PSU Psych 100 Exam 2. | Exam Revision Questions And Correct
Answers | Graded A+ | 2025 Update |
sensation - Answer -the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and
represent stimulus energies from our environment
perception - Answer -the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us
to
recognize meaningful objects and events
bottom-up processing - Answer -analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to
the
brain's integration of sensory information
top-down processing - Answer -information processing guided by higher level mental processes,
as when
we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
transduction - Answer -conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the
transforming of
stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brain can interpret
psychophysics - Answer -the study of the relationships between the physical characteristics of
stimuli,
such as their intensity and our psychological experience of them
absolute threshold - Answer -the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50
percent
of the time
signal detection theory - Answer -a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a
faint
stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute
threshold and
that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.
subliminal - Answer -below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness
, priming - Answer -the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing
one's
perception, memory, or response
difference threshold - Answer -the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection
50
percent of the time.
Weber's Law - Answer -the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by
a given
percentage
sensory adaptation - Answer -diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
perceptual set - Answer -a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not the other
wavelength - Answer -the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the
next.
electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio
transmission
hue - Answer -the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; when we know
as
the color names
intensity - Answer -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 - Answer -the adjustable opening in the center of the eye which light enters
iris - Answer -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 - Answer -the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images
on
the retina
retina - Answer -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
Answers | Graded A+ | 2025 Update |
sensation - Answer -the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and
represent stimulus energies from our environment
perception - Answer -the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us
to
recognize meaningful objects and events
bottom-up processing - Answer -analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to
the
brain's integration of sensory information
top-down processing - Answer -information processing guided by higher level mental processes,
as when
we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
transduction - Answer -conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the
transforming of
stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brain can interpret
psychophysics - Answer -the study of the relationships between the physical characteristics of
stimuli,
such as their intensity and our psychological experience of them
absolute threshold - Answer -the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50
percent
of the time
signal detection theory - Answer -a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a
faint
stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute
threshold and
that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.
subliminal - Answer -below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness
, priming - Answer -the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing
one's
perception, memory, or response
difference threshold - Answer -the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection
50
percent of the time.
Weber's Law - Answer -the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by
a given
percentage
sensory adaptation - Answer -diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
perceptual set - Answer -a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not the other
wavelength - Answer -the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the
next.
electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio
transmission
hue - Answer -the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; when we know
as
the color names
intensity - Answer -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 - Answer -the adjustable opening in the center of the eye which light enters
iris - Answer -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 - Answer -the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images
on
the retina
retina - Answer -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
