Module 18

Question 1

Sensation and perception are actually parts of –

Answer 1

one continuous process.

Question 2

Bottom-up process by which the physical sensory system receives and represents stimuli at the very basic level of sensory receptors and works up

Answer 2

sensation

Question 3

Top-down mental process of organizing and interpreting sensory input from experience and expectations

Answer 3

perception

Question 4

– is sensory analysis that begins at the entry level, with information flowing from the sensory receptors to the brain.

Answer 4

bottom-up processing

Question 5

– is information processing guided by high-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions by filtering information through our experience and expectations

Answer 5

top-down processing

Question 6

all our senses receive – often using specialized

receptor cells

Answer 6

sensory stimulation

Question 7

all our senses transform that stimulation into –

Answer 7

neural impulses

Question 8

all our senses deliver the neural info to –

Answer 8

our brain

Question 9

conversion of one form of energy to another

Answer 9

transduction

Question 10

Predicts how and when we will detect a faint stimulus

amid background noise

Answer 10

signal detection theory

Question 11

individual absolute thresholds vary depending on the – and also on our experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness

Answer 11

strength of the signal

Question 12

Minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

Answer 12

absolute threshold

Question 13

Input, below the absolute threshold for conscious awareness

Answer 13

subliminal

Question 14

Activating, often unconsciously, associations in our mind, thus setting us up to perceive, remember, or respond to objects or events in certain ways

Answer 14

priming

Question 15

Minimum difference a person can detect between any two stimuli half the time; increases with stimulus size

Answer 15

difference threshold

Question 16

For an average person to perceive a difference, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (not a constant amount); exact proportion varies, depending on the stimulus.

Answer 16

Weber’s law

Question 17

– are those that are too weak to detect 50 percent of the time

Answer 17

subliminal stimuli

Question 18

– is a fact, such sensations are too fleeting to enable exploitation with subliminal messages.

Answer 18

subliminal sensation

Question 19

– may produce a fleeting, subtle, but not powerful, enduring effect on behavior

Answer 19

subliminal persuasion

Question 20

– Is diminished sensitivity as a consequence of

constant stimulation

Answer 20

sensory adaptation

Question 21

sensory adaptation aids focus by –

Answer 21

reducing background chatter

Question 22

T/F: sensory adaptation influences emotions

Answer 22

true

Question 23

Mental tendencies and assumptions that affect (top -

down) what we hear, taste, feel, and see

Answer 23

perceptual set

Question 24

What determines our perceptual set? – organize and interpret unfamiliar
information through experience.

Answer 24

Schemas

Question 25

Preexisting schemas influence – of ambiguous sensation interpretation, including gender stereotypes.

Answer 25

top-down processing

Question 26

A given stimulus may trigger -different perceptions because of the –

Answer 26

immediate context