Question 1

What visual cue is at the source of the Ponzo illusion?

Accepted Answer

The Ponzo illusion is caused by the presence of converging lines that make one object appear larger than another, even though they are of the same size.

Question 2

A girl is speeding down a path on her new scooter.Although her sensory systems are rapidly recording a wide variety of stimulus changes,she still sees the world as stable and unchanging.Which term best reflects this phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

Perceptual constancy is the term used to describe the ability of the brain to perceive objects as stable and unchanging, even when there are changes in the sensory input. In this scenario, the girl's sensory systems are detecting changes in the visual input as she moves on her scooter, but her brain is able to maintain a stable perception of her surroundings due to perceptual constancy. Options A, B, and D are not relevant to the scenario described.

Question 3

Amacrine cells integrate information across the retina,linking bipolar cells to other bipolar cells and ganglion cells to other ganglion cells.

Accepted Answer

Amacrine cells play a crucial role in integrating visual signals across the retina, connecting bipolar cells to other bipolar cells and ganglion cells to other ganglion cells. This allows for the processing and modulation of visual information before it is transmitted to the brain.

Question 4

Rod thinks that he recognizes a woman in the grocery store,but he can't quite seem to place her.Later,when Rod sees her in a familiar setting of a restaurant where she is a waitress,he makes the connection.What is Rod's perceptual identification dependent upon?

Accepted Answer

Rod's perceptual identification is dependent upon the context in which he sees the woman, as well as his expectations based on that context. When he sees her in the familiar setting of a restaurant where she is a waitress, he is able to make the connection and identify her. This suggests that contextual factors and expectations play a role in perceptual identification.

Question 5

A woman who is a new mother is also a deep sleeper.Yet,when her newborn son cries in the middle of the night,she awakens quickly.Which concept best explains this mother's response?

Accepted Answer

A perceptual set refers to a readiness to perceive stimuli in a particular way based on experience, expectations, or context. As a new mother, the woman has a perceptual set to be vigilant and responsive to her newborn's cries, even during deep sleep. This explains why she can quickly awaken when her son cries but may not be easily awakened by other sounds in her sleep environment.

Question 6

What does the "Ames room" illusion demonstrate?

Accepted Answer

The Ames room illusion demonstrates how perceived distance affects perceived size. In the Ames room, objects of equal size appear to be different sizes due to the distorted perspective cues created by the slanted walls.

Question 7

The absolute threshold is operationally defined as the stimulus level at which a sensory signal is detected 100% of the time.

Accepted Answer

The absolute threshold is defined as the minimum stimulus level that can be detected 50% of the time, not 100%.

Question 8

What is phonemic restoration dependent upon?

Accepted Answer

Phonemic restoration is dependent upon both top-down and bottom-up processes. Top-down processes involve our expectations and knowledge about language and context, while bottom-up processes involve the actual acoustic information being perceived by the ear. Phonemic restoration occurs when our brain uses top-down processes to fill in missing speech sounds based on the context of the sentence, while also using bottom-up processes to process the actual sounds that are present. Therefore, both top-down and bottom-up processes are necessary for phonemic restoration to occur.

Question 9

What is another term for bottom-up processing?

Accepted Answer

Bottom-up processing is also known as data-driven processing because it is based on processing sensory information from the environment, rather than relying on pre-existing knowledge or concepts (as in conceptually-driven or schema-driven processing). Perceptually-driven processing is similar to bottom-up processing, but it specifically refers to processing information based on sensory inputs from the environment, rather than higher-level cognitive processes.

Question 10

An art student admires the way an artist has used texture gradients in a painting to give the appearance of depth.If the student were to attempt to duplicate this technique,what would the student need to do?

Accepted Answer

Increasing the density of texture as the scene recedes in depth creates the illusion of depth by making the objects in the foreground appear more detailed and solid than those in the background.

Question 11

If you hold a pencil at arm's length and slowly move it closer to your face,the ciliary muscles change the thickness of the lens of the eye to permit variable focusing on the pencil.This process is known as convergence.

Accepted Answer

The process described is actually accommodation, not convergence. Convergence refers to the inward movement of the eyes to maintain binocular vision when looking at objects up close.

Question 12

Researchers have evaluated drivers' ability to focus their attention on both their cell phone calls and the driving environment.Which conclusion has received the most support?

Accepted Answer

The conclusion that has received the most support is that cell phone conversations divert drivers' attention from the driving environment. There is ample research that shows that talking on a cell phone while driving significantly impairs driving performance and increases the risk of accidents. While some studies suggest that the distraction may be less severe than previously thought, the consensus is that it is still a dangerous and distracting behaviour.

Question 13

Frank,who was an experienced teacher,had few problems reading the student's sloppy answer because he had asked this question before and knew in advance what the student was likely to write.What type of processing is being described?

Accepted Answer

Top-down processing refers to using pre-existing knowledge and expectations to interpret sensory information. In this scenario, Frank's experience and previous knowledge of the question allowed him to anticipate and easily interpret the student's answers despite its sloppiness.

Question 14

As Sara leaves the classroom,she sees Molly at the end of the hall.Although Sara's retinal image of Molly is much smaller than it would be if Molly were standing right next to Sara,Sara does not notice anything unusual about Molly's height.Which term best characterizes this scenario?

Accepted Answer

This scenario best characterizes size constancy, which is the perceptual phenomenon where an object's perceived size remains constant even when its retinal image size changes due to variations in viewing distance. In this scenario, despite seeing Molly from a distance and the retinal image being much smaller than it would be up close, Sara perceives Molly's height as normal due to size constancy.

Question 15

At first,a golfer is having a difficult time deciding whether a large mound is in front of or behind a distant hole.Since the mound partially blocks a flag that indicates the location of the hole,he concludes that the hole is farther away than the mound.Which term best reflects this pictorial cue?

Accepted Answer

Interposition, also known as overlap, refers to the visual cue where one object obstructs or partly covers another object, providing information about their relative distance from the viewer. In this scenario, the mound is partially blocking the flag that indicates the location of the hole, leading the golfer to conclude that the hole is farther away than the mound. This is an example of interposition as the golfer is using the visual cue of one object (mound) overlapping another object (flag) to perceive depth and distance.

Question 16

How do hallucinations differ from illusions?

Accepted Answer

Hallucinations differ from illusions in that hallucinations are due to unusual physical or mental states, while illusions occur when we misinterpret sensory information in a way that is consistent with reality. Hallucinations are not common to others, involve distortions, and do not show that percept and reality are the same.

Question 17

Gustav Fechner coined the term psychophysics,which refers to the study of the relationship between the intensity of a physical stimulus and the magnitude of an individual's sensory experience.

Accepted Answer

Gustav Fechner is indeed credited with coining the term psychophysics, which is defined as the study of the relationship between physical stimuli and the corresponding sensory experience.

Question 18

Researchers have frequently documented the effects of context and expectation on percpetion by studying set.What are the three types of sets?

Accepted Answer

The three types of sets in perception are perceptual, mental, and motor. These sets influence how individuals perceive and interpret sensory information based on context and expectations.

Question 19

In a signal detection study,an observer who is a yea sayer will give a high number of hits,but will also have a high number of false alarms.

Accepted Answer

A yea sayer is someone who is biased towards saying "yes" and detecting a signal, which leads to a high number of hits (correctly identifying the presence of the signal). However, this bias also results in a high number of false alarms (incorrectly identifying the presence of a signal when there is none).

Question 20

The transformation of one form of energy,such as light,to another form,such as neural impulses,is called sensory adaptation.

Accepted Answer

The transformation of one form of energy to another is known as transduction, not sensory adaptation. Sensory adaptation refers to the decrease in sensitivity to a stimulus over time after constant exposure.

Quiz 5: A: Sensation and Perception