Olfactory receptor cells are essential for our sense of
hearing.
equilibrium.
kinesthesis.
touch.
smell.
Sensation is to ________ as perception is to ________.
interpretation; organization
encoding; detection
detection; interpretation
threshold; transduction
organization; accommodation
The principles of continuity and closure best illustrate the importance of
binocular cues.
perceptual constancy.
Weber's law.
top-down processing.
perceptual adaptation.
An exhausted forest ranger may notice the faintest scent of a forest fire, whereas much stronger but less important odors fail to catch her attention. This fact would be of greatest relevance to
signal detection theory.
place theory.
frequency theory.
the Young-Helmholtz theory.
opponent-process theory.
When Jason briefly turned to summon the waiter, his wife quickly switched her glass of red wine with his glass of white wine. Jason's failure to notice that his chosen wine had been replaced best illustrates
place theory.
change blindness.
figure-ground.
parallel processing.
sensory interaction.
Bottom-up processing involves analysis that begins with the
occipital lobe.
feature detectors.
optic nerve.
sensory receptors.
cerebral cortex.
While you are hiking in the mountains, a rattlesnake slithers across your trail. Which of the following triggers the “fight-or-flight” response, increasing your heart rate and blood pressure, as you run away?
parasympathetic nervous system
limbic system
motor cortex
somatic nervous system
sympathetic nervous system
A time lag between left and right auditory stimulation is important for accurately
judging amplitude.
determining frequency.
locating sounds.
recognizing rhythms.
detecting pitch.
The amplitude of electromagnetic waves determines the ________ of light.
brightness
difference threshold
wavelength
hue
absolute threshold
As your teacher dims the lights to show a movie clip, you still perceive your friend's shirt as red. Which of the following best explains this phenomenon?
perceptual adaptation
lightness constancy
perceptual set
color constancy
context effects
According to the opponent-process theory, cells that are stimulated by exposure to ________ light are inhibited by exposure to ________ light.
yellow; green
red; blue
yellow; blue
blue; green
blue; red
Bipolar cells are located in the
cochlea.
optic nerve.
retina.
blind spot.
lens.
The local fire department sounds the 12 o'clock whistle. The process by which your ears convert the sound waves from the siren into neural impulses is an example of
sensory interaction.
parallel processing.
transduction.
sensory adaptation.
accommodation.
The convergence of parallel lines provides the distance cue known as
interposition.
linear perspective.
closure.
relative height.
continuity.
According to the Young-Helmholtz theory
color vision depends on pairs of opposing retinal processes.
certain nerve cells in the brain respond to specific features of a stimulus.
the size of the difference threshold is proportional to the intensity of the stimulus.
the optic nerve processes top-down stimuli.
the retina contains three kinds of color receptors.
While singing to you on your birthday, your friends leave off the very last word of the song, “Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear David, Happy birthday to….” Your tendency to mentally fill in the last word best reflects which of the following Gestalt principles of organization?
figure and ground
closure
proximity
connectedness
continuity
Imagine your friend walking toward you in the hall at school. As your friend gets closer, the image cast on your retina
appears higher in your field of vision.
gets darker.
gets larger.
gets smaller.
stays exactly the same.
A gestalt is best described as a(n)
perceptual adaptation.
binocular cue.
organized whole.
illusion.
perceptual set.
When looking at the hands of a clock showing 8 o'clock, certain brain cells in the visual cortex are more responsive than when the hands show 10 o'clock. This is most indicative of
perceptual adaptation.
parallel processing.
feature detection.
sensory interaction.
accommodation.
A floating sea vessel is to the ocean water as ________ is to ________.
light and shadow; relative height
figure; ground
proximity; similarity
closure; continuity
lightness constancy; relative height
The retina is to the eye as the ________ is to the ear.
auditory nerve
cochlea
eustachian tube
auditory canal
eardrum
Dilation and constriction of the pupil are controlled by the
optic nerve.
retina.
cornea.
lens.
iris.
Joe Wilson, age 55, has been told by experts that a hearing aid would restore his lost sense of hearing. It is likely that Joe's hearing loss involves problems within the
middle ear.
oval window.
basilar membrane.
auditory nerve.
inner ear.
In University of Utah driving-simulation experiments, students conversing on cell phones were slower to detect and respond to traffic signals. This best illustrates
selective attention.
retinal disparity.
the phi phenomenon.
gate-control theory.
place theory.
The principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant proportion for their difference to be perceived is known as
sensory interaction.
the opponent-process theory.
Weber's law.
the difference threshold.
feature detection.
The discovery that high-frequency sounds trigger large vibrations near the beginning of the basilar membrane supports the ________ theory.
gate-control
frequency
place
Young-Helmholtz
opponent-process
Clinical psychologists specialize in
providing therapy to troubled people.
studying how people solve complicated mental puzzles.
constructing surveys.
providing drugs to treat behavioral disorders.
animal research.
After learning that her new school friend had experienced several episodes of depression during junior high, Erin incorrectly perceived her friend's laughter as artificial and phony. This best illustrates the impact of
interposition.
clairvoyance.
the phi phenomenon.
opponent-process theory.
perceptual set.
Which theory suggests that large-fiber activity in the spinal cord can prevent pain signals from reaching the brain?
parallel processing
opponent-process theory
gate-control theory
signal detection theory
frequency theory
Movement of the hair cells along the basilar membrane
causes the olfactory bulb to send signals to the primary smell cortex.
allows us to sense our body's position and movement.
initiates transduction and the transmission of neural messages to the auditory cortex.
produces large-fiber activity in the spinal cord that closes the “gate” so we don't feel pain
stimulates the taste receptor cells and helps us to distinguish between different taste sensations.
If an adult develops cataracts, his or her
absolute threshold for light is likely to remain the same.
difference threshold for light is likely to decrease.
absolute threshold for light is likely to decrease.
difference threshold for light is likely to remain unchanged.
absolute threshold for light is likely to increase.
Which of the following is a binocular cue for the perception of distance?
linear perspective
relative motion
relative size
visual cliff
retinal disparity
The cochlea is a
fluid-filled tube that provides a sense of upright body position.
set of three tiny bones that amplify the vibrations of the eardrum.
fluid-filled tube that provides a sense of body movement.
specific area of the auditory cortex.
fluid-filled tube in which sound waves trigger nerve impulses.
When two adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession, we perceive a single light moving back and forth between them. This is called
perceptual set.
lightness constancy.
a context effect.
perceptual adaptation.
the phi phenomenon.
The chemical messengers released into the spatial junctions between neurons are called
sensory neurons.
neurotransmitters.
motor neurons.
synapses.
hormones.
Dr. Caleigh conducts basic research on the relationship between adults' language skills and their capacity to solve mathematical problems. Dr. Caleigh is most likely a(n) ________ psychologist.
biological
social
clinical
industrial-organizational
cognitive
Researchers have identified receptors for which of the following skin sensations?
cold
warmth
pressure
pain
hot
After listening to your high-volume car stereo for 15 minutes, you fail to realize how loudly the music is blasting. This best illustrates
sensory adaptation.
accommodation.
transduction.
Weber's law.
the volley principle.
The speed at which a neural impulse travels is increased when the axon is encased by a(n)
endocrine gland.
sympathetic nerve.
myelin sheath.
synaptic vesicle.
pituitary gland.
Which cells for visual processing are located closest to the back of the retina?