Question 1

Which of the following best describes the difference between sensation and perception?

Accepted Answer

Sensation is the detection of physical energy by sensory organs, while perception is the interpretation of that sensory data by the brain.

Question 2

A person with prosopagnosia is most likely to have difficulty with which of the following tasks?

Accepted Answer

Recognizing familiar faces, even though their vision is otherwise intact.

Question 3

What is the process of transduction in sensation and perception?

Accepted Answer

The conversion of physical energy from the environment into neural impulses.

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of sensory adaptation?

Accepted Answer

No longer noticing the smell of perfume after being in a room for a while.

Question 5

According to Weber's Law, the just noticeable difference (JND) between two stimuli is:

Accepted Answer

A constant proportion of the original stimulus intensity.

Question 6

A marketer wants to reduce the size of a chocolate bar without customers noticing. According to the concept of JND, what should the marketer do?

Accepted Answer

Make the size reduction smaller than the just noticeable difference for most consumers.

Question 7

Which scenario best illustrates the concept of inattentional blindness?

Accepted Answer

Failing to notice a person in a gorilla suit walking through a basketball game while focusing on counting passes.

Question 8

Which of the following best describes bottom-up processing?

Accepted Answer

Perception that begins with sensory input and builds up to complex perceptions.

Question 9

A person is able to detect a candle flame 48 kilometers away on a clear, dark night. This scenario is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Absolute threshold

Question 10

Which of the following statements about subliminal perception is supported by research?

Accepted Answer

Subliminal perception occurs, but has little to no practical effect on persuasion or behavior.

Question 11

Which of the following is an example of perceptual constancy?

Accepted Answer

Perceiving a white shirt as white whether you are indoors or outdoors.

Question 12

Which theory explains why we see afterimages in complementary colors after staring at a colored image?

Accepted Answer

Opponent-process theory

Question 13

A person with damage to the hair cells in the cochlea is most likely to experience which type of hearing loss?

Accepted Answer

Nerve (sensorineural) deafness

Question 14

Which of the following best illustrates the McGurk effect?

Accepted Answer

Hearing a different sound when watching a video of someone mouthing a word that does not match the audio.

Question 15

Which depth cue relies on the use of both eyes?

Accepted Answer

Binocular disparity

Question 16

A driver and a pedestrian witness the same car accident but recall different details. This is most likely due to:

Accepted Answer

Context effects on perception

Question 17

Which of the following best describes a perceptual set?

Accepted Answer

A mental filter that influences what aspects of a scene we perceive based on expectations and prior knowledge.

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of top-down processing?

Accepted Answer

Interpreting a blurry image as a familiar object based on prior experience.

Question 19

Which of the following best explains why a green apple appears green under both sunlight and indoor lighting?

Accepted Answer

Color constancy

Question 20

According to the trichromatic theory of color vision, which types of cones are found in the retina?

Accepted Answer

Red, green, and blue cones

Sensation & Perception: Foundations, Processes, and Applications

Study Guide - Practice Questions