Chapter 3: Sensation & Perception (Critical Thinking Activity = 15 points.
Use the crossword puzzle to fill in the blanks on the next page(s). (You do NOT
need to actually write your answers in the boxes here).
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Chapter 3: Sensation & Perception (Critical Thinking Activity = 15 points.)
Part 1—Knowing Key Terms (4 points):
Fill in the blanks from the crossword puzzle above using key terms from the
textbook and/or lecture notes.
Across
4. visual sensory receptor found at the back of the retina, responsible for color vision
and sharpness of vision.- cones
8. area in the retina where the axons of the three layers of retinal cells exit the eye to
form the optic nerve.- bling spot
10. the sensation of taste.- gustation
11. the study of ESP, ghosts, and other subjects that do not normally fall into the realm
of ordinary psychology.- parapsychology
14. bundle of axons from the hair cells in the inner ear.- auditory nerve
15. disorder in which the signals from the various sensory organs are processed in the
wrong cortical areas.- synesthesia
16. the tendency to perceive objects that are close to each other as part of the same
grouping.- proximity
17. the rotation of the two eyes in their sockets to focus on a single object.-
convergence
Down
1. the ability to perceive the world in three dimensions.- depth perception
2. the tendency to complete figures that are incomplete.- closure
3. the sensations of movement, balance, and body position.- vestibular
4. snail-like structure of the inner ear, filled with fluid.- cochiea
5. images that occur when a visual sensation persists for a brief time even after the
original stimulus is removed.- after images
6. cues for perceiving depth based on both eyes.- binocular
7. visual sensory receptor found at the back of the retina, responsible for non-color
sensitivity to low levels of light.- rods
9. cues for perceiving depth based on one eye only.- monocular
11. the method by which the sensations experienced at any given moment are
interpreted and organized in some meaningful fashion.- perception
12. the activation of receptors in the various sense organs.- sensation
13. the sensation of smell.- olfaction
Part 2—Comprehending and Applying Concepts (3 points):
Answer each of the following questions by: (1) Underlining the correct options for
multiple choice items, or (2) Providing the correct short answer where
appropriate.
1. The most important role of sensory receptors is to.
coordinate communications within the body
regulate the body’s response to pain
control skeletal muscle contractions
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Chapter 3: Sensation & Perception (Critical Thinking Activity = 15 points.)
convert an external stimulus into an electrical-chemical message the nervous
system can use
2. If you stared at a picture for a long period of time, you might think the image of
the picture would fade due to sensory adaptation. This would be the case except
for the tiny vibrations of your eye called saccades .
3. Which of the following is true about cones?
They are more sensitive to light than rods.
They are found mainly in the center of the eye.
They operate mainly at night.
They respond only to black and white.
4. Vibrating molecules in the air are called sound waves .
5. The membrane stretched over the opening to the middle ear is the
pinna.
oval window.
tympanic membrane.
cochlea
6. Ringing or buzzing sensations in the ears may be a sign of
noise-produced hearing damage.
habituation of the hair cells.
rigidity of the ossicles.
volley theory morbidity.
7. If a severe ear infection damages the bones of the middle ear, you may develop
_______ hearing impairedness.
nerve
stimulation
brain pathway
conduction
8. The “bumps” on the tongue that are visible to the eye are the papillae .
9. In gate-control theory, Substance P
opens the spinal gates for pain.
closes the spinal gates for pain.
is unrelated to pain.
is similar in function to endorphins.
10. Which is the best description of the vestibular senses?
having to do with touch, pressure, temperature, and pain
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Chapter 3: Sensation & Perception (Critical Thinking Activity = 15 points.)
having to do with the location of body parts in relation to the ground and to
each other
having to do with movement and body position
having to do with your location as compared to the position of the sun
11. Closure is the tendency _________________
to perceive objects, or figures, on some background.
to complete figures that are incomplete.
to perceive objects that are close to each other as part of the same grouping.
to perceive things with a continuous pattern rather than with a complex,
broken-up pattern.
12. Visual distance and depth cues that require the use of both eyes are called
binocular cues .
13. The Müller-Lyer illusion exists in cultures in which there are
more men than women.
more women than men.
few buildings.
buildings with lots of corners.
15. A recent review of studies on ESP using the ganzfeld procedure concluded that
______.
no convincing evidence for psychic ability had emerged from any of the
studies .
no convincing evidence for psychic ability had emerged from the majority of
studies.
convincing evidence for psychic ability had been found in the majority of
studies.
convincing evidence for psychic ability had been found in virtually all studies.
Part 3—Understanding and Analyzing Concepts (3 points):
Read each statement and decide whether it is TRUE or FALSE based upon your
knowledge from the textbook and/or lecture notes.
1. The minimum intensity of physical stimulation required to produce any sensation
at all in a person is the just noticeable threshold.
TRUE
2. When you stare at a picture for a long time, it doesn’t fade away because your
eye is making tiny eye movements that are called glissades.
FALSE
3. Light has two natures and can be thought of as both a wave and a particle.
TRUE
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Chapter 3: Sensation & Perception (Critical Thinking Activity = 15 points.)
4. In daylight, the shortest wavelengths of light in the visible spectrum will look red.
FALSE
5. The amount of light let into the eye is controlled by the iris.
TRUE
6. The pathway from the retina to the brain that enables us to see is rods and cones
to bipolar cells to ganglion cells to optic nerve.
TRUE
7. The problem with the trichromatic theory of color vision is that it did not
adequately explain color blindness and why staring at the reversed American flag
produced an afterimage of a flag with the correct colors.
TRUE
8. The pitch of a sound (from a low bass to a high shriek) is related to the amplitude
of the sound waves that reach the eardrum.
FALSE
9. The place theory of the perception of pitch is identified BEST with Helmholtz.
TRUE
10. The ability to see 3-D movies is an instance of using motion parallax.
FALSE
11. The correct order of the three bones of the middle ear from outside to inside is
the anvil, the hammer, and the stirrup.
TRUE
12. Nerve hearing impairment due to problems in the auditory cortex of the brain has
been easily corrected with hearing aids.
TRUE
13. There are seven primary tastes: hot, sour, spicy, sweet, brothy, acid, and bitter.
FALSE
14. Olfactory receptor cells are located in the back of the throat.
FALSE
15. Substance P is related to the sense of balance.
FALSE
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Chapter 3: Sensation & Perception (Critical Thinking Activity = 15 points.)
Part 4—Synthesizing and Evaluating Concepts (5 points):
Using your knowledge from the textbook and/or lecture notes, answer each
question by typing your response in the space provided below. For each question,
your answer should be one or more healthy paragraphs (Your total answer
should be at least 50 words or more).
1. You decide to go to work for a presidential candidate in the next election. You
think that the way for you to get folks to vote for your candidate is to use some
psychology. So, you make a deal with a soft-drink company to insert a picture of
your candidate into its commercials for only a brief instant. It will be so quick that
no one will notice the picture. That way, the candidate’s image will enter viewers’
subconscious minds and make them vote for your candidate. What psychological
processes are you trying to use and will they be likely to work?
The psychological process of working here is subconscious.
When the stimulus is too weak to be noticed by people,
subconsciousness occurs. If it is used quickly as described in the
article, I think it will not produce any effect unless the audience first
considers voting in this way.
2. Describe how sound waves become nerve impulses as they enter the ear. How
are the important characteristics of sound coded?
Goes through outer ear which funnels to middle ear and vibrates the
bones and the inner ear and the fluid vibrates the hair cells, the
receptors.
3. List and explain two binocular cues for depth perception and two monocular cues.
Why do we have two different types of cues for depth?
Monocular (one eye) : Linear perspective - Parallel lines eventually
converge, Relative size - if small it is far away. Binocular (two eyes) :
Convergence - Rotation of the eyes in their sockets to focus on an
object, Binocular Disparity - distance between objects is bigger when
closer.
4. Why do perceptual illusions occur? Give an example of a perceptual illusion and
explain it according to your answer to the first part of this question.
Illusions are distorted perceptions of something not there. Moon
illusion: moon on horizon is bigger than in the sky.
5. Compare and contrast the trichromatic and opponent-process theories of color
vision. How has this debate been resolved?
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Chapter 3: Sensation & Perception (Critical Thinking Activity = 15 points.)
Trichromatic: red, blue, green. Opponent-process: Stimulated by
light of one and inhibited by light of another. Both true. Tri
happens with raw stimuli. Opponent is after images.
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