A)

B)
C)
D)

1.Which of the following is true?

The absolute threshold for any stimulus is a constant.
The absolute threshold for any stimulus varies somewhat.
The absolute threshold is defined as the minimum amount of stimulation necessary
for a stimulus to be detected 75 percent of the time.
The absolute threshold is defined as the minimum amount of stimulation necessary
for a stimulus to be detected 60 percent of the time.

A)
B)
C)
D)

2.If you can just notice the difference between 10- and 11-pound weights, which of the
following weights could you differentiate from a 100-pound weight?
101-pound weight
105-pound weight
110-pound weight
There is no basis for prediction.

A)
B)
C)
D)

3.A decrease in sensory responsiveness accompanying an unchanging stimulus is called

sensory fatigue.
accommodation.
sensory adaptation.
sensory interaction.

A)
B)
C)
D)

4.The size of the pupil is controlled by the

lens.
retina.
cornea.
iris.

A)
B)
C)
D)

5.The process by which the lens changes its curvature is

accommodation.
sensory adaptation.
feature detection.
transduction.

A)
B)
C)
D)

6.The receptor of the eye that functions best in dim light is the
fovea.
cone.
bipolar cell.
rod.

A)
B)

7.The Young-Helmholtz theory proposes that

there are three different types of color-sensitive cones.
retinal cells are excited by one color and inhibited by its complementary color.
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C)
D)

there are four different types of cones.

rod, not cone, vision accounts for our ability to detect fine visual detail.

A)
B)
C)
D)

8.Frequency is to pitch as ________ is to ________.

wavelength; loudness
amplitude; loudness
wavelength; intensity
amplitude; intensity

A)
B)
C)
D)

9.Our experience of pain when we are injured depends on

our biological makeup and the type of injury we have sustained.
how well medical personnel deal with our injury.
our physiology, experiences and attention, and surrounding culture.
what our culture allows us to express in terms of feelings of pain.

A)
B)
C)
D)

10.According to the gate-control theory, a way to alleviate chronic pain would be to

stimulate the ________ nerve fibers that ________ the spinal gate.
small; open
small; close
large; open
large; close

A)
B)
C)
D)

11.The transduction of light energy into nerve impulses takes place in the
iris.
retina.
lens.
optic nerve.

A)
B)
C)
D)

12.The brain breaks vision into separate dimensions such as color, depth, movement, and
form, and works on each aspect simultaneously. This is called
feature detection.
parallel processing.
accommodation.
opponent processing.

A)
B)
C)
D)

13.Kinesthesis involves
the bones of the middle ear.
information from the bones, ears, tendons, and joints.
membranes within the cochlea.
the body's sense of balance.

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A)
B)
C)
D)

14.One light may appear reddish and another greenish if they differ in
wavelength.
amplitude.
opponent processes.
brightness.

A)
B)
C)
D)

15.Which of the following explains why a rose appears equally red in bright and dim light?
the Young-Helmholtz theory
the opponent-process theory
feature detection
color constancy

16.Which of the following is an example of sensory adaptation?

finding the cold water of a swimming pool warmer after you have been in it for a
while
B)
developing an increased sensitivity to salt the more you use it in foods
C)
becoming very irritated at the continuing sound of a dripping faucet
D)
All of these are examples.
A)

A)
B)
C)
D)

17.Most color-deficient people will probably

lack functioning red- or green-sensitive cones.
see the world in only black and white.
also suffer from poor vision.
have above-average vision to compensate for the deficit.

A)
B)
C)
D)

18.The historical movement associated with the statement The whole may exceed the sum
of its parts is
parapsychology.
behavioral psychology.
functional psychology.
Gestalt psychology.

A)
B)
C)
D)

19.Figures tend to be perceived as whole, complete objects, even if spaces or gaps exist in
the representation, thus demonstrating the principle of
interposition.
linear perspective.
continuity.
closure.

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A)
B)
C)
D)

20.The figure-ground relationship has demonstrated that

perception is largely innate.
perception is simply a point-for-point representation of sensation.
the same stimulus can trigger more than one perception.
different people see different things when viewing a scene.

A)
B)
C)
D)

21.When we stare at an object, each eye receives a slightly different image, providing a
depth cue known as
interposition.
linear perspective.
relative motion.
retinal disparity.

A)
B)
C)
D)

22.As we move, viewed objects cast changing shapes on our retinas, although we do not
perceive the objects as changing. This is part of the phenomenon of
perceptual constancy.
relative motion.
linear perspective.
continuity.

A)
B)
C)
D)

23.A person claiming to be able to read another's mind is claiming to have the ESP ability of
psychokinesis.
precognition.
clairvoyance.
telepathy.

A)
B)
C)
D)

24.Which philosopher maintained that knowledge comes from inborn ways of organizing
our sensory experiences?
Locke
Kant
Gibson
Walk

25.Kittens and monkeys reared seeing only diffuse, unpatterned light

later had difficulty distinguishing color and brightness.
later had difficulty perceiving color and brightness, but eventually regained normal
sensitivity.
C)
later had difficulty perceiving the shape of objects.
D)
showed no impairment in perception, indicating that neural feature detectors develop
even in the absence of normal sensory experiences.
A)
B)

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A)
B)
C)
D)

26.Adults who are born blind but later have their vision restored
are almost immediately able to recognize familiar objects.
typically fail to recognize familiar objects.
are unable to follow moving objects with their eyes.
have excellent eye-hand coordination.

A)
B)
C)
D)

27.________ processing refers to how the physical characteristics of stimuli influence their
interpretation.
Top-down
Bottom-up
Parapsychological
Psychophysical

A)
B)
C)
D)

28.Which of the following is NOT a monocular depth cue?

light and shadow
relative height
retinal disparity
interposition

A)
B)
C)
D)

29.The Moon illusion occurs in part because distance cues at the horizon make the Moon
seem
farther away and therefore larger.
closer and therefore larger.
farther away and therefore smaller.
closer and therefore smaller.

A)
B)
C)
D)

30.Figure is to ground as ________ is to ________.

night; day
top; bottom
cloud; sky
sensation; perception

A)
B)
C)
D)

31.The study of perception is primarily concerned with how we

detect sights, sounds, and other stimuli.
sense environmental stimuli.
develop sensitivity to illusions.
interpret sensory stimuli.

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A)
B)
C)
D)

32.Which of the following influences perception?

biological maturation
the context in which stimuli are perceived
expectations
all of these factors

A)
B)
C)
D)

33.Jack claims that he often has dreams that predict future events. He claims to have the
power of
telepathy.
clairvoyance.
precognition.
psychokinesis.

C)
D)

34.Which of the following is true regarding scientific investigations of precognition?

A growing body of research demonstrates that some people are truly psychic.
Studies that seem to provide evidence of precognitive ability have been criticized for
being badly flawed.
The search for a valid test of ESP has resulted in only a handful of studies.
All of these statements are true.

A)
B)
C)
D)

35.The frequency theory of hearing is better than the place theory at explaining our sensation
of
the lowest pitches.
pitches of intermediate range.
the highest pitches.
all these pitches.

A)
B)

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

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