Practice Test #2

Potential Multiple Choice Questions

(Of course, on the test you will have four answers to choose from)

  1. The lens in the eye


    a.

    converts light energy into neural energy

    b.

    controls the amount of light entering the eye

    c.

    bends entering light rays and focuses them onto the retina

    d.

    is the part of the eye that gives it its color
  2. Petra looked directly into a very bright light and damaged her retina. The ophthalmologist has told her that she has sustained massive damage to her cones, but for the most part her rods have not been affected. One change that you could predict for Petra's vision is that she will now have:

    a.

    poor vision in low illumination

    b.

    poor peripheral vision

    c.

    no color vision

    d.

    more accurate depth perception
  3. A microelectrode is recording the activity from a single cell in the visual cortex of a cat. The cell begins to fire rapidly when a line is presented at a 45-degree angle directly in front of the cat, but slows its firing when the line is shifted to 65-degree angle directly in front of the cat. In this case, the microelectrode is most likely monitoring activity from

    a.

    a simple cell

    b.

    a cell in the superior colliculus

    c.

    a complex cell

    d.

    a hypercomplex cell
  4. On the color spindle, saturation is represented:           

    a.

    around the outside of the spindle (as you move clockwise, the colors become more saturated)

    b.

    along the horizontal axis (colors become more saturated towards the periphery/ outside of the spindle)

    c.

    along the vertical axis (more saturated towards the bottom)

    d.

    along the vertical axis (more saturated towards the top)
  5. Eric has been wearing green welding goggles for the past 30 minutes. Based on the opponent-process theory of color vision, when Eric takes off the green goggles he should expect that objects will temporarily appear to be

    a.

    blue

    b.

    yellow

    c.

    orange

    d.

    red
  6. The Gestalt principle of proximity refers to the idea that

    a.

    people tend to gravitate toward a common interaction distance

    b.

    center-surround cells that are closer fire more often

    c.

    perception occurs in discrete time frames

    d.

    objects nearer to each other are seen as forming a unit
  7. In the article on inattentional blindness, the authors point out the similarities between inattentional blindness and people who have suffered from brain lesions to the parietal cortex. One of the Sachs readings describe someone who is experiencing just such a phenomenon.  Identify that person from the list below

    a.

    The man from the "On the Level" piece who walks at a tilt.

    b.

    The people from "The President's Speech" piece suffering from receptive aphasia.

    c.

    The woman from the "Reminiscence" piece who hears nonexistent music playing.

    d.

    The women from the "Eyes Left" piece who is experiencing hemispheric neglect.
  8. Humans can hear sounds that range from

    a.

    5 to 50 Hz

    b.

    10 to 100 Hz

    c.

    20 to 20,000 Hz

    d.

    10,000 to 100,000 Hz
  9. The structure in the ear that transduces sound vibrations into nerve impulses is the

    a.

    cochlea

    b.

    oval window

    c.

    temporal lobe

    d.

    stirrup
  10. Which theory of pitch perception claims that the ability to hear pitch corresponds to vibrations occurring at specific locations down the length of the basilar membrane?

    a.

    Place theory

    b.

    Frequency coding

    c.

    Opponent processes theory

    d.

    Gestalt theory

  11. In Pavlov's original experiment on classical conditioning, the unconditioned response (UCR) was:

    a.     the sound of a tone
    b.     salivation elicited by a tone
    c.     the presentation of meat powder following a tone
    d.     salivation elicited by meat powder

  12. After training one of his dogs to salivate in response to a tone, Pavlov continued to present the tone periodically without the food, with the result that the dog:    
    a.     kept responding with undiminished intensity despite extended exposure to the tone alone
    b.     stopped responding immediately
    c.     gradually stopped responding to the tone
    d.     initially responded to the tone at an even greater intensity than before

  13. Sally developed a fear of balconies from almost falling. Although she has had no dangerous experiences on bridges, cliffs, and the view from tall buildings, she now fears these stimuli as well. Which basic principle of conditioning is likely to have produced a fear of these other stimuli?

    a.

    instinctive drift

    b.

    stimulus generalization

    c.

    stimulus discrimination

    d.

    negative avoidance
  14. According to Skinner, a stimulus is a reinforcer if it:

    a.

    reduces a biological need.

    b.

    induces a biological need.

    c.

    increases the probability of the response that produced it.

    d.

    decreases the probability of the response that produced it.
  15. In a Skinner box, the cumulative recorder:     
    a.     permits the experimenter to control the reinforcement contingencies
    b.     provides a complete record of everything the animal does
    c.     creates a graphic record of operant responding as a function of time
    d.     delivers the reinforcers
  16. The technique used to teach animals complex tricks, such as teaching pigeons to play ping-pong, is

    a.

    respondent conditioning.

    b.

    continuous reinforcement.

    c.

    programming.

    d.

    shaping.
  17. Which of the following increases resistance to extinction?         
    a.     continuous reinforcement
    b.     intermittent reinforcement
    c.     negative reinforcement
    d.     discrimination training
  18. Food is an example of ________; praise is an example of ________         
    a.     a primary reinforcer; a primary reinforcer
    b.     a primary reinforcer; a secondary reinforcer
    c.     a secondary reinforcer; a secondary reinforcer
    1. a secondary reinforcer; a primary reinforcer
  19. A salesperson earns a commission for each item of clothing she sells. Commission on the clothing sales is an example of which type of reinforcement schedule?

    a.

    fixed ratio

    b.

    variable ratio

    c.

    fixed interval

    d.

    variable interval
  20. Which of the following is NOT a key process in observational learning?

    A)

    attention

    B)

    repetition

    C)

    motivation

    D)

    reproduction


    21. Potential Short Answer Questions

  21. A rat hears a clicking noise right before it receives a shock.  Originally the shock would cause the rat to flinch.  Now the clicking noise alone is enough to cause the rat to flinch.  Identify the CS, UCS, CR, and UCR in this example.
  22. What is temporal contiguity and why is it important to classical conditioning?
  23. John Garcia examined conditioned taste aversion in rats.  Describe the four conditions of pairing shock, sugar water, nausea, and "sparkle" water in his experiment and whether or not classical conditioning occurred.
  24. Define contingency and provide an example.
  25. What is the difference between positive and negative reinforcement?
  26. What is the Premack principle?  Provide an example.
  27. Describe Weber's law.
  28. What is the difference between additive and subtractive color mixing?  Provide an example of each.
  29. What is the explanation for the Ponzo illusion?
  30. What are the three dimensions of the wavelengths of sound and how do they correlate with our perception of sound?
  31. Define auditory localization.  Name two cues critical to auditory localization.
  32. When you hit the edge of an empty wine glass with a spoon, you hear a high pitched ringing sound.  What happens if you fill the same glass with water and hit it again?  Why does this happen?
  33. Name and define two types of deafness.