ap psychology: sensation and perception...

AP Psychology: Sensation and Perception Overview Test

1. ________ is the perceptual experience of a particular sense evoked when another sense is stimulated.

A) Synesthesia B) Kinesthesia C) Kinetic perception D) Sensation.

2. A synesthete: A) is typically skeptical of organizational perception. B) may be easily hypnotizable. C) may see printed letters in specific colors. D) forms mnemonics based on the meaning of words.

3. Synesthesia is: A) the product of an hallucinogenic experience. B) a product of the imagination. C) more common in the population than previously believed. D) most common in young children.

4. Hearing Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in E flat, Miguel sees deep reds and purples. Miguel is likely:

A) an aesthete. B) tone deaf. C) color blind. D) a synesthete.

5. Simple awareness due to the stimulation of a sense organ is known as: A) sensation. B) perception. C) perceptual organization. D) mental representation.

6. The organization, identification, and interpretation of a sensation in order to form a mental representation is known as:

A) sensation. B) perception. C) sensational perception. D) mental representation.

7. Sensation occurs: A) when the brain interprets a perception. B) at the level of the brain. C) as the body interacts with the physical world. D) at the same time as perception.

8. ________ occurs when many sensors in the body convert physical signals from the environment into neural signals that are sent to the central nervous system.

A) Sensation B) Perception C) Synesthesia D) Transduction

9. Gustav Fechner's development of psychophysics was based on the work of: A) the structuralists. B) the functionalists. C) William James. D) Albert Bandura.

10. Methods that measure the strength of a stimulus and the observer's sensitivity to that stimulus are called, collectively:

A) introspections. B) psychophysics. C) stimulations. D) sensation and perception.

11. Gustav Fechner was concerned with: A) measuring the experiences of synesthetes. B) developing a method to accurately measure transduction. C) developing an approach to measuring sensation and perception. D) the development of physics in the 18th century.

12. A study in which a participant reports flashes of light seen on a screen is likely to be a(n): A) outpatient eye examination. B) transduction experiment. C) routine field study. D) typical psychophysics experiment.

13. The intensity needed to just barely detect a stimulus is the: A) absolute threshold. B) minimal threshold. C) lowest common denominator. D) maximum threshold.

14. When the absolute threshold for sound is graphed, the transition from not hearing to hearing is ________ rather than ________.

A) the just necessary difference. B) the just negative denominator. C) the just noticeable difference. D) the just negligible difference.

15. Gustav Fechner called the minimal change in a stimulus that can just barely be detected: A) the just necessary difference. B) the just negative denominator. C) the just noticeable difference. D) the just negligible difference.

16. The absolute threshold for sound is the point at which the stimulus is perceived ________ of the time.

A) 25% B) 50% C) 75% D) 100%

17. According to ________, our response to a stimulus depends both on our sensitivity to the stimulus in the presence of noise and on our response criterion.

A) the just noticeable difference theory B) Weber's law C) the absolute threshold theory D) signal detection theory

18. Signal detection theory proposes a way to measure perceptual sensitivity, which is understood to be:

A) the extent to which the eye is sensitive to light. B) the degree of effectiveness with which the perceptual system represents sensory

events. C) a measure of how quickly an individual responds to a tone. D) the awareness of auditory stimuli.

19. Participants in a study of cell phone use and attention in driving: A) were able to multitask well, even when they had to react suddenly to external stimuli. B) were significantly slower to react while listening to the radio. C) reacted significantly slower during phone conversations than during other tasks. D) reacted significantly faster if their cell phones were hands-free.

20. Which of the following significantly affects the ability to drive safely? A) listening to the songs on an iPOD B) singing along with the radio C) thinking about the evening's date D) talking on a cell phone

21. Which of the following is an example of sensory adaptation? A) adjusting to cold water temperature in a pool after a few minutes of shivering B) learning to identify future test questions by the emphasis given in class by the

instructor C) getting used to being away from home after a period of homesickness D) appreciating new foods although missing the taste of traditional dishes

22. Without sensory adaptation, you might: A) learn to adapt to new stimuli more quickly. B) be constantly aware of the pinch of your watch on your wrist. C) believe that your senses are more acute than those of others. D) be very comfortable wearing tight jeans.

23. Compared to that of hawks and other raptors, the visual acuity of humans is: A) about the same. B) much greater. C) much less. D) less but not significantly so.

24. The three physical properties of light waves are: A) speed, direction, and strength. B) velocity, amplitude, and length. C) length, width, and depth. D) length, amplitude, and purity.

25. The length of a light wave determines the attribute we perceive as: A) hue. B) intensity. C) proximity. D) saturation.

26. The amplitude of a light wave determines the attribute we perceive as: A) hue. B) brightness. C) intensity. D) saturation.

27. The doughnut-shaped muscle that controls how much light can enter the eye is the: A) pupil. B) cornea. C) iris. D) retina.

28. When you enter a dark movie theater from the bright light of a sunny afternoon, your ________ dilate, enlarging the size of your pupils to let in more light.

A) corneas B) foveas C) retinas D) irises

29. If the eyeball is too long, images are focused in front of the retina, and the result is: A) myopia. B) hyperopia. C) farsightedness. D) corneal transplants.

30. If you have trouble seeing the television from a reasonable distance, it is possible that you are:

A) hyperopic. B) nearsighted. C) farsighted. D) astigmatic.

31. The photoreceptor cells in the retina that operate under normal daylight conditions and allow focusing on fine detail are the:

A) foveas. B) nuclei. C) cones. D) rods.

32. Rods are ________ cones, but they sense only shades of gray. A) less prevalent than B) very similar to C) much less sensitive photoreceptors than D) much more sensitive photoreceptors than

33. Although it is the area of the retina where vision is clearest, the fovea contains no ________ at all.

A) rods B) cones C) retinal ganglia D) bipolar cells

34. Although the ________ in the retina adapt to the dark of a movie theater relatively quickly, they ________ in dim light.

A) rods; are not very sensitive B) cones; are not very sensitive C) rods; are very sensitive D) cones; are very sensitive

35. The neuron cells that occupy the retina's three distinct layers are the: A) rods and cones, bipolar cells, and retinal ganglia. B) photo-adaptive cells, retinal ganglia, and bipolar cells. C) photoreceptor cells, bipolar cells, and retinal ganglion cells. D) cones, rods, and bipolar cells.

36. The axon of a retinal ganglion cell (RGC) joins all other RGC axons to form the: A) basal ganglion. B) rods. C) cones. D) optic nerve.

37. The hole in the retina, which lacks a mechanism to sense light and contains neither rods nor cones, is called the:

A) receptive field. B) fovea. C) blind spot. D) iris.

38. Colors of the visible spectrum in order from shortest to longest wavelength to are: A) deep purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red B) red, orange, yellow, green, blue, deep purple C) red, yellow, orange, deep purple, green, blue D) blue, green, deep purple, orange, yellow, red

39. In additive color mixing,: A) added light stimulates the red, blue, or green photopigments in the rods. B) added light stimulates the red, blue, or green photopigments in the cones. C) red and yellow light are mixed to make orange. D) all the visible wavelengths are mixed to make black.

40. According to the ________ explanation of color vision, the pattern of response across the three types of cones provides a unique code for each color.

A) color-opponent B) color blindness C) trichromatic D) lateral inhibition

41. According to the ________ explanation of color vision, pairs of visual neurons work in opposition to each other.

A) color blindness B) trichromatic C) lateral inhibition D) color-opponent

42. According to the color-opponent system, red-green cells ________ their firing rates in response to wavelengths corresponding to red and ________ their firing rates in response to wavelengths corresponding to green.

A) increase; decrease B) decrease; increase C) increase; increase D) decrease; decrease

43. What process explains the fact that staring at a red patch for a minute will produce a green afterimage?

A) trichromatic color representation in the cones B) color-opponent representation into the brain C) lateral inhibition in the eye D) light adaptation in the retina

44. The optic nerve, which leaves each eye, contains axons from retinal ganglion cells that code information in the ________ and the ________.

A) rods; cones B) thalamus; pituitary gland C) right visual field; left visual field D) frontal lobe; temporal lobe

45. Which of the following sequences correctly follows the visual pathway from the eye through the brain?

A) optic nerve, retina, lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) in the thalamus, area V1 B) cornea, pupil, iris, retina, optic nerve C) iris, pupil, cornea, retina, optic nerve D) retina, optic nerve, lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) in the thalamus, area V1

46. Area V1, the primary visual cortex, contains neurons that are specialized for encoding edge orientation; it is located in the ________ lobe.

A) occipital B) parietal C) frontal D) temporal

47. The brain pathway that enables us to identify what we see is the: A) dorsal stream. B) ventral stream. C) anterior stream. D) posterior stream.

48. The brain pathway that enables us to locate objects, track their movements, and move in relation to them is the:

A) anterior stream. B) posterior stream. C) dorsal stream. D) ventral stream.

49. The ventral stream travels across the occipital lobe into the lower levels of the: A) thalamus. B) optic nerve. C) parietal lobes. D) temporal lobes.

50. The dorsal stream travels from the occipital lobe to the: A) parietal lobes. B) temporal lobes. C) hypothalamus. D) optic nerve.

51. The ________ explains the ability to recognize a face across the room by suggesting that there are specialized brain areas, or modules, that specifically detect faces.

A) distributed representation view B) modular view C) perceptual constancy view D) visual form agnosia view

52. Perception remains consistent even as aspects of sensory signals change. This principle is called:

A) perceptual compactness. B) visual reliability. C) perceptual constancy. D) visual acceptance.

53. Even though a friend may change hair style and color, we can both notice the differences and recognize our friend because of:

A) visual perceptions. B) visual compacts. C) perceptual objects. D) perceptual constancies.

54. Gestalt psychologists hold that the brain is predisposed to impose order on incoming sensations, and one way it does this is by:

A) perceptual grouping rules. B) conscious thought processes. C) visual ordering. D) retinal disparity.

55. Although some parts of a neon sign that reads “Fontana di Trevi Pizza Palace” are out, the words are easily understood because of the principle of:

A) simplicity. B) closure. C) proximity. D) similarity.

56. Who is on which team in a soccer match is clear from the team uniforms, which group the players by the Gestalt principle of:

A) proximity. B) closure. C) similarity. D) continuity.

57. When you read, the written words and the illustrations are perceived as ________; the white of the page itself is perceived as ________.

A) near; far B) shape-based; size-based C) images; context D) figure; ground

58. Researchers have proposed two broad explanations of object recognition, image-based recognition theories and:

A) parts-based object recognition theories. B) mental representation theories. C) template recognition theories. D) pattern recognition theories.

59. Kevin correctly judged that his car was parked farther from his classroom than his friend's car, because he perceived his car as smaller than his friend's. His brain was making use of a monocular cue called:

A) proximity. B) relative size. C) simplicity. D) disparity.

60. Railway tracks seem to converge in the distance, an example of the monocular cue known as:

A) texture gradient. B) interposition. C) linear perspective. D) retinal disparity.

61. Painting a field of sunflowers, Casey delineated the flowers in the foreground and blended those farther away in the field, as she saw them in life; she was depicting:

A) interposition. B) linear perspective. C) a retinal disparity. D) a texture gradient.

62. Because the brown bear is partially obscured by the car, Nick assumes that the car is closer to him than the bear; Nick is depending on the cue called:

A) interposition. B) linear perspective. C) texture gradient. D) retinal disparity.

63. Binocular depth cues depend on: A) looking twice at objects in order to distinguish them. B) stereoscopic vision. C) the availability of a second, functioning eye if one is damaged. D) equal functioning in both eyes.

64. The special glasses used at IMAX movie theaters rely on what binocular depth cue to make the audience feel it is actually in the scene?

A) texture gradient B) interposition C) binocular disparity D) linear perspective

65. Incorrectly perceived distance can affect the perception of size, a fact illustrated by: A) motion parallax. B) the View-Master 3-D toy. C) the Pragnanz illusion. D) the moon illusion.

66. When the moon is high in the night sky,: A) it projects a retinal image identical in size to that projected when it first appears over

the horizon. B) it appears much smaller than it does at the horizon because of atmospheric

interference. C) it appears very slightly larger than it does at the horizon because of atmospheric

interference. D) horizon cues are lacking, so it appears to be moving very slowly.

67. After staring at a waterfall for several minutes, you may seem to see the nearby rocks and trees move upward; you are experiencing:

A) the effect of motion parallax. B) motion perception that depends in part on opponent processes. C) perceptual hypnotism. D) retinal disparity.

68. Animated films, which are essentially series of still images flashed on the screen in rapid succession, depend on the phenomenon of:

A) perceptual adaptation. B) motion parallax. C) apparent motion. D) the waterfall illusion.

69. Sound-wave frequency is to pitch as amplitude is to: A) complexity. B) quality of sound. C) timbre. D) loudness.

70. We perceive changes in the physical frequency of a sound wave as changes in: A) pitch. B) loudness. C) complexity. D) timbre.

71. When Andrew the dinner bell, he could distinguish it from other sounds principally because of its:

A) amplitude. B) frequency. C) complexity. D) timbre.

72. The function of the ________ is to collect sound waves and funnel them toward the middle ear.

A) middle ear B) basilar membrane C) outer ear D) ossicles

73. Which of the following sequences lists the parts of the human ear in the order in which sound waves travel through them from the environment?

A) auditory canal, pinna, eardrum, ossicles, cochlea, auditory nerve, brain B) pinna, auditory canal, eardrum, cochlea, ossicles, auditory nerve, brain C) auditory canal, pinna, eardrum, cochlea, ossicles, auditory nerve, brain D) pinna, auditory canal, eardrum, ossicles, cochlea, auditory nerve, brain

74. The ossicles in the middle ear, the three smallest bones in the body, are the hammer, ________, and ________.

A) the anvil; the stirrup B) the cochlea; the apex C) the semicircular canals; the anvil D) the anvil; the cochlea

75. When sound waves reach your eardrum from a source in the environment, the ________ in the middle ear pick up the eardrum vibrations, amplify them, and pass them along by vibrating a membrane at the surface of the fluid-filled cochlea in the inner ear.

A) semicircular canals B) ossicles C) hammer and anvil D) cochlea

76. The structure in the inner ear that undulates when vibrations from the ossicles reach the cochlear fluid is the:

A) cochlear membrane. B) auditory membrane. C) basilar membrane. D) auditory transducer.

77. The basilar membrane contains specialized auditory receptor neurons called: A) ossicles. B) cochlear cells. C) neurotransmitters. D) hair cells.

78. From the inner ear, action potentials in the auditory nerve travel to the ________ in the brain.

A) thalamus B) hypothalamus C) pituitary gland D) reticular formation

79. For most people, the auditory areas in the left hemisphere of the brain analyze sounds related to:

A) music. B) language. C) rhythmic sounds. D) magnitude.

80. Emily is a singer, and so it is likely that the auditory areas in the ________ of her brain have become “specialists” in processing music and rhythmic sounds.

A) frontal lobe B) parietal lobe C) right hemisphere D) left hemisphere

81. The human ear has two mechanisms to encode sound-wave frequency: the ________, used primarily for high frequencies, and the ________, used primarily for low frequencies.

A) V1 area; A1 area B) semicircular canals; cochlea C) place code; temporal code D) temporal code; place code

82. The sound amplification from a new hearing aid has enabled an 80-year-old man to take part in conversations again. Because his hearing deteriorated very slowly as he aged, it is likely this man has:

A) idiopathic hearing loss. B) reductive hearing loss. C) sensorineural hearing loss. D) conductive hearing loss.

83. ________ hearing loss is caused by damage to the cochlea, the hair cells, or the auditory nerve.

A) Sensorineural B) Conductive C) Idiopathic D) Reductive

84. When Gigi, a one-week-old infant, explores the world by grasping her toys, she is benefiting by:

A) thermoreception. B) haptic perception. C) neural feedback. D) vestibular perception.

85. The specialized receptors in the skin that sense cold and warmth are called: A) thermometers. B) thermodynamic receptors. C) thermoreceptors. D) transducers.

86. One reason our lips and fingertips are so sensitive is that: A) they are used much more often than other areas of the body. B) they contain a relatively sparse arrangement of touch receptors. C) they are connected directly to the receptors in the spinal cord. D) they have a large topographical representation in the somatosensory cortex.

87. When Lupe grasps a teddy bear with her right hand, the touch receptors in her hand project sensory signals to:

A) the left parietal lobe of her brain. B) the right parietal lobe of her brain. C) the left temporal lobe of her brain. D) the right temporal lobe of her brain.

88. The left half of the body is represented in the right half of the brain, and vice versa. This pattern is called:

A) homunculateral organization. B) contralateral organization. C) topographical representation. D) somatosensory representation.

89. A major benefit of the experience of pain is that: A) pain causes the body to build immunity to more pain. B) pain increases our awareness of our bodies. C) pain serves as an indicator of possible damage to the body. D) pain is important in the body's auto-immune system.

90. When Taylor stepped on a piece of broken glass at the beach, he initially felt a sudden stinging pain, which was transmitted by:

A) B-alpha fibers. B) D fibers. C) C fibers. D) A-delta fibers.

91. When Rosalie was stung by a jellyfish at the beach, the throbbing, dull pain she still felt hours later was carried by:

A) C fibers. B) B-alpha fibers. C) A-delta fibers. D) D fibers.

92. When you hit your elbow on the edge of the desk, neural signals for pain travel to ________ distinct areas of the brain and evoke ________ distinct psychological experiences.

A) three; two B) two; two C) three; three D) four; three

93. When you stub your toe, neural signals for pain are sent to the ________, an area in the parietal lobe of the brain that identifies where the pain is occurring and what sort of pain it is.

A) motor cortex B) receptor cortex C) somatosensory cortex D) haptic cortex

94. The area of the brain that motivates us to escape from or relieve the pain that occurs when we get too close to a hot fire is the:

A) thalamus. B) receptor cortex. C) somatosensory cortex. D) amygdala.

95. The victim of a heart attack often feels pain radiating from the left arm rather than from inside the chest; this is an example of:

A) referred pain. B) tactile pain. C) large muscle pain. D) connection pain.

96. When Jackson was stung by a bee, a friend told him to rub the affected area to ease the pain. His friend's suggestion is based on:

A) the somatosensory cortex. B) the gate control theory. C) haptic perception. D) the referred pain theory.

97. Receptors in the muscles, tendons, and joints are to ________ as the vestibular system is to ________.

A) body movement; audition B) body pain; gate control C) position of the body in space; balance D) balance; position of the body in space

98. The chemical senses are: A) olfaction and haptic perception. B) haptic perception and gustation. C) olfaction and audition. D) olfaction and gustation.

99. The experience of flavor results from a combination of: A) taste and smell. B) pheromones and taste. C) smell and haptic sensation. D) smell and olfaction.

100. Rescue dogs are often successful in searching for the bodies of missing persons because: A) dogs have a well-developed sense of haptic perception. B) breeds used for this work have as many as 100 times more ORNs than humans do. C) dogs are hard-wired to want to please their trainers. D) dogs have many times more olfactory nerves than humans do.

101. A newborn baby can distinguish the smell of its mother's breast from the smell of other mothers because of:

A) gustation. B) tastant molecules. C) pheromones. D) haptic sensation.

102. Memories are readily evoked by smell because of the connection between the olfactory system and:

A) comfort food. B) the temporal lobes. C) the thalamus. D) the forebrain.

103. Biochemical odorants, emitted in various circumstances by members of a species that affect the behavior or physiology of other members of the species, are called:

A) pheromones. B) glomeruli. C) olfacterones. D) ORNs.

104. By the end of a semester the menstrual periods of females in a dormitory are likely to be synchronized. This phenomenon is due to:

A) the estrogen/testosterone response cycle. B) the action pheromones. C) gustation. D) the interplay of olfaction and gustation.

105. Papillae, the bumps on the tongue, each contain hundreds of ________, the organ of taste transduction.

A) glomeruli B) ORNs C) taste buds D) MSGs

106. John does not enjoy his food as much as he used to when he was a younger man; this is most likely because:

A) the sense of haptic perception fades with age. B) he is a nontaster. C) he has always been a fussy eater. D) taste perception fades with age.

107. The human eye contains millions of rods and cones, whereas the taste system contains ________ main types of taste receptors.

A) five B) 350 C) 5,000 D) 10,000

108. The five main taste receptors correspond to five primary taste sensations: A) tart, acerbic, acidic, umami, sweet. B) salt, sour, bitter, sweet, umami. C) astringent, sweet, savory, umami, salt. D) syrupy, sweet, salt, bitter, tsunami.

109. Salt taste receptors are most strongly activated by sodium chloride; whereas umami receptor cells are most strongly activated by:

A) acids. B) vinegar. C) glutamate. D) sugar.

Answer Key - Untitled Exam-10

1. A 2. B 3. C 4. D 5. A 6. B 7. C 8. D 9. A 10. B 11. C 12. D 13. A 14. C 15. C 16. B 17. D 18. B 19. C 20. D 21. A 22. B 23. C 24. D 25. A 26. B 27. C 28. D 29. A 30. B 31. C 32. D 33. A 34. B 35. C 36. D 37. C 38. A 39. B 40. C 41. D

42. A 43. B 44. C 45. D 46. A 47. B 48. C 49. D 50. A 51. B 52. C 53. D 54. A 55. B 56. C 57. D 58. A 59. B 60. C 61. D 62. A 63. B 64. C 65. D 66. A 67. B 68. C 69. D 70. A 71. B 72. C 73. D 74. A 75. B 76. C 77. D 78. A 79. B 80. C 81. C 82. D 83. A 84. B

85. C 86. D 87. A 88. B 89. C 90. D 91. A 92. B 93. C 94. D 95. A 96. B 97. C 98. D 99. A 100. B 101. C 102. D 103. A 104. B 105. C 106. D 107. A 108. B 109. C

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