Question 1

You dream that you win $20 million in the state lottery. The next morning, you find a $20 bill lying on the sidewalk. If you were to conclude that your dreams could predict the future,which logical fallacy would you have committed?

Accepted Answer

The fallacy of positive instances involves giving more weight to positive or confirming instances while ignoring negative or disconfirming instances. In this case, finding the $20 bill could be seen as a positive instance confirming the dream prediction, while ignoring the fact that winning the lottery is a highly unlikely event and that dreams are not a reliable source of predicting the future.

Question 2

Research supporting ESP is often challenged for statistical reasons. This means that the research in question is possibly faulty in its:

Accepted Answer

Statistical challenges often point to issues in measurement and analysis, such as improper data handling, incorrect statistical tests, or misinterpretation of results.

Question 3

Shena and Shana are twin girls who say that they can communicate with each other by using only their minds. As a psychology student, you are skeptical of their claim that theycan communicate with:

Accepted Answer

Telepathy refers to the supposed communication of thoughts or ideas by means other than the known senses. It is the most likely choice that Shena and Shana are claiming to use. Clairvoyance refers to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through means other than the known senses. Psychokinesis involves the ability to move objects with the mind, and precognition involves the ability to perceive future events before they happen.

Question 4

"Extrasensory perception" refers to an ability to detect information which is:

Accepted Answer

Extrasensory perception refers to the ability to detect information that is not mediated by known sense receptors, such as telepathy or clairvoyance. It is believed to be a form of perception beyond the five senses.

Question 5

Who was the founder of Gestalt psychology?

Accepted Answer

Max Wertheimer was the founder of Gestalt psychology, which emphasized the importance of perception and the whole experience over individual parts. Karl Duncker and Roger Shepard were important contributors to cognitive psychology, while M.C. Escher was a famous artist known for his optical illusions.

Question 6

Participants in Daryl Bem's (2011) experiments appeared to show precognition, which means that they could:

Accepted Answer

Bem's experiments suggested that participants were able to have knowledge of an event before it occurred, indicating precognition. The other options are not supported by Bem's research.

Question 7

The term gestalt means a(n):

Accepted Answer

The term gestalt refers to a unified whole, form, or shape in psychology. It pertains to the idea that a person experiences a whole form or structure rather than just a collection of individual parts.

Question 8

It had been almost a month since Geraldine had heard fromher sister, and she "sensed" that something was wrong. When she called her sister, Geraldine learned that her sister's husband had recently lost his job. Geraldine was convinced that she had somehow perceived this remote event, an ESPability called:

Accepted Answer

Clairvoyance is the ESP ability to perceive events happening at a distance or outside the normal sensory range, which aligns with Geraldine's experience.

Question 9

Recent surveys suggest that about _____ percent of adults in the United States believe in ESP.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Recent surveys suggest that about _____ percent...

Question 10

Psychologist Daryl Bem (2011) tested precognition in a seriesof nine experiments. In one experiment, research participants remembered words better when the words were rehearsed:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Psychologist Daryl Bem (2011) tested precognition in...

Question 11

What is the main reason many, if not most, psychologists doubt that extrasensory perception exists?

Accepted Answer

The failure to replicate experiments which seem to demonstrate the existence of extrasensory perception is the primary reason why many psychologists doubt its existence. Without consistent and replicable evidence, it cannot be considered scientifically valid.

Question 12

Carley believes that we perceive whole objects rather than isolated bits of information. Her belief about how we perceive the world is:

Accepted Answer

Carley's belief that we perceive whole objects rather than isolated bits of information is consistent with the view proposed by the Gestalt psychologists. The Gestalt psychologists believed that perception is a holistic process in which we organize and perceive the world as whole objects or configurations, rather than as individual parts or features. This is different from the data-driven processing view, which emphasizes the role of individual sensory inputs in shaping perception, and the bottom-up processing view, which emphasizes the role of feature detection and analysis in perception. Carley's belief is also not similar to the view proposed by parapsychologists, who study paranormal phenomena such as telepathy and clairvoyance, which are not supported by scientific evidence.

Question 13

Professor Johann was fond of stating, "Remember, the who leis greater than the sum of its parts!" Professor Johann probably was influenced in his thinking by:

Accepted Answer

Professor Johann's statement reflects the principles of Gestalt psychology, which emphasizes that we perceive and experience the whole rather than just individual parts. This approach suggests that the total experience is greater than the sum of its components.

Question 14

The group of psychologists who investigated the basic rules of perception in the early 1900s were:

Accepted Answer

The group of psychologists who investigated the basic rules of perception in the early 1900s were known as Gestalt psychologists. They focused on how people perceive and make sense of visual information, emphasizing the importance of wholes as opposed to the sum of their parts. The other options given (A, C, and D) do not accurately describe this group of psychologists or their research.

Question 15

The Gestalt psychologists:

Accepted Answer

The Gestalt psychologists emphasized that we perceive whole figures rather than isolated bits of information. They believed that perception is influenced by the organization of stimuli, and that the whole is different from the sum of its parts. They also emphasized the importance of context and the role it plays in perception.

Question 16

You dream that you win $20 million in the state lottery. The next day you find a $20 bill lying on the side walk. Although you want to think that your dream had been prophetic, it'smore likely that finding the money the morning after your dream of winning $20 million is a:

Accepted Answer

Finding a $20 bill on the sidewalk is a coincidence, as it is a common occurrence and not directly related to any supernatural ability or prediction.

Question 17

We consider several sources of information, such as size, color,and texture, when we try to identify an object, but the most important source of information is the object's:

Accepted Answer

Shape is the most important source of information when identifying an object because it provides the essential structure and form of the object, allowing us to differentiate it from other objects. Size, color, and texture can also provide important information, but they may be less reliable as they can vary greatly between different instances of the same object. Distance is not a characteristic of the object itself, but rather a property of its relationship to the observer, and therefore does not provide information about the object itself.

Question 18

The ganzfeld procedure is used to test:

Accepted Answer

The ganzfeld procedure is a method used in parapsychology to test for extrasensory perception (ESP), specifically for clairvoyance or telepathy. The procedure involves placing a receiver in a state of sensory deprivation while a sender attempts to transmit information to them through ESP. Therefore, the correct choice is B (clairvoyance).

Question 19

Nina was trying to convince a skeptical friend that she has ESP. "So how can you explain what happened yesterday when I knew it was Conor on the phone before I answered it?" she demanded. Nina's friend explained that we tend to remember coincidental events that seem to confirm our beliefs about unusual phenomena. This is called:

Accepted Answer

The fallacy of positive instances is the tendency to remember and give greater weight to events that confirm our beliefs or expectations, while ignoring or rationalizing away contradictory evidence. In this case, Nina's friend suggests that she may be selectively remembering the times when she correctly guessed who was calling, while forgetting the many times when she was wrong.

Question 20

Meta-analysis has been used to analyze the results of several studies that used the ganzfeld procedure to test clairvoyance.What general results have been found?

Accepted Answer

Meta-analyses on the ganzfeld procedure have not produced consistent findings. Some studies have found evidence for ESP while others have not.

Quiz 3: Sensation and Perception