Title: Sensation and Perception
Course: Question Banks

Q: While you may not notice the change in the music’s volume while at a party, you would definitely notice the change if you were trying to study in a quiet library. This supports the idea that the difference threshold is a constant fraction of the original stimulus, also known as ________.
- the absolute threshold (Incorrect. The absolute threshold is the weakest stimulus that can activate our senses.)
- the relative threshold (Incorrect. ‘Relative threshold’ is not a relevant term used in the textbook.)
- signal detection (Incorrect. Signal detection involves noticing the presence of a stimulus rather than some change in it.)
- Weber’s law (Correct! This is based on the work of Ernst Weber. It does not hold true at the very lowest stimulus strengths.)
A: Weber’s law

Q: ________ describes the conversion of sensory stimulus energy into neural impulses that allow for perception.
- Sensory adaptation (Incorrect. This refers to the change in perception over time to a constant stimulus (e.g., tuning out the sound of a fan that has been on for a long time.))
- Inattentional blindness (Incorrect. This refers to the inability to perceive a stimulus due to our paying attention to another, competing stimulus.)
- Difference threshold (Incorrect. This refers to the minimum amount of change in a stimulus that is required before we perceive a difference.)
- Transduction (Correct! Our sensory organs are designed to convert physical energy (light waves, sound waves, etc.) into the electrochemical signals our brain can process.)
A: Transduction

Q: ________ is what happens when information is detected by a sensory receptor, like when Maggie’s optic nerves pick up a light flashing in the distance.
- perception (Incorrect. Perception comes after sensation—it’s when Sharif consciously experiences the sounds picked up in his auditory nerves.)
- transduction (Incorrect. Transduction describes the process of converting physical energy into electrochemical signals.)
- the difference threshold (Incorrect. The difference threshold refers to the minimum amount of change in a stimulus required to perceive differences between stimuli.)
- sensation (Correct! Sensation is what happens when sensory information is detected by a sensory receptor.)
A: sensation

Q: You walk by the same billboard on the way to school each day, but have never actually looked at it. When asked to guess which billboard it was from a selection of billboards, you somehow identify the right one because
- you identified the just noticeable difference between the billboards. (Incorrect. The JND has to do with detecting changes in a stimulus.)
- the image on the billboard passed your absolute threshold of detection. (Incorrect. Please review the textbook section on the absolute threshold. It did not pass your absolute threshold for detection if you never looked at the billboard.)
- you perceived it using your occipital lobe. (Incorrect. While the occipital lobe does most of the visual processing in the brain, you cannot have ‘perceived’ a stimulus if you never noticed it.)
- you subliminally processed the image. (Correct! Research suggests that information that is not consciously noticed still receives some minimal level of processing.)
A: you subliminally processed the image.

Q: Subliminal messaging
- is not real. (Incorrect. Research work from Bargh, Dijksterhuis, and others demonstrate measurable effects of certain subliminal messages on behavior.)
- can strongly influence behavior. (Incorrect. We do not respond to subliminal messages like zombies.)
- is real, but cannot influence behavior. (Incorrect. Research work from Bargh, Dijksterhuis, and others demonstrate measurable effects of certain subliminal messages on behavior.)
- can mildly influence behavior. (Correct! Subtle, unnoticed messages can alter our behavior in small ways.)
A: can mildly influence behavior.

Q: Perception is ________.
- what happens when sensory information is detected by a sensory receptor (Incorrect. This answer describes sensation, not perception.)
- the available knowledge, experiences, and thoughts that influence sensation (Incorrect. While what we know and think can influence how we respond to the things we perceive, that process is not described as ‘perception.’)
- the activation of the body’s sensory systems by external stimuli (Incorrect. This answer describes sensation, not perception.)
- the way sensory information is organized, interpreted, and experienced (Correct! We must be aware of a stimulus in order for perception to occur.)
A: the way sensory information is organized, interpreted, and experienced

Q: Participants in Daniel Simons’ and Christopher Chabris’ study were asked to watch people pass a basketball. Because they were focused on doing so, the didn’t see a gorilla walk across the screen. This phenomenon is called ________.
- inattentional responsiveness (Incorrect. ‘Inattentional responsiveness’ is not a term used in reference to perception.)
- signal detection theory (Incorrect. This theory describes the active processes involved in differentiating signal from noise.)
- place theory (Incorrect. This theory describes how we detect pitch based on the vibrations of the basilar membrane.)
- inattentional blindness (Correct! If our attention is focused elsewhere, even major changes can occur without perception.)
A: inattentional blindness

Q: Did you read the second “the” in the sentence in the image? You probably didn’t, because your brain doesn’t expect to have “the” a second time and skips over it so that the sentence works in the context of what you are familiar with. This is an example of
- bottom-up processing (Incorrect. Bottom-up processing requires step-by-step processing of each piece of a stimulus in order to categorize and make sense of it.)
- signal detection theory (Incorrect. This theory describes the active processes involved in differentiating signal from noise.)
- place theory (Incorrect. This theory describes how we detect pitch based on the vibrations of the basilar membrane.)
- top-down processing (Correct! Top-down processing depends on the recall of existing knowledge structures to match a new stimulus into existing categories.)
A: top-down processing

Q: When Martha first visits her Aunt and Uncle’s house, the smell of fish is overwhelming, but after an hour, she doesn’t even notice it’s there. What explains this?
- bottom-up processing (Incorrect. Bottom-up processing requires step-by-step processing of each piece of a stimulus in order to categorize and make sense of it.)
- top-down processing (Incorrect. Top-down processing depends on the recall of existing knowledge structures to match a new stimulus into existing categories.)
- inattentional blindness (Incorrect. While the description does refer to ‘not noticing’ a stimulus, it is not specifically in reference to having her attention elsewhere. There is another answer choice that explains this phenomenon better.)
- sensory adaptation (Correct! This process is also sometimes called ‘habituation.’)
A: sensory adaptation

Q: What is the function of the part of the eye identified by the arrow?
- It allows light to enter eye (Incorrect. The lens focuses light onto the retina.)
- It controls the size of the pupil (Incorrect. The lens focuses light onto the retina.)
- It is activated by light and sends a signal to the brain. (Incorrect. The lens focuses light onto the retina.)
- It focuses light onto the retina (Correct! The lens focuses light onto the retina.)
A: It focuses light onto the retina

Q: What is the function of the part of the eye identified by the arrow?
- It focuses light onto the retina (Incorrect. The pupil changes size in relation to light.)
- It contains photoreceptor cells (Incorrect. The pupil changes size in relation to light.)
- It protects the eye and begins to focus light (Incorrect. The pupil changes size in relation to light.)
- It allows light to enter eye (Correct! The pupil is the opening that allows light into the eye.)
A: It allows light to enter eye

Q: What is the function of the part of the eye identified by the arrow?
- It controls the size of the pupil (Incorrect. The retina is where the sensory cells are.)
- It protects the eye and begins to focus light (Incorrect. The retina is where the sensory cells are.)
- It allows light to enter eye (Incorrect. The retina is where the sensory cells are.)
- It contains photoreceptor cells (Correct! The retina contains photoreceptor cells.)
A: It contains photoreceptor cells

Q: The ________ carries visual information from the retina to the brain.
- cornea (Incorrect. The cornea protects the eye.)
- fovea (Incorrect. The fovea is the area of the retina with the highest concentration of cones.)
- lens (Incorrect. The lens sits behind the pupil and focuses light onto the retina.)
- optic nerve (Correct! This bundle of nerve fibers exits the eye and connects primarily to the occipital lobe (via the thalamus).)
A: optic nerve

Q: What is wavelength?
- the height of a wave (Incorrect. This is known as “amplitude.”)
- the lowest point of a wave (Incorrect. This is known as the “trough” of the wave.)
- a logarithmic unit of sound intensity (Incorrect. This describes the decibel scale.)
- the distance from one wave peak to the next (Correct! How quickly those peaks pass is known as “frequency.”)
A: the distance from one wave peak to the next

Q: Light energy with very low amplitude would be perceived as ________.
- blue (Incorrect. The wavelength of light energy determines its color, not the amplitude of the light wave. Brightness is related to amplitude.)
- bright (Incorrect. Brightness is directly related to the amplitude, or height, of a light wave. This means the higher the amplitude, the brighter the light is perceived to be. Therefore, low amplitude light energy is perceived as being dim. And, light energy with a very high amplitude would be perceived as very bright.)
- red (Incorrect. The wavelength of light energy determines its color, not the amplitude of the light wave. Brightness is related to amplitude.)
- dim (Correct! Brightness is directly related to the amplitude, or height, of a light wave. This means the higher the amplitude, the brighter the light is perceived to be. Therefore, low amplitude light energy is perceived as being dim. And, light energy with a very high amplitude would be perceived as very bright.)
A: dim

Q: According to the trichromatic theory of color vision, ________ in the retina are responsive to red, green, and blue.
- rods (Incorrect. Rods are very sensitive to light in general but poor at distinguishing color.)
- afterimages (Incorrect. Afterimages are a product of the activation of ganglion cells which are adjacent to the light-sensitive cells of the retina.)
- lenses (Incorrect. The lens of the eye is found directly behind the pupil; it is not part of the retina.)
- cones (Correct! The cones are primarily found in the fovea.)
A: cones

Q: The opponent-process theory is supported by ________.
- colorblindness (Incorrect. The existence of colorblindness most directly supports trichromatic theory.)
- trichromatic theory (Incorrect. Trichromatic theory describes vision as it occurs at the level of the cones, while opponent-process theory describes activation of the ganglion cells, which are adjacent to the cones and “downstream” in the processing of visual stimuli.)
- conductive hearing loss (Incorrect. Opponent-process theory describes visual processing, not audition.)
- afterimages (Correct! Afterimages are a product of the activation of ganglion cells which are adjacent to the light-sensitive cells of the retina.)
A: afterimages

Q: Using the different images that each eye receives in order to perceive depth is called using ________ cues.
- monocular (Incorrect. “Mono” means “one,” and “ocular” means “of the eye.” While monocular depth cues do exist, they do not depend on the different input from both eyes in order to gauge distance or depth.)
- trichromatic (Incorrect. Trichromatic theory refers to how we process color, not depth.)
- opponent-process (Incorrect. Opponent-process theory refers to how we process color, not depth.)
- binocular (Correct! “Bi” means “two,” and “ocular” means “of the eye.” Two eyes!)
A: binocular

Q: ________ cues require only one eye.
- Binocular (Incorrect. “Bi” means “two,” and “ocular” means “of the eye.” Two eyes!)
- Trichromatic (Incorrect. Trichromatic theory refers to how we process color, not depth, and that process does not depend on visual cues.)
- Opponent-process (Incorrect. Opponent-process theory refers to how we process color, not depth, and that process does not depend on visual cues.)
- Monocular (Correct! “Mono” means “one,” and “ocular” means “of the eye.”)
A: Monocular

Q: Which correctly describes the process of hearing?
- auditory canal - pinna - tympanic membrane - cochlea - ossicles - auditory nerve (Incorrect. “Pinna” is the term for the outer structure of the ear; it should come first.)
- auditory nerve - cochlea - tympanic membrane - ossicles -pinna - auditory canal (Incorrect. The auditory nerve is where the signal ends up, not where it starts.)
- pinna - auditory canal - ossicles - tympanic membrane - cochlea - auditory nerve (Incorrect. The ossicles sit behind the tympanic membrane and should come after it in this list.)
- pinna - auditory canal - tympanic membrane - ossicles - cochlea - auditory nerve (Correct! From the auditory nerve, the pathway goes through the thalamus to the temporal lobe.)
A: pinna - auditory canal - tympanic membrane - ossicles - cochlea - auditory nerve

Q: The most visible part of the ear is the
- auditory canal (Incorrect. This is the canal that leads into the head toward the tympanic membrane.)
- cochlea (Incorrect. The cochlea is the shell-shaped structure of the inner ear.)
- ossicles (Incorrect. These are the small bones between the tympanic membrane and the cochlea.)
- pinna (Correct! This is the visible, external part of the ear.)
A: pinna

Q: The vibration of the ________ causes the ossicles to move.
- pinna (Incorrect. This is the visible, external part of the ear. It does not vibrate.)
- auditory canal (Incorrect. This is the canal that leads into the head toward the tympanic membrane. It does not vibrate.)
- hair cells (Incorrect. While the hair cells lining the basilar membrane in the cochlea do vibrate, they are not directly linked to the ossicles and do not cause them to move.)
- tympanic membrane (Correct! Commonly known as the eardrum, this membrane vibrates when impacted by sound waves.)
A: tympanic membrane

Q: The organ of Corti on the ________ within the ________ changes vibrations into impulses that travel to the auditory nerve.
- pinna; cochlea (Incorrect. The pinna is the visible, external part of the ear and has no direct link to either the organ of Corti or the auditory nerve.)
- auditory canal; ossicles (Incorrect. The auditory canal is the open channel that leads into the head and the ossicles are the small bones adjacent to the tympanic membrane; neither of these structures is directly connected to the organ of Corti.)
- ossicles; tympanic membrane (Incorrect. The ossicles are small bones found adjacent to the tympanic membrane; neither of these structures is directly connected to the organ of Corti.)
- basilar membrane; cochlea (Correct! The organ of Corti lines one side of the basilar membrane and its hair cells are linked to nerve endings that send signals according to the vibrations they receive.)
A: basilar membrane; cochlea

Q: Fluid found in the part of the ear pictured here stimulate hair cells in the organ of Corti.
- ossicles (Incorrect. These are the small bones between the tympanic membrane and the cochlea.)
- semicircular canal (Incorrect. This multi-looped structure is responsible for maintaining balance in the body. Though it contains hair cells suspended in fluid, they are not involved in the hearing process.)
- pinna (Incorrect. This is the visible, external part of the ear.)
- cochlea (Correct! The hair cells mentioned above are connected to nerve endings that transduce the wave energy into a neurochemical signal.)
A: cochlea

Q: What is the function of this part of the ear?
- contains auditory receptor cells (Incorrect. The auditory receptor cells are located along the organ of Corti within the cochlea.)
- sends vibrations to the inner ear (Incorrect. This describes the function of the ossicles.)
- shapes and channels sound waves down the auditory canal toward the tympanic membrane. (Incorrect. This describes the function of the pinna.)
- aids in balance and movement (Correct! The semi-circular canal, though adjacent to our auditory structures, are not directly involved in hearing.)
A: aids in balance and movement

Q: Pitch is determined by the ________ of sound waves.
- amplitude (Incorrect. Amplitude determines loudness in sound waves.)
- decibels (Incorrect. Decibels are a measurement of loudness, which is encoded by the amplitude of a sound wave.)
- brightness (Incorrect. Brightness is a quality of light waves rather than sound waves, and is encoded by the amplitude of the wave.)
- frequency (Correct! Shorter wavelengths are associated with higher pitch.)
A: frequency

Q: If a sound wave has a high amplitude, it will ________.
- be at the low end of the human hearing range (Incorrect. Frequency determines pitch, not amplitude.)
- be a high-pitched sound (Incorrect. Frequency determines pitch, not amplitude.)
- be inaudible to the human ear (Incorrect. High amplitude waves are loud rather than quiet.)
- sound loud (Correct! The taller a sound wave, the louder the sound.)
A: sound loud

Q: A sound’s purity is called its ________.
- decibel (Incorrect. Decibel is a measurement that refers to the loudness of a sound.)
- pitch (Incorrect. Pitch is determined by frequency.)
- loudness (Incorrect. Loudness is determined by amplitude.)
- timbre (Correct! Timbre is a complex quality of sound determined by the presence of multiple overlapping sound waves and the interaction between them.)
A: timbre

Q: The fact that the base of the basilar membrane responds best to high frequencies supports the ________ theory of hearing.
- temporal (Incorrect. Temporal theory refers to the firing rate of neurons in the auditory mechanism in order to determine pitch.)
- conductive (Incorrect. There is no “conductive theory” of hearing. A loss in conductive ability (the passing along of vibration) in the tympanic membrane, ossicles, or basilar membrane can result in hearing loss, but this fact operates separately from the theories of hearing covered in this module.)
- opponent-process (Incorrect. Opponent-process theory refers to vision, not hearing.)
- place (Correct! What place is vibrating along the basilar membrane determines pitch, according to this theory.)
A: place

Q: ________ does not explain how we hear high frequencies.
- Volley principle (Incorrect. The volley principle is an information encoding scheme that describes the process of nerve cells transmitting information by generating brief electrical pulses. Temporal theory best explains how we perceive low frequencies.)
- Place theory (Incorrect. Place theory states that the pitch we hear is determined by the particular location where the hair cells vibrate the most. Temporal theory best explains how we perceive low frequencies.)
- Trichromatic theory (Incorrect. This theory refers to how we perceive color in visual systems, not hearing.)
- Temporal theory (Correct! Temporal theory best explains how we perceive low frequencies.)
A: Temporal theory

Q: Hearing aids are ineffective in treating ________, which is caused by damage to the hair cells in the cochlea that impairs the transmission of signals about sound to the brain.
- conductive hearing loss (Incorrect. Hearing aids are effective in treating this kind of deafness.)
- ossicle deafness (Incorrect. Hearing aids are effective in treating this kind of deafness.)
- presbycusic deafness (Incorrect. Hearing aids are effective in treating this kind of deafness.)
- sensorineural hearing loss (Correct! Hearing aids magnify the sound entering the inner ear, which does not help when the hair cells are not transmitting a neurochemical signal to the auditory nerve in the normal fashion.)
A: sensorineural hearing loss

Q: Congenital deafness is ________.
- common in older people, particularly those who had professions surrounded by lots of noise (Incorrect. Sensorineural deafness is the type most commonly incurred by loud noise.)
- the same thing as Ménière’s disease (Incorrect. Hearing loss associated with Ménière’s disease is due to high pressure in the fluid of the inner ear.)
- temporary (Incorrect. If a person is born with hearing loss, it is commonly due to errors in development that cannot be changed.)
- something someone is born with (Correct! Congenital means “present from birth.”)
A: something someone is born with

Q: Mason has a cochlear implant. He is able to hear because the implant
- receives incoming sound information and bypasses the auditory nerve to transmit information to the brain through the optic nerve. (Incorrect. The optic nerve sends visual information to the occipital lobe; it is not involved in hearing.)
- receives incoming sound information and directly stimulates the basilar membrane to transmit information to the brain. (Incorrect. Quite frequently in cases where a cochlear implant is used, it is the basilar membrane that has errors or damage; therefore the implant bypasses that structure.)
- It receives incoming sound information and bypasses the tympanic membrane to transmit vibrations to the ossicles. (Incorrect. Cochlear implants are used in cases where the cochlea is not functioning properly; since the ossicles send their vibrations to the cochlea, a device that functions as described here would be ineffective.)
- receives incoming sound information and directly stimulates the auditory nerve to transmit information to the brain. (Correct! Bypassing the cochlea allows for hearing to occur for those with damage to the inner ear.)
A: receives incoming sound information and directly stimulates the auditory nerve to transmit information to the brain.

Q: Smelling the lingering scent of the fish you reheated in the microwave is an example of ________.
- audition (Incorrect. “Auditory” relates to hearing.)
- gustation (Incorrect. “Gustatory” relates to taste.)
- proprioception (Incorrect. This word relates to the sensing of body position and balance.)
- olfaction (Correct! “Olfactory” relates to smell.)
A: olfaction

Q: Because taste and smell have sensory receptors that respond to molecules, they are considered ________.
- mechanical senses (Incorrect. Both touch and hearing are considered mechanical senses, as they rely on the movement of physical objects and parts of the body.)
- photochemical senses (Incorrect. “Photochemical” refers to the interaction between light and the body; vision works this way.)
- molecular senses (Incorrect. Though they respond to molecules (a very general term), it is more specifically chemicals that these senses react with.)
- chemical senses (Correct! Our other senses do not rely on chemical interactions.)
A: chemical senses

Q: You are trying to describe the taste of a cheeseburger to your vegetarian friend. A good descriptor for the meaty, savory taste you experience would be ________.
- salty (Incorrect. Is saltiness the primary characteristic of a burger?)
- sweet (Incorrect. Is sweetness the primary characteristic of a burger?)
- sour (Incorrect. Is sourness the primary characteristic of a burger?)
- umami (Correct! (Though this description is unlikely to be helpful to your vegetarian friend unless they speak Japanese.))
A: umami

Q: Olfactory receptor cells pick up odor molecules which activate electrical impulses that send messages to the brain via the ________.
- nasal cavity (Incorrect. While the sensory neurons involved are located here, the nasal cavity itself is not part of the neural pathway to the brain.)
- primary olfactory cortex (Incorrect. This location is the end of the pathway, not the route taken (as suggested by the word “via”).)
- thalamus (Incorrect. Smell is unique among our senses in that the signal is not routed through the thalamus. This may contribute to smell’s ability to evoke emotion and memory.)
- olfactory bulb (Correct! This is the one sense that does not synapse through the thalamus, which may contribute to smell’s unique ability to evoke emotion and memory.)
A: olfactory bulb

Q: ________ fire in response to any potential tissue-damaging stimuli.
- Thermoreceptors (Incorrect. These cells report sensations of temperature change.)
- Chemoreceptors (Incorrect. These cells report interactions with chemical substances, e.g., the taste buds contain chemoreceptors.)
- Mechanoreceptors (Incorrect. These cells report sensations of pressure or stretching in the skin.)
- Nociceptors (Correct! This word comes from the Latin root “nocere,” which means “to hurt or harm.”)
A: Nociceptors

Q: Merkel’s disks and Ruffini corpuscles are examples of ________.
- thermoreceptors (Incorrect. These cells report sensations of temperature change.)
- chemoreceptors (Incorrect. These cells report interactions with chemical substances, e.g., the taste buds contain chemoreceptors.)
- nociceptors (Incorrect. These cells report sensations of pain.)
- mechanoreceptors (Correct! These cells report sensations of pressure or stretching in the skin.)
A: mechanoreceptors

Q: Pain that results from damage to neurons of the peripheral or central nervous system is called ________.
- inflammatory pain (Incorrect. This pain is due to the inflammatory response to tissue damage.)
- congenital analgesia (Incorrect. This is a rare condition in which a person is unable to feel pain.)
- phantom pain (Incorrect. This is pain that seems to be located in a part of the body that has been amputated.)
- neuropathic pain (Correct! This kind of pain sometimes occurs in cancer patients or those with damage to the major nerve pathways of the body.)
A: neuropathic pain

Q: When the brain receives nociceptive signals from the body, ________.
- the experience of pain will be lessened if we focus on the injury (Incorrect. Focusing on a painful stimulus tends to enhance pain signals.)
- they can be amplified by focusing on a distraction (Incorrect. Distracting stimuli tend to reduce pain signals.)
- they are ignored as unimportant (Incorrect. Nociception is the process of reporting pain to the brain; our bodies tend to prioritize such information rather than ignore it.)
- they can be blocked by the brain’s descending pain modulatory system (Correct! Depending on motivation and expected reward, the brain can trigger release of endorphins to block or reduce pain signalling.)
A: they can be blocked by the brain’s descending pain modulatory system

Q: When Brad got into a minor car accident, he hopped right out of the car to assess the damage. He didn’t notice until later that night that he had a pretty serious cut on his leg. The fact that he didn’t notice is consistent with the ________.
- nociceptor model (Incorrect. Nociceptors are the skin structures responsible for reporting painful stimuli to the brain. This model helps describe a more everyday response to pain, such as flinching away after stepping on a Lego block.)
- top-down processing effect (Incorrect. Top-down processing refers to a basic model of understanding sensation and is not directly relevant to pain sensation.)
- bottom-up processing effect (Incorrect. Bottom-up processing refers to a basic model of understanding sensation and is not directly relevant to pain sensation.)
- motivation-decision model (Correct! This model accounts for situations in which pain is either reduced or ignored when motivation is high and attention is focused elsewhere.)
A: motivation-decision model

Q: Which sense relies on the organs of the inner ear to help maintain balance and body posture?
- thermoception (Incorrect. Most of our thermoreceptors are found in the skin.)
- kinesthesia (Incorrect. This refers to our sense of movement through space; the mechanoreceptors in the skin are primarily responsible for this sense.)
- olfaction (Incorrect. This word refers to our sense of smell; those receptors are primarily located in the nasal cavity.)
- the vestibular sense (Correct! The semicircular canals are the organs that allow for this sense to exist.)
A: the vestibular sense

Q: Braden has a pounding headache and is disoriented after riding a twisting roller coaster. What sense was impacted by the ride?
- proprioception (Incorrect. While our sense of body position will certainly be activate during a roller coaster ride, it is primarily a skin sense and unlikely to cause bodily discomfort as described.)
- somatosensation (Incorrect. While our sense of movement through space will certainly be activate during a roller coaster ride, it is primarily a skin sense and unlikely to cause bodily discomfort as described.)
- thermoception (Incorrect. This word refers to our sense of temperature, which will not likely be relevant during a roller coaster ride.)
- vestibular (Correct! The extreme motion of a roller coaster can confuse our sense of balance and positioning, which can lead to headaches and disorientation as described.)
A: vestibular

Q: Joanna is competing on Jeopardy!. She doesn't have to think about the distance between her finger and the buzzer and knows just how hard to press because of ________.
- kinesthesia (Incorrect. This word refers to our sense of motion through space, which is not the most relevant sense in the example given.)
- the vestibular sense (Incorrect. This sense allows us to maintain balance, which is not the most relevant sense in the example given.)
- nociception (Incorrect. This word refers to our sense of pain, which is (hopefully) not the most relevant sense in the examples given.)
- proprioception (Correct! This sense allows us to know where the parts of our body are without thinking about it.)
A: proprioception

Q: Martha is working on her swing at softball practice and is focusing on keeping her elbow out high and her arm turned with her shoulders back. This awareness of her own movement through space is called ________.
- somatosensation (Incorrect. This is a general term for our sense of touch.)
- proprioception (Incorrect. This sense allows us to know our own body position. Though somewhat relevant to the example above, it is not the best answer.)
- nociception (Incorrect. This word refers to our sense of pain.)
- kinesthesia (Correct! This sense allows us to know how we are moving through space.)
A: kinesthesia

Q: Deondre is working on his swing at baseball practice and is focusing on keeping his elbow out high and his arm turned with his shoulders back. This awareness of his own movement through space is called ________.
- somatosensation (Incorrect. This is a general term for our sense of touch.)
- proprioception (Incorrect. This sense allows us to know our own body position. Though somewhat relevant to the example above, it is not the best answer.)
- nociception (Incorrect. This word refers to our sense of pain.)
- kinesthesia (Correct! This sense allows us to know how we are moving through space.)
A: kinesthesia

Q: Which field of psychology includes the following concepts: figure-ground relationship, law of similarity, and proximity?
- biometric (Incorrect. Behavioral biometrics is a field closely related to personality research.)
- somatosensory (Incorrect. This term most closely correlates with the field of psychometrics, which is interested in the most basic processes of sensation.)
- psychoanalytic (Incorrect. This subfield of psychology is primarily concerned with unconscious thought rather than perception and sensation.)
- Gestalt (Correct! The Gestalt perspective was one of the earliest in modern psychology and has continued to be influential as we study issues of perception and illusion.)
A: Gestalt

Q: Sierra turns off her car right before the last line of chorus of a popular song. Moments later while inside the store, she finds herself singing the last line. This exemplifies the gestalt principle of ________.
- continuity (Incorrect. Continuity is the tendency to perceive separate objects as joined if their lines align.)
- similarity (Incorrect. This principle states that we see items that are visually similar as part of the same group.)
- proximity (Incorrect. The principle of proximity states that items that are closer together form a group.)
- closure (Correct! The human brain prefers completeness, whether visually, audibly, or narratively.)
A: closure

Q: According to Gestalt psychology, ________.
- the pattern is different from the sum of its parts. (Incorrect. While Gestalt psychology is concerned with patterns and perception, the phrase as presented here doesn’t make a ton of sense.)
- the whole is lesser than the sum of its parts. (Incorrect. Gestalt psychology sees the whole as greater than the sum of its parts, not lesser. It was initially formed as a reaction against structuralism, which viewed human experience as a series of building blocks that could be separated and investigated one by one in order to determine the whole.)
- human experience is best understood by reducing our perceptions to their basic building blocks and considering those one by one. (Incorrect. This viewpoint accurately describes structuralism. Gestalt psychology formed as a reaction against this movement and opposed this viewpoint.)
- the whole is different from the sum of its parts. (Correct! Gestalt psychology initially formed as a reaction against structuralism, which viewed human experience as a series of building blocks that could be separated and investigated one by one in order to determine the whole.)
A: the whole is different from the sum of its parts.

Q: The idea that we perceive the world while utilizing a combination of senses is known as ________.
- cross-modal phenomena (Incorrect. Though this term refers to the impact of one sense on the perception of another, it only involves two senses at once instead of all of them.)
- Gestalt psychology (Incorrect. While the principles of Gestalt psychology allow for and agree with the idea that the interaction of senses is important in human experience, Gestalt psychology itself is much broader than that single idea.)
- synesthesia (Incorrect. This is a perceptual disorder in which the activation of one sense improperly activates another; e.g., hearing sounds provokes a sensation of color.)
- multi-modal perception (Correct! Our senses interact to bring us the maximum amount of information possible.)
A: multi-modal perception

Q: At a football game, your friend from ten rows down yells at you to bring them some of your popcorn. At first you couldn’t understand what they were asking, but once you saw their mouth, you could make out the request. This is consistent with the ________.
- with the McGurk and McDonald effect on white noise (Incorrect. The McGurk effect occurs when visual and auditory information do not match.)
- multisensory enhancement explanation (Incorrect. This term was not presented in the text and is not relevant.)
- place theory (Incorrect. This term refers to a theory of hearing and is not relevant to multi-modal perception.)
- with the results of the Sumby and Pollack study on the audiovisual advantage (Correct! These researchers found the difference to be biggest when there was significant auditory interference.)
A: with the results of the Sumby and Pollack study on the audiovisual advantage

Q: Austin has never met one of his work colleagues, having only interacted online or on the phone. He’s still able to pick out his coworker at a conference in a room full of people because of ________.
- the perceptual power of audition (Incorrect. In this case, people are being identified by their voice despite having not yet heard their voice in person.)
- the multi-modal relationship between hearing and sight (Incorrect. Though this answer is nearly correct, it is not exactly “sight” that is at issue here, but rather the visual information we expect due to the audible information we’ve received. There’s another option that’s more accurate.)
- the multi-modal relationship between hearing and touch (Incorrect. The sense of touch is not relevant in this example.)
- the cross-modal relationship between auditory speech and visual information (Correct! Apparently, having information about what a person sounds like gives us clues as to what they ought to look like, and vice versa.)
A: the cross-modal relationship between auditory speech and visual information

Q: If your eyes see someone saying “ball” but the word you hear is “doll”, the struggle to make sense of that information in your brain is consistent with ________.
- unimodal perception (Incorrect. Unimodal perception does not allow for interactions between senses such as this.)
- The Rosenblum influence (Incorrect. This refers to the ability to recognize someone’s voice if you’ve seen (but not heard) them speaking. It is not relevant to this example.)
- place theory (Incorrect. This term refers to a theory of hearing and is not relevant to multi-modal perception.)
- the McGurk effect (Correct! Interestingly, sometimes the thing we hear when the visual and audible information do not match is something unique that is not what was heard or seen, but rather somewhere in between.)
A: the McGurk effect

Q: When surrounded by larger circles, a center circle will appear ________ than if surrounded by smaller circles.
- larger (Incorrect. It appears that being surrounded by larger circles has the opposite effect on perception of the middle circle.)
- the same (Incorrect. Changing the size of the surrounding circles does have an effect on how we perceive the middle circle.)
- invisible (Incorrect. Though the surrounding circles do have an effect on our perception of the center circle, they do not make it disappear.)
- smaller (Correct! This is known as the Ebbinghaus illusion.)
A: smaller

Q: Psychologists use illusions to ________.
- discover ways to improve the perceptual experience and prevent perceptual decline with age (Incorrect. Though individual researchers may hold these specific aims, they do not necessarily go hand-in-hand with the use of perceptual illusions.)
- prove that the world is not always as it seems and demonstrate how to overcome the effect of an illusion (Incorrect. Even knowing that you’ve been fooled by an illusion does not necessarily eliminate its effect on your perception.)
- anger and annoy research participants (Incorrect. Annoy too many folks and you don’t have anyone to do research on anymore! In truth, many people are fascinated by perceptual illusions and enjoy learning about them rather than being angered.)
- explore what people experience, what parts of the brain are involved in perception, and how to alter the illusion (Correct! Testing the edge conditions and breaking points of perception allow us to know more about how it works.)
A: explore what people experience, what parts of the brain are involved in perception, and how to alter the illusion

Q: Jessica Witt’s study tested ________.
- how an illusion alters the perceived location of the golf hole (Incorrect. Witt was not interested in the location of the hole, but rather how people perceived its size.)
- how successful people are at perceiving slight differences when the golf hole size changes between putts (Incorrect. The hole did not change size between putts in Witt’s research.)
- putting performance differences between experts and novice golfers (Incorrect. Witt was not interested in training effects, but rather now people perceived the size of the golf hole.)
- how the perception of the size of a golf hole affects golfing performance (Correct! This is a direct application of the Ebbinghaus illusion.)
A: how the perception of the size of a golf hole affects golfing performance

Q: Which was the independent variable in Jessica Witt’s study?
- the number of successful putts (Incorrect. This is the dependent variable.)
- the distance a person had to putt (Incorrect. This was kept constant from one person to the next and is therefore not a variable.)
- confidence in the ability to make the shot (Incorrect. Based on the description given in the text, Witt did not measure this variable.)
- the size of the holes projected around the golf hole (Correct! One condition had the hole surrounded by large circles, and the other had it surrounded by small ones.)
A: the size of the holes projected around the golf hole

Q: Which was the dependent variable in Jessica Witt’s study?
- the size of the putting hole and the size of the surrounding circles (Incorrect. Perceived size of the hole was one of the dependent variables, but size of the surrounding circles was the independent variable.)
- the distance to the putting hole (Incorrect. This was kept constant from one person to the next and is therefore not a variable.)
- confidence in the ability to make the shot (Incorrect. Based on the description given in the text, Witt did not measure this variable.)
- the size of the circle drawn by the participant and the number of successful putts (Correct! Both of these measures allowed Witt to see whether perception had changed based on the size of the circles around the hole.)
A: the size of the circle drawn by the participant and the number of successful putts

Q: What happened when the participants were asked to draw the size of the hole in Jessica Witt’s research?
- They drew the hole larger than the actual hole size if surrounded by larger circles (Incorrect. Being surrounded by larger circles had the opposite effect on perception of the putting hole.)
- They drew the hole smaller than the actual hole size if surrounded by smaller circles (Incorrect. Being surrounded by smaller circles had the opposite effect on perception of the putting hole.)
- They did not differ in the size of hole drawn regardless of which circles surrounded the putting hole (Incorrect. The presence of surrounding circles, whether small or large, had a reliable effect on the size of circle drawn by participants.)
- They drew the hole smaller than the actual hole size if surrounded by larger circles (Correct! This is a direct application of the Ebbinghaus illusion.)
A: They drew the hole smaller than the actual hole size if surrounded by larger circles