Chapter 5 Textbook Questions- Physiological Psych

If someone electrically stimulated the auditory receptors in your ear, what would you perceive?

• A sensation of sound, even if no actual sound is present

• A tingling or pressure sensation in the ear

• A sudden loss of hearing in that ear

• No perception at all, since auditory receptors do not respond to electrical stimulation

If it were possible to flip your entire brain upside down without breaking any of the connections to sense organs, what would happen to your perceptions of what you see, hear, and so forth?

• Your perceptions would remain the same because the brain would interpret sensory inputs just as before

• Your perceptions would be completely inverted—up would seem down, and left would seem right

• You would lose all sensory perception because the brain would not function properly in the new position

• Your perception would be distorted at first, but your brain would eventually adapt and correct the distortions

What was Ibn al-Haytham’s evidence that we see only because light enters the eyes, not by sending out sight rays?

• He demonstrated that light travels in straight lines and enters the eye to create vision

• He showed that people cannot see in total darkness, which contradicts the idea of sight rays leaving the eyes

• He proved that vision is based on light reflecting off objects and entering the eye

• All of the above

What makes the blind spot of the retina blind?

• The optic nerve actively inhibits perception in that area

• It is covered by blood vessels that block light from reaching the receptors

• The blind spot has no receptors because it is occupied by exiting axons and blood vessels

• It is located in a region of the retina that receives no light due to the curvature of the eye

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You sometimes find that you can see a faint star on a dark night better if you look slightly to the side of the star instead of straight at it. Why?

• The center of the retina (fovea) has mostly cones, which are less sensitive in dim light

• The periphery of the retina has more rods, which are more sensitive to dim light

• Looking slightly to the side places the star's light onto the rod-rich peripheral retina

• All of the above

If you found a species with a high ratio of cones to rods in its retina, what would you predict about its way of life?

• It relies mostly on motion detection rather than detailed vision

• It probably lives in deep water where light is scarce

• It is likely nocturnal and depends on low-light vision

• We should expect this species to be highly active during the day and seldom active at night

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According to the trichromatic theory, what causes you to perceive red?

• Equal activation of all three types of cones (short, medium, and long wavelengths)

• Strong activation of short-wavelength (S) cones and weak activation of other cones

• Strong activation of long-wavelength (L) cones and weak activation of other cones

• The brain detects the absence of blue and green wavelengths

According to the opponent-process theory, under what circumstance would you perceive a white object as blue?

• After staring at a red object for a long time and then looking at a white surface

• After staring at a bright yellow object for a minute or so and then looked at a similar white object, it would appear blue

• After staring at a green object for a long time and then looking at a white surface

• After staring at a blue object for a long time and then looking at a white surface

When a television set is off, its screen appears gray. When you watch a program, parts of the screen appear black, even though the screen is displaying more light than when the set was off. What explains the black perception?

• The brain interprets colors based on contrast rather than absolute light levels

• The television emits light selectively, making some areas truly black

• The eyes adjust to lower brightness levels, making darker areas seem even darker

• The perception of black occurs only when no light is emitted at all

Why is color vision deficiency a better term than color blindness?

• All of the above

• Most people with the condition can still see some colors, just not all of them

• Color blindness suggests a complete inability to see color, which is rare

• There are different types and degrees of color vision deficiencies