AP Psychology : Sensation and Perception

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Psychology

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Example Questions

Example Question #31 : Sensation And Perception

Which region of the human body would have the largest area of the sensory cortex devoted to it?

Possible Answers:

Arm

Eyes

Toes

Lips 

Knee

Correct answer:

Lips 

Explanation:

The area devoted to a particular region of the body in the sensory cortex is proportional to the region's sensitivity. Lips are known to contain more sensory receptors than any of the other answers. Thus making "lips" the correct answer.

Example Question #31 : Sensation And Perception

Which of the following best describes why humans can become sensory adapted in relation to the sense of smell but not sight?

Possible Answers:

Visual stimulation is different from olfactory stimulation

It is easier to forget a smell

Our eyes are always moving

Olfactory sensory receptors are weaker than visual receptors

None of these

Correct answer:

Our eyes are always moving

Explanation:

It is true that visual stimulation is different from olfactory stimulation; however, the heart of the question lies in the matter of sensory receptors. It is not a matter of the receptors being different strengths, but of how they respond to a stimulus. Olfactory receptors undergo sensory adaptation. This occurs after continuous exposure to a stimulus when nerve cells will fire less. As a result, we become less aware of the smell. Visual receptors cannot undergo adaptation because our eyes are always moving. As a result, the stimulation is constantly changing for our eyes' receptors. Psychologists have devised an experiment to test sensory adaptation with visual receptors. By maintaining a constant image on the inner surface of the eye, the individual will eventually cease to see the image that was once there. The image will occasionally reappear and disappear again; therefore, it is possible to become sensory adapted visually—but not under normal circumstances. 

Example Question #11 : Sensory Organs And Mechanisms

Which of the following choices best describes why we cease to notice a watch on our wrist after wearing it for a period of time?

Possible Answers:

Perceptual set 

Sensory adaptation 

Sensory overload 

None of these

Receptor resetting 

Correct answer:

Sensory adaptation 

Explanation:

This phenomenon is known as sensory adaptation, where sensitivity diminishes over time with a continuous stimulus. Over time, as stimulation continues, nerve cells will fire less and as a result we will no longer notice a stimulus—in this case, touch.

Example Question #31 : Sensation And Perception

Which of the following visual receptor cells detects fine detail?

Possible Answers:

Fovea 

Bipolar cells 

Ganglion cells 

Cones

Rods

Correct answer:

Cones

Explanation:

Cones, rods, bipolar cells, and ganglion cells are receptor cells found in the outer layer of the retina. Energy is first transmitted to rods and cones, then to bipolar cells, and eventually to ganglion cells. Rods and cones differ in terms of their locations and purposes. Cones are found clustered around the fovea (area of central focus on the retina). Cones have a direct pathway to the brain. One cone will be connected to one bipolar cell. This ensures that each cone can have its individual message directed to the visual cortex. The specific connections allow for information to be preserved, also while providing a large input for the visual cortex from the fovea. As a result, cones are better capable of detecting detail. Rods, on the other hand, do not exhibit the same wiring as cones. Rods will share bipolar cells with other rods; therefore, their input reaches the visual cortex as shared information. 

Example Question #31 : Sensation And Perception

Which of the following neurons in the visual cortex receive information from retinal receptor cells?

Possible Answers:

Optic chiasm 

Bipolar cells 

Fovea 

Ganglion cells 

Feature detectors 

Correct answer:

Feature detectors 

Explanation:

As information is translated into neural impulses in the retina, the information is passed from the rods and cones to bipolar cells, which transfer the impulse to ganglion cells. Feature detectors are specialized neurons in the visual cortex that receive information from retinal ganglion. In order to receive the information, the impulses must pass through the optic chiasm. This is the "X" created by the two optic nerves crossing below the brain. The optic nerves will then meet at occipital lobe's visual cortex to deliver the information. Feature detectors are self-explanatory by their name. Their job is to detect a scene's features—edges, lines, angles, and movement. This information is then passed to cell clusters in other cortical areas that respond to more complex patterns. 

Example Question #32 : Sensation And Perception

Which of the followings statements is true regarding the Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory?

Possible Answers:

The retina contains three receptors: one sensitive to red-green, one to yellow-blue, and one to white-black

The retina contains two receptors: one sensitive to red-blue-yellow and one sensitive to white-black

The retina contains three receptors: one sensitive to blue, one to red, and one to green

The retina contains one receptor for each color we sense 

The retina contains three receptors: one sensitive to red, one to green, and one to yellow 

Correct answer:

The retina contains three receptors: one sensitive to blue, one to red, and one to green

Explanation:

The Young-Helmholtz trichromatic (three color) theory states that the retina contains three color receptors. Thomas Young and Hermann von Helmholtz understood that any color could be created through combining the primary colors with varying wavelengths. They inferred that each receptor was especially sensitive to one of the primary colors. They deduced that one receptor was sensitive to red, one to green and one to blue. These receptors were later discovered to be cones. When different combinations of these cones are stimulated, then we are able to see different colors.

Example Question #33 : Sensation And Perception

Which of the following structures is not part of the inner ear?

Possible Answers:

Semicircular canals

Eardrum 

Piston 

Cochlea 

Oval window 

Correct answer:

Piston 

Explanation:

The ear is separated into three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The outer ear is the visible part of the ear. It acts to funnel the vibrations into the middle ear. The middle ear only contains a piston made up of three tiny bones. These bones are the anvil, hammer, and stirrup. Their purpose is to amplify the vibrations so that they can continue into the inner ear and create the necessary ripples in the basilar membrane to bend hairs. The bending hairs will initiate neural impulses, sending messages to the brain. It is the inner ear that contains most of the structures required for sensing sounds (i.e. semicircular canals, cochlea, ear drum, and oval window).

Example Question #34 : Sensation And Perception

The amplitude of a sound wave determines __________.

Possible Answers:

direction 

volume 

frequency 

pitch 

duration 

Correct answer:

volume 

Explanation:

Amplitude is the height of a wave. The greater the amplitude of a sound wave is, then the greater the activation of hair cells in the ear will be. Rather than acting singularly, the hair cells attuned for a specific frequency will react with its neighboring hair cells. Based on the amount of hair cells affected, the brain can interpret how loud the sound stimulus is; therefore, the greater the amplitude is, then the greater the volume of the sound will be. 

Example Question #32 : Sensation And Perception

When entering the eye, light initially passes through the __________.

Possible Answers:

pupil

iris 

lens

cornea 

fovea 

Correct answer:

cornea 

Explanation:

The cornea is the clear thin layer that covers the eye. Aside from the obvious task of protecting the eye from foreign invaders, it is responsible for a majority of the eye's ability to focus. Because it is the outermost layer of the eye, light will initially pass through this structure. As the cornea bends the light through the pupil, it will direct it to the lens. The lens then plays the role of refocusing the light and directing it to receptor cells. The iris is responsible for controlling the pupil's size; therefore, it would be an incorrect answer choice. The fovea—a structure residing at the back of the eye near the optic nerve—is part of the eye; however, it is not the initial point of central focus. 

 

Example Question #36 : Sensation And Perception

Which of the following is part of the middle ear?

Possible Answers:

Cochlea 

Round window 

Oval window 

Eardrum 

Anvil 

Correct answer:

Anvil 

Explanation:

The ear is separated into three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The outer ear is the visible part of the ear. It acts to funnel the vibrations into the middle ear. The middle ear only contains a piston made up of three tiny bones. These bones are the anvil, hammer, and stirrup. Their purpose is to amplify the vibrations so that they can continue into the inner ear and create the necessary ripples in the basilar membrane to bend hairs. The bending hairs will initiate neural impulses, sending messages to the brain. It is the inner ear that contains most of the structures required for sensing sounds. 

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