Chapter 1

Question 1

We don’t directly sense the world; instead, our brain creates an internal picture based on the signals from our senses.

Answer 1

Principle of Representation in perception

Question 2

When you taste a piece of chocolate, you’re not directly experiencing the chocolate itself but rather a mental representation formed by the signals your taste buds send to your brain

What is this known as?

Answer 2

Principle of Representation in perception

Question 3

What is the Distal Stimulus?

Answer 3

The actual object or event in the environment that you are trying to sense.

Question 4

If you are eating chocolate, what is the distal stimulus? proximal stimulus?

Answer 4

Distal: Piece of Chocolate in mouth
Proximal: Specific flavors and textures of chocolate

Question 5

What is the Proximal Stimulus?

Answer 5

The pattern of energy that the distal stimulus creates on your sensory organs

Question 6

The process where your sensory receptors turn the physical energy from the stimulus into electrical signals that your brain can understand.

Answer 6

Transduction

Question 7

When you touch something hot, the heat is converted by receptors in your skin into signals that tell your brain it’s hot.

What is this an example of?

Answer 7

Transduction

Question 8

Using what you already know to help you make sense of what you’re seeing or hearing.

Answer 8

Top-Down Processing

Question 9

Recognizing your favorite song even when it’s played quietly or with some notes missing because you already know the tune.

What is this an example of?

Answer 9

Top-Down Processing

Question 10

Tasting a new dish and figuring out what it is based on the flavors you experience.

What is this an example of?

Answer 10

Bottom-Up Processing

Question 11

What is Bottom-Up Processing?

Answer 11

Understanding something based only on the information you get from your senses, without any prior knowledge.

Question 12

What are the 7 steps of the Perceptual Process?

Answer 12

1. Environmental Stimulus
2. Light is Reflected and Transformed
3. Receptor Processes
4. Neural Processing
5. Perception
6. Recognition
7. Action

Question 13

The steps your brain goes through to make sense of the things you sense, from detecting the stimulus to taking action based on it.

Answer 13

Perceptual Process

Question 14

What are the sub-steps of the Perceptual Process?

Answer 14

Stimulus, Physiological, Behavior

Question 15

What is the Absolute Threshold?

Answer 15

The smallest amount of a stimulus that you can detect at least half the time.

Question 16

What is the Method of Limits?

Answer 16

A method to find out at what point you can detect a stimulus by gradually changing its intensity.

Question 17

How is the Method of Limits used?

Answer 17

Used to study sensory thresholds

Question 18

Someone who only says they detect something when they’re very sure, leading to fewer mistakes but possibly missing some real signals.

Answer 18

Conservative Responder in Signal Detection Theory

Question 19

What is a Liberal Responder in Signal Detection Theory?

Answer 19

Someone who often says they detect something even if they’re not sure, catching more signals but also having more false alarms.

Question 20

A student who raises their hand whenever they think they might know the answer, leading to more chances to be right but also more chances to be wrong.

Someone who only says they detect something when they’re very sure, leading to fewer mistakes but possibly missing some real signals.

Conservative or Liberal responder?

Answer 20

1. Liberal
2. Conservative

Question 21

What is a Stimulus – Perception relationship in Sensation & Perception research?

Answer 21

How changing a stimulus affects what you perceive.

Question 22

What is a Stimulus – Physiology relationship in Sensation & Perception research?

Answer 22

How a stimulus affects your body’s sensory systems.

Question 23

What is a Physiology – Perception relationship in Sensation & Perception research?

Answer 23

How changes in your body or brain relate to what you perceive.

Question 24

Respond to each of the following with one of the three types of relationships studied in Sensation & Perception research

1. Feeling dizzy after spinning around and noticing how it affects your sense of balance.
2. Turning up the brightness on a screen and noticing how the image looks clearer.
3. Listening to louder music and feeling more vibration in your ears.

Answer 24

1. Physiology – Perception
2. Stimulus – Perception
3. Stimulus – Physiology