Question 1

________ is what makes a note played on a flute, which produces relatively pure tones, sound different from the same note played on an oboe, which produces very complex sounds.

Accepted Answer

Timbre refers to the quality or tone of a sound, which allows us to differentiate between sounds produced by different instruments or even different human voices. While frequency, loudness, and pitch all contribute to the perception of a sound, it is the unique combination of harmonics and overtones present in each instrument's sound that gives it a distinct timbre.

Question 2

The dimension of auditory experience related to the frequency of the sound wave and, to some extent, its intensity is called:

Accepted Answer

The dimension of auditory experience related to the frequency of the sound wave is called pitch. Intensity is also related to pitch to some extent. The other options (olfaction, saturation, gustation) are related to other senses such as smell, color, and taste, and are not related to the dimension of auditory experience mentioned in the question.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a reason that illusions occur?

Accepted Answer

All the other options describe ways in which illusions can occur, but inattention to detail is not necessarily a cause of illusions.

Question 4

The dimension of auditory experience related to the intensity of a sound wave is called:

Accepted Answer

The dimension of auditory experience related to the intensity of a sound wave is called loudness. This refers to how soft or loud a sound is perceived to be.

Question 5

The complexity of a sound wave is related to the perceived ________ of a sound.

Accepted Answer

The complexity of a sound wave is related to its timbre, which refers to the unique quality or tone of a sound. Loudness is related to the amplitude of a sound wave, pitch is related to its frequency, and spectrum refers to the distribution of energy across frequencies.

Question 6

Researchers studying the sense of audition report that:

Accepted Answer

Everyday noises, such as traffic or loud music, can be hazardous to hearing if exposure is prolonged or intense.

Question 7

Grant perceives snow as remaining white on cloudy days as well as on bright ones. He is not fooled even though the amount of light the snow reflects is different on cloudy days. Grant's perception is due to:

Accepted Answer

Grant's perception is due to brightness constancy. Brightness constancy refers to our ability to perceive an object as having a constant level of brightness, even when the amount of light reflected from the object varies due to changes in illumination. So, even though the amount of light reflected by snow on cloudy days is less than on bright ones, Grant still perceives the snow as remaining white due to brightness constancy.

Question 8

An important visual skill is the ability to perceive objects as stable or unchanging even though the retinal image changes. This is called:

Accepted Answer

Perceptual constancy refers to the ability of the brain to recognize objects as maintaining their shape, size, and color despite changes in sensory input (such as changes in viewpoint or lighting conditions). This ability allows us to perceive objects as stable and unchanging even though the retinal image changes. Continuity refers to the visual perception of smooth, continuous patterns or lines, while selective attention refers to the ability to focus on and attend to specific stimuli in a complex environment. Perspective refers to the way in which objects appear to the eye based on their spatial relationships and the position of the observer.

Question 9

Kevin watches as his wife, Denise, walks toward the house. Even though the retinal image of Denise grows larger as Denise approaches, she does not appear to be growing larger as she moves closer and closer to Kevin. This illustrates:

Accepted Answer

This illustrates size constancy, which is the perceptual phenomenon in which an object's perceived size remains constant despite changes in its distance from the observer.

Question 10

The pitch of sound is determined by its ________; the loudness of sound is determined by its ________.

Accepted Answer

The pitch of sound is determined by its frequency (how many cycles or waves per second), while the loudness of sound is determined by its intensity (the amount of energy in the sound wave). Therefore, D is the correct answer choice.

Question 11

Jan is worried about the exposure to noise on the job and feels it would be best to work less than two hours a day under his present work conditions. His concern would be justified if Jan was employed:

Accepted Answer

Jan's concern about noise exposure would be justified if he was employed in a machine shop, where the noise levels can be extremely high and could potentially cause hearing damage or other health issues in the long term. While there may be some noise exposure in the other options, it is not typically as consistent or as high as in a machine shop.

Question 12

The healthy ear of a young person normally detects frequencies in the range of ________ hertz.

Accepted Answer

The healthy ear of a young person normally detects frequencies in the range of 16-20 000 hertz. Choice A and B are too low and D is too high.

Question 13

The dimension of auditory experience related to the complexity of a sound wave, that is, to the relative breadth of the range of frequencies, is called:

Accepted Answer

The dimension of auditory experience related to the complexity of a sound wave, which is the relative breadth of the range of frequencies, is called timbre. Loudness refers to the intensity of a sound wave, frequency is the number of cycles per second of a sound wave, and pitch is related to the perceived highness or lowness of a sound.

Question 14

The authors of your textbook discuss a case study of a woman (D.F.) who has suffered brain damage to the ventral part of the occipital lobe of her brain, resulting in visual agnosia. She lost the ability to do all of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The answer of The authors of your textbook discuss a...

Question 15

The frequency of a sound wave is related to the perceived ________ of a sound.

Accepted Answer

Frequency refers to the number of compressions and rarefactions of a sound wave that occur per second. The human perception of this frequency is what results in the perception of pitch. Therefore, the frequency of a sound wave is directly related to the perceived pitch of a sound.

Question 16

The amplitude of a sound wave is related to the perceived ________ of a sound.

Accepted Answer

The amplitude of a sound wave is directly related to the perceived loudness of a sound. The greater the amplitude, the louder the sound will be perceived.

Question 17

The average absolute threshold of hearing in human beings is:

Accepted Answer

The average absolute threshold of hearing in humans is 0 decibels, which represents the quietest sound that the average human ear can hear.

Question 18

The person in the most hazardous environment in regard to sound intensity would be:

Accepted Answer

Kassidy, who is sitting in front of the speakers at a rock concert, is exposed to extremely high levels of sound intensity, which can cause permanent hearing damage. The other options may expose individuals to high levels of noise, but not to the same extent as the speakers at a rock concert.

Question 19

There is a critical level at ________ for hazards to a person's hearing if exposure goes on for too long a time.

Accepted Answer

The answer of There is a critical level at ________...

Question 20

If the auditory system did not detect differences in the intensity of sound waves, we would NOT be able to:

Accepted Answer

If the auditory system did not detect differences in the intensity of sound waves, we would not be able to detect differences in loudness. Pitch is determined by the frequency of sound waves, so this ability would not be affected. Distinguishing between different instruments and locating a sound source both involve analyzing complex patterns of sound waves, which would still be possible even if intensity differences were not detected.

Quiz 6: Sensation and Perception