AP Psychology Worksheet 1.6

Dr. Kambeyanda is conducting a cross-sectional study to investigate whether there are differences in the absolute thresholds of individuals of different age groups. Which of the following is the best operational definition that Dr. Kambeyanda can use to measure the absolute threshold?

• The number of times out of 100 that a participant can correctly identify the presented stimulus

• The number of times out of 100 that a participant can accurately detect a change in the presented stimulus from its original form

• The proportion of a stimulus that must be presented for a participant to detect a change

• Whether a participant is able to perceive a presented stimulus

Dr. Handler conducted research to explore the extent to which hearing acuity changes with age. She tested the absolute threshold for hearing in 10 subjects of various ages. The results are presented in the table. Which of the following is an appropriate conclusion based on the data presented in the table?

• There is no relationship between age and pitch perception.

• There is a causal relationship between age and pitch perception.

• As age increases, the ability to detect higher pitched sounds tends to decrease.

• No conclusions can be drawn because the subjects were not randomly assigned.

Which of the following accurately depicts why this change in focus occurs at different distances?

• Valerie’s change in selective attention

• The Gestalt principle of figure-ground

• The accommodation processes of the lenses in Valerie’s eyes

• Sensory interaction between vision and audition

After Sharon stares at a patch of saturated green color for a brief period of time, she looks at a white surface and sees a red patch of color. This perceptual phenomenon is best explained by

• retinal disparity

• color constancy

• trichromatic theory

• opponent-process theory

After spending hours in her kitchen preparing dinner, Rebecca no longer notices the strong smell of garlic until her guests arrive and mention the smell. Her failure to notice the smell of garlic illustrates

• anosmia

• synesthesia

• sensory adaptation

• subliminal perception

After staring at a green, black, and orange “American flag” for about a minute, an individual will see a red, white, and blue flag afterimage. Which of the following explains this phenomenon?

• Trichromatic theory

• Opponent-process theory

• Retinex theory

• Color constancy

All summer Thomas hears the sound of the icecream truck approaching before his brother Oscar hears it. Thomas most likely has which of the following?

• A lower absolute threshold for hearing than Oscar

• A greater difference threshold for hearing than Oscar

• A deficit in a sensory system other than hearing

• A greater amount of experience with approaching ice-cream trucks than Oscar

A person is asked to listen to a series of tones presented in pairs, and asked to say whether the tones in each pair are the same or different in pitch. In this situation the experimenter is most likely measuring which of the following?

• sound localization ability

• hemispheric lateralization

• just-noticeable difference

• echoic memory

Which of the following research approaches would be best for testing the hypothesis that the presence of certain odors causes people to gamble more?

• Experimental

• Observational

• Correlational

• Case study

A reason that one typically does not notice a blind spot in the visual field is that

• the blind spot is very small, and no visual stimuli are likely to be so small that the blind spot completely obscures them

• most visual stimuli affect only one visual hemisphere, and one hemisphere can cover for the other

• visual stimuli usually affect the occipital cortex in both hemispheres

• the brain fills in missing information so there is no awareness that the visual field is incomplete