Chapter 4 Sensation And Perception

Question 1

What is absolute threshold?

Answer 1

The minimum stimulus that a person can detect

We only perceive half the time

Question 2

What is Weber’s law?

Answer 2

The more intense the stimulus the more change needed to notice the difference

Question 3

What is the signal detection theory?

Answer 3

Predicts how we detect a stimulus amid other stimuli

Assumes no absolute threshold

We detect stuff based on our experiences, motivations and fatigue levels

Question 4

Signal detection theory:

Present + present

Answer 4

Hit

Question 5

Signal detection theory:

Present +absent

Answer 5

Miss

Question 6

Signal detection theory:

Absent + absent

Answer 6

Correct rejection

Question 7

Signal detection theory:

Absent + present

Answer 7

False alarm

Question 8

What is subliminal stimulation?

Answer 8

Fall just below absolute threshold (50% of the time) for conscious awareness

Question 9

What is subliminal perception?

Answer 9

Below absolute threshold

Question 10

What do the rods of the retina pick up?

Answer 10

Brightness

Question 11

What do cones in the retina pick up?

Answer 11

Color

Question 12

What is intensity?

Answer 12

Amplitude which is how bright the color is

Question 13

What does wavelength determine?

Answer 13

Determines the hue

Question 14

What is hue?

Answer 14

Color

Question 15

What is the trichromatic theory?

Answer 15

Three types of cones:
Red
Green
Blue

Question 16

What is the opponent-process theory of color vision?

Answer 16

Sensory receptors corn in pairs

If one color is stimulated, the other is inhibited

Question 17

What is the place pitch theory?

Answer 17

Only some hairs vibrate in the cochlea when there are different pitches

Question 18

What is the frequency pitch theory?

Answer 18

All hairs vibrate at once but at different rates

Question 19

What does the amplitude part of hearing change?

Answer 19

Loudness

Question 20

What does the frequency of sound waves deal with?

Answer 20

Pitch

Question 21

What is top-down processing?

Answer 21

We perceive by filling the gaps in what we sense

Based on our experience and schema

Question 22

What is bottom-up processing?

Answer 22

Feature analysis

We use the features on the object itself to build a perception

I.e. A puzzle

Question 23

What is the figure ground relationship?

Answer 23

Our first perceptual decision is what our attention is initially drawn to, determining the figure and the background

Question 24

What are subjective contours?

Answer 24

The mind forms shapes that don’t exist

Question 25

What is Gestalt psychology?

Answer 25

Reality is organized or reduced to the simplest form

Question 26

What is purity of light?

Answer 26

Saturation of color

Question 27

What is the perceptual set?

Answer 27

The failure to see visible object or events because ones attention is focused elsewhere

Question 28

What is the phi phenomenon?

Answer 28

The illusion of movement created by presenting a visual stimuli in rapid succession

Question 29

What is depth perception?

Answer 29

Interpretation of visual cues that indicate how near or far away objects are

Question 30

What is convergence?

Answer 30

Involves sending the eyes converging toward each other as they focus on closer objects

Question 31

What are monocular depth cues?

Answer 31

Clues about distance based on one eye alone

Question 32

What are the binocular depth cues?

Answer 32

Clues about distances based on the image of both eyes

Question 33

What controls pitch?

Answer 33

Frequency

Question 34

What controls brightness?

Answer 34

Amplitude

Question 35

What is the wavelength of light?

Answer 35

400-700 nanometers

Question 36

What is closure?

Answer 36

Closing the circle

Question 37

What is similarity?

Answer 37

Elements that are similar tend to be grouped together

Question 38

What is simplicity?

Answer 38

Viewers tend to organize elements in the simplest way possible

Question 39

What is proximity?

Answer 39

Elements that are close to one another tend to be grouped together

Question 40

What is continuity?

Answer 40

Viewers that are similar tend to see elements in ways that produce smooth continuation

Question 41

What is linear perspective?

Answer 41

A depth cue reflecting the fact that lines converge in the distance

Question 42

What is interposition?

Answer 42

An object that comes between you and another object, it must be closer to you

Question 43

What is relative size?

Answer 43

A cue because closer objects appear larger

Question 44

What is depth perception?

Answer 44

Involved interpretation of visual cues that indicate how far or near objects are

Question 45

Sensory adaptation

Answer 45

Decreases responsiveness to stimuli due to constant stimulation