Exam 3: Biology and Behavior

Difference thresholds are subject to substantial cultural influences.

Distinguish between data-based and knowledge-based processing. Provide an original example of knowledge-based processing in perception. Your example may be based directly on your own experience, or it may be simply hypothetical but plausible.

The face-vase stimulus illustrates the Gestalt psychologists' emphasis on:

How many basic types of taste are there?

Roast beef with a rich brown gravy is often described as a "savory" dish. The basic taste prominent in such a dish is:

Rather than increase food prices, manufacturers sometimes decrease the amount of food in a package, often imperceptibly. Suppose Acme Foods wants to raise the price of peanut butter but still sell each jar for $3.19. The current jar contains 16 oz. of peanut butter. Assume the Weber ratio for felt weight is .05. Which of the following is the smallest-size jar that will still feel the same as the 16 oz. jar to most people?

The biopsychosocial approach to understanding pain recognizes that:

Rob cannot tell the difference between red and green; about 4% of men share his color deficiency.

Within the eye itself, the _____ is the final destination for light waves.

Which alternative BEST expresses the influence of subliminal stimuli?

In a study cited in the text (Mennella et al., 2001), infants exposed prenatally to the flavor of carrots showed fewer disapproving facial expressions when fed carrot-flavored cereal than did unexposed infants. In this study, the number of disapproving expressions is a(n) _____ definition of liking for carrots.

Nellie turns her head to look directly at an unusual butterfly her friend spotted in the garden. In doing so, Nellie ensures that the insect's image falls on her fovea.

By Weber's law, difference thresholds reflect ratios or proportions.

Collectively, _____ are called the _____ senses.

Which of the following is a shortcoming of trichromatic theory?

Suppose someone stares at an illustration of the American flag for a while and then glances at a blank white page. Why do the red stripes look green when the person glances at the blank page?

Brenda is standing on the beach; the sea is choppy. She observes that the crests of distant waves appear not only smaller, but also closer together than do the crests of waves nearer the beach. This example illustrates a depth cue known as:

According to the textbook, phantom limb pain might reflect:

Two neurotransmitters that increase the firing of pain fibers are ______ and ______.

Why, really, do we adapt after prolonged exposure to a constant stimulus?