Study Guide

Chapter Key Terms

You should know the definitions of the following key terms from the chapter. They are listed in the order in which they appear in the chapter. For those you do not know, return to the relevant section of the chapter to learn them. When you think that you know all of the terms, complete the matching exercise based on these key terms.

absolute threshold

signal detection theory

difference threshold

Weber's law

Stevens's power law

sensory adaptation

wavelength

amplitude

frequency

transduction

accommodation

nearsightedness

farsightedness

retina

blindsight

rods

cones

fovea

dark adaptation

trichromatic theory

additive mixtures

subtractive mixtures

complementary colors

opponent-process theory

hair cells

nerve deafness

conduction deafness

place theory

frequency theory

volley principle

sensation

perception

bottom-up processing

top-down processing

perceptual set

contextual effect

figure-and-ground principle

closure

subjective contour

perceptual constancy

depth perception

retinal disparity

linear perspective

interposition

Key Terms Exercise

Identify the correct key term for each of the following definitions.

Question 3.1

1. The focusing of light waves from objects of different distances directly on the retina.

accommodation

Question 3.2

2. A visual problem in which the light waves from nearby objects are focused behind the retina, blurring the images of these objects.

farsightedness

Question 3.3

3. A theory of color vision which assumes that there are three types of cones, each activated only by wavelength ranges of light corresponding roughly to blue, green, and red.

trichromatic theory

Question 3.4

4. The brain’s use of knowledge, beliefs, and expectations to interpret sensory information.

top-down processing

Question 3.5

5. The Gestalt perceptual organizational principle that the brain completes incomplete figures to form meaningful objects.

closure

Question 3.6

6. Our sensitivity to unchanging and repetitious stimuli disappears over time.

sensory adaptation

136

Question 3.7

7. Hearing loss created by damage to one of the structures in the ear responsible for carrying the auditory information to the inner ear.

conduction deafness

Question 3.8

8. The number of times a waveform cycles in 1 second.

frequency

Question 3.9

9. The perceived magnitude of a stimulus is equal to its actual physical intensity raised to a constant power, and this constant power is different for each type of sensory judgment.

Stevens’s power law

Question 3.10

10. The minimum difference between two sensory stimuli detected 50 percent of the time.

difference threshold

Question 3.11

11. Wavelengths of light that when added together produce white.

complementary colors

Question 3.12

12. A theory of pitch perception which assumes that the frequency of the sound wave is mimicked by the firing rate of the entire basilar membrane.

frequency theory

Question 3.13

13. A line or shape that is perceived to be present but does not really exist. The brain creates it during perception.

subjective contour

Question 3.14

14. The perceptual stability of the size, shape, brightness, and color for familiar objects seen at varying distances, different angles, and under different lighting conditions.

perceptual constancy

Question 3.15

15. The process by which the rods and cones, through internal chemical changes, become more and more sensitive to light in dim light conditions.

dark adaptation

Practice Test Questions

The following are practice multiple-choice test questions on some of the chapter content. If you guessed or incorrectly answered a question, restudy the relevant section of the chapter.

Question 3.16

1. The amount of energy in a sensory stimulus detected 50 percent of the time is called the ______.
  1. difference threshold
  2. absolute threshold
  3. false alarm rate
  4. miss rate

b; absolute threshold

Question 3.17

2. If a person is using a very strict criterion for a signal detection task, the false alarm rate will be ______, and the miss rate will be ______.
  1. high; high
  2. high; low
  3. low; high
  4. low; low

c; low; high

Question 3.18

3. According to Weber’s law, if c = 1/50, then the difference threshold for a standard stimulus of 100 units would be ______.
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 5
  4. 10

b; 2

Question 3.19

4. Red wavelengths of light are ______, and violet wavelengths of light are ______.
  1. long; long
  2. long; short
  3. short; long
  4. short; short

b; long; short

Question 3.20

5. The rods in the retina are responsible for ______ vision, and the cones are responsible for ______ vision.
  1. color; dim light
  2. bright light; dim light
  3. color; bright light
  4. dim light; color

d; dim light; color

137

Question 3.21

6. According to the opponent-process theory of color vision, if you stared at a blue circle for a while and then looked at a white surface, you would see a circular ______ afterimage.
  1. blue
  2. green
  3. yellow
  4. black

c; yellow

Question 3.22

7. Transduction of sound waves into neural impulses is performed by the ______.
  1. eardrum
  2. oval window
  3. malleus, incus, and stapes
  4. hair cells in the basilar membrane

d; hair cells in the basilar membrane

Question 3.23

8. The best explanation for how we perceive low pitches (< 500 Hz) is the ______ theory, and the best explanation for how we perceive high pitches (> 5,000 Hz) is the ______ theory.
  1. place; place
  2. place; frequency
  3. frequency; place
  4. frequency; frequency

c; frequency; place

Question 3.24

9. Perceptual set is a good example of ______.
  1. the figure-ground principle
  2. perceptual constancy
  3. bottom-up processing
  4. top-down processing

d; top-down processing

Question 3.25

10. Which of the following is a binocular depth cue?
  1. linear perspective
  2. interposition
  3. retinal disparity
  4. all of the above

c; retinal disparity

Question 3.26

11. What is the purpose of transduction?
  1. increasing the intensity of a stimulus so it is easier for the brain to detect
  2. translating physical energy into neural signals that the brain can understand
  3. determining whether or not a stimulus is detectable
  4. integrating visual signals with auditory signals

b; translating physical energy into neural signals that the brain can understand

Question 3.27

12. Damage to the hair cells in the cochlea causes ______ deafness, and ______ occurs when light waves from distant objects come into focus in front of the retina.
  1. nerve; nearsightedness
  2. conduction; nearsightedness
  3. nerve; farsightedness
  4. conduction; farsightedness

a; nerve; nearsightedness

Question 3.28

13. Even though the image of your dog on your retina changes as your dog runs to fetch a stick, you do not perceive your dog as getting smaller. Which process of perception explains this phenomenon?
  1. perceptual set
  2. perceptual constancy
  3. dark adaptation
  4. accommodation

b; perceptual constancy

Question 3.29

14. Perceiving either a vase or two facial silhouettes looking at each other was used to illustrate the Gestalt principle of ______; perceiving two ambiguous characters numerically as 13 or alphabetically as the letter B was used to illustrate ______.
  1. closure; subjective contours
  2. figure and ground; contextual effects
  3. closure; contextual effects
  4. figure and ground; subjective contours

b; figure and ground; contextual effects

Question 3.30

15. Although Henry’s watchband was bothering him when he first put it on, a short while later he did not even notice he was wearing it. This illustrates ______.
  1. accommodation
  2. sensory adaptation
  3. subliminal perception
  4. perceptual constancy

b; sensory adaptation