Sensation and Perception Quiz

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Which term refers to the activation of sensory organs?

Top-down processing

Sensation (correct)

Perception

Bottom-up processing

What is the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli and our psychological experience of them?

Perceptual set

Sensory transduction

Thresholds

Psychophysics (correct)

What is the smallest level of energy required by an external stimulus to be detectable by the human senses 50% of the time?

Bottom-up processing

Subliminal threshold

Absolute threshold (correct)

Perceptual set

Which type of processing uses our background knowledge and expectations to interpret what we see?

Top-down processing Signup and view all the answers

What term describes a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another based on experience, concepts, and schemas?

Perceptual set Signup and view all the answers

What type of message is said to be subliminal if it is below the absolute threshold?

Subliminal message Signup and view all the answers

Which theory explains high pitch based on different sound waves triggering activity in different parts of the cochlea’s basilar membrane?

Place theory Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of rods in the retina?

Detect black, white, and grey and are sensitive to movements Signup and view all the answers

Which nerve cells in the brain’s visual cortex respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement?

Feature detectors Signup and view all the answers

What is the ability to see objects in three dimensions, although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional?

Depth Perception Signup and view all the answers

Which psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes?

Gestalt psychologists Signup and view all the answers

What is explained by the place theory in audition?

High pitch Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of cones in the retina?

Concentrated near the center of the retina and function in daylight or well-lit conditions Signup and view all the answers

Which theory enables color vision by opposing retinal processes (red-green, blue-yellow, white-black)?

Opponent-process theory Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of nociceptors?

To detect hurtful temperatures, pressure, or chemicals Signup and view all the answers

In the gate-control theory of pain, what opens the neurological 'gate' in the spinal cord?

Activity of pain signals travelling up small nerve fibers Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of proprioceptors in the body?

To provide constant feedback to the brain about body position and movement Signup and view all the answers

Which sense is influenced by movement of fluids in the inner ear?

Vestibular sense (balance) Signup and view all the answers

What is embodied cognition?

The influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgments Signup and view all the answers

How do we smell something?

When molecules of a substance carried in the air reach a tiny cluster of receptor cells at the top of each nasal cavity Signup and view all the answers