AP Psychology
PRS
Chapter 5 - Sensation
and Perception
1. As we perceive the
environment, we use Gestalt principles of good
form to help organize things into meaningful groups and forms.
Examine the figure below. Which 
Gestalt
and/or perceptual constancies are broken in it? Explain
thoroughly.
a. interposition
b. relative height
c. convergence
d. all of the above
2. In a football game, we watch as a team attempts a field goal. Since the goal posts are distant and the time to make a decision is short, the referee must use many perceptual cues to decide whether the kick is good or not. One important ability is depth perception. Which of the following cues might be most helpful in deciding whether the field goal is successful? Are the other answer choices relevant? Why? Why not? Explain.
a. linear perspective
b. motion parallax
c. convergence
d. interposition
3. You are an artist and you are interested in completing a painting that gives a three-dimensional appearance. You want to show a beach in the foreground of the painting, people swimming into the ocean, and sailboats in the distance. Which perceptual principles will be most helpful as you complete your painting? Do the other choices assist you at all? Explain why or why not.
a. binocular depth cuesGestalt
and/or perceptual constancies are broken in it? Explain
thoroughly.a. interposition
b. relative height
c. convergence
d. all of the above
2. In a football game, we watch as a team attempts a field goal. Since the goal posts are distant and the time to make a decision is short, the referee must use many perceptual cues to decide whether the kick is good or not. One important ability is depth perception. Which of the following cues might be most helpful in deciding whether the field goal is successful? Are the other answer choices relevant? Why? Why not? Explain.
a. linear perspective
b. motion parallax
c. convergence
d. interposition
3. You are an artist and you are interested in completing a painting that gives a three-dimensional appearance. You want to show a beach in the foreground of the painting, people swimming into the ocean, and sailboats in the distance. Which perceptual principles will be most helpful as you complete your painting? Do the other choices assist you at all? Explain why or why not.
b. monocular depth cues
c. Gestalt principles of proximty and continuity
d. preceptual principels only operate in 'real life' situations
4. Vincent, who is determined to quit smoking, today purchased a subliminal persuasion audio-videotape package. The booklet accompanying the tapes claims that subliminal suggestions “harness the power of the unconscious mind to [help you increase motivation to] quit smoking.” Vincent is skeptical, but he decides to try the demonstration included on the videotape. The instructions are to turn off room lights, start the videotape, and stare at a fixation point (a plus sign that appears in the center of the television screen) until the screen goes blank.
During the demonstration, which lasts about 5 minutes, Vincent occasionally perceives a flash of light on the screen just above the fixation point. Shortly after the screen goes blank, several geometric figures, including a square, a circle, a triangle, and a rectangle, appear above the question, “Which of these figures is most pleasing to you?” Although he is not sure why, Vincent picks the triangle. The tape ends with the following message: “If you picked the triangle, subliminal persuasion will work for you! During the demonstration, what appeared to be flashes of light were actually subliminal presentations of triangles. The triangles, which appeared too briefly to be perceived by your conscious mind, were perceived by your unconscious mind. Since familiarity breeds fondness, your unconsciousness persuaded you that smoking is unhealthy, unflattering, and something you definitely do not want to continue doing.”
a. What assertions about subliminal persuasion are made in the booklet and videotape? Be sure to define all important concepts and terms as they are used in this example.
b. What evidence is presented that the subliminal suggestions will help Vincent quit smoking? Is this evidence trustworthy?
c. How else could you explain Vincent’s preference for the triangle?