Unit 3: Module 16- Understanding Sensation and Perception

What is selective attention?

• The process by which we ignore all sensory input

• The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

• The ability to sense stimuli below the absolute threshold

• The process of adapting to constant stimuli

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

• Sensation is the interpretation of stimuli, while perception is the detection of stimuli

• Sensation is the detection of stimuli, while perception is the interpretation of those stimuli

• Sensation and perception are the same process

• Sensation only occurs in the brain, perception only in the sense organs

Bottom-up processing refers to:

• Using prior knowledge to interpret sensory information

• Processing that begins with sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information

• Ignoring sensory input in favor of expectations

• The adaptation to constant stimuli

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-8

Top-down processing is best defined as:

• The process of detecting differences between two stimuli

• The analysis that begins with the sensory receptors

• Information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, such as experience and expectations

• The process of adapting to unchanging stimuli

What is an absolute threshold?

• The minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection

• The maximum amount of stimulation a person can detect

• The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

• The point at which adaptation occurs

The difference threshold is:

• The minimum stimulation needed to detect a stimulus

• The minimum difference a person can detect between any two stimuli 50% of the time

• The maximum difference between two stimuli

• The threshold at which adaptation occurs

How can subliminal stimuli affect us?

• They can cause us to consciously change our behavior

• They can influence us without our conscious awareness

• They are always detected by our sensory systems

• They have no effect on perception or behavior

What is the function of sensory adaptation?

• To increase sensitivity to constant stimuli

• To decrease sensitivity to unchanging stimuli

• To enhance the detection of new stimuli

• To prevent the detection of all stimuli

Which of the following lists the three basic steps common to all sensory systems?

• Reception, transduction, transmission

• Sensation, perception, adaptation

• Detection, interpretation, response

• Attention, sensation, perception

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-8

Which of the following best illustrates top-down processing?

• Recognizing a friend’s face in a crowd because you expect to see them

• Detecting a faint sound in a quiet room

• Feeling the temperature of water

• Noticing a new smell in a familiar environment

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-8