General Pysch 5 & 6

Front

The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive stimulus energies from the environment is called:

Back

Sensation

Answer explanation

Sensation is about detecting energy (light, sound, smell, etc.) — before your brain interprets it. Perception happens later, when your brain makes sense of that info.

Front

What’s an example of sensory adaptation?

Back

You stop noticing your perfume after wearing it for a while.

Answer explanation

Sensory adaptation happens when your senses become less sensitive to something that doesn’t change — like background smells or sounds.

Front

Subliminal stimulation involves stimuli that are:

Back

Below the absolute threshold.

Answer explanation

"Subliminal” = below your conscious awareness. It’s too weak for you to consciously detect, though your body might still respond slightly.

Front

The absolute threshold refers to:

Back

The weakest stimulus that can be detected 50% of the time.

Answer explanation

Absolute threshold” is basically your detection limit. For example, the quietest sound or faintest light you can detect half the time.

Front

Which example best illustrates bottom-up processing?

Back

Interpreting shapes and colors to identify a flower.

Answer explanation

Bottom-up = starting from the senses and moving upward to the brain. You build perception from the raw details first.

Front

Top-down processing is guided by:

Back

Experience and expectations

Answer explanation

Top-down = using what you already know or expect to interpret sensory info — like seeing shapes in clouds.

Front

Perception is:

Back

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information.

Front

Which best describes a perceptual set?

Back

A mental tendency that influences what you expect to see.

Answer explanation

Perceptual set = your “mental filter.” Expectations, experiences, and emotions all affect what you notice first.

Front

Sensory interaction refers to:

Back

One sense influencing another.

Answer explanation

Senses don’t work alone — smell enhances taste, vision affects balance, etc. That’s sensory interaction.

Front

According to research, extrasensory perception (ESP) has been:

Back

Never reliably demonstrated scientifically.

Answer explanation

No study has ever shown ESP under strict observation. Scientists can’t reproduce it — which means it’s not supported evidence.