The basilar membrane is located in the

A. middle ear

B. auditory canal

C. semicircular canal

D. cochlea

E. feature detector

John Locke would have suggested that a perceptual set results from

A. retinal disparity

B. psychokinesis

C. natural selection

D. prior experience

E. genetics

Alex tickles his brother by stroking adjacent ________ spots on his skin.

A. pressure

B. warmth

C. cold

D. pain

E. kinesthesis

Joe Wilson, age 55, has been told by experts that a hearing aid would restore his lost sense of hearing.  It is likely that Joe's hearing loss involves problems within the

A. inner ear

B. middle ear

C. auditory nerve

D. basilar membrane

E. oval window

Visual information is processed by

A. feature detectors before it is processed by rods and cones

B. ganglion cells before it is processed by feature detectors

C. bipolar cells before it is processed by rods and cones

D. feature detectors before it is processed by bipolar cells

E. the optic nerve before it is processed by ganglion cells

The coiled, fluid-filled tube in which sound waves trigger nerve impulses is called the

A. eustachian tube

B. auditory canal

C. semicircular canal

D. cochlea

E. vestibular apparatus

Stereotypes are mental conceptions that can strongly influence the way we interpret the behaviors of individuals belonging to specific racial or ethnic groups.  A stereotype is most similar to

A. a feature detector

B. perceptual adaptation

C. a perceptual set

D. a differencce threshold

E. gate-control theory

Hair cells line the surface of the

A. feature detectors

B. eardrum

C. basilar membrane

D. auditory nerve

E. fovea

The minimum amount of stimulation a person needs to detect a stimulus 50% of the time is called the

A. adaptation threshold

B. difference threshold

C.subliminal threshold

D. absolute threshold

E. change threshhold

The sequentially flashing Christmas tree lights appeared to generate pulsating waves of motion.  This best illustrates

A. relative motion

B. retinal disparity

C. the phi phenomenon

D. frequency theory

E. perceptual adaptation

Psychologist Michael Gazzaniga asked split-brain patients to stare at a dot as he flashed HE*ART on a screen.  HE appeared in the left visual field, ART in the right.  When asked to point to the word with their left hand, patients pointed to

A. HE

B. ART

C. HEART

D. EA

E. nothing.  They were unable to complete the task

A stroke patient can recognize the sound of his wife's voice but cannot recognize the sound of his wife's voice but cannot recognize her face when she stands next to him.  Which brain region has most likely been damaged?

A. the visual cortex in the occipital lobe

B. the underside of the right temporal lobe

C. Wernicke's area in the left temporal lobe

D. the hippocampus in the limbic system

E. the reticular formation in the brain stem

After chicks were fitted with special lenses that visually displaced objects to the left they

A. quickly learned to compensate by pecking to the left of where the food appeared to be

B. only gradually learned to compensate by pecking to the right of where the food appeared to be

C. only gradually learned to compensate by pecking to the left of where the food appeared to be

D. never adapted to the visual distortion

E. immediately adapted and pecked successfully at the food

Many researchers believe that pleasing tastes attracted our ancestors to energy - or protein rich foods that enabled their survival.  Such researchers are most likely

A. behavior geneticists

B. behaviorists

C. evolutionary psychologists

D. molecular geneticists

E. neuropsychologists

The pitch of a sound is determined by what?

A. the frequency of the sound wave

B. the amplitude of the sound wave

C. the loudness of the sound wave

D. the decibel level of the sound wave

E. vestibular level of the sound wave

An 80 decibel sound is _______ times louder than a 60 decibel sound.

A. 2

B. 10

C. 20

D. 100

E. 200

After listening to your high volume car stereo for 15 minutes, you fail to realize how loudly the music is blasting.  This best illustrates

A. Weber's law

B. accomodation

C. sensory adaptation

D. the volley principle

E. transduction

If a genetic predisposition to fear darkness contributes to reproductive success, that trait will likely be passed to subsequent generations.  This best illustrates

A. mutation

B. psychopathology

C. behavior genetics

D. environment

E. natural selection

According to frequency theory

A. most sound waves are a complex mixture of many frequencies

B. high frequency sound waves trigger a wave of activity that peaks at the beginning of the basilar membrane

C. the rate at which impulses travel up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of the tone being heard

D. frequent or prolonged stimulation of a sensory receptor causes that receptor to become less sensitive

E. we hear different pitches because different sound waves cause different parts of the nerve cells in the cochlea to fire

Current research suggests that

A. the Young-Helmholtz theory best explains how we experience color

B. opponent process theory is the most comprehensive theory for explaining color vision

C. both the trichromatic and opponent process theories are valid in explaining color vision

D. both the Young-Helmholtz and opponent process theories are wrong in explaining color vision

E. frequency theory shows promise in explaining how we experience color vision

Depth perception that uses information transmitted on only one eye depends on

A. relative luminance

B. stroboscopic movement

C. lightness constancy

D. monocular cues

E. perceptual adaptation

The role of the central nervous system activity for the experience of pain is best highlighted by

A. prosopagnosia

B. frequency theory

C. phantom limb sensations

D. the opponent process theory

E. perceptual adaptation

Movement of the hair cells along the basilar membrane

A. allows us to sense our body's position and movement

B. causes the olfactory bulb to send signals to the primary smell cortex

C. initiates transduction and the transmission of neural messages to the auditory cortex

D. stimulates the taste receptor cells and helps us distinguish between different taste sensations

E. produces large fiber activity in the spinal cord that closes the "gate" so we don't feel pain

As the text notes "Once we have formed a wrong idea about reality, we have more difficulties seeing the truth."  This best illustrates the impact of

A. synaesthesia

B. the phi phenomenon

C. top-down processing

D. retinal disparity

E. transduction

Although textbooks frequently cast a trapezoidal image on the retina, students typically perceive the books as rectangular objects.  This illustrates the importance of

A. interposition

B. size constancy

C. linear perspective

D. shape constancy

E. binocular cues

When researchers added a few drops of vinegar to a brand name beer, the beer tasters disliked it only if they had been told they were drinking vinegar laced beer.  This best illustrates the impact of

A. kinesthesis

B. interposition

C. perpetual set

D. the McGurk effect

E. feature detectors

Epinephrine and norepinephrine are released by the

A. thyroid gland

B. pituitary gland

C. parathyroids

D. adrenal glands

E. pancreas

By amplifying soft sounds but not loud sounds, digital hearing aids produce

A. sensory interaction

B. compressed sound

C. subliminal stimulation

D. sensory compensation

E. feature detectors

Prozac, a drug commonly prescribed to treat depression, prevents the sending neuron from taking in excess serotonin.  Which process does this process prevent from taking place?

A. depolarization

B. reuptake

C. the all or none response

D. an action potential

E. refractory period

Evolutionary psychologists would be most likely to attribute gender differences and attitudes towards sex to the fact that men have _______ than do women.

 A. larger bodies

B. stronger personalities

C. a weaker sense of empathy

D. greater reproductive potential

E. more insecurities

After noting that the majority of professional basketball players are African American, Ervin concluded that African Americans are better athletes than members of other racial groups.  Ervin's conclusion best illustrates the danger of

A. replication

B. hindsight bias

C. the placebo effect

D. generalizing from vivid cases

E. randomly assigning variables

Which of the following structures in the brain stem helps coordinate movements and lies above the medulla?

A. reticular formation

B. hippocampus

C. pons

D. thalamus

E. hypothalamus

The convergence of parallel lines provides the distance cue known as

A. interposition

B. closure

C. relative height

D. linear perspective

E. continuity

Parapsychology refers to the

A. study of phenomena such as ESP and psychokinesis

B. study of perceptual illusions

C. study of the phi phenomenon

D. direct transmission of thoughts from one mind to another

E. direct transduction of energy into neural impulses

The amplitude of electromagnetic waves determines the _________ of light.

A. absolute threshold

B. brightness

C. hue

D. difference threshold

E. wavelength

Standing atop a mountain on an utterly dark, clear night, most of us would see a candle flame atop another mountain 30 miles away.  This best illustrates

A. priming

B. transduction

C. the absolute threshold

D. a just noticable difference

E. place theory

The cochlea is a

A. fluid filled tube in which sound waves trigger nerve impulses

B. a fluid filled tube that provides a sense of upright body position

C. a fluid filled tube that provides a sense of body movement

D. a set of 3 tiny bones that amplify the vibrations of the eardrum

E. a specific area of the auditory cortex

When informed that a brief and imperceptable message would be flashed repeatedly during a popular TV program, many viewers reported feeling strangely hungry or thirsty during the show.  Since the imperceptable message had nothing to do with hunger or thirst, viewers strange reactions best illustrate

A. the McGurk effect

B. sensory adaptation

C. the volley principle

D. a placebo effect

E. accomodation

With her eyes closed and her nose plugged, Chandra was unable to taste the difference between an onion and a pear.  Her experience best illustrates the importance of

A. sensory interaction

B. sensory transduction

C. sensory adaptation

D. accomodation

E. subliminal stimulation

According to opponent process theory, cells that are stimulated by exposure to _______ light are inhibited by exposure to _______ light.

A. red; blue

B. blue; green

C. yellow; green

D. blue; red

E. yellow; blue

The chemical messengers of the endocrine system are called

A. neurotransmitters

B. interneurons

C. hormones

D. agonists

E. antagonists

Hearing a sequence of sounds of different pitches is to _______ as recognizing the sound sequence as a familiar melody is to ________.

A. the just noticable difference; accomodation

B. absolute threshold; difference threshold

C. sensory interaction; feature detection

D. feature detection; sensory interaction

E. sensation; perception

Perceptual adaptation refers to the

A. grouping of stimuli into smooth uninterrupted patterns

B. perception of movement created by the successive blinking of adjacent lights

C. perception of an object as unchanging in shape regardless of our own viewing angle.

D. perceptual adjustment to an artificially displaced visual field

E. tendency for novel or unfamiliar stimuli to capture our attention

The 130 decibel sound of a rock band is ______ times louder than the 100 decibel sound of a nearby subway train.

A. 2

B. 10

C. 30

D. 100

E. 1000

After learning that a new school friend had experienced several episodes of depression during junior high, Erin incorrectly perceived her friend's laughter as artificial and phony.  This best illustrates the impact of

A. interposition

B. perceptual set

C. clairvoyance

D. the phi phenomenon

E. opponent process theory

Identical twins seperated at birth would most likely have similar

A. political ideas

B. religious beliefs

C. personalities

D. norms

E. food preferences

The steadily increasing size of a retinal image of an approaching object is especially important for perceiving the object's

A. shape

B. motion

C. height

D. weight

E. color

Ms. Shields, a recent stroke victim, cannot consciously percieve the large book on the coffee table in front of her, yet when asked to identify the book, she correctly reads aloud the printed title on the book title. Her response best illustrates

A. subliminal perception

B. sensory adaptation

C. synaesthesia

D. blindsight

E. the McGurk effect

Which theory best explains the occurance of afterimages?

A. trichromatic

B. opponent process

C. place

D. frequency

E. signal detection

The amount of light entering the light is regulated by the

A. lens

B. iris

C. retina

D. optic nerve

E. feature detectors