_

1.

Lisa was standing at an intersection when she heard a loud noise. Even before she looked up, she realized that the sound she heard was a traffic accident. The term that best describes Lisa's interpretation of the sound is:

A)

volume.

B)

stimulation.

C)

sensation.

D)

perception.

2.

Sensation can be described as a chain of events in which a physical stimulus provokes a(n):

A)

elementary psychological experience that leads to a physiological response.

B)

physiological response that leads to an elementary psychological experience.

C)

simultaneous subjective experience and physiological response.

D)

behavioral response.

3.

Sensory experience can be measured:

A)

by direct physical means, such as light meters and recording electrodes.

B)

only indirectly, by observing behavior.

C)

by the number of action potentials.

D)

in none of the above ways; sensory experience cannot be measured.

4.

Which of the following is the basic question asked by sensory physiological psychology?

A)

If stimulus X is presented, what physiological response will occur?

B)

What physiological responses are necessary for a particular sensory experience to occur?

C)

If a physical stimulus is changed in a given way, what effect will that have on the sensory experience?

D)

In what ways do the physiological functions of the sense organs differ and in what ways are they similar?

5.

Each sense has its own set of sensory ______, which carry the neural impulses from the receptors to the central nervous system.

A)

tracts

B)

neurons

C)

areas

D)

organs

6.

The coding of stimulus quantity is based on:

A)

different pathways of sensory neurons.

B)

different ratios of activity coming from different receptors.

C)

the strength of action potentials in sensory neurons.

D)

the rate of action potentials in sensory neurons.

7.

The qualitative variation of stimulus energy has to do with the:

A)

amount or intensity of energy present.

B)

ability to detect the presence of energy.

C)

precise kind of energy present.

D)

response to the energy present.

8.

Sensory adaptation is mediated by:

A)

changes in the receptor cells.

B)

changes in the central nervous system.

C)

a. in some cases and b. in other cases.

D)

neither a. nor b.

9.

Which of the following statements about human olfactory receptors is true?

A)

Any given type of binding site can bind only one odorant.

B)

There are approximately 1,000 different types of receptor sites.

C)

A given olfactory sensory neuron contains a variety of different types of receptor sites.

D)

A given odorant readily binds to at least 6 of the 9 types of binding sites in the olfactory system.

10.

Which of the following is true of taste receptors?

A)

Taste receptors, located in spherical structures called taste buds, exist only on the tongue.

B)

Each taste bud contains one taste receptor.

C)

The specific mechanism of transduction is the same for all types of taste receptors.

D)

There are five types of receptors.

11.

In what ways is pain a "body" sense like touch, temperature sensitivity, and the sense of body position?

A)

It can originate from multiple places throughout the body rather than just specialized sensory organs in the head.

B)

When you feel pain, you experience it as coming from your own body rather than from outside yourself.

C)

It has no specialized receptors, with sensation arising directly from affected body parts without the need for transduction.

D)

Both a and b.

12.

Evidence that the brain's mechanisms for experiencing pain can be activated without sensory input is provided by:

A)

the pain-inhibiting effects of endorphins.

B)

the occurrence of stress-induced analgesia.

C)

placebo effects.

D)

the existence of phantom-limb pain.

13.

Pain can be reduced by all of the following except:

A)

stimulation of the periaqueductal gray (PAG).

B)

intense activation of second-order pain neurons.

C)

endorphins.

D)

morphine and other opiates.

14.

The major function of the structures in the middle ear is to:

A)

reduce the pressure that sound waves exert on the inner ear.

B)

increase the pressure that sound waves exert on the inner ear.

C)

reduce the frequency of sound waves reaching the inner ear.

D)

increase the frequency of sound waves reaching the inner ear.

15.

Which of the following accurately describes transduction in hearing?

A)

Hair cells on the basilar membrane bend as they are pressed against the tectorial membrane by the basilar membrane's movement.

B)

Hair cells on the basilar membrane bend as a result of fluid within the cochlea flowing past.

C)

Wavelike movement of the basilar membrane causes similar movement in the tectorial membrane, which synapses directly on auditory neurons.

D)

The basilar membrane moves directly against the auditory neurons.

16.

If hair cells on the portion of the basilar membrane closest to the oval window were destroyed, what would be the most pronounced effect on hearing?

A)

loss in ability to hear high frequencies

B)

loss in ability to hear low frequencies

C)

general raising of the absolute threshold, about equally for all frequencies

D)

general lowering of the absolute threshold, about equally for all frequencies

17.

Imagine that you are at a concert with a friend. While listening to a duet for bassoon and flute, you notice that although the flute and bassoon appear to be playing simultaneously, there are times when you cannot hear the flute. Your friend explains this sensory phenomenon in terms of:

A)

musical tone asymmetry, wherein the amplitude of low-frequency tones covers the amplitude of high-frequency tones.

B)

auditory masking, wherein high-frequency tones tend to prevent the hearing of low-frequency tones.

C)

musical tone asymmetry, wherein the volume of low-frequency tones covers the volume of high-frequency tones.

D)

auditory masking, wherein low-frequency tones tend to prevent the hearing of high-frequency tones.

18.

Neurons in the primary auditory cortex are tonotopically organized, meaning that:

A)

each neuron is responsive to sounds of all frequencies for maximum efficiency of processing.

B)

they are systematically arranged such that high-frequency tones activate neurons at one end of this area and low-frequency tones activate neurons at the other.

C)

they convert complex sound waves into constant-frequency sound waves known as pure tones.

D)

each neuron is designed to preserve both the quantitative and qualitative variation of every tone that is processed in this area.

19.

The experience of a sound includes its:

A)

location in space.

B)

timbre.

C)

inflection.

D)

all of the above.

20.

The minimum amount of stimulus energy that can reliably be detected is called:

A)

the difference threshold.

B)

the absolute threshold.

C)

d'.

D)

a jnd.

21.

How would the absolute threshold for light measured for dark-adapted eyes compare with the absolute threshold for light measured for light-adapted eyes?

A)

It would be lower.

B)

It would be higher.

C)

It would be the same.

D)

It is impossible to predict for a given individual whether it would be lower, higher, or the same.

22.

Signal detection depends on a person's:

A)

sensory sensitivity.

B)

response bias.

C)

difference threshold.

D)

both a. and b.

23.

Assuming that Weber's law is correct, if you can just barely distinguish a 93-gram weight from a 90-gram weight, you should be able just barely to distinguish a ______ weight from a 300-gram weight.

A)

303-gram

B)

306-gram

C)

309-gram

D)

310-gram

24.

Stevens's research has shown that our senses obey a power law for many different kinds of stimuli. In speculating about the adaptive value of this phenomenon, he suggested that it:

A)

allows the brain to integrate data from different senses into a single perception.

B)

facilitates the storage of sensory data in the memory areas of the cortex.

C)

helps us to recognize the same scenes (and sounds, smells, etc.) under varying conditions of stimulus intensity.

D)

facilitates the communication between two or more people who have been exposed to the same scene (or sound, smell, etc.).

25.

Different sensory systems have in common certain general types of structures and processes. Explain and give specific examples of such parallels across three different sensory systems.

26.

Explain how transduction and coding occur in the olfactory (smell) system. Discuss and present evidence to support the claim that the human sense of smell is remarkably sensitive and useful.

27.

Describe the process of transduction in hearing. How is this process related to the workings of a cochlear implant?

28.

Explain how the auditory system codes pitch. Where possible, present evidence to support your explanation.

29.

Discuss the notion that sensory systems have been shaped by needs for adaptation and survival. Give specific examples that illustrate this principle.

30.

Light can be described physically in terms of:

A)

particles.

B)

waves.

C)

both a. and b.

D)

neither a. nor b.

31.

Which of the following is true of white light?

A)

It consists of all visible wavelengths combined.

B)

It can be separated into its different component wavelengths by a prism.

C)

It is the type of light produced by the sun.

D)

All of the above are true.

32.

Evidence from research involving patients with prosopagnosia suggests that we have a special brain mechanism for recognizing:

A)

animals.

B)

language.

C)

basic shapes.

D)

human faces.

33.

The perceptual processes that make use of preexisting knowledge to interpret new information are called:

A)

sensory processes.

B)

top-down processes.

C)

bottom-up processes.

D)

parallel processes.

34.

Anne Treisman proposes that two stages of feature processing occur early in perception. The first stage is feature ______, which involves ______ processing.

A)

detection; serial

B)

detection; parallel

C)

integration; serial

D)

integration; parallel

35.

Structuralists believed that perception ______, whereas Gestaltists believed that it ______.

A)

involves combining sensory elements; involves responding to whole patterns of sensory information

B)

is entirely a top-down process; is entirely a bottom-up process

C)

is entirely a cognitive process; is entirely an affective or emotional process

D)

is entirely determined by context; is entirely a matter of object recognition

36.

It is easier to see a camouflaged animal when it moves than when it stays still. This illustrates the Gestalt principle of:

A)

closure.

B)

proximity.

C)

similarity.

D)

common movement.

37.

The Gestalt school believes that the tendency to divide a visual scene into a figure and a ground is:

A)

learned and independent of stimulus characteristics.

B)

learned and directed by certain stimulus characteristics.

C)

automatic and independent of stimulus characteristics.

D)

automatic and directed by certain stimulus characteristics.

38.

In Irving Biederman's theory of object recognition, a geon is a(n):

A)

primitive feature.

B)

extremely complex geometric shape that cannot be broken down into lower-level components.

C)

simple geometric form that is the building block of more complex forms.

D)

point in space.

39.

According to a well-accepted theory proposed by Eleanor Gibson, people become better at identifying objects from among others that look similar (such as distinguishing sugar maples from other maples) by:

A)

learning to attend to the distinctive features of the object.

B)

acquiring a Gestalt-like sense of the object as a whole.

C)

learning to attend to higher-order stimuli and to ignore primitive features.

D)

learning to apply the Gestalt principle of good continuation to the object.

40.

Binocular disparity is a cue for depth that depends on the fact that the two eyes:

A)

diverge when looking at the same object.

B)

differ in the sharpness of their image of the same object.

C)

see a different view of the same object.

D)

absorb different wavelengths of light from the same object.

41.

Which of the following is not a pictorial cue for depth?

A)

occlusion

B)

linear perspective

C)

motion parallax

D)

texture gradient

42.

The ability to judge the size of an object is most closely tied to the ability to judge its:

A)

orientation.

B)

shape.

C)

weight.

D)

distance.

43.

My pen looks the same size to me whether I hold it at arm's length or right in front of my face. This illustrates:

A)

size constancy.

B)

distance constancy.

C)

selective viewing.

D)

motion parallax.

44.

The term visual constancies refers to characteristics such as size, shape, and lightness that:

A)

do not appear to change when viewing conditions change.

B)

seldom appear to change because we expect them to remain the same.

C)

are physically unalterable.

D)

vary constantly in our visual experience and thus lead to perceptual instability.

45.

The direct-perception theory advanced by James Gibson:

A)

emphasizes the poverty of information available in the stimulus.

B)

has strong historical roots in empiricist philosophy.

C)

considers perception in the context of evolution.

D)

emphasizes the value of studying illusions.

46.

Compare rod vision and cone vision.

47.

What are top-down processes? Describe one piece of evidence indicating the role of top-down processes in visual perception. What are bottom-up processes? How might the two types of processes interact?

48.

What happens during early bottom-up processing, according to Treisman's feature-integration theory? How did Treisman determine when processing was parallel and when it was serial? What are illusory conjunctions and what produces them?

49.

How do we perceive depth? Be sure to include examples of both binocular and monocular cues in your explanation.

50.

How have theorists applied the depth-processing theory to the Müller-Lyer illusion? What is a potential problem with its application to the Müller-Lyer illusion? How could proponents defend its application?

1.

D

2.

B

3.

B

4.

B

5.

B

6.

D

7.

C

8.

C

9.

B

10.

D

11.

D

12.

D

13.

B

14.

B

15.

A

16.

A

17.

D

18.

B

19.

D

20.

B

21.

A

22.

D

23.

D

24.

C

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

C

31.

D

32.

D

33.

B

34.

B

35.

A

36.

D

37.

D

38.

C

39.

A

40.

C

41.

C

42.

D

43.

A

44.

A

45.

C

46.

47.

48.

49.

50.