo
playing at 80 decibels, her just noticeable difference for loudness would be
a. 4 decibels, the same as it was at 40 decibels
b. 2 decibels, half as much as it was at 40 decibels
c. impossible to determine without more information
d. 8 decibels, twice as much as it was at 40 decibels
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-2
KEY: Concept/Applied

12. You turn on a 3-way light bulb at 50 watts, then click it up to 100 watts, then up to 150 watts. The
apparent increase in brightness from 50 to 100 is ____ the apparent increase in brightness from 100 to
150.
a. less than
b. more than
c. the same as
d. indeterminate relative to the other intensities
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 78%
REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-2 KEY: Concept/Applied

13. According to ____, the ability to detect a stimulus depends not only on the intensity of the stimulus but
also on other variables such as the level of noise in the system and your expectations.
a. Weber's Law
b. Gustav Fechner
c. signal detection theory
d. subliminal perception
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-3
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

14. In the signal-detection method, if a subject detects a stimulus when no stimulus is actually present, this
would be a
a. hit
b. miss
c. false alarm
d. correct rejection
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 79%
REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-3 KEY: Factual

15. In the signal-detection method, if a subject fails to detects a stimulus when a stimulus is actually
present, this would be a
a. hit
b. miss
c. false alarm
d. correct rejection
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-3
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

16. Which type of signal-detection error becomes more likely when the expectation of a stimulus is weak?
a. a miss
b. a false alarm
 c. a correct rejection
d. an accurate hit
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 66%
REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-3 KEY: Critical Thinking

17. The stronger your expectation that a signal is present, the greater the likelihood that you will
a. miss a signal
b. report a false alarm
c. correctly reject a signal when it appears
d. be aware of background noise
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 85%
REF: p. 121-122 OBJ: 4-3 KEY: Concept/Applied

18. According to the signal-detection theory performance will also depend on all of the following
EXCEPT
a. the criterion you set for how sure you must be before reacting
b. the level of noise in the system
c. whether the stimulus is a visual or auditory stimulus
d. the stimulus intensity
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-3
KEY: Critical Thinking MSC: ** (new or revised)

19. Jerry, a nuclear operator, must monitor 50 different gauges that keep track of various aspects of the
nuclear reactor. According to ____, Jerry's detection of any problems will be influenced by the
probability of any problem occurring in conjunction with the payoff associated with detecting the
problem.
a. signal-detection theory
b. Frazier Kannard
c. sensory conversion theory
d. the Gestaltists
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 82%
REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-3 KEY: Concept/Applied

20. Joan was sitting talking with some friends when she suddenly left the room to check on her baby. She
was sure she heard little Emily cry out, but when she checked, Emily was sleeping peacefully. Based
on signal detection theory, the fact that Joan thought she detected a baby's cry would be considered
a. a false alarm
b. a correct rejection
c. a hit
d. a miss
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-3
KEY: Concept/Applied

21. Dalton was sitting in the hallway outside his chemistry class. Some students said they thought they
could smell smoke, but Dalton didn't smell anything. When they all checked the lab to see if there
were any problems, everything was fine and nothing was burning. Based on signal detection theory,
the fact that Dalton didn't smell any smoke would be considered
a. a false alarm
b. a correct rejection
c. a hit
 d. a miss
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-3
KEY: Concept/Applied

22. The fact that your criterion for "hearing" mysterious noises at night may change after a rash of
burglaries in your neighborhood can best be explained by
a. Weber's law
b. Fechner's law
c. sensory adaptation
d. signal-detection theory
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 121 OBJ: 4-3
KEY: Critical Thinking

23. Subliminal means

a. below threshold
b. barely perceptible
c. deceptive
d. superimposed
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 63%
REF: p. 122 OBJ: 4-4 KEY: Factual

24. The registration of sensory input without conscious awareness refers to

a. a false alarm
b. subliminal perception
c. a just noticeable difference
d. a superimposed stimulus
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 122 OBJ: 4-4
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

25. Which of the following statements is most accurate?

a. Although subliminal perception was once dismissed by scientists as preposterous, recent
data have made the notion less implausible.
b. Scientists have conclusively demonstrated that perception simply cannot take place
without conscious awareness.
c. Recent research suggests that subliminal messages can be quite persuasive in convincing
us to buy products we don't want and promoting satanic rituals.
d. Subliminal perception is only possible if sensory adaptation has taken place.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 58%
REF: p. 123 OBJ: 4-4 KEY: Factual

26. The 1992 study of attitudes and subliminal perception, conducted by Krosnick and his colleagues,
found that
a. paradoxically, people who were exposed to subliminal negative emotion-arousing photos
rated a target person more positively than people exposed to subliminal positive emotion-
arousing photos
b. exposure to subliminal information had no effect on subjects' attitudes
c. people exposed to subliminal negative emotion-arousing photos rated a target person more
negatively than people exposed to subliminal positive emotion-arousing photos
d. females were more influenced by subliminal messages than males
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 80%
 REF: p. 123 OBJ: 4-4 KEY: Factual

27. When researchers have attempted to demonstrate subliminal perception effects in the real world, they
have typically found that
a. such effects are substantial and a potential cause for public concern
b. people are much more likely to be influenced by "positive" subliminal stimuli (e.g., self-
help tapes) than "negative" ones (e.g., subliminal advertising)
c. such effects are so weak as to be of little, if any, practical importance
d. people are much more likely to be influenced by "negative" subliminal stimuli than
"positive" ones
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 62%
REF: p. 123 OBJ: 4-4 KEY: Factual

28. If one is subjected to prolonged stimulation, eventually

a. sensory overload will occur
b. sensory adaptation will occur
c. perceptual agnosia will occur
d. perceptual inversion will occur
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 75%
REF: p. 123 OBJ: 4-5 KEY: Factual

29. Sensory adaptation refers to

a. a weakening of a neurotransmitter substance
b. a perceptual inversion principle
c. a decline in sensitivity after prolonged stimulation
d. an increase in sensitivity after prolonged stimulation
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 95%
REF: p. 123 OBJ: 4-5 KEY: Factual

30. You enter a room and notice a distinctive new smell. After a bit of time you no longer smell the odor.
This illustrates the phenomenon of
a. progressive desensitization
b. sensory contrast
c. sensory novelty
d. sensory adaptation
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 98%
REF: p. 123 OBJ: 4-5 KEY: Concept/Applied

31. Jacob has been working at his computer for the past 2 hours, and the hum that he found so annoying
when he started no longer bothers him. The change in Jacob's sensitivity to the noise from the
computer illustrates the process known as
a. perceptual invariance
b. perceptual assimilation
c. adjusting just noticeable differences
d. sensory adaptation
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 123 OBJ: 4-5
KEY: Concept/Applied

32. Sensory adaptation can explain all of the following EXCEPT

a. getting used to the smell of the perfume you are wearing
 b. hearing your name spoken in a noisy room
c. feeling comfortable in a cold swimming pool after being in for a few minutes
d. getting used to the touch of your clothes on your skin
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 97%
REF: p. 123 OBJ: 4-5 TOP: WWW KEY: Concept/Applied

33. Sonja put on a new watch this morning and found it uncomfortable because it was so much heavier
than her old watch. However, at noon, when a friend asks her if she knows what time it is, Sonja finds
she has forgotten she is even wearing the watch. The change in Sonja's sensitivity to the pressure of the
watch illustrates the process known as
a. sensory adaptation
b. perceptual invariance
c. perceptual assimilation
d. adjusting just noticeable differences
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 123 OBJ: 4-5
KEY: Concept/Applied

34. A person living near an industrial plant that produces a foul smelling smoke will not notice it after a
while because of
a. perceptual assimilation
b. adjusting just noticeable differences
c. sensory adaptation
d. perceptual invariance
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 123 OBJ: 4-5
KEY: Concept/Applied MSC: ** (new or revised)

35. Overall, it appears that we perceive

a. changing stimuli better than constant ones
b. constant stimuli better than changing ones
c. long-acting better than short-acting stimuli
d. stimuli that are steady in the environment
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 81%
REF: p. 123 OBJ: 4-5 KEY: Concept/Applied

36. The wavelength of light mainly affects our perception of

a. color
b. brightness
c. saturation
d. light purity
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 85%
REF: p. 124 OBJ: 4-6 KEY: Factual

37. Our perception of the brightness of a color is affected mainly by

a. the wavelength of light waves
b. the amplitude of light waves
c. the purity of light waves
d. the saturation of light waves
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 70%
REF: p. 124 OBJ: 4-6 KEY: Factual
38. Our perception of the richness, or saturation of a color is affected mainly by
a. the wavelength of light waves
b. the amplitude of light waves
c. the purity of light waves
d. the saturation of light waves
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 124 OBJ: 4-6
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

39. If the human eye was not responsive to differences in the wavelength of light, we would not be able to
perceive differences in
a. brightness
b. saturation
c. color
d. purity
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 81%
REF: p. 124 OBJ: 4-6 KEY: Critical Thinking

40. If the human eye was not responsive to differences in the amplitude of light waves, we would not be
able to perceive differences in
a. saturation
b. purity
c. color
d. brightness
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 124 OBJ: 4-6
KEY: Critical Thinking

41. If the human eye was not responsive to differences in the purity of light waves, we would not be able
to perceive differences in
a. hue
b. brightness
c. color constancies
d. saturation
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 124 OBJ: 4-6
KEY: Critical Thinking

42. Jose is wearing a blue shirt, and Evan is wearing a red shirt. In this case, Jose's shirt is reflecting
a. higher amplitude light waves than Evan's shirt
b. shorter light waves than Evan's shirt
c. longer light waves than Evan's shirt
d. lower amplitude light waves than Evan's shirt
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 125 OBJ: 4-6
KEY: Concept/Applied

43. The process in which the lens adjusts its shape to project a clear image on the retina depending on the
distance between the eye and the object being viewed is called
a. adaptation
b. transduction
c. accommodation
d. lateral antagonism
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 125 OBJ: 4-6
 KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

44. The purity of a wavelength of light corresponds to the perception of

a. hue
b. saturation
c. brightness
d. color constancies
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 124 | p. 133
OBJ: 4-6 TOP: WWW KEY: Factual

45. The lens in the eye

a. converts light energy into neural energy
b. controls the amount of light entering the eye
c. bends entering light rays and focuses them onto the retina
d. is the part of the eye that gives it its color
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 88%
REF: p. 125 OBJ: 4-7 KEY: Factual

46. As people age, the lens of the eye loses its ability to accommodate, and it tends to remain flat instead
of becoming fat and round. This suggests that as people age they will
a. lose their ability to focus on objects in the distance
b. be less likely to detect differences in light purity
c. be more likely to detect differences in brightness and hue
d. lose their ability to focus on objects that are close
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 127 OBJ: 4-7
KEY: Concept/Applied

47. The structure that controls the size of the pupil is the
a. lens
b. iris
c. cornea
d. vitreous humor
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 62%
REF: p. 127 OBJ: 4-7 KEY: Factual

48. The amount of light entering the eye is regulated by changes in the size of the
a. pupil
b. lens
c. cornea
d. retina
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 94%
REF: p. 127 OBJ: 4-7 KEY: Factual

49. In bright sunlight, the pupil of the eye is

a. the same size as it is in a dark room
b. dilated
c. constricted
d. closed
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 86%
REF: p. 127 OBJ: 4-7 KEY: Factual
50. Isaiah is having his eyes checked. The doctor has put drops in Isaiah's eyes that will cause the pupils to
open wide. As the drops begin to work, Isaiah will most likely notice that
a. he will lose some of his color vision
b. his vision will start to become quite blurry
c. his vision will become extremely sharp and clear
d. colors will appear to be "super" saturated
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 127 OBJ: 4-7
KEY: Concept/Applied

51. In dim light, the pupil of the eye is

a. dilated, producing a sharper image
b. constricted, producing a sharper image
c. constricted, producing an image that is not as sharp
d. dilated, producing an image that is not as sharp
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 64%
REF: p. 127 OBJ: 4-7 KEY: Concept/Applied

52. The correct sequence of eye structures that light passes through en route to the retina is
a. pupil, lens, cornea, iris
b. cornea, pupil, lens
c. cornea, iris, pupil, lens
d. lens, pupil, cornea
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 125-27 OBJ: 4-7
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

53. Courtney wears glasses to correct the far-sightedness in her left eye. If she were not wearing her
glasses
a. the lens would focus images in front of the retina in her left eye
b. the pupil in her left eye would dilate and let in too much light energy
c. the lens would focus images behind the retina in her left eye
d. the pupil in her left eye would constrict and not let in sufficient light energy
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 125-127 OBJ: 4-7
TOP: WWW KEY: Concept/Applied

54. The optic disk is

a. where the optic nerve exits the retina
b. the brain structure responsible for the merging of visual fields from both eyes
c. where light enters the eye
d. another term for the lens
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 73%
REF: p. 127 OBJ: 4-8 KEY: Factual

55. The blind spot in the eye is

a. where photoreceptor cells do not "bleach"
b. the point at which ganglion cells synapse with bipolar cells
c. where the optic nerve exits the back of the eye
d. what leads to color blindness
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 82%
REF: p. 127 OBJ: 4-8 KEY: Factual
56. Petra looked directly into a very bright light and damaged her retina. The ophthalmologist has told her
that she has sustained massive damage to her cones, but for the most part her rods have not been
affected. One change that you could predict for Petra's vision is that she will now have
a. poor vision in low illumination
b. poor peripheral vision
c. no color vision
d. more accurate depth perception
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 127 OBJ: 4-8
KEY: Concept/Applied

57. Imagine that biologists have discovered an animal that has eyes very similar to human eyes, but that
the only receptor cells in the retina are rods; there are no cones. Based on what is known about human
vision you might expect that this animal would
a. have poor vision in low illumination
b. have no color vision
c. have poor peripheral vision
d. be able to detect extremely fine details
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 127 OBJ: 4-8
KEY: Critical Thinking

58. Night and peripheral vision depend mainly on ____, while daylight and acute vision depend mainly on
____.
a. rod cells; cone cells
b. cone cells; rod cells
c. rod cells; bipolar cells
d. bipolar cells; cone cells
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 127-128 OBJ: 4-8
TOP: WWW KEY: Factual

59. In order to maximize visual acuity at night, you should

a. look directly at the object you wish to see
b. turn your head at a slight angle to the object
c. close one eye
d. blink your eyes several times to hasten dark adaptation
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 128 OBJ: 4-8
KEY: Concept/Applied

60. Why is it easier to detect a faint star at night if you look to the side of the star?
a. You are focusing on your fovea where there are more cones.
b. You are focusing the star on your fovea where there are more rods.
c. You are not focusing the star on your fovea, so can rely on your cones and thus can see the
star better.
d. You are focusing the star in the periphery of your retina where your rods predominate.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 128 OBJ: 4-8
KEY: Concept/Applied MSC: ** (new or revised)

61. Imagine that biologists have discovered an animal that has eyes very similar to human eyes, but that
the only receptor cells in the retina are cones; there are no rods. Based on what is known about human
vision you might expect that this animal would have
 a. poor visual acuity
b. poor peripheral vision
c. poor vision in bright illumination
d. no color vision
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 128 OBJ: 4-8
KEY: Critical Thinking

62. Devin looked directly into a very bright light and damaged his retina. The ophthalmologist has told
him that he has sustained massive damage to his rods, but for the most part his cones have not been
affected. One change that you could predict for Devin's vision is that he will now have
a. no color vision
b. poor vision in bright illumination
c. poor peripheral vision
d. more accurate depth perception
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 128 OBJ: 4-8
KEY: Concept/Applied

63. Fifteen minutes after Zigfried left the brightly lit hallway and entered the dark passageway, dark
adaptation was
a. complete in his rods, but still taking place in his cones
b. complete in both his rods and cones
c. still taking place in both his rods and his cones
d. complete in his cones, but still taking place in his rods
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 128 OBJ: 4-8
KEY: Concept/Applied

64. Sally woke up in the middle of the night and turned on the light in her bedroom, as a result she had to
squint to ward off the bright light. Sally is experiencing
a. dark adaptation
b. sensory adaptation
c. light adaptation
d. lateral antagonism
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 128 OBJ: 4-8
KEY: Concept/Applied MSC: ** (new or revised)

65. The receptive field of a visual cell refers to the

a. range of wavelengths of light the cell reacts to
b. length of time necessary for the cell to integrate information at the ganglion level of the
retina
c. cell's degree of sensitivity or receptivity
d. the collection of rod and cone receptors that funnel signals to a particular visual cell in the
retina
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 128 OBJ: 4-8
KEY: Factual

66. Our visual acuity will be best when a ganglion cell

a. transmits its neural signal directly to the visual cortex
b. has a small receptive field
c. has a large receptive field
d. transmits its neural signal to the cerebellum, instead of the visual cortex
 ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 128-129 OBJ: 4-8
KEY: Concept/Applied

67. The center-surround arrangement of visual fields contributes to the eye being
a. an absolute-intensity detector
b. insensitive at low illumination
c. a contrast detector
d. insensitive to low amplitude light waves
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 56%
REF: p. 129-130 OBJ: 4-8 KEY: Factual

68. Lateral antagonism occurs when the neural activity in a cell

a. opposes activity in surrounding cells
b. activates rods and inactivates cones
c. increases activity in surrounding cells
d. activates cones and inactivates rods
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 129-130 OBJ: 4-8
KEY: Factual

69. Parallel processing in the visual pathways suggests that separate neural channels
a. do the same things at different locations
b. extract different information from visual inputs
c. send the same information to many different places
d. provide safety backups for each other
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 60%
REF: p. 130 OBJ: 4-9 KEY: Concept/Applied

70. If the pathway through the superior colliculus were not functioning correctly, you might expect that a
person would have difficulty
a. distinguishing colors
b. perceiving depth
c. detecting differences in texture
d. integrating visual and auditory information
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 130 OBJ: 4-9
KEY: Critical Thinking

71. If the parvocellular system within the thalamus was not functioning correctly, you might expect that a
person would have difficulty
a. distinguishing colors
b. detecting movement
c. localizing sounds
d. perceiving depth
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 130 OBJ: 4-9
KEY: Concept/Applied

72. If the magnocellular system within the thalamus was not functioning correctly, you might expect that a
person would have difficulty
a. distinguishing colors
b. perceiving brightness
c. perceiving fine details
 d. localizing sounds
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 130 OBJ: 4-9
KEY: Concept/Applied

73. The primary visual cortex is located in the

a. occipital lobes
b. temporal lobes
c. parietal lobes
d. frontal lobes
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 68%
REF: p. 130 OBJ: 4-9 KEY: Factual

74. Cells in the visual cortex that respond selectively to specific features of complex stimuli are called
a. ganglion cells
b. feature detectors
c. selective detectors
d. hypocomplex cells
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 34%
REF: p. 131 OBJ: 4-9 KEY: Factual

75. The cells in the visual cortex that respond to a line of the correct width, oriented at the correct angle,
and located in the correct position in its receptive field are called
a. hypercomplex cells
b. triarchic cells
c. simple cells
d. binary cells
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 67%
REF: p. 131 OBJ: 4-9 KEY: Factual

76. Complex cells in the visual cortex respond to

a. circles of light anywhere in their receptive field
b. specific widths and orientation of lines anywhere in their receptive field
c. figure-ground disparity in their receptive field
d. different colors in their receptive field
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 74%
REF: p. 131 OBJ: 4-9 KEY: Factual

77. Simple and complex cells in the visual cortex, that respond selectively to very specific features of
more complex stimuli have been characterized
a. hypercomplex processors
b. triarchic cells
c. feature detectors
d. binary cells
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 131 OBJ: 4-9
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

78. A microelectrode is recording the activity from a single cell in the visual cortex of a cat. The cell
begins to fire rapidly when a line is presented at a 45-degree angle directly in front of the cat, but stops
firing when the line is shifted to a position that is off to the left. In this case, the microelectrode is most
likely monitoring activity from
 a. a simple cell
b. a cell in the superior colliculus
c. a complex cell
d. a hypercomplex cell
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 131 OBJ: 4-9
KEY: Critical Thinking

79. A microelectrode is recording the activity from a single cell in the visual cortex of a cat. The cell
begins to fire rapidly when a vertical line sweeps across the visual field to the left, but stops firing
when the same line sweeps back across the visual field to the right. In this case, the microelectrode is
most likely monitoring activity from
a. a hypercomplex cell
b. a complex cell
c. a simple cell
d. a cell in the parvocellular channel
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 131 OBJ: 4-9
KEY: Critical Thinking

80. After visual input has been processed in the primary visual cortex, signals are processed further along
a number of pathways. The dorsal stream processes information about
a. form and color
b. motion and depth
c. brightness and contours
d. complexity and contrast
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 132 OBJ: 4-9
KEY: Factual

81. After visual input has been processed in the primary visual cortex, signals are processed further along
a number of pathways. Information about form and color is processed by the
a. ventral stream
b. dorsal stream
c. medial stream
d. lateral stream
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 132 OBJ: 4-9
KEY: Factual

82. After leaving the primary visual cortex, the dorsal stream carries information to the
a. basal forebrain
b. cerebellum
c. parietal lobes
d. temporal lobes
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 132 OBJ: 4-9
KEY: Factual

83. Charley has visual agnosia and is unable to recognize common, everyday objects. This condition most
likely results from damage to the
a. lateral geniculate nucleus
b. superior colliculus
c. dorsal stream
d. ventral stream
 ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 132 OBJ: 4-9
KEY: Concept/Applied

84. While finger painting, Chris mixed yellow paint and blue paint and ended up with green, an example
of
a. trichromatic theory
b. additive color mixing
c. subtractive color mixing
d. multiplicative color mixing
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 23%
REF: p. 133 OBJ: 4-10 KEY: Concept/Applied

85. Mixing paints yields subtractive color mixing because

a. there are only three different types of color receptors in the eye.
b. the light is superimposed, resulting in more light in the mixture.
c. the pigments absorb most wavelengths, selectively reflecting other wavelengths.
d. opponent cells in the LGB respond to complementary colors in opposite ways, thus mixing
the colors.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 133 OBJ: 4-10
KEY: Concept MSC: ** (new or revised)

86. Mixing many, varied paints together would tend to produce a ____, while projecting many varied
colored spots on the same area of a screen would tend to produce a ____.
a. bright, light color; dark, dull color
b. dull, dark color; light, whitish color
c. reddish color; bluish color
d. dull, dark color; dull, dark color
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 86%
REF: p. 133 OBJ: 4-10 KEY: Concept/Applied

87. If you project a red, a green, and a blue light into space, the point at which the three lights cross will
lead to the perception of
a. black light
b. ultraviolet light
c. white light
d. infrared light
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 87%
REF: p. 133 OBJ: 4-10 KEY: Concept/Applied

88. If you mix red, green, and blue paint, you will get
a. purple
b. white
c. orange
d. black
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 87%
REF: p. 133 OBJ: 4-10 KEY: Concept/Applied

89. At the musical he attended over the weekend, Andrew noticed that whenever the red and green
spotlights overlapped, they seemed to change to a yellow spotlight. This can be explained using the
principles of
 a. additive color mixing
b. subtractive color mixing
c. hypercomplex feature detection
d. opponent-processing of colors
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 133 OBJ: 4-10
KEY: Concept/Applied

90. Television sets are able to recreate the entire visible spectrum by additively mixing three primary
colors. This process is similar to the view of human color vision called
a. opponent-process theory
b. saturation theory
c. complementary color theory
d. trichromatic theory
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 133-134 OBJ: 4-10
KEY: Concept/Applied

91. The action of the visual receptors supports the

a. Hering theory of color vision
b. opponent process theory of color vision
c. James-Lange theory of color vision
d. trichromatic theory of color vision
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 133-134 OBJ: 4-10
TOP: WWW KEY: Concept/Applied

92. Hering's opponent-process theory suggests that receptors are linked antagonistically in pairs. His
opposed pairs were
a. red-yellow; blue-green; black-white
b. red-green; yellow-blue; black-white
c. red-black; yellow-white; green-blue
d. yellow-green; red-blue; black-white
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 76%
REF: p. 135 OBJ: 4-10 KEY: Factual

93. Eric has been wearing red welding goggles for the past 30 minutes. Based on the opponent-process
theory of color vision, when Eric takes off the red goggles he should expect that objects will
temporarily appear to be
a. blue
b. yellow
c. orange
d. green
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 135 OBJ: 4-10
KEY: Concept/Applied MSC: ** (new or revised)

94. According to one theory of color vision, colors are signaled in pairs by neurons that fire faster to one
color and slower to another color. This theory is known as the
a. opponent process theory
b. trichromatic theory
c. signal-detection theory
d. feature-detection theory
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 60%
 REF: p. 135 OBJ: 4-10 KEY: Factual

95. Denise was momentarily blinded when paparazzi snapped her picture using a blue flash. Following the
flash, she saw spots for several minutes. Based on the opponent-process theory of color vision, the
spots that Denise saw
a. would be yellow
b. were most likely red
c. were probably green
d. would also appear to be blue
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 135 OBJ: 4-10
KEY: Concept/Applied

96. After having your picture taken with a yellow flash, you momentarily see blue spots floating before
your eyes. This phenomenon is best explained by
a. subtractive color mixing
b. opponent process theory
c. additive color mixing
d. trichromatic theory
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 80%
REF: p. 135 OBJ: 4-10 KEY: Concept/Applied

97. The action of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) supports the
a. Young-Helmholtz theory of color vision
b. opponent process theory of color vision
c. trichromatic theory of color vision
d. Yerkes-Dodson theory of color vision
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 32%
REF: p. 135 OBJ: 4-10 KEY: Concept/Applied

98. The best description of the current view of the way in which color is coded in the visual system would
be that color coding begins with
a. a trichromatic process and then switches to an opponent process
b. rods and then switches to cones
c. cones and then switches to rods
d. an opponent process and then switches to a trichromatic process
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 77%
REF: p. 135 OBJ: 4-10 KEY: Factual

99. In explaining color vision, contemporary researchers claim that at the level of the cones color vision
occurs via a(n) ____ process but along the neural pathway from the LGN to the visual cortex the
process is a(n) ____ one.
a. opponent process; trichromatic
b. trichromatic; opponent process
c. trichromatic; additive
d. opponent; subtractive
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 135 OBJ: 4-10
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

100. Three people look at the same sketch and report seeing three different things. This illustrates the
contribution to perception of
 a. stimulus ambiguity
b. cognitive interpretation
c. sensory readiness
d. cognitive dissonance
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 136 OBJ: 4-11
KEY: Concept/Applied MSC: ** (new or revised)

101. A perceptual set implies that

a. people often see what they expect to see
b. visual perception is based on a bottom-up processing strategy
c. feature analysis is a "hard-wired" process
d. the focused-attention stage of processing is often overridden by preattentive processes
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 136 OBJ: 4-11
KEY: Concept/Applied

102. Perceptual sets influence our perception of the environment by

a. affecting what stimuli in the environment we actually sense.
b. creating a slant in how we interpret sensory input.
c. preventing sensory adaptation.
d. prevents us from engaging in feature analysis.
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 136 OBJ: 4-11
KEY: Concept/Applied MSC: ** (new or revised)

103. The process of detecting specific elements in visual input and assembling them into a more complex
form is known as
a. perceptual set
b. inattentional blindness
c. feature analysis
d. top-to-bottom processing
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 136 OBJ: 4-11
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

104. Feature analysis assumes that we progress from individual elements to the whole in the formation of
our perceptions. This is a case of
a. bottom-up processing
b. bottom-down processing
c. top-down processing
d. top-to-bottom processing
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 86%
REF: p. 136-137 OBJ: 4-11 KEY: Factual

105. Psychologists who took the structuralist approach to the study of consciousness believed that the best
way to understand an individual's conscious experiences was to understand all the component parts
that combined to produce the experience. This view is most consistent with
a. the top-down processing model of perception
b. the eclectic model of perception
c. the bottom-up processing model of perception
d. the opponent-process model of perception
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 137 OBJ: 4-11
KEY: Critical Thinking
106. Vanessa describes a new melody that she heard at a concert by telling you each of the individual notes,
in the order that they were played. In providing this type of description, it appears that Vanessa
processed the melody using
a. top-down processing
b. figure-ground processing
c. opponent-processes
d. bottom-up processing
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 137 OBJ: 4-11
KEY: Concept/Applied

107. Ashlynn was listening to a tape recording of a famous speech that was being played backward. She
just heard gibberish until a classmate said the phrase "meet me in St. Louis" was clearly spoken. The
tape was rewound and as Ashlynn listened this time, she also clearly heard the same phrase. Ashlynn's
ability to detect the phrase the second time through the tape illustrates
a. the opponent-process model of perception
b. the top-down processing model of perception
c. the bottom-up processing model of perception
d. the eclectic model of perception
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 137 OBJ: 4-11
KEY: Concept/Applied

108. The ability to rapidly process words in reading depends most on

a. top-down processing
b. bottom-up processing
c. bottom-to-top processing
d. lateral processing
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 62%
REF: p. 137 OBJ: 4-11 KEY: Concept/Applied

109. Rather than provide details about the party she just attended, Patty tried to give her overall impression,
operating on the assumption of ____, that the whole may be greater than the mere sum of its parts.
a. psychophysics
b. holistic psychology
c. Gestalt psychology
d. psychodynamics
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 88%
REF: p. 138 OBJ: 4-12 KEY: Concept/Applied

110. The successive blinking on and off of the lights on the neon sign gave the impression of beer filling a
glass. This illusion of motion is the
a. phi phenomenon
b. constancy principle
c. common-fate principle
d. motion parallax effect
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 138 OBJ: 4-12
KEY: Concept/Applied
111. The lights around the movie marquee flashed on-and-off in succession. However, Jerome did not
perceive them as separate lights flashing, but instead saw a continuous band of light moving around
the edge of the marquee. Jerome's perception illustrates
a. the phi phenomenon
b. bottom-up processing
c. feature detection
d. preattentive processing
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 138 OBJ: 4-12
KEY: Concept/Applied

112. Shelby created an animated scene using her computer. She drew a frog as he started to jump, and then
drew the frog landing. The computer created 24 pictures between these two points, which adjusted the
frog's position very slightly. When the entire sequence of 26 pictures is displayed in rapid succession,
the frog appears to hop smoothly. This perception of smooth action is one example of
a. preattentive processing
b. the phi phenomenon
c. bottom-up processing
d. feature detection
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 138 OBJ: 4-12
KEY: Concept/Applied

113. It is difficult to see a chameleon that has blended in with its background because
a. of the principle of common fate
b. we cannot easily distinguish between figure and ground
c. of the perceptual principle of shape constancy
d. of the illusion of relative size
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 138 OBJ: 4-12
KEY: Concept/Applied

114. Zachary is looking at a reversible figure, which first appears to be a vase, and then appears to be two
faces. His perception of the figure keeps switching between these two interpretations. This switching
perception is caused by the fact that
a. reversible figures cause people to experience the phi phenomenon
b. the Gestalt principle of simplicity doesn't work for reversible figures
c. The Gestalt principles of proximity and closure are both at work in reversible figures
d. the figure-ground distinction in reversible figures is often ambiguous
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 138 OBJ: 4-12
KEY: Concept/Applied

115. Paintings or drawings that lead to ambiguous interpretations often invert the
a. figure and ground
b. sensation and perception
c. top and bottom
d. open processing and closed processing
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 54%
REF: p. 138 OBJ: 4-12 KEY: Concept/Applied

116. The Gestalt principle of proximity refers to the idea that

a. people tend to gravitate toward a common interaction distance
b. center-surround cells that are closer fire more often
 c. perception occurs in discrete time frames
d. objects nearer to each other are seen as forming a unit
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 84%
REF: p. 138 OBJ: 4-12 KEY: Factual

117. Natalie sat on her porch looking out at the field of soybeans. The fact that Natalie perceived the
soybean plants as being grouped into a series of separate rows is consistent with the Gestalt principle
of
a. closure
b. simplicity
c. proximity
d. similarity
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 138 OBJ: 4-12
KEY: Concept/Applied

118. We often perceive a series of dots on a printed form as a "solid" line because of the Gestalt principle of
a. constancy
b. similarity
c. closure
d. symmetry
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 138 OBJ: 4-12
KEY: Concept/Applied

119. When Justin looked up at the night sky, he perceived the three stars that make up the belt in the
constellation Orion as a single complete figure, rather than as individual stars. Justin's perception of
the night sky illustrates the Gestalt principle of
a. proximity
b. closure
c. similarity
d. figure-ground
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 138 OBJ: 4-12
KEY: Concept/Applied

120. Blake was at a football game, and even though people wearing green jackets were spread fairly evenly
throughout the stands, he still perceived all the people in green jackets as a single group of visiting
fans. Blake's perception is most consistent with the Gestalt principle of
a. proximity
b. similarity
c. closure
d. simplicity
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 139 OBJ: 4-12
KEY: Concept/Applied

121. The Gestalt principle of ____ implies that people organize visual perception in the ____.
a. continuity; most complex manner possible
b. proximity; top-down processing manner
c. closure; bottom-up processing manner
d. Pragnanz; simplest manner possible
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 139 OBJ: 4-12
TOP: WWW KEY: Factual
122. Christina was skiing down an intermediate run when the run broke into two separate trails. One trail
turned off at a 90-degree angle; the second trail appeared to continue in the same general direction she
had been headed. If Christina takes the second trail her actions would be consistent with the Gestalt
principle of
a. continuity
b. closure
c. proximity
d. common region
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 139 OBJ: 4-12
KEY: Concept/Applied

123. If you are looking at an object such as a book, the object itself can be referred to as
a. a distal stimulus
b. a proximal stimulus
c. an approximate stimulus
d. a distilled stimulus
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 57%
REF: p. 140 OBJ: 4-13 KEY: Factual

124. An inference about which distal stimuli could be responsible for the proximal stimuli sensed is
a. a binocular cue
b. perceptual set
c. perceptual hypothesis
d. top-down processing
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 140 OBJ: 4-13
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

125. You may interpret the trapezoid shape projected on your retina as a rectangular book, in which case
you are formulating a
a. Gestalt principle
b. perceptual hypothesis
c. psychophysical law
d. phenomenological principle
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 88%
REF: p. 140 OBJ: 4-13 KEY: Concept/Applied

126. Which of the following does NOT guide our perceptual hypotheses?
a. distal stimuli
b. expectations
c. context
d. experience
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 140 OBJ: 4-13
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

127. If you look at a sheet of notebook paper set on a table, the distal stimulus is the ____, and the proximal
stimulus is the ____.
a. sheet of paper; projection on the retina
b. projection on the retina; sheet of paper
c. square shape; square shape
 d. trapezoidal shape; square shape
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 140 OBJ: 4-13
TOP: WWW KEY: Concept/Applied

128. Our ability to see three dimensions based on having only a two-dimensional retina is known as
a. depth perception
b. sensory accommodation
c. visual acuity
d. rod-cone refractance
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 87%
REF: p. 142 OBJ: 4-14 KEY: Factual

129. Amanda had an operation on her eyes, but the doctors were unable to save the vision in her left eye.
One major change that will affect Amanda's perception is the fact that she will
a. no longer have any perception of depth
b. be more likely to misinterpret perceptual illusions
c. no longer be able to utilize binocular depth cues
d. lose her ability to perceive colors accurately
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 142 OBJ: 4-14
KEY: Concept/Applied

130. As the large butterfly flew toward Richard, he could tell it was getting closer because he could feel his
eyes turning inward toward his nose as he watched it. In this instance, Richard was able to judge how
far away the butterfly was using the depth cue of
a. convergence
b. binocular disparity
c. accommodation
d. relative size
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 142 OBJ: 4-14
KEY: Concept/Applied

131. In order to keep focusing on an object as it moves closer to your face, you must
a. rotate your eyes outward
b. rotate your eyes inward
c. look straight ahead
d. focus at a point some distance beyond the approaching object
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 93%
REF: p. 142 OBJ: 4-14 KEY: Factual

132. The binocular depth cue that relies on the fact that objects within 25 feet project images to slightly
different locations on the right and left retinas, so that the right and left eyes see slightly different
views of the object is known as
a. convergence
b. retinal disparity
c. accommodation
d. relative size
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 142 OBJ: 4-14
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)
133. As Briana drove down the highway, the pickets of the fences moved past her in a blur, but the
mountains in the distance didn't appear to move at all. Briana was experiencing
a. the pictorial cue for depth called texture gradient
b. the binocular cue for depth called convergence
c. the binocular cue for depth called retinal disparity
d. the monocular cue for depth called motion parallax
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 142 OBJ: 4-14
KEY: Concept/Applied

134. All of the following are picture depth cues EXCEPT

a. linear perspective
b. motion parallax
c. texture gradients
d. relative size
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 142 OBJ: 4-14
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

135. Sydney had an operation on his right eye and has to wear an eye patch for three weeks. While he is
wearing the eye patch, Sydney will lose his ability to
a. utilize binocular depth cues
b. perceive colors accurately
c. utilize any depth cues
d. perceive motion parallax
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 142 OBJ: 4-14
TOP: WWW KEY: Concept/Applied

136. Timothy was painting a picture of a jet on a runway; however, in his painting the sides of the runway
are parallel to each other. Timothy's picture will seem to lack depth because he has failed to make use
of the monocular depth cue of
a. convergence
b. motion parallax
c. linear perspective
d. height in plane
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 143 OBJ: 4-14
KEY: Concept/Applied

137. The sand at Jason's feet appeared coarse, and he could see the individual grains of sand. However, the
sand down the beach appeared to be much finer and less granular. This apparent difference in the sand
may have partially resulted from the depth cue of
a. interposition
b. light and shadow
c. relative size
d. texture gradient
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 143 OBJ: 4-14
KEY: Concept/Applied

138. Photographers use special filters to cloud the image and give the perception of distance to
photographs. Which monocular cue of depth perception is this an example of?
a. interposition
b. light and shadow
 c. relative size
d. texture gradient
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 143 OBJ: 4-14
KEY: Concept/Applied MSC: ** (new or revised)

139. Interposition refers to

a. the relationship between bipolar and ganglion cells
b. the processing of auditory information at the cochlear level
c. an environmental depth cue in which closer objects overlap objects farther away
d. the lens' ability to change shape and focus light directly on the retina
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 143 OBJ: 4-14
KEY: Factual

140. Gabriella was looking for shelter from the sudden cloudburst, and at first she had difficulty judging
whether the old barn or the farmhouse was closer. However, when she noticed that the barn partially
obscured the corner of the house she headed for the barn. She was able to judge which building was
closer based on
a. texture gradient
b. interposition
c. relative size
d. linear perspective
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 143 OBJ: 4-14
KEY: Concept/Applied

141. Images that occupy more space on your retina are seen as nearer relative to images that occupy less
space. This is a cue to depth perception known as
a. accommodation
b. foveal disparity
c. phrenetic search
d. relative size
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 78%
REF: p. 143 OBJ: 4-14 KEY: Factual

142. Ashley is trying to create a small Christmas village on the mantle of her fireplace. She bought 3-inch
high figures to put at the front of the mantle and smaller figures to put near the back. Ashley is trying
to increase the impression of depth in her Christmas village through the use of
a. light and shadow
b. relative size
c. convergence
d. texture gradient
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 143 OBJ: 4-14
KEY: Concept/Applied

143. Based on the evidence obtained in numerous cross-cultural investigations of depth perception, it seems
reasonable to conclude that
a. depth perception, whether in pictures or real space, is innate and invariant across cultures
b. the basic processes in depth perception, whether in pictures or real space, are learned and
are quite variable across cultures
c. perception of depth using monocular cues is innate, but perception of depth using
binocular cues must be learned
 d. the application of pictorial depth cues to pictures is partly an acquired skill, but the basic
processes of depth perception in real space appear to be similar across cultures
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 142-143 OBJ: 4-14
KEY: Critical Thinking

144. In their research investigating the perception of geographical slant, Proffitt and his colleagues (1995)
found that participants tended to overestimate
a. steepness when standing at the bottom of hills but not when standing at the top of hills
b. steepness when standing at the top of hills but not when standing at the bottom of hills
c. steepness whether standing at the bottom or at the top of hills
d. the steepness of inclines in the lab but not the steepness of actual hills
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 67%
REF: p. 143 OBJ: 4-15 KEY: Factual

145. In the Featured Study on perceiving geographical slant, Proffitt and his colleagues (1995) found
a. participants tended to overestimate the slant of 20-degree or steeper hills, while
underestimating the slant of hills less than 20-degrees
b. participants tended to underestimate the slant of 20-degree or steeper hills, while
overestimating the slant of hills less than 20-degrees
c. verbal and visual estimates of steepness were accurate, but haptic estimates tended to
overestimate steepness
d. haptic estimates of steepness were accurate, but verbal and visual estimates tended to
overestimate steepness
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 28%
REF: p. 144-146 OBJ: 4-15 KEY: Factual

146. In their research investigating the perception of geographical slant, Proffitt and his colleagues (1995)
found that participants tended to overestimate
a. steepness when standing at the bottom of hills and underestimate steepness when standing
at the top of hills
b. the steepness of hills to a greater degree when standing at the top than when standing at
the bottom
c. steepness when standing at the top of hills and underestimate steepness when standing at
the bottom of hills
d. the steepness of hills to a greater degree when standing at the bottom than when standing
at the top
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 144-146 OBJ: 4-15
KEY: Factual

147. In their research investigating the perception of geographical slant, Proffitt and his colleagues (1995)
found that participants tended to
a. overestimate the steepness of hills to a greater degree when they were physically tired
b. underestimate the steepness of hills to a greater degree when they were physically tired
c. make accurate estimates of steepness when they were physically tired and overestimate
steepness when they were rested
d. make accurate estimates of steepness when they were physically tired and underestimate
steepness when they were rested
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 87%
REF: p. 146 OBJ: 4-15 KEY: Factual
148. Ernest has just finished a 5-mile run. He is asked to estimate the geographical slant of a hill near his
home while he is still exhausted from his workout. Based on research by Proffitt and his colleagues,
Ernest is likely to
a. underestimate the slant to a greater degree than he would have before his run
b. give the same estimate of slant as he would have before his run
c. overestimate the slant to a greater degree than he would have before his run
d. underestimate the slant, instead of overestimating it as he would have before his run
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 146 OBJ: 4-15
KEY: Concept/Applied

149. Carmella is at a water park. She watches several sliders ride the "Max" and decides to try it for herself.
Based on the work by Proffitt and his colleagues, you might predict that when she gets to the top,
Carmella will
a. ride the slide because it will appear less steep from the top than it did from the bottom
b. ride the slide because it will appear shorter from the top than it did from the bottom
c. have second thoughts because the slide will appear longer from the top than it did from the
bottom
d. have second thoughts because the slide will appear steeper from the top than it did from
the bottom
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 144-146 OBJ: 4-15
KEY: Concept/Applied

150. Perceptual constancy refers to

a. the same thing as functional fixedness
b. our perception of objects remaining stable despite the fact that sensory information
changes
c. the existence of schemas that guide our perceptions
d. visual fields in the retina that allow our perception of the world to remain stable
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 83%
REF: p. 146 OBJ: 4-16 KEY: Factual

151. The phenomenon of size constancy implies that

a. the perception of size is not related to the perception of distance
b. the farther away an object is, the more we underestimate its true size
c. two objects will be perceived as the same size whenever they produce the same size retinal
image
d. two objects may be perceived as being the same size even though they produce different
size retinal images
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 35%
REF: p. 146 OBJ: 4-16 KEY: Concept/Applied

152. Three-year-old Kevin was flying in a plane for the first time. As the plane descended for its landing
Kevin became very excited at all the toy houses and cars he saw, and he couldn't wait for the plane to
land so he could play with the toys. Kevin's misinterpretation of the true size of the houses and cars the
plane passed over shows that he is still not fully utilizing
a. binocular depth cues
b. linear perspective
c. size constancy
d. visual accommodation
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 146 OBJ: 4-16
 KEY: Concept/Applied

153. The fact that the corner of a building thrust toward the viewer looks shorter than an inside corner thrust
away from the viewer can be accounted for by the
a. horizontal-vertical illusion
b. Ponzo illusion
c. Muller-Lyer illusion
d. illusion of relative size
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 54%
REF: p. 146 OBJ: 4-16 KEY: Concept/Applied

154. Which of the following principles does the Ponzo illusion use to achieve its effect?
a. perceptual grouping
b. figure ground relationships
c. linear perspective
d. selective attention
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 146 OBJ: 4-16
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

155. The Ames room, in which people are seen to get small or enlarge as they move about, demonstrates
that our perception of the world depends strongly on
a. the assumptions we make about it
b. the actual, distal stimuli
c. the proximal stimulus elements
d. bottom-up processing
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 38%
REF: p. 146-147 OBJ: 4-16 KEY: Concept/Applied

156. The moon illusion occurs when you

a. perceive the moon to be smaller on the horizon than overhead
b. perceive the moon to be larger on the horizon than overhead
c. perceive the moon to be the same size when viewed on the horizon and overhead
d. think you see the moon when in fact it is not there
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 81%
REF: p. 147 OBJ: 4-16 KEY: Factual

157. Optical illusions tend to be

a. influenced by our experiences
b. more pronounced in children
c. less pronounced in adults
d. genetically determined
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 92%
REF: p. 148 OBJ: 4-16 KEY: Concept/Applied

158. Sound is a ____ form of energy and is the result of ____.

a. wave; vibrating molecules
b. particle; photons
c. chemical; molecular breakdowns
d. moving; vibrating photons
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 149 OBJ: 4-17
 KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

159. Compared to the low notes on a piano, the high notes always produce sound waves that have a
a. higher frequency
b. lower amplitude
c. higher amplitude
d. lower frequency
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 149 OBJ: 4-17
TOP: WWW KEY: Concept/Applied

160. When a clarinet plays a high C followed by a low C, these two notes are perceived differently because
they differ in
a. amplitude
b. purity
c. complexity
d. frequency
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 149 OBJ: 4-17
KEY: Concept/Applied

161. The perception associated with the amplitude of a sound wave is

a. timbre
b. loudness
c. tonal quality
d. richness
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 72%
REF: p. 150 OBJ: 4-17 KEY: Factual

162. The perception of timbre corresponds to a sound wave's

a. pitch
b. panache
c. amplitude
d. purity
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 75%
REF: p. 150 OBJ: 4-17 KEY: Factual

163. If you perceived a change in the intensity of a sound stimulus it most likely resulted from a change in
the sound wave's
a. amplitude
b. purity
c. complexity
d. frequency
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 150 OBJ: 4-17
KEY: Concept/Applied MSC: ** (new or revised)

164. If the human ear could not detect differences in the amplitude of sound waves, people would not be
able to detect differences in the
a. pitch of sounds
b. timbre of sounds
c. loudness of sounds
d. saturation of sounds
 ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 150 OBJ: 4-17
KEY: Critical Thinking

165. The amplitude of sound waves is measured in ____; the frequency of sound waves is measured in
____.
a. hertz; wavelengths
b. decibels; hertz
c. centimeters; nanometers
d. wavelengths; hertz
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 88%
REF: p. 150 OBJ: 4-17 KEY: Factual

166. The structure of the ear that conducts sound waves to the middle ear is the
a. auditory canal
b. auditory conduction tube
c. auditory tract
d. auditory lineal
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 94%
REF: p. 151 OBJ: 4-18 KEY: Factual

167. The structure of the ear that transduces sound vibrations into nerve impulses is the
a. cochlea
b. oval window
c. temporal lobe
d. stirrup
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 83%
REF: p. 151 OBJ: 4-18 KEY: Factual

168. The correct order in which a sound stimulates the structures in the ear is
a. eardrum, oval window, ossicles, cochlea
b. oval window, ossicles, eardrum, cochlea
c. cochlea, oval window, eardrum, ossicles
d. eardrum, ossicles, oval window, cochlea
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 151 OBJ: 4-18
KEY: Factual MSC: ** (new or revised)

169. The retina is to the eye as the

a. eardrum is to the ear
b. ossicles are to the ear
c. pinna is to the ear
d. cochlea is to the ear
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 69%
REF: p. 151 OBJ: 4-18 KEY: Concept/Applied

170. The function of the middle ear is to

a. convert sound into neural energy
b. amplify the sound
c. collect and funnel the sound
d. aid in maintenance of balance
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 151 OBJ: 4-18
 KEY: Concept/Applied MSC: ** (new or revised)

171. The actual, direct receptors for hearing are the

a. ossicles
b. cochleas
c. hair cells
d. basilar cells
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 57%
REF: p. 151 OBJ: 4-18 KEY: Factual

172. Which of the following best describes how we hear according to place theory?
a. Different sound frequencies vibrate different portions of the basilar membrane, producing
different pitches.
b. Our perception of pitch corresponds to the rate or frequency at which the entire basilar
membrane vibrates.
c. We perceive differences in pitch according to the number of hair cells that vibrate at any
one time.
d. Different sound frequencies affect the intensity with which the eardrum vibrates,
producing different pitches.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 151 OBJ: 4-19
TOP: WWW KEY: Factual

173. According to place theory, the ability to hear pitch corresponds to

a. specific hair cells being stimulated along the length of the semicircular canals
b. vibrations occurring at specific locations down the length of the basilar membrane
c. the entire cochlea vibrating at a speed equivalent to the wavelengths the ear is being
stimulated with
d. differential movement of specific ossicles
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 65%
REF: p. 152 OBJ: 4-19 KEY: Concept/Applied

174. If Professor Trong were to argue that we discriminate different pitches because sound waves of
different frequency displace different regions on the basilar membrane, which theory of auditory
perception would Dr. Trong be arguing?
a. place
b. frequency
c. volley
d. opponent process
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 152 OBJ: 4-19
KEY: Concept/Applied MSC: ** (new or revised)

175. Imagine that the basilar membrane in the human ear were longer. Based on place theory, you might
expect that humans would be able to
a. hear a wider range of sounds, especially high frequency sounds
b. hear a wider range of sounds, especially low frequency sounds
c. detect sound waves that had a lower amplitude
d. localize sounds more accurately
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 152 OBJ: 4-19
KEY: Critical Thinking
176. The theory of hearing that views the basilar membrane as being like a drumhead is
a. place theory
b. timpani theory
c. frequency theory
d. opponent process theory
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 59%
REF: p. 152 OBJ: 4-19 KEY: Concept/Applied

177. The maximum firing rate for individual neurons is 1000 neural impulses per second. This biological
limitation would make it difficult for
a. place theory to fully explain pitch perception
b. opponent-process theory to fully explain color perception
c. trichromatic theory to fully explain color perception
d. frequency theory to fully explain pitch perception
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 152 OBJ: 4-19
KEY: Concept/Applied

178. The frequency theory of pitch perception is flawed because

a. structurally, it is impossible for the basilar membrane to vibrate
b. neurons cannot fire fast enough to account for hearing tones higher than 1,000
cycles/second
c. it places the transduction process in the semicircular canals and not the cochlea
d. the action of the ossicles interacting with the auditory nerve was misidentified
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 71%
REF: p. 152 OBJ: 4-19 KEY: Concept/Applied

179. The volley principle suggests that

a. spreading effects from one semicircular canal to another interact to produce pitch
perception for frequencies higher than 5,000 Hz
b. ossicles of the middle ear "echo" or "volley" auditory transmission back and forth to
stimulate hair cells
c. sound localization is an interpretation of time discrepancies between the time when the
same sound reaches each ear
d. groups of auditory neurons are able fire neural impulses in rapid succession, sending
signals that exceed the firing rate of any single neuron
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 53%
REF: p. 152 OBJ: 4-19 KEY: Concept/Applied

180. Imagine that human neurons reach a maximum firing rate of 5000 impulses per second, rather than
only 1000 impulses per second. Using the volley principle, this would mean that
a. place theory could explain the full range of human pitch perception
b. neither frequency theory nor place theory could fully explain human pitch perception
c. frequency theory could explain the full range of human pitch perception
d. both place theory and frequency theory would be necessary to fully explain human pitch
perception
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 152 OBJ: 4-19
KEY: Critical Thinking

181. Pitch perception can best be explained by ____ for very low-pitched sounds, ____ for very high-
pitched sounds, and ____ for pitches in the middle range.
 a. place theory; frequency theory; place theory
b. frequency theory; both theories; place theory
c. place theory; both theories; frequency theory
d. frequency theory; place theory; both theories
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 74%
REF: p. 152 OBJ: 4-19 KEY: Factual

182. Clifford was in an accident and he has lost all the hearing in his right ear. The deafness in this ear will
mostly affect Clifford's ability to
a. localize sounds accurately
b. separate speech sounds from background noise
c. detect high frequency sounds
d. detect high amplitude sounds
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 153 OBJ: 4-20
KEY: Concept/Applied

183. Juan and Karletta were walking one night when they heard a car backfire. Juan was convinced the
sound came from directly in front of them, and Karletta was convinced the sound came from directly
behind them. One reason they might have difficulty localizing the sound is
a. the sound waves would have arrived at both ears at the same instant
b. we are able to judge distance better than direction for sounds
c. sound localization is more difficult in the dark
d. only speech sounds can be accurately localized
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 153 OBJ: 4-20
KEY: Concept/Applied

184. Dan was able to tell that the voice he heard calling his name was coming from the building on his left
because of
a. auditory localization
b. depth perception
c. perceptual constancy
d. perceptual set
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 99%
REF: p. 153 OBJ: 4-20 KEY: Concept/Applied

185. The loudness difference between the two ears is greatest when the sound source is
a. directly behind the listener's head
b. directly in front of the listener
c. a long distance away
d. well off to one side
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 85%
REF: p. 153 OBJ: 4-20 KEY: Factual

186. You would predict from a knowledge of distance cues that accuracy of localizing sounds would be
poorest for a source
a. 90 degrees to the right
b. 90 degrees to the left
c. 45 degrees to the front left
d. directly in front of the person
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 78%
 REF: p. 153 OBJ: 4-20 KEY: Concept/Applied

187. Auditory localization is to hearing as

a. size constancy is to vision
b. optical illusion is to vision
c. retinal disparity is to vision
d. depth perception is to vision
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 89%
REF: p. 153 OBJ: 4-20 KEY: Critical Thinking

188. The two major cues we use to localize sound sources in space are
a. distance and loudness
b. intensity and timing differences at the ears
c. pitch and loudness differences at the ears
d. loudness and timbre differences at the ears
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 67%
REF: p. 153 OBJ: 4-20 KEY: Factual

189. If you are sitting in a room facing exactly north, and a sound emanates exactly from the south, you will
perceive the sound as coming from
a. either the north or the south
b. either the east or the west
c. directly over your head
d. all directions at the same time
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 36%
REF: p. 153-154 OBJ: 4-20 KEY: Concept/Applied

190. Which of the following is NOT one of the four basic tastes?
a. salty
b. citrus
c. sweet
d. bitter
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 154 OBJ: 4-21
TOP: WWW KEY: Factual

191. The sense associated with the perception of taste is referred to as the
a. gustatory system
b. olfactory system
c. vagus system
d. vestibular system
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 89%
REF: p. 154 OBJ: 4-21 KEY: Factual

192. Which statement about the gustatory system is NOT accurate?

a. Taste cells are concentrated in taste buds on the tongue.
b. The physical stimulus for taste is any molecular substance.
c. Taste cells live only about ten days.
d. Taste cells are not distributed evenly across the surface of the tongue.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 73%
REF: p. 154 OBJ: 4-21 KEY: Concept/Applied
193. The rods and cones are to vision as the taste buds are to
a. olfaction
b. kinesthesia
c. gustation
d. flavation
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 87%
REF: p. 154 OBJ: 4-21 KEY: Critical Thinking

194. Compared to nontasters, people characterized as supertasters have

a. about 10 times as many taste buds per square centimeter
b. three or four additional types of taste buds
c. about 4 times as many taste buds per square centimeter
d. taste buds in more locations within their mouth and throat
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 154 OBJ: 4-21
KEY: Factual

195. One key gender difference that has been found with respect to tasting is that
a. men are more likely than women to be supertasters
b. women tend to react more to sweet tastes while men react more to bitter tastes
c. men tend to react more to sweet tastes while women react more to bitter tastes
d. women are more likely than men to be supertasters
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 154 OBJ: 4-21
KEY: Factual

196. Eloise is an individual who is classified as a supertaster. She is likely to be especially sensitive to
a. sweet and salty tastes
b. sweet and bitter tastes
c. salty and sour tastes
d. sour and bitter tastes
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 154 OBJ: 4-21
KEY: Concept/Applied

197. Newborn infants react ____ to sweet tastes and ____ to strong sour tastes.
a. neutrally; negatively
b. positively; neutrally
c. positively; positively
d. positively; negatively
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 86%
REF: p. 155 OBJ: 4-21 KEY: Factual

198. Food generally tastes bland when you have a severe head cold because
a. you cold will cause the sweet receptors in your mouth to become inactivated
b. your high temperature will cause your brain to block signals from the taste buds in the
mouth
c. because your naturally produced antibodies interfere with chemical molecules stimulated
by your taste buds
d. flavor is influenced by smell as well as taste, and with a reduced sense of smell your sense
of taste will be diminished
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 92%
 REF: p. 156 OBJ: 4-21 KEY: Concept/Applied

199. Mike broke his nose in a recent boxing match. The doctors packed his nose and told him he will need
to breathe through his mouth for the next 10 to 14 days. Mike is likely to find that while his nose is
packed,
a. food will taste better because his sense of taste will be temporarily enhanced to
compensate for his missing sense of smell
b. he will have problems with his equilibrium and balance
c. food will have little taste because much of a food's flavor depends on our sense of smell
d. he will have trouble detecting motion because the main pathway to his superior colliculus
will be blocked
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 156 OBJ: 4-21
KEY: Concept/Applied

200. The sense associated with the perception of smell is

a. gustation
b. olfaction
c. kinesthesia
d. audition
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Correct = 96%
REF: p. 156 OBJ: 4-22 KEY: Factual