1. Sensation & Perception
Chapter 4

2. Unit Benchmarks
4.1 Explain the difference between sensation and perception 4.2 Explain the process of color vision and the color defects that can occur 4.3 Describe how rods and cones work 4.4 Describe the basic mechanisms of hearing, olfaction, and touch 4.5 Explain the functions of taste receptors 4.6 List and describe perceptual constancies 4.7 Explain how illusions are useful

3. Which of the following best describe the distinction between sensation and perception?
Sensation refers to touch, and perception refers to all other senses.
Sensation relies on the nervous system, and perception relies on the endocrine system.
Sensation refers to data from the environment, and perception refers to interpretation of that data.
Sensation refers to information sent to the sensory strip, and perception refers to information sent to the motor strip
4.1

4. Light from the sun or a bulb starts out as
White light
The absence of light
Ultraviolet light
Infrared light
4.2

5. Which of the following best describe why we perceive color?
High intensity light produces bright colors, while low intensity light produces dark colors
Light hits various objects and bounces back at us at different speeds and stimulates receptors in the eyes
Light hits various objects and stimulates the sensory strip in the brain which categorizes the color
All of the above
A & B only
4.2

6. Complete the analogy: infrared is to ultraviolet as
Red is to white
White is to red
Slow is to fast
Fast is to slow
4.2

7. The cornea, or the outer covering of the eye, often looks shiny because
Of the reflection of the retina behind the cornea
Of the reflection of fluid behind the cornea
Of the color of the iris
It contains no receptors for light
4.2

8. The purpose of the iris is to
Help focus on objects
Provide a covering for the eye itself
Control the amount of light entering the eye
Provide the ability to see color

9. What happens when we walk out of a dark movie theater into the bright sunshine?
The surplus of rods produced by the bright light momentarily blinds us
Receptors in the pupils shut down because of the bright lighting conditions
The iris responds by closing, gradually decreasing the amount of light that will be let in
All of the above
4.2

10. The size of Alice’s pupil will change
If the light that reaches the pupil changes
If Alice is experiencing fear
If she sees something unpleasant or she sees something she likes
For all of the above reasons
For A & B only
4.2

11. This part of the eye is often compared to a camera
Retina
Cones
Lens
Pupil
4.2

12. The lens is responsible for
Focusing objects on the back of the eye
Magnifying small objects that cannot be easily seen
Regulating the amount of light that hits receptors in the eye
Filtering out infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths
All of the above
4.2

13. Rods allow us to see when we are
Driving at 9:00 p.m.
Going outside for physical education at 10:00am
Enjoying lunch at 12:00p.m.
Leaving school at 3:00p.m.
4.3

14. The rods of the retina have
A few color receptors
Many color receptors
Only color receptors
No color receptors
4.3

15. Why is it a good idea to look slightly away from an object that you are trying to see at night?
You will make better use of the dense concentration of rods packed on the sides of the retina
You will make better use of the cones that rely on peripheral light
Looking away eliminates the possibility of the blind spot interfering with vision
Because of all of the above reasons
Because of A & C only
4.3

16. Cone receptors respond to
Red, green, and yellow
Red, green, and blue
Green, yellow, and blue
Red, yellow, and blue
4.3

17. Which of the following is not true of cone receptors?
Cones are used for color vision
Cones shut off when it is dark
Cones respond best to ultraviolet wavelengths of light
Cones provide sharpness of vision
4.3

18. Why are some fire departments painting their trucks a yellowish green instead of red?
This color provides the best visibility at night and day
Humans can see a range of energy wavelengths, and yellowish green falls in the middle of that range
Red can be a difficult color to see as it gets darker
Because of all of the above reasons
Because of A & C only
4.3

19. Each of us has a so-called blind spot in the retina because
Light can never hit that particular spot on the retina
There are no retinal receptors in that particular spot
The optic nerve receives messages at that spot and carries those messages to the brain
Of all of the above
B & C only
4.3

20. John is among the eight percent of males who are color-blind
John is among the eight percent of males who are color-blind. Which cone systems probably do not work for John?
Red and green
Red and yellow
Blue and yellow
None of the cone systems
4.2

21. Which of the following statements about color defects is accurate?
Truly color-blind people can use only their blue and yellow cone systems
Bulls have limited color vision that responds only to red.
Cats and dogs have elaborate rod and cone systems.
None of these statements is accurate.
4.2

22. When you are able to ignore a television set in the background while concentrating on a conversation with a friend, you are practicing _________.
Mental telepathy
Closure
Adaptation
All of the above

23. Afterimages result when
Unused cones firing so all cones can restore themselves to equal levels
The image of the object remains in your mind
Chemicals for color are not received in the brain
The cone system is in balance

24. Which of the following is the best explanation for why we see afterimages?
Staring causes the cones to stop working, and so the brain processes the image only after looking away
When we look away, unused cones fire to balance the chemicals used up during staring
The rod system must take over when the cones become fatigued, and the rods produce the afterimage
The brain becomes fatigued after a minute or so and creates an afterimage in an attempt to make sense of the staring

25. The high or low of a sound is referred to as ______, and the complexity of a sound is known as _____.
Pitch… timbre
Timbre… pitch
Pitch… audition
Decibels… pitch
4.4

26. Decibels are a measurement of
The intensity of a sound
The pitch of a sound
The loudness of a sound
All of the above
A & C only
4.4

27. You are attending a rock concert
You are attending a rock concert. The area of the stadium with the lowest decibel level is located
In the very front
Near the center
On stage
In the last row
4.4

28. Cutaneous receptors respond to
Temperature changes, bruises, and stress
Cuts, temperature changes, and physical pressure
Cuts, physical pressure, and chemical imbalances
Chemical imbalances, temperature changes, and bruises
4.4

29. Cilia in the nose Alter the structure of molecules of odor
Block molecules of odor from reaching the brain
Collect molecules of odor to send to the olfactory bulbs
Do all of the above
4.4

30. The most animal-like of the human senses is the sense of
Touch
Hearing
Smell
Taste
4.4

31. Some animals can communicate sexual interest by
Sending out odor chemicals called pheromones
Inhibiting the release of pheromones
Releasing hormones that the partner detects through cutaneous receptors
Stimulating the partner’s cilia through high pitched sounds
4.4

32. Which two senses are most likely to determine whether we like a certain food?
Smell and sight
Taste and sight
Taste and smell
Taste and coetaneous receptors
4.5

33. Our need for salt Remains relatively constant throughout life
Seems to be entirely learned, and thus salt is not really a need
Seems to be high in childhood, tapers off, then becomes high again during late adulthood
Seems to gradually increase with each passing year
4.5

34. Which taste receptors help protect us from spoiled food and poison?
Detectors for bitterness and saltiness
Detectors for sweetness and sourness
Detectors for saltiness and sourness
Detectors for bitterness and sourness
4.5

35. Which of the following is the best definition of size constancy?
Objects do not become smaller as they move away from us
Objects become smaller as they move away from us
Objects look the same on the retina regardless of distance from us
Large objects can sometimes look smaller than tiny objects
4.6

36. Randy knows that a poster in his room is red but it looks black
Randy knows that a poster in his room is red but it looks black. As he looks at it for a while, it begins to look a little more red again. Which of the following best describes what happens to Randy as he stares?
The firing of visual receptors for black gradually increase because the brain was momentarily fooled into seeing the poster as black
The firing of visual receptors for red increase because the brain can influence this
The firing of visual receptors for red decreases because of the lighting, and the brain has no say in the matter
The firing of all visual receptors remains the same throughout this episode because perception has no influence on this firing
4.6

37. As John runs back to catch a fly ball, he focuses on the ball to keep it steady. What allows him to accomplish this?
Stabilizing object-motion
Stabilizing self-motion
Space constancy
All of above
A & C only
4.6

38. As we drive, space constancy allows us to
Hold cars in front of us steady in our minds
Perceive how fast a car is traveling
Understand the size of a parking space
Do all of the above
4.6

39. The visual cliff experiment demonstrated that
All animals can perceive depth
Only humans can perceive depth
Humans can perceive depth at an early age
Depth perception relies on object-motion and self-motion

40. Which of the following laboratory experiments demonstrates that humans can perceive depth at an early age?
The visual cliff experiment
The retinal disparity experiment
The visual texture experiment
All of the above

41. Binocular disparity and visual texture helps us
Maintain space constancy
Maintain object-motion
Perceive depth
Understand size constancy

42. The Muller-Lyer illusion fools us because
One line takes up more space than another
One line seems farther away than another
One line is actually longer than the other
One line is slightly thicker than the other
4.7

43. Which of the following best describes why we perceive reversible figures?
The brain can’t decide on a single interpretation of a picture
The brain becomes fatigued after one stares at a picture and reverses its interpretation to alleviate boredom
The brain is protecting itself from potentially harmful stimuli
The brain is momentarily overloaded and breaks down
4.7

44. The pupil of the eye increases in size when looking at something pleasant
True
False
4.2

45. Color blindness is most often found in men
True
False
4.2

46. Pitch is the complexity of the sound
True
False
4.4

47. Decibel levels over 130 are painful to the ears
True
False
4.4

48. Color constancy only works if we already know what color we are looking at
True
False
4.6

49. Retinal disparity is the difference in the images seen by each eye
True
False
4.6

50. male
Color blindness is an inherited defect usually found in the ____________ sex.
4.2

51. cilia
The key to hearing is the existence of cells having hair-like projections called __________.
4.4

52. The intensity of sound is measured by __________.
decibels
The intensity of sound is measured by __________.
4.4

53. size
When standing on top of the Empire State Building, people appear to be the size of ants. We know that they really are the same size as us because of _____________ constancy.
4.6

54. sensation
The process of receiving information from the environment is called ________________.
4.1

55. a) Closure b) Proximity c) Gestalt d) Similarity
___ An organized shape or form ___ Filling in details to complete a picture ___ Grouping things that are near ___ Grouping together things that are alike C A
B D

56. a) Reversible figure b) Gestalt c) Proximity d) Closure e) illusions
___ Inaccurate perceptions ___ Organized wholes, shape, or forms ___ Two alternating are seen ___ Grouping of objects that are near each other ___ Filling in the missing details E B A C D
4.7

57. Retina
Cornea
Pupil
Lens
Iris
Optical Nerve