AP PSYCHOLOGY COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS SET A+
✔✔intensity - ✔✔the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as
brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude
✔✔pupil - ✔✔the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
✔✔iris - ✔✔a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the
pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
✔✔lens - ✔✔the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to focus
images on the retina
✔✔accommodation - ✔✔the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus
the image of near objects on the retina
✔✔retina - ✔✔the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods
and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
✔✔acuity - ✔✔the sharpness of vision
✔✔nearsightedness - ✔✔a condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly
than distant objects because the lens focuses the image of distance objects in front of
the retina
✔✔farsightedness - ✔✔a condition in which faraway objects are seen more clearly than
near objects because the image of near objects is focused behind the retina
✔✔rods - ✔✔retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for
peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond
, ✔✔cones - ✔✔receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that
function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to
color sensations.
✔✔optic nerve - ✔✔the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
✔✔blind spot - ✔✔the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind"
spot because no receptor cells are located there
✔✔fovea - ✔✔the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster
✔✔parallel processing - ✔✔the processing of several aspects of a problem
simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions,
including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers
and of conscious problem solving.
✔✔Young-Helmholtz trichromatic (three-color) theory - ✔✔the theory that the retina
contains three different color receptors--one most sensitive to red, one to green, and
one to blue--which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any
color
✔✔opponent-process theory - ✔✔the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green,
yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by
green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green.
(complete explanation pg 187)
✔✔color constancy - ✔✔perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if
changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object
✔✔audition - ✔✔the sense of hearing
✔✔frequency - ✔✔the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given
time (for example, per second)
✔✔pitch - ✔✔a tone's highness or lowness; depends on frequency
✔✔middle ear - ✔✔the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny
bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the
cochlea's oval window
✔✔inner ear - ✔✔the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular
canals, and vestibular sacs
AND ANSWERS SET A+
✔✔intensity - ✔✔the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as
brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude
✔✔pupil - ✔✔the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
✔✔iris - ✔✔a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the
pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
✔✔lens - ✔✔the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to focus
images on the retina
✔✔accommodation - ✔✔the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus
the image of near objects on the retina
✔✔retina - ✔✔the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods
and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
✔✔acuity - ✔✔the sharpness of vision
✔✔nearsightedness - ✔✔a condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly
than distant objects because the lens focuses the image of distance objects in front of
the retina
✔✔farsightedness - ✔✔a condition in which faraway objects are seen more clearly than
near objects because the image of near objects is focused behind the retina
✔✔rods - ✔✔retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for
peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond
, ✔✔cones - ✔✔receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that
function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to
color sensations.
✔✔optic nerve - ✔✔the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
✔✔blind spot - ✔✔the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind"
spot because no receptor cells are located there
✔✔fovea - ✔✔the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster
✔✔parallel processing - ✔✔the processing of several aspects of a problem
simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions,
including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers
and of conscious problem solving.
✔✔Young-Helmholtz trichromatic (three-color) theory - ✔✔the theory that the retina
contains three different color receptors--one most sensitive to red, one to green, and
one to blue--which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any
color
✔✔opponent-process theory - ✔✔the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green,
yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by
green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green.
(complete explanation pg 187)
✔✔color constancy - ✔✔perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if
changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object
✔✔audition - ✔✔the sense of hearing
✔✔frequency - ✔✔the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given
time (for example, per second)
✔✔pitch - ✔✔a tone's highness or lowness; depends on frequency
✔✔middle ear - ✔✔the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny
bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the
cochlea's oval window
✔✔inner ear - ✔✔the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular
canals, and vestibular sacs
