33 Review Questions for Sensation & Perception

Multiple Choice Questions

1. ________ refers to the minimum amount of stimulus energy required to be

detected 50% of the time.

a. absolute threshold
b. difference threshold
c. just noticeable difference
d. transduction

2. Decreased sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus is known as ________.

a. transduction
b. difference threshold
c. sensory adaptation
d. inattentional blindness

3. ________ involves the conversion of sensory stimulus energy into neural

impulses.

a. sensory adaptation
b. inattentional blindness
c. difference threshold
d. transduction

4. ________ occurs when sensory information is organized, interpreted, and

consciously experienced.

a. sensation
b. perception
c. transduction
d. sensory adaptation

5. Which of the following correctly matches the pattern in our perception of

colour as we move from short wavelengths to long wavelengths?

a. red to orange to yellow

b. yellow to orange to red
c. yellow to red to orange
d. orange to yellow to red

6. The visible spectrum includes light that ranges from about ________.

a. 400–700 nm
b. 200–900 nm
c. 20–20000 Hz
d. 10–20 dB

7. The electromagnetic spectrum includes ________.

a. radio waves
b. x-rays
c. infrared light
d. all of the above

8. The audible range for humans is ________.

a. 380–740 Hz
b. 10–20 dB
c. less than 300 dB
d. 20-20,000 Hz

9. The quality of a sound that is affected by frequency, amplitude, and timing of

the sound wave is known as ________.

a. pitch
b. tone
c. electromagnetic
d. timbre

10. The ________ is a small indentation of the retina that contains cones.

a. optic chiasm
b. optic nerve
c. fovea
d. iris

11. ________ operate best under bright light conditions.

a. cones
b. rods
c. retinal ganglion cells
d. striate cortex

12. ________ depth cues require the use of both eyes.

a. monocular
b. binocular
c. linear perspective
d. accommodating
 13. If you were to stare at a green dot for a relatively long period of time and
then shift your gaze to a blank white screen, you would see a ________ negative
afterimage.

a. blue
b. yellow
c. black
d. red

14. Hair cells located near the base of the basilar membrane respond best to
________ sounds.

a. low-frequency
b. high-frequency
c. low-amplitude
d. high-amplitude

15. The three ossicles of the middle ear are known as ________.

a. malleus, incus, and stapes

b. hammer, anvil, and stirrup
c. pinna, cochlea, and utricle
d. both a and b

16. Hearing aids might be effective for treating ________.

a. Ménière’s disease
b. sensorineural hearing loss
c. conductive hearing loss
d. interaural time differences

17. Cues that require two ears are referred to as ________ cues.

a. monocular
b. monaural
c. binocular
d. binaural

18. Chemical messages often sent between two members of a species to

communicate something about reproductive status are called ________.

a. hormones
b. pheromones
c. Merkel’s disks
d. Meissner’s corpuscles
 19. Which taste is associated with monosodium glutamate?

a. sweet
b. bitter
c. umami
d. sour

20. ________ serve as sensory receptors for temperature and pain stimuli.

a. free nerve endings

b. Pacinian corpuscles
c. Ruffini corpuscles
d. Meissner’s corpuscles

21. Which of the following is involved in maintaining balance and body posture?

a. auditory nerve
b. nociceptors
c. olfactory bulb
d. vestibular system

22. According to the principle of ________, objects that occur close to one
another tend to be grouped together.

a. similarity
b. good continuation
c. proximity
d. closure

23. Our tendency to perceive things as complete objects rather than as a series of
parts is known as the principle of ________.

a. closure
b. good continuation
c. proximity
d. similarity

24. According to the law of ________, we are more likely to perceive smoothly
flowing lines rather than choppy or jagged lines.

a. closure
b. good continuation
c. proximity
d. similarity

25. The main point of focus in a visual display is known as the ________.
a. closure
b. perceptual set
c. ground
d. figure

Critical Thinking Questions

26. Not everything that is sensed is perceived. Do you think there could ever be a
case where something could be perceived without being sensed?
27. Please generate a novel example of how just noticeable difference can
change as a function of stimulus intensity.
28. Why do you think other species have such different ranges of sensitivity for
both visual and auditory stimuli compared to humans?
29. Why do you think humans are especially sensitive to sounds with frequencies
that fall in the middle portion of the audible range?
30. Compare the two theories of colour perception. Are they completely
different?
31. Colour is not a physical property of our environment. What function (if any)
do you think colour vision serves?
32. Given what you’ve read about sound localization, from an evolutionary
perspective, how does sound localization facilitate survival?
33. How can temporal and place theories both be used to explain our ability to
perceive the pitch of sound waves with frequencies up to 4000 Hz?
34. Many people experience nausea while traveling in a car, plane, or boat. How
might you explain this as a function of sensory interaction?
35. If you heard someone say that they would do anything not to feel the pain
associated with significant injury, how would you respond given what you’ve
just read?
36. Do you think women experience pain differently than men? Why do you
think this is?
37. The central tenet of Gestalt psychology is that the whole is different from the
sum of its parts. What does this mean in the context of perception?
38. Take a look at the following figure. How might you influence whether
people see a duck or a rabbit?
Personal Application Questions

39. Think about a time when you failed to notice something around you because
your attention was focused elsewhere. If someone pointed it out, were you
surprised that you hadn’t noticed it right away?
40. If you grew up with a family pet, then you have surely noticed that they often
seem to hear things that you don’t hear. Now that you’ve read this section, you
probably have some insight as to why this may be. How would you explain this to
a friend who never had the opportunity to take a class like this?
41. Take a look at a few of your photos or personal works of art. Can you find
examples of linear perspective as a potential depth cue?
42. If you had to choose to lose either your vision or your hearing, which would
you choose and why?
43. As mentioned earlier, a food’s flavour represents an interaction of both
gustatory and olfactory information. Think about the last time you were seriously
congested due to a cold or the flu. What changes did you notice in the flavours of
the foods that you ate during this time?
44. Have you ever listened to a song on the radio and sung along only to find out
later that you have been singing the wrong lyrics? Once you found the correct
lyrics, did your perception of the song change?
. If Alice lives near a cattle plant, she probably doesn’t notice the neighbourhood smell that
visitors to her house complain about. What idea explains this phenomenon?

 Opponent process theory

 Afterimages

 Sensory adaptation

 Perceptual constancy

2. What is a monocular cue that helps to determine the distance of a distant object?

 Motion parallax

 Stroboscopic movement

 Continuity

 Similarity

3. What is a cue requiring the use of both eyes that helps to estimate the distance of a nearby
object?

 Retinal disparity

 Texture gradient

 Linear perspective

 All of the above

4. What does perceptual constancy enable people to recognize?

 Reversible figures

 Afterimages

 Phi phenomena

 That a bus approaching on the street isn’t getting bigger

5. What does perceptual set do?

  Makes it likely that people will see things they assume to be true

 Affects people’s everyday experiences

 Influences the way people see a reversible figure

 All of the above

6. What does the pitch of a sound depend on?

 The complexity and frequency of a sound wave

 The amplitude and frequency of a sound wave

 The amplitude and complexity of a sound wave

 None of the above

7. What theory explains how people discriminate high-pitched sounds with a frequency greater
than 5000 Hz?

 Opponent-process theory

 The absolute threshold

 Place theory

 Frequency theory

8. Touch receptors are stimulated by which of the following?

 Mechanical energy

 Chemical energy

 Thermal energy

 All of the above

9. The semicircular canals are involved in which of the following?

 Balance

 Touch
  Hearing

 Smell

10. What are feature detectors?

 Photoreceptors that enable people to see in color

 Principles that people use to organize what they see into units that make sense

 Neurons that respond to specific features of the environment

 Instruments used by psychophysicists to measure senses

Multiple Choice
Questions
1. Sensation is to ________ as perception is to ________.
a. vision, olfaction
b. conscious, unconscious
c. awareness, interpretation
d. taste, vision
2. Visual accommodation involves a change in which structure?
a. lens
b. cornea
c. retina
d. fovea
3. If object A overlaps object B we perceive object A as being closer. Which depth
cue are we using?
a. relative size
b. linear perspective
 c. proximity
d. interposition
4. ________ is the ability to sense the position and movement of our body parts.
a. proprioaction
b. proprioception
c. proprioliction
d. proprioprediction
5. A researcher interested in the relationship between physical stimuli and our
psychological experience would be studying:
a. extra sensory perception
b. proprioception
c. auditory realism
d. psychophysics
6. When a person enters a dark room their pupils ________ to allow more light to
enter their eyes.
a. constrict
b. curve
c. dilate
d. a or c
7. Wave ________ is to pitch as wave ________ is to loudness.
a. length, frequency
b. peak, trough
c. pressure, distinctiveness
d. frequency, amplitude
8. In depth perception, accommodation would be most useful for which activity?
a. playing golf
b. threading a needle
c. driving a car
d. flying a kite
9. What is the visible part of the ear called?
a. pinna
b. funnel
c. tibia
d. cochlea
[Link] optic nerve carries information to:
a. the retina then the cortex
b. the retina then the thalamus
c. the thalamus then the cortex
d. the cornea then the retina
[Link] would you find tastebuds?
a. on the tongue
b. on the walls of the mouth
c. at the back of the throat
d. all of the above
[Link] to the ________ may cause sensorineural hearing loss.
a. eardrum
b. pinna
c. stapes
d. cilia
[Link] are the 4 basic sensations our skin can detect?
a. vibration, warmth, tingling, pain
b. pain, friction, cold, warmth
c. pain, pressure, hot, cold
d. itching, tickling, friction, aching
[Link] of the following is NOT one of the six senses?
a. proprioception
b. transduction
c. olfaction
d. taste
[Link] of the following is a gestalt principle?
a. intensity
b. density
c. proximity
d. frequency
[Link] detecting colour, hue depends on wave ________ while brightness
dependson ________
a. height, length
b. length, height
c. intensity, consistency
d. consistency, intensity
[Link] is the stimulus for vision?
a. electromagnetic energy
b. electrovisual energy
c. electrostatic energy
d. electroconvulsive energy
[Link] are more likely to notice a 50 cent increase in the price of a candy bar than
they are to notice a 50 cent increase in the price of an iPad. This illustrates:
a. the absolute threshold
b. Weber’s law
c. signal detection
d. opponent processes
[Link] is another term for difference threshold?
a. absolute threshold
b. difference adaptation
c. just noticeable difference
d. sensory differentiation
[Link] to the text, how many different taste sensations are there?
a. 2
 b. 4
c. 6
d. 8
[Link] of hair cells in the ________ triggers nerve impulses which are sent to
the brain.
a. pinna
b. cochlea
c. malleus
d. retina
[Link] of the following is NOT part of the vestibular system?
a. horizontal canal
b. anterior canal
c. saccule
d. invicticule
[Link] to your olfactory membrane would most likely impair your ability to:
a. see
b. hear
c. smell
d. feel pain
[Link] of the following is NOT a set of opponent colours according to opponent
process theory?
a. red/blue
b. red/green
c. yellow/blue
d. white/black
[Link] ability to focus on a TV show while ignoring the noise of your partner
nagging about supper illustrates:
a. synesthesia
b. selective attention
c. sensory attention
d. sensory adaptation
[Link] fact that you may notice a disgusting smell when you first walk into a room
but stop noticing it if you stay in the room for a while illustrates:
a. synesthesia
b. selective attention
c. sensory attention
d. sensory adaptation
27.________ ________ theory argues that pain is determined by the operation of two
types of nerve fibres in the spinal cord.
a. opponent process
b. Young Helmholtz
c. gate control
d. neural location
[Link] middle ear contains three little bones. They are:
a. pinna, cochlea, cilia
b. incus, anvil, stapes
c. hammer, anvil, stirrup
d. tympani, ossicle, pinna
[Link] detection analysis examines our ability to:
a. tell the difference between blue and green
b. detect signals of distress in a baby
c. detect the latent meaning of a dream
d. separate true signals from background noise
[Link] do we call the field of psychology that focuses on improving the
development of technology by using psychological knowledge?
a. human factors
b. signal detection
c. humanistic psychology
d. computer science

Answers
1. c
2. a
3. d
4. b
5. d
6. c
7. d
8. b
9. a
10.c
11.d
12.d
13.c
14.b
15.c
16.b
17.a
18.b
19.c
20.c
21.b
22.d
23.c
24.a
25.b
26.d
27.c
28.c
29.d
30.a

1. Who is the proponent of classical condition?

o A.

Albert Bandura

o B.

Ivan Pavlov

o C.

John Watson

o D.

Wolfgang Kohler

o E.

B.F. Skinner

 2.
Who pioneered operant conditioning?

o A.

Albert Bandura

o B.

B. F. Skinner

o C.
 Edward Thorndike

o D.

Ivan Pavlov

o E.

Sigmund Freud

 3.
Who proposed the law of effect?

o A.

Albert Bandura

o B.

B. F. Skinner

o C.

Edward Thorndike

o D.

Ivan Pavlov

o E.

John Watson

 4.
Who is the proponent of learning by imitation?

o A.

Albert Bandura

o B.

B. F. Skinner

o C.

Wolfgang Kohler

o D.
 Ivan Pavlov

o E.

John Watson

 5. A learning process in which an association is made between a

previously neutral stimulus and a stimulus that naturally evokes a
response.
o A. Operant conditioning
o B. Observational learning
o C. Insight learning
o D. Classical conditioning
o E. Latent learning
 6. A process in which learning occurs through the imitation of a
model.
o A. Classical conditioning
o B. Observational learning
o C. Operant conditioning
o D. Latent learning
o E. Insight learning
 7. A stimulus that has the ability to elicit a response without
previous training.

o A. Conditioned response
o B. Conditioned stimulus
o C. Reinforcement
o D. Unconditioned response
o E. Unconditioned stimulus
 8. A stimulus which initially does not elicit the intended response
but comes to do so by being paired with the “natural” stimulus.

o A. Conditioned response
o B. Conditioned stimulus
o C. Reinforcement
o D. Unconditioned response
o E. Unconditioned stimulus
 9. The emergence of the conditioned response due to the repeated
pairing of the conditioned stimulus with the unconditioned stimulus.

o A. Spontaneous recovery
o B. Stimulus generalization
o C. Acquisition
o D. Extinction
o E. Stimulus discrimination
 10. The reappearance of the conditioned response after a period of
rest and with no further conditioning.
 o A. Acquisition
o B. Stimulus discrimination
o C. Extinction
o D. Stimulus generalization
o E. Spontaneous recovery
 11. Giving of money is an example of primary reinforcer

o A. True
o B. False
 12. It holds memory for a very short period of time, for a few
seconds or less.

o A. Episodic
o B. Semantic
o C. Short-term
o D. Long-term
o E. Sensory
 13. It holds memory of about 30 seconds. It is also called working
memory.

o A. Episodic
o B. Semantic
o C. Short-term
o D. Long-term
o E. Sensory
 14. It refers to the kind of memory about personal experiences

o A. Episodic
o B. Semantic
o C. Procedural
o D. Sensory
 15. It refers to the kind of memory that deals with concepts and
rules.

o A. Sensory
o B. Semantic
o C. Episodic
o D. Procedural
 16. Which of the following sequences best reflects the order in
which memory processes occur, from first to last?

o A. Encoding - storage - retrieval

o B. Storage - retrieval - encoding
o C. Encoding - retrieval - storage
o D. Storage - encoding - retrieval
 17. Which of the following sequences best reflects the order in
which memory processes occur, from first to last?

o A. Encoding - storage - retrieval

 o B. Storage - retrieval - encoding
o C. Encoding - retrieval - storage
o D. Storage - encoding - retrieval
 18. It is combining pieces of data into units; allowing us to store
more information in the STM.

o A. Rehearsal
o B. Recognition
o C. Recall
o D. Chuncking

 19. When we use the term “remembering” in day-to-day life, we are

making reference to the memory process of:

o A. Encoding
o B. Rehearsal
o C. Retrieval
o D. Storage
 20. The part of the brain responsible for emotional memory

o A. Amygdala
o B. Hippocampus
o C. Cerebellum
o D. Thalamus

 21. Knowledge of how to play tennis (assuming one knows how)

would be stored in _____ memory.

o A. Implicit
o B. Recall
o C. Short-term
o D. Declarative

 22. An identification test is a _________ test of memory; a multiple-

choice question is __________.

o A. Recall; recall test also

o B. Recall; recognition test
o C. Recognition; recognition test also
o D. Recognition; recall test

 23. The inability to retrieve, recall, recognize information that was

stored or is still stored in long-term memory.
 o A. Chunking
o B. Encoding
o C. Forgetting
o D. Memory
o E. Storage

 24. Proactive Interference occurs when recently learned information

makes it more difficult to recall old information.

o A. True
o B. False
 25. The unconscious forgetting of emotionally-threatening or
anxiety-producing information.

o A. Dementia
o B. Repression
o C. Interference
o D. Suppression

Review Questions for Learning

Multiple-Choice Questions

1. Which of the following is an example of a reflex that occurs at some point in the
development of a human being?

a. child riding a bike

b. teen socializing
c. infant sucking on a nipple
d. toddler walking

2. Learning is best defined as a relatively permanent change in behaviour that ________.

a. is innate
b. occurs as a result of experience
c. is found only in humans
d. occurs by observing others

3. Two forms of associative learning are ________ and ________.

a. classical conditioning; operant conditioning

b. classical conditioning; Pavlovian conditioning
c. operant conditioning; observational learning
d. operant conditioning; learning conditioning
 4. In ________ the stimulus or experience occurs before the behaviour and then gets paired
with the behaviour.

a. associative learning
b. observational learning
c. operant conditioning
d. classical conditioning

5. A stimulus that does not initially elicit a response in an organism is a(n) ________.

a. unconditioned stimulus
b. neutral stimulus
c. conditioned stimulus
d. unconditioned response

6. In Watson and Rayner’s experiments, Little Albert was conditioned to fear a white rat,
and then he began to be afraid of other furry white objects. This demonstrates ________.

a. higher order conditioning

b. acquisition
c. stimulus discrimination
d. stimulus generalization

7. Extinction occurs when ________.

a. the conditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly without being paired with an unconditioned
stimulus
b. the unconditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly without being paired with a conditioned
stimulus
c. the neutral stimulus is presented repeatedly without being paired with an unconditioned
stimulus
d. the neutral stimulus is presented repeatedly without being paired with a conditioned stimulus

8. In Pavlov’s work with dogs, the psychic secretions were ________.

a. unconditioned responses
b. conditioned responses
c. unconditioned stimuli
d. conditioned stimuli

9. ________ is when you take away a pleasant stimulus to stop a behaviour.

a. positive reinforcement
b. negative reinforcement
c. positive punishment
d. negative punishment

10. Which of the following is not an example of a primary reinforcer?

a. food
b. money
c. water
d. sex

11. Rewarding successive approximations toward a target behaviour is ________.

a. shaping
b. extinction
c. positive reinforcement
d. negative reinforcement

12. Slot machines reward gamblers with money according to which reinforcement
schedule?

a. fixed ratio
b. variable ratio
c. fixed interval
d. variable interval

13. The person who performs a behaviour that serves as an example is called a ________.

a. teacher
b. model
c. instructor
d. coach

14. In Bandura’s Bobo doll study, when the children who watched the aggressive model
were placed in a room with the doll and other toys, they ________.

a. ignored the doll

b. played nicely with the doll
c. played with tinker toys
d. kicked and threw the doll

15. Which is the correct order of steps in the modelling process?

a. attention, retention, reproduction, motivation

b. motivation, attention, reproduction, retention
c. attention, motivation, retention, reproduction
d. motivation, attention, retention, reproduction

16. Who proposed observational learning?

a. Ivan Pavlov
b. John Watson
c. Albert Bandura
d. B. F. Skinner

Critical Thinking Questions

17. Compare and contrast classical and operant conditioning. How are they alike? How do
they differ?
18. What is the difference between a reflex and a learned behaviour?
19. If the sound of your toaster popping up toast causes your mouth to water, what are the
US, CS, and CR?
20. Explain how the processes of stimulus generalization and stimulus discrimination are
considered opposites.
21. How does a neutral stimulus become a conditioned stimulus?
22. What is a Skinner box and what is its purpose?
23. What is the difference between negative reinforcement and punishment?
24. What is shaping and how would you use shaping to teach a dog to roll over?
25. What is the effect of prosocial modelling and antisocial modelling?
26. Etienne is 17 years old. Both of Etienne’s parents drink alcohol every night. They tell
Etienne that drinking is bad and that Etienne shouldn’t do it. Etienne goes to a party where
beer is being served. What do you think Etienne will do? Why?
Personal Application Questions
27. What is your personal definition of learning? How do your ideas about learning compare
with the definition of learning presented in this text?
28. What kinds of things have you learned through the process of classical conditioning?
Operant conditioning? Observational learning? How did you learn them?
29. Can you think of an example in your life of how classical conditioning has produced a
positive emotional response, such as happiness or excitement? How about a negative
emotional response, such as fear, anxiety, or anger?
30. Explain the difference between negative reinforcement and punishment, and provide
several examples of each based on your own experiences.
31. Think of a behaviour that you have that you would like to change. How could you use
behaviour modification, specifically positive reinforcement, to change your behaviour? What
is your positive reinforcer?
32. What is something you have learned how to do after watching someone else?