Question 1

On a warm summer day,a student is sitting in the shade of a tree reading a novel when the tapping of a woodpecker on a nearby tree is momentarily distracting.This shift in attention is an example of which component of attention?

Accepted Answer

The tapping of the woodpecker is a stimulus that involuntarily captures the student's attention, which is an example of stimulus-driven capture.

Question 2

From her seat in the top row of the stadium,the football fan had a great view of the halftime entertainment.As she watched,two large groups of band members were marching toward,then through one another,in opposite directions.Which Gestalt law allows her to keep track of each separate group?

Accepted Answer

The Gestalt law of common fate allows the viewer to perceive objects that move together as belonging to a single group. In this case, the fan is able to keep track of each separate group because they are moving in opposite directions, suggesting a common fate.

Question 3

James has a pocket full of pennies and nickels that spill all over the floor.When James looks at the scattered pile,he notices that he automatically groups the two types of coins according to colour.Which grouping principle is being described?

Accepted Answer

The grouping principle being described is similarity, as James is automatically grouping the pennies and nickels according to their similar color. Similarity is a principle of perceptual organization that suggests that we tend to group objects that have similar physical characteristics, such as color, size, shape, or texture.

Question 4

A child is driving a bumper car in an amusement park.At the last instant he swerves to avoid a crash with another car.Which cue allows the child to sense how quickly another car is approaching?

Accepted Answer

The rate at which the child's retinal image of the other car expands provides information about the relative speed and distance of the approaching car. This is known as optic flow and is an important cue for detecting motion and judging distance in the visual system. The other cues listed are not directly related to perceiving the motion of another car.

Question 5

A child has discovered that he can type with his eyes closeD)He even realizes when he has made an error before he sees his mistake.What is the likely source of this new-found ability?

Accepted Answer

The kinesthetic sense, also known as proprioception, allows a person to sense the position and movement of their body parts, enabling the child to type accurately and recognize errors without visual input.

Question 6

Which statement about Melzack's gate-control theory is accurate?

Accepted Answer

Melzack's gate-control theory proposes that not all pain signals are allowed through the gate. The gate can be opened or closed to some extent based on various factors such as past experiences, attention, and emotional state. The theory does not suggest that the gate is permanently closed in people who are paralyzed, and individuals do not have full control over whether the gate is opened or closed.

Question 7

Where are the kinesthetic receptors located?

Accepted Answer

Kinesthetic receptors are located in the joints, muscles, and tendons. These receptors provide information about movement, position, and tension in the body.

Question 8

Which term best explains why the clouds typically appear to be closer than the sky?

Accepted Answer

Figure/ground perception refers to the tendency of our visual system to separate elements into figures (the main object of interest) and ground (the background against which the figure appears). In the case of clouds and the sky, the clouds are typically perceived as figures that are closer and more prominent than the sky, which is perceived as the background. This is due to a combination of factors such as differences in colour, texture, and size, as well as our prior knowledge and experience of seeing clouds being closer to the earth than the sky.

Question 9

Which part of the visual system is most clearly linked to the depth cue of convergence?

Accepted Answer

Convergence is controlled by the eye muscles, specifically the medial rectus muscles, which cause the eyes to turn inward toward each other when focusing on a close object. Therefore, the part of the visual system most clearly linked to the depth cue of convergence is the eye muscles.

Question 10

A medical student hopes to be a surgeon.Observing an operation,she focuses her attention on the way her teacher is holding the scalpel and the angle between the blade and the skin.What type of attentional focus is being described?

Accepted Answer

The description of the medical student's attentional focus on the specific details of how her teacher is holding the scalpel and the angle between the blade and the skin suggests a conscious and goal-directed selection of information relevant to her future career as a surgeon.

Question 11

Most of the crowd at the Grey Cup game is wearing the blue colours of the home team and a much smaller number is wearing the red colours of the away team.Which Gestalt law best illustrates the way in which these colours seem to automatically group themselves together?

Accepted Answer

The Gestalt law of similarity best illustrates the way in which the blue and red colours automatically group themselves together. This law suggests that objects that share similar visual characteristics, such as colour, shape, or texture, will be perceived as belonging together. In this case, people wearing the same colour are perceived as belonging to the same team and therefore grouped together based on their similarity in colour.

Question 12

What must occur for retinal disparity and convergence cues to be of any value?

Accepted Answer

Both retinal disparity and convergence cues require the use of both eyes, so people must have two working eyes for these cues to be of any value. Keeping one eye closed would eliminate the use of one of these cues. The distance of objects and the movement of the head are not necessary factors for the use of these cues.

Question 13

What have scientists discovered about pain mechanisms?

Accepted Answer

Scientists have discovered that there are two main pathways through which pain signals are sent to the central nervous system - the spinothalamic tract and the dorsal column pathway. These pathways differ in terms of the type of pain they transmit (e.g. fast or slow pain) and the speed at which they transmit it. Understanding these pathways can help scientists better understand how pain is processed and targeted for pain management.

Note: Option A is incorrect as different types of pain may be transmitted via different sets of receptors (e.g. thermal pain vs mechanical pain). Option B is partially correct, as the location of pain is identified by mechanisms in the spinal cord, but intensity is processed by the brain. Option D is incorrect as pain signals are typically first received and processed in the spinal cord before being transmitted to the brain.

Question 14

Which statement about supertasters is based on research?

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that supertasters have a higher density of taste buds on their tongues compared to nontasters.

Answer: A is not correct because studies have shown no significant gender differences in supertasting ability. 
Answer: B is not correct because there is no known connection between pain receptors and the ability to taste. 
Answer: D is not correct because genetics are known to play a role in determining supertasting ability.

Question 15

In an experiment on attention described in the textbook,researchers attempted to create visual displays that would put goal-directed selection and stimulus-driven capture into competition.What did the findings suggest?

Accepted Answer

The findings suggested that in some circumstances, stimulus-driven capture wins out over goal-directed selection.

Question 16

What does Ronald Melzack's neuromatrix theory of pain suggest?

Accepted Answer

Ronald Melzack's neuromatrix theory of pain suggests that people often experience pain with little or no physical cause. The theory proposes that pain is a complex phenomenon that involves not only sensory input but also emotional and cognitive factors. According to the theory, the brain creates a "neuromatrix" that integrates various inputs to produce the experience of pain. This means that even if there is no physical damage or injury, an individual may still experience pain due to a malfunction in the neuromatrix.

Question 17

A student in a geometry class watches as the teacher hastily draws various geometric shapes on the blackboard.Which term best captures the student's ability to see the incomplete figures as complete?

Accepted Answer

Closure refers to the ability to perceive a complete figure even when parts of it are missing or not yet drawn. In this scenario, the student is able to see the incomplete geometric shapes as complete due to their ability to perceive closure.

Question 18

Taking his first train ride,a child is amazed at how quickly the fence posts along the tracks are whizzing by,but the farm in the distance hardly seems to move.Which term best describes this phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

Motion parallax refers to the perception of objects moving at different speeds when observed from different positions. In this scenario, the fence posts appear to move quickly due to their proximity to the train, while the farm in the distance appears to move slowly or not at all due to its greater distance from the train.

Question 19

Research suggests that our moment-to-moment visual impressions of the world do not preserve precise details.What is one reason for this less-than-perfect representation?

Accepted Answer

The world is generally stable, so our visual system doesn't need to capture every detail precisely, allowing for efficient processing.

Question 20

The fans love the new scoreboard at the ballpark.Every time a batter hits a home run,flashing lights on the scoreboard make it look as though an imaginary ball is leaving the field.Which term best explains this illusion?

Accepted Answer

The phi phenomenon refers to the illusion of movement that occurs when two or more stationary stimuli are presented in quick succession. In this case, the flashing lights on the scoreboard create the perception of a ball leaving the field, even though nothing is physically moving. Therefore, the best term to explain this illusion is the phi phenomenon.

Quiz 5: A: Sensation and Perception