1. iClicker Questions for
Psychology for AP by David G. Myers
Karla Gingerich, Colorado State University
Unit 4: Sensation and Perception

2. Premature babies are especially likely to gain weight if stimulated by:
A. sound and music.
B. light and colors.
C. touch and massage.
D. movement and acceleration.
Answer: C

3. Which of the following is TRUE?
A. Humans cannot sense stimuli below the absolute threshold.
B. Humans cannot be affected by stimuli below the absolute threshold at all.
C. Stimuli presented below the absolute threshold can have a subtle, brief effect on behavior.
D. Stimuli presented below the absolute threshold exert a strong, powerful effect on behavior.
Answer: C

4. If you move your watchband up your wrist an inch or so, you will feel it for only a few moments. This best illustrates:
A. parallel processing.
B. accommodation.
C. sensory adaptation.
D. Weber's law.
Answer: C

5. As we look at a flower, the intensity of the color we see is related to the light wave’s:
A. amplitude.
B. hue.
C. length.
D. placement on the spectrum.
Answer: A

6. The eye’s “blind spot” is related to:
A. light rays focusing too far in front of the retina.
B. light rays focusing too far behind the retina.
C. a cluster of cells around the fovea which contains cones, but no rods.
D. an area without receptor cells where the optic nerve leaves the eye.
Answer: D

7. Rather than saying a person is “colorblind,” it would be more accurate to say that the person:
A. has a blind spot.
B. lacks red- or green-sensitive cones.
C. is experiencing an overstimulation of the red- and green-sensitive cones.
D. has an excess of blue-sensitive cones.
Answer: B

8. The hammer, anvil, and stirrup are found in the:
A. middle ear.
B. inner ear.
C. cochlea.
D. outer ear.
Answer: A

9. What is umami?
A. a taste sensation for which researchers recently discovered receptors on the tongue
B. receptors on the tongue that respond only to bitter tastes
C. receptors on the tongue that allow us to taste nutrients in food, such as proteins and vitamins
D. a condition in which there is a loss of the sensation of taste
Answer: A

10. Critical Thinking Questions

11. Which of the following activities requires you to use the absolute threshold for sensation?
A. telling the difference between sweet and salty
B. detecting a tiny, faint light on a radar screen
C. deciding if two glasses contain the same amount of water
D. telling if your guitar is in tune
Answer: B

12. A. operationally define sweet.
You are going to design an experiment to determine whether there are special areas on the tongue to detect the taste of sweet, or whether the taste can be detected in all areas of the tongue. Which of these must be done before you can start the experiment?
A. operationally define sweet.
B. pick out subjects who like sweet tastes.
C. pick out the items that you will use for sweet tastes.
D. none of these are necessary.
Answer: A

13. As a professional chef, which of the following sensations would you rely on most?
A. hearing
B. seeing
C. balance
D. smell
Answer: D

14. Your roommate, who has trouble understanding Weber’s Law, asks you, “How different do two stimuli need to be, in order for a person to notice the difference?” You explain that:
A. the stimuli must differ by at least ten percent.
B. the difference threshold decreases with the magnitude of the stimulus.
C. the minimum difference needed for detection depends on the type of stimulus.
D. Weber’s Law does not address this issue.
Answer: C

15. C. opponent-process theory. D. place theory.
Researcher James Hixby (2001) stated, “We can tell if a person is looking at a shoe, a chair, or a face, based on the pattern of their brain activity.” This statement is relevant to:
A. sensory adaptation.
B. feature detection.
C. opponent-process theory.
D. place theory.
Answer: B