Deck 2: Research Methods

Question 1

The study of the relationship between properties of physical stimuli and psychological reactions to those properties is called __________________?

A) perception
B) sensation
C) psychophysics
D) cognitive psychology

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The absolute threshold is defined as the smallest intensity required for the stimulus to be reported:

A) 10% of the time
B) 50% of the time
C) 95% of the time
D) 100% of the time

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a method of determining absolute thresholds described in "The Elements of Psychophysics"?

A) the method of sensitivity
B) the method of adjustment
C) the method of limits
D) the method of constant stimuli

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In the __________________, the experimenter presents a stimulus that is clearly noticeable and then presents increasingly weaker stimuli until the participant cannot
detect it.

A) method of sensitivity
B) method of adjustment
C) method of limits
D) method of constant stimuli

Question 5

Katie is interested in how much lemon juice needs to be added to water for her friend Paul to detect it. She knows that a glass with only water (i.e., no lemon juice) will clearly be below threshold. She gives Paul this solution followed by 5 other solutions with an increasing amount of lemon juice. Paul reports being able to taste the lemon flavor at solution #4. Katie is employing the:

A) method of sensitivity
B) method of adjustment
C) method of limits
D) method of constant stimuli

Question 6

In using the method of limits to determine absolute thresholds, an experimenter may begin with a noise that is below threshold and then sequentially increase the intensity until the listener says, "I hear it!" This sequence would be:

A) a descending series of trials
B) an ascending series of trials
C) a method of adjustment
D) a random series of trials

Question 7

In performing a listening task, Tracey incorrectly reports hearing a tone when none was present. When asked why she did that, she said, "I know I heard something on the first 7 trials, so surely there was a tone on trial 8, too.
i. Tracey has made an:

A) error of extinction
B) error of anticipation
C) error of adjustment
D) error of habituation

Question 8

An observer commits an error of anticipation when he answers incorrectly because:

A) he responds "Yes, I saw it!" just as he has been responding for several trials
B) he responds "No, I didn't see it!" just as he has been responding for several trials
C) he responds, "Yes, I saw it" because he has been responding "No, I didn't see it!" for several trials
D) both A and B

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of the method of adjustment?

A) The experimenter adjusts the intensity of the stimulus.
B) Psychophysicists use it less than other methods of determining thresholds.
C) It is used for stimuli that are continuously adjustable.
D) It is used for pretesting stimuli for other psychophysics experiments.

Question 10

Which method of determining absolute thresholds is very time-consuming and utilizes pre-tested stimuli?

A) the method of sensitivity
B) the method of adjustment
C) the method of limits
D) the method of constant stimuli

Question 11

When using the method of constant stimuli, how are stimuli presented?

A) in random order
B) from the weakest stimulus to the strongest stimulus
C) from the strongest stimulus to the weakest stimulus
D) either B or C

Question 12

Cara has just finished eating a huge piece of sweet chocolate cake. She is then asked to participate in a taste-test to determine whether she can detect small amounts of sugar added to water. She is likely to have:

A) a low threshold, and thus a low sensitivity
B) a low threshold, and thus a high sensitivity
C) a high threshold, and thus a high sensitivity
D) a high threshold, and thus a low sensitivity

Question 13

If an observer has a low threshold for a smell:

A) only a small amount of the smell must be present to be detected
B) a large amount of the smell must be present to be detected
C) the smell can only be detected in small amounts
D) the smell can only be detected in large amounts

Question 14

On a trial in which only noise is present and no target stimulus, John responds, "No, I didn't hear anything." John has made:

A) a correct rejection
B) a false alarm
C) a hit
D) a miss

Question 15

If an observer becomes distracted during a detection task and fails to notice a stimulus that appears, this is:

A) a correct rejection
B) a false alarm
C) a hit
D) a miss

Question 16

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent.
-Which cell represents a false alarm?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D

Question 17

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent.
-Which cells represent correct detections?

A) A and B
B) A and C
C) A and D
D) B and D

Question 18

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent.
-Which cell represents a correct rejection?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D

Question 19

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent.
-What does cell A represent?

A) a miss
B) a correct rejection
C) a hit
D) a false alarm

Question 20

Kyle performs a detection task in which he is asked to determine whether or not the letter T appears on a checkered screen. The table below shows the possible outcomes based on his response and whether the letter was actually present or absent.
-What does cell B represent?

A) a miss
B) a correct rejection
C) a hit
D) a false alarm

Question 21

In Signal Detection Theory, d' represents:

A) the observer's sensitivity to the stimulus
B) the proportion of trials that were incorrect
C) the degree of noise present in the task
D) the observer's decision-making strategy or criterion

Question 22

After Peter participates in a detection task, the proportion of hits is calculated to be .75. What proportion of trials were false alarms?

A) .25
B) .50
C) .75
D) can't tell from the information provided

Question 23

After Paul participates in a detection task, the proportion of false alarms is calculated to be .10. What proportion of trials were correct rejections?

A) .10
B) .25
C) .90
D) can't tell from the information provided

Question 24

The shaded region of the figure below represents:

A) the proportion of correct rejections
B) the proportion of false alarms
C) the proportion of hits
D) the proportion of misses

Question 25

The shaded region of the figure below represents:

A) the proportion of correct rejections
B) the proportion of false alarms
C) the proportion of hits
D) the proportion of misses

Question 26

Frank, Gerald, Helen, and Jacob participate in a detection task. From the measures of d' that were calculated, which participant has the greatest sensitivity?

A) Frank: d' = .1
B) Gerald: d' = .6
C) Helen: d' = .4
D) Jacob: d' = .2

Question 27

The distributions below show the results from a signal detection task that Eric and Diane participated in.
-Which participant has the greatest sensitivity?

A) Eric
B ) Diane
C) they are equally sensitive
D) can't tell from the information provided

Question 28

The distributions below show the results from a signal detection task that Eric and Diane participated in.
-Which participant is more conservative?

A) Eric
B ) Diane
C) they are equally conservative
D) can't tell from the information provided

Question 29

The distributions below show the results from a signal detection task that Eric and Diane participated in.
-Which participant will make more hits?

A) Eric
B ) Diane
C) they are equally conservative
D) can't tell from the information provided

Question 30

The distributions below show the results from a signal detection task that Eric and Diane participated in.
-Which participant will make more false alarms?

A) Eric
B ) Diane
C) they are equally conservative
D) can't tell from the information provided

Question 31

The results from a signal detection experiment are often plotted in:

A) a scatterplot
B) a histogram
C) a boxplot
D) an ROC curve

Question 32

In an ROC curve, the left-hand portion represents a __________________ criterion and the right-hand portion represents a __________________ criterion.

A) conservative; conservative
B) conservative; liberal
C) liberal; liberal
D) liberal; conservative

Question 33

The ROC curve below presents the results from a signal detection experiment that participants A, B, and C took part in.
-Which participant is the most liberal?

A) participant A
B) participant B
C) participant C
D) they are equally liberal because they fall on the same curve

Question 34

The ROC curve below presents the results from a signal detection experiment that participants A, B, and C took part in.
-Which participant has the highest false alarm rate?

A) participant A
B) participant B
C) participant C
D) can't tell from the information provided

Question 35

An observer that adopts a conservative criterion will:

A) have a low hit rate
B) have a high hit rate
C) have a low false alarm rate
D) both A and C

Question 36

A two-alternative forced choice procedure minimizes:

A) the effects of expectations
B) the effects of the observer's criterion
C) both the effects of expectations and the effects of the observer's criterion
D) neither the effects of expectations nor the effects of the observer's criterion

Question 37

Each separate ROC curve represents a different: (p. 33)

A) participant
B) criterion
C) trial
D) d'

Question 38

Wendy participates in a color perception experiment in which she is presented with a constant green dot on the left side of the screen (wavelength = 530nm) and another dot on the right side of the screen that varies in wavelength across trials (500nm, 510nm,
520nm, 530nm, 540nm, 550nm, 560nm, or 570nm). Her task is to determine if the two dots are the same or different.
i. In this experiment, the green dot on the left side is the
__________________ while the dot on the right side is the __________________ .

A) test stimulus; experimental stimulus
B) comparison stimulus; test stimulus
C) initial stimulus; comparison stimulus
D) standard stimulus; comparison stimulus

Question 39

In discrimination studies, the __________________ refers to the physical stimulus, whereas the __________________ refers to the psychological reaction.

A) difference threshold; just noticeable difference
B) just noticeable difference; difference threshold
C) difference threshold; absolute threshold
D) just noticeable difference; absolute threshold

Question 40

The graph below shows the results for a participant when discriminating whether a line is greater than 5 inches.
-The lower difference threshold is:

A) 4.75 inches
B) 4.90 inches
C) 5.00 inches
D) 5.05 inches

Question 41

The graph below shows the results for a participant when discriminating whether a line is greater than 5 inches.
-The upper difference threshold is:

A) 5.00 inches
B) 5.10 inches
C) 5.20 inches
D) none of the above

Question 42

The graph below shows the results for a participant when discriminating whether a line is greater than 5 inches.
-The point of subjective equality is:

A) 4.80 inches
B) 5.05 inches
C) 5.20 inches
D) none of the above

Question 43

If we are able to detect that our 100 pound friend Julia has gained weight after she gains only 5 pounds, with a Weber fraction of 1/20, how much weight must our 200 pound friend Justin gain for us to notice?

A) 5 pounds
B) 10 pounds
C) 20 pounds
D) 50 pounds

Question 44

Smaller Weber fractions indicate:

A) better discrimination abilities
B) that more change is needed to produce a jnd
C) both A and B
D) none of the above

Question 45

The equation, represents:

A) Weber's Law
B) Fechner's Law
C) Stevens' Power Law
D) none of the above

Question 46

The equation, S = k log I represents:

A) Weber's Law
B) Fechner's Law
C) Stevens' Power Law
D) none of the above

Question 47

The equation S = kIⁿ represents:

A) Weber's Law
B) Fechner's Law
C) Stevens' Power Law
D) none of the above

Question 48

Erin participates in an experiment in which she is asked to taste 10 different solutions and rate how sour each one is on a scale from 0 to 10. This is an example of:

A) the method of limits for measuring discrimination
B) the method of adjustment for measuring discrimination
C) the cross-modality matching procedure
D) the magnitude estimation technique

Question 49

In an experiment, participants are asked to describe how intense the feeling of cold is when placing their hand in ice water by adjusting the lighting in the room to match. This is an example of:

A) the method of limits for measuring discrimination
B) the cross-modality matching procedure
C) the magnitude estimation technique
D) none of the above

Question 50

Hubel and Wiesel are known for their work using which technique of measuring brain activity?

A) single cell recording
B) electroencephalography (EEG)
C) positron emission tomography (PET)
D) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Question 51

Which method of measuring brain activity involves inserting a microelectrode into the brain of a living organism?

A) single cell recording
B) electroencephalography (EEG)
C) positron emission tomography (PET)
D) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Question 52

Which of the following is a limitation of electroencephalography (EEG)?

A) it only measures the activity of a single neuron in the brain
B) its use is restricted to nonhuman animals
C) the results cannot be tied to a specific location in the brain
D) all of the above

Question 53

Which method of measuring brain activity involves monitoring the presence and changes in areas of high radioactivity?

A) single cell recording
B) electroencephalography (EEG)
C) positron emission tomography (PET)
D) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Question 54

Which of the following is an advantage of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)?

A) it is a noninvasive technique
B) it can be used on human subjects
C) it produces precise mapping of brain activity
D) all of the above