30 multiple-choice (MCQ / objective) questions from this chapter, in the common exam-style shapes. Every question comes with an explanation along with the answer, so you remember why the option is correct, not just which one it is.
1 Direct Questions
Direct Questions
- 1 markWhich two systems are the deep senses that tell us about body position and movement?
(A) Kinesthetic and vestibular systems(B) Skin and tongue(C) Eyes and ears(D) Nose and skin - 1 markIn the sugar water example, the absolute threshold of sweetness is the number of granules giving sweetness on what share of occasions?
(A) 25 per cent(B) 75 per cent(C) 50 per cent(D) 100 per cent - 1 markWhat is the discipline called that studies the relationship between stimuli and the sensations they evoke?
(A) Psychometrics(B) Psychophysics(C) Neuropsychology(D) Psycholinguistics - 1 markYou look for your younger brother and sister among hundreds of children at the school gate. Which property of attention is this?
(A) Alertness(B) Concentration(C) Vigilance(D) Search - 1 markObjects or events away from the centre of awareness, of which a person is only vaguely aware, are said to be at the
(A) focus of attention(B) focal point of attention(C) fringe of attention(D) span of attention - 1 markHearing your own name spoken softly at a noisy group dinner is best explained by which theory or principle?
(A) Triesman’s filter-attenuation theory(B) Broadbent’s filter theory(C) The Gestalt principle of closure(D) The Gestalt principle of proximity - 1 markAccording to the multimode theory of Johnston and Heinz, when is more mental effort required for selecting a message?
(A) When selection is made at stage one(B) When the stimuli are visual images(C) When there is no selective filter(D) When selection is based on stage three processing - 1 markWhich instrument is used to determine the span of attention, according to the book?
(A) Ophthalmoscope(B) Tachistoscope(C) Stethoscope(D) Audiometer - 1 markWhat does the book call the central feature of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?
(A) A deficit in intelligence(B) Difficulty in sustaining attention(C) Weak eyesight and hearing(D) A biological brain injury - 1 markRecognising a dog after first noticing its furry coat, four legs, eyes and ears is an example of
(A) top-down processing(B) figure-ground segregation(C) bottom-up processing(D) perceptual constancy - 1 markWhich group of psychologists is named in the book as prominent Gestalt psychologists?
(A) Köhler, Koffka and Wertheimer(B) Broadbent, Triesman and Miller(C) Segall, Campbell and Herskovits(D) Hudson, Sinha and Mishra - 1 markRetinal disparity arises because our two eyes are separated horizontally by a distance of about
(A) 2 centimetres(B) 10 centimetres(C) 2 metres(D) 6.5 centimetres - 1 markCoal looks black both in bright sunlight and in dim room light. Which perceptual constancy is this?
(A) Size constancy(B) Shape constancy(C) Brightness constancy(D) Form constancy - 1 markIn which everyday situation do we experience the phi-phenomenon described in the chapter?
(A) Seeing rail tracks meet at the horizon(B) Watching moving pictures in a cinema show(C) Seeing a vertical line as longer than a horizontal one(D) Finding a triangle hidden in a picture
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): Motion parallax is a pictorial cue that artists use to show depth in paintings.
Reason (R): Motion parallax is a kinetic monocular cue that depends on objects moving at different relative speeds.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): Vehicle number plates carry only four digit numbers with some alphabets.
Reason (R): The span of attention can be determined with an instrument called the tachistoscope.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): A hungry person notices even a faint smell of food.
Reason (R): Motivational factors related to our biological needs influence selective attention.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): Western subjects showed greater susceptibility to the Muller-Lyer illusion than African subjects.
Reason (R): Western subjects lived in dense forests and regularly experienced verticality.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch the theories or findings in List I with the names in List II.
List I: (i) Filter theory (ii) Filter-attenuation theory (iii) Multimode theory (iv) Span of attention seven plus or minus two
List II: (a) Miller (b) Johnston and Heinz (c) Broadbent (d) Triesman
(A) i-a, ii-b, iii-c, iv-d(B) i-c, ii-d, iii-b, iv-a(C) i-c, ii-b, iii-d, iv-a(D) i-d, ii-c, iii-b, iv-a - 1 markMatch the depth cue or constancy in List I with its example in List II.
List I: (i) Aerial perspective (ii) Interposition (iii) Convergence (iv) Shape constancy
List II: (a) Eyes turn inward for a finger near the nose (b) A dinner plate looks round from any angle (c) Distant mountains look blue and hazy (d) A partly covered object looks farther away
(A) i-a, ii-b, iii-c, iv-d(B) i-d, ii-c, iii-a, iv-b(C) i-c, ii-a, iii-d, iv-b(D) i-c, ii-d, iii-a, iv-b
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markRead the two statements about thresholds and choose the correct option.
I. The difference threshold is the smallest difference in the value of two stimuli needed to notice them as different.
II. The absolute threshold of a person stays the same in every situation.
(A) Only I is true(B) Only II is true(C) Both I and II are true(D) Neither I nor II is true - 1 markRead the two statements about Gestalt psychology and choose the correct option.
I. Gestalt psychologists hold that the form of an object lies in its whole, which is different from the sum of its parts.
II. Figure-ground segregation is the most primitive form of perceptual organisation.
(A) Only I is true(B) Only II is true(C) Both I and II are true(D) Neither I nor II is true
5 Arrange in the Correct Order
Arrange in the Correct Order
- 1 markArrange the sub-processes of perception (Fig. 4.1) in the correct order.
1. Attention
2. Stimulus
3. Perception
4. Sensory receptors
(A) 2-1-4-3(B) 4-2-1-3(C) 2-4-3-1(D) 2-4-1-3 - 1 markArrange the three stages of the multimode theory of attention in the correct order.
1. Sensory and semantic representations enter consciousness
2. Sensory representations such as visual images are constructed
3. Semantic representations such as names of objects are constructed
(A) 2-3-1(B) 3-2-1(C) 2-1-3(D) 1-2-3
6 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
Kabir works as an air traffic controller. For several hours at a stretch he must watch signals on a screen. The signals appear without warning, sometimes in one corner and sometimes in another, and missing even one could be fatal.
- 1 markWhich type of attention does Kabir’s job mainly demand?
(A) Selective attention(B) Divided attention(C) Sustained attention(D) Span of attention - 1 markAccording to the book, which change would most likely improve Kabir’s detection of signals?
(A) Making the signals appear at random places(B) Making the signals auditory instead of visual(C) Making the signals appear at irregular intervals(D) Making the signals faint and brief
Passage
In a class activity, Tanvi found a triangle hidden in a complex picture within seconds, while Aman took several minutes. Aman had skipped lunch that day. When the teacher later showed an unclear, blot-like picture, Aman said it looked like a plate of samosas.
- 1 markTanvi’s quick location of the hidden triangle shows which cognitive style?
(A) Field dependent(B) Top-down(C) Perceptual set(D) Field independent - 1 markAman seeing the unclear picture as a plate of samosas best shows the influence of
(A) the motivation of the perceiver(B) the principle of symmetry(C) binocular disparity(D) brightness constancy
Passage
Rohan is travelling by train. Looking out, he sees the electric poles near the track rushing backward very fast, while the far-off hills seem to move slowly along with the train. Ahead, the two rails seem to meet far away near the horizon.
- 1 markNear poles rushing backward and far hills moving slowly with the train is which depth cue?
(A) Texture gradient(B) Motion parallax(C) Accommodation(D) Interposition - 1 markThe rails seeming to meet near the horizon is an example of which monocular cue?
(A) Aerial perspective(B) Relative size(C) Light and shade(D) Linear perspective
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (A) Besides the five external senses we have two deep senses, the kinesthetic and vestibular systems, which give information about body position and movement of body parts.
- (C) The AL varies across people and situations, so it is worked out over many trials as the value that produces the sensation on 50 per cent of occasions.
- (B) The book names this discipline psychophysics.
- (D) In search an observer looks for a specified subset of objects among a set of objects; the book uses this very example.
- (C) When objects are away from the centre of awareness and one is only vaguely aware of them, they are at the fringe of attention.
- (A) Filter-attenuation theory says unselected stimuli are only weakened, not blocked, so personally relevant stimuli such as one’s name can slip through.
- (D) Early selection (stage one) needs less mental effort than late selection based on stage three processing.
- (B) Span of attention can be determined with an instrument called the tachistoscope (Box 4.2).
- (B) Difficulty in sustaining attention is the central feature of ADHD; the book stresses that there is no deficit in intelligence.
- (C) When recognition begins from the parts, which serve as the basis for recognising the whole, it is bottom-up processing.
- (A) The book names Köhler, Koffka and Wertheimer as prominent Gestalt psychologists.
- (D) The two eyes are separated horizontally by about 6.5 centimetres, so each retina gets a slightly different image.
- (C) Keeping apparent brightness constant under different amounts of light is brightness constancy; the book gives white paper and black coal as examples.
- (B) The phi-phenomenon is apparent movement from still pictures shown one after another; moving pictures in a cinema use it.
Assertion-Reason
- (D) A is false: the book says motion parallax is kinetic and hence not considered a pictorial cue. R is true.
- (B) Both are true, but R does not explain A. Number plates are kept short because our span of attention is limited (about seven plus or minus two items), so traffic police can read them quickly.
- (A) Both are true and R explains A: motivational factors relate to biological or social needs, and the book gives the hungry person as its example.
- (C) A is true (Segall, Campbell and Herskovits). R is false: it was the African subjects who lived in dense forests; Westerners lived among right angles.
Match the Following
- (B) Filter theory: Broadbent (1956); filter-attenuation: Triesman (1962); multimode: Johnston and Heinz (1978); seven plus or minus two: Miller.
- (D) Aerial perspective: hazy blue mountains (c); interposition: the covered object is farther (d); convergence: eyes turn inward (a); shape constancy: the dinner plate (b).
Statement-Based Questions
- (A) I is the book’s definition of DL. II is false: the AL is not a fixed point and varies with organic conditions and motivational states.
- (C) Both statements are given in the book: the whole differs from the sum of parts, and the most primitive organisation takes place as figure-ground segregation.
Arrange in the Correct Order
- (D) Stimulus, then sensory receptors, then attention, then the CNS with learning and memory, and finally perception.
- (A) Stage one builds sensory representations, stage two semantic representations, and at stage three both enter consciousness.
Passage-Based Questions
- (C) Maintaining attention on an object or event for long durations is sustained attention (vigilance); the book gives air traffic controllers as its example.
- (B) Performance on sustained attention tasks is better for auditory signals than visual ones; random places, irregular intervals and faint brief stimuli make it worse.
- (D) Those who locate the hidden triangle quickly are called field independent: they perceive in an analytic, differentiated manner.
- (A) Hungry persons shown ambiguous pictures perceive them as food more often than satiated persons: the influence of motivation.
- (B) In motion parallax distant objects appear to move slowly and near objects fast; near objects move against the vehicle and far ones with it.
- (D) In linear perspective parallel lines such as rail tracks appear to converge towards a vanishing point at the horizon.
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