Ch 3 Sensation & Perception

The process by which we receive, transform, and process stimuli is

• sensation

• perception.

• habituation.

• psychophysics.

The study of relationships between the characteristics of external stimuli and sensations is called

• psychophysics

• perception

• interpretive perception

• sensory tech

The smallest amount of a stimulus that a person can reliably detect 50% of the time is called

• absolute threshold.

• difference threshold.

• perceptual constancy.

• Weber’s constant.

When Jessie entered the jewelry store, she heard a high-pitched hum from the store’s security system. Eddie,

however, heard nothing. How do you explain this?

• The sound is soft

• People differ in their absolute thresholds.

• The intensity of the sound is weak.

• The environment dampens the sound.

The minimal difference between two stimuli that people can reliably detect is the

• absolute threshold.

• difference threshold.

• perceptual threshold.

• sensitivity threshold.

Seven-year-old Sangram is not allowed to touch the TV remote. Nevertheless, he uses the remote to change the

volume from level 15 to 17. His parents, who are in the next room, seem unaware. The next day, Sangram becomes

bold and turns the volume from level 15 to 30. His father yells at him, “Stop playing with the remote!” What prevented Sangram’s father from noticing the volume change on the previous day?

• Difference threshold

• Fixed threshold

• Absolute threshold

• Distinct threshold

Weber’s law suggests that

• absolute threshold measurements underestimate true perceptual sensitivity.

• difference thresholds are a constant proportion of the original stimulus.

• difference thresholds are a constant quantity.

• difference thresholds decrease as stimuli increase.

Hans and Franz lift weights at their local gym. When their trainer adds a two-pound weight to Hans’s normal 50-

pound load, Hans immediately notices. However, when the same two-pound weight is added to Franz’s normal 200-

pound load, he isn’t aware of the extra weight. The difference in Hans’s and Franz’s experience is consistent with

• absolute threshold theory.

• difference threshold theory.

• Weber’s Law.

• signal-detection theory.

The idea that the threshold for sensing a stimulus depends not only on the properties of the stimulus itself but on the

level of background stimulation, as well as characteristics of the perceiver, is explained by

• Weber’s Law.

• the volley principle.

• signal-detection theory.

• sensory adaptation.

When sensory systems become less sensitive to unchanging stimuli, it is called

• accommodation.

• sensory adaptation.

• threshold degradation.

• subliminal perception.