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Chapter 4 - part 1: Psychophysics: Basic Concepts and Issues
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Questions in this quiz (29)
1Which of the following reflects a distinction between the process of sensation and the process of perception?
- ASensation is not necessary for perception, but perception is necessary for sensation.
- BSensation occurs at the level of the brain, while perception occurs at the level of the mind.
- CSensation reflects the proximal stimulus, while perception reflects the distal stimulus.
- DSensation occurs at the level of the sense organs, while perception occurs at the level of the brain.
2Light has entered Jeff’s eye and has stimulated receptors there. Which of the following terms describes this process?
- Adetection
- Bperception
- Cproximal stimulation
- Dsensation
3A neural signal from Mary’s taste bud has travelled to her cortex, and she experiences enjoyment of a sweet flavour. Which of the following terms describes this process?
- Asensation
- Bdistal stimulation
- Cdetection
- Dperception
4What is your absolute threshold?
- Athe point at which you detect any portion of a stimulus
- Bthe point at which you detect a stimulus that registers on sensory memory
- Cthe point at which you detect any stimulus set point
- Dthe point at which you detect a stimulus about half of the time
5Werner was having his hearing tested, and a number of the tones that were presented were so faint he was not able to detect them. What can you say about the faint sounds?
- AThey are below Werner’s absolute threshold for sound.
- BThey cannot create a just noticeable difference.
- CThey cause weak action potentials.
- DThey fall below Werner’s adaptation level for sound.
6Juanita was drinking some warm punch, and she thought she could just detect a faint taste of nutmeg in the punch. When she took another sip, the taste wasn’t there. On the third sip, she could just make out the taste of nutmeg again. What could you say about the taste of nutmeg in this situation?
- AIt falls just below her taste constancy level.
- BIt produces a proximal rather than distal stimulus.
- CIt is just at her absolute threshold for taste.
- DIt produces a just noticeable difference.
7Giovanni was watching the night sky on a clear evening in November. He noticed that sometimes when he
looked directly overhead he could detect a very faint star. A few minutes later, it seemed that the star had
disappeared and then it “appeared” again. How would you describe the light from the star in this case?- AIt produces a just noticeable difference.
- BIt produces a distal stimulus.
- CIt falls just below Giovanni’s level for perceptual invariance.
- DIt is just at Giovanni’s absolute threshold for light.
8Which of the following is being measured if a subject is presented with a series of light bulb pairs of different wattages and is asked whether the members of each pair differ in brightness?
- Asubject’s visual acuity
- Bsubject’s absolute threshold for brightness
- Csubject’s just noticeable difference for brightness
- Dphysical intensity difference between the two lights
9If a 100 Hz tone had to be increased to 101 Hz for a subject to just notice the difference, what would you
change a 1000 Hz tone to in order for that subject to notice the difference?- A1010 Hz
- B1050 Hz
- C1100 Hz
- D1200 Hz
10Evelyn turned up the thermostat from 68 degrees to 70 degrees; however, she doesn’t think it feels any warmer
and she wants to turn it up even higher. Her roommate thinks that it is now too hot, and she wants to turn the
thermostat back down. How does Evelyn’s just noticeable difference compare to her roommate’s?- AEvelyn’s is smaller.
- BEvelyn’s is lower.
- CEvelyn’s is larger.
- DEvelyn’s is higher.
11Raul is making potato soup. His roommate tastes it and tells Raul it is great, but Raul thinks it needs more salt.
He adds just a little salt, but doesn’t think that he has added enough because he doesn’t detect a difference.
However, his roommate tastes it again and tells Raul that the soup is now perfect, with just the right amount of
salt. Which of the following is most accurate?- ARaul’s roommate has a higher absolute threshold than does Raul.
- BRaul has more taste cells on the back of his tongue than does his roommate.
- CRaul is a nontaster.
- DRaul’s roommate can detect a smaller just noticeable difference than Raul can.
12When Celeste was playing her stereo at 40 decibels and she turned it up to 42 decibels, she could notice that it
was louder. If Celeste’s stereo were playing at 80 decibels, what should her just noticeable difference be?- A1 decibel, half as much as it was at 40 decibels
- B2 decibels, the same as it was at 40 decibels
- C3 decibels, 50 percent more than it was at 40 decibels
- D4 decibels, twice as much as it was at 40 decibels
13You have a lamp with a three-way light bulb. You can use the light at 50 watts, 100 watts, or 150 watts. When
you change between settings, which of the following changes will be perceived as a larger increase in brightness?- Afrom off to 50 watts
- Bfrom 50 to 100 watts
- Cfrom 100 to 150 watts
- DEach change will be perceived as an equivalent difference.
14In the signal-detection method, what do we call it when a subject detects a stimulus when no stimulus is actually
present?- Ahit
- Bcorrect rejection
- Cmiss
- Dfalse alarm
15Which type of signal-detection error becomes more likely when someone is not expecting the stimulus?
- Acorrect rejection
- Bmiss
- Caccurate hit
- Dfalse alarm
16In signal detection, which type of error is more likely if you are expecting the stimulus to occur?
- Afalse alarm
- Bmiss
- Ccorrect rejection
- Dnoise hit
17Jerry, a nuclear operator, must monitor 50 different gauges that keep track of various aspects of the nuclear
reactor. Which of the following theories provides the most specific predictions for Jerry’s likelihood of detecting
any changes or problems?- Asignal-detection
- BFechner’s law
- CPragnanz
- DWeber’s law
18Joan was sitting talking with some friends when she suddenly left the room to check on her baby. She was sure
she heard little Emily cry out, but when she checked, Emily was sleeping peacefully. What would you call Joan’s
response based on signal-detection theory?- Ahit
- Bfalse alarm
- Ccorrect rejection
- Dmiss
19Dalton was sitting in the hallway outside his chemistry class. Some students said they thought they could smell
smoke, but Dalton didn’t smell anything. When they all checked the lab to see if there were any problems,
everything was fine and nothing was burning. What would you call Dalton’s response based on signaldetection
theory?- Afalse alarm
- Blow threshold
- Chigh threshold
- Dcorrect rejection
20Your criterion for “hearing” mysterious noises at night may change after a rash of burglaries in your
neighbourhood. Which of the following best explains this change?- AFechner’s law
- Bsignal-detection theory
- CWeber’s law
- Dsensory adaptation
21What does “subliminal” mean?
- Adeceptive
- Bbelow threshold
- Cbarely perceptible
- Dsuperimposed
22Which of the following statements about subliminal perception is most accurate?
- ASubliminal perception is possible only if sensory adaptation has taken place.
- BAlthough subliminal perception was once dismissed by scientists as preposterous, recent evidence
suggests it has some effects on behaviour. - CScientists have conclusively demonstrated that perception simply cannot take place without conscious awareness.
- DRecent research suggests that subliminal messages can be quite persuasive in convincing us to buy
products we don’t want.
23What have researchers typically found when they have attempted to demonstrate subliminal perception effects in
the real world?- ASuch effects are substantial and a potential cause for public concern.
- BPeople are much more likely to be influenced by “positive” subliminal stimuli (e.g., selfhelp
tapes) than “negative” ones (e.g., subliminal advertising). - CPeople are much more likely to be influenced by “negative” subliminal stimuli than “positive” ones.
- DSuch effects are so weak as to be of little, if any, practical importance.
24What will eventually occur if you stare at an unchanging image for a long time?
- AYou will experience sensory adaptation.
- BYou will have a higher absolute threshold.
- CYou will perceive a just noticeable difference.
- DYou will experience sensory overload.
25What is sensory adaptation?
- Aa cause of false alarms in signal detection
- Bincrease in sensitivity after prolonged stimulation
- Cdecline in sensitivity after prolonged stimulation
- Dweakening of a neurotransmitter
26You enter a room and notice a distinctive new odour. After a bit of time, you no longer notice the odour. What
phenomenon does this illustrate?- Asensory adaptation
- BPragnanz
- Cprogressive desensitization
- Dfalse alarm
27Yaniv has been working for the past two hours, and the hum of his laptop computer that he found so annoying
when he started no longer bothers him. Which of the following processes is illustrated by the change in Yaniv’s
sensitivity to the laptop noise?- Aadjusting just noticeable differences
- Bsensory adaptation
- Cperceptual assimilation
- Dperceptual invariance
28Sonja put on a new watch this morning and found it uncomfortable because it was so much heavier than her old
watch. However, by noon, Sonja has forgotten that she is even wearing the watch. Which of the following
processes is illustrated by the change in Sonja’s sensitivity to the pressure of the watch?- Aperceptual assimilation
- Bsignal detection
- Cadjusting just noticeable differences
- Dsensory adaptation
29Which of the following CANNOT be explained by sensory adaptation?
- Afeeling comfortable in a cold swimming pool after being in for a few minutes
- Bgetting used to the smell of the perfume you are wearing
- Cgetting used to the touch of your clothes on your skin
- Dfeeling no sensation in a foot that has lost circulation
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- Psychology Quiz on Chapter 4 - part 1: Psychophysics: Basic Concepts and Issues, created by Vincent Voltaire on 09/02/2020.
- Author
- Vincent Voltaire
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- English
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- Created on 9 Feb 2020 · updated on 13 Feb 2020
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