3 Sensation and Perception

Key: Answer, Page, Type, Learning Objective, Level

Type
A=Applied
C=Conceptual
F=Factual
Level
(1)=Easy; (2)=Moderate; (3)=Difficult

LO=Learning Objective
SG=Used in Study Guide p=page MULTIPLE CHOICE
The ABCs of Perception

Learning Objective- 3.1 What is sensation and how does it enter the central nervous system?

1. ______ are the raw data of experience, based on the activation of certain receptors located in the various sensory organs. a) Perceptions

Incorrect. Perception is the mental process of sorting, identifying, and arranging the raw data of experience into meaningful patterns. Sensations are the raw data of experience.

b) Emotions c) Cognitions d)
The lowest stimulus intensity required for detection is the absolute threshold, whereas the smallest noticeable difference between a standard stimulus intensity and another stimulus value is the difference threshold.

ANS: a, p. 84–85, C, LO=3.1, (3)

11. The principle that the just noticeable difference of any given sense is a constant fraction or proportion of the stimulus being judged is called the ______. a) the opponent-process principle

Incorrect. The opponent-process principle refers to a concept regarding color vision.

b) the doctrine of specific nerve energies c) the phi phenomenon d) Weber’s law
Correct. Weber’s law describes how change detection is based on a proportion of the stimulus intensity.

ANS: d, p. 84, C, LO=3.1, (3)

12. When Ann went to her doctor, he gave her a hearing test. During the test, the doctor presented tones to Ann through earphones. The tones started at a low intensity and then became louder. The doctor asked Ann to raise her hand whenever she started to hear a sound. The doctor was testing Ann’s ______. a) auditory convergence b) absolute threshold
Correct. The doctor was testing Ann’s absolute threshold or the softest sound she could detect. c) refractory threshold d) difference threshold
Incorrect. The doctor was testing Ann’s