3.1.2.1.1 Difference between sensation and perception Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. What is sensation?

   • The attention paid to a stimulus so that it can be encoded in the short-term memory store
   • The storage of sensory information in memory so that it can be recalled at a later time
   • The interpretation of sensory information so that it makes sense as a meaningful object or scene
   • The detection of physical stimuli by the sense receptors, which passes raw sensory information on

2. What is perception?

   • The repetition of a stimulus so that it passes from the sensory store to the short-term store
   • The storage of sensory information in long-term memory for later recall by the person
   • The detection of physical stimuli by the sense receptors in the eyes, ears and skin
   • The interpretation and organisation of sensory information so that it has meaning for the person

3. Which statement correctly distinguishes sensation from perception?

   • Sensation is detection of input by receptors, while perception is making sense of that input
   • Sensation and perception are the same process, so the two terms can be used interchangeably
   • Sensation is the storage of input in memory, while perception is the rehearsal of that input
   • Sensation is making sense of input, while perception is the detection of input by receptors

4. A person's eye detects a red light but they cannot yet say what the light is. Which process has occurred so far?

   • Storage, because the light has been kept in long-term memory for later recall by the person
   • Perception, because the light has been given a meaning that the person can name or describe
   • Sensation, because the receptors have detected the stimulus but it has not yet been interpreted
   • Retrieval, because the person has found the light in memory and brought it back into awareness

5. A person hears a siren and recognises it as an ambulance. Which process has been used to recognise the sound?

   • Encoding, because the sound was changed into a code that the short-term store could hold
   • Sensory memory, because the sound is kept as a brief echo that lasts for two or three seconds
   • Perception, because the sound has been interpreted using prior knowledge of what sirens mean
   • Sensation, because the ears have detected the sound and nothing further has happened yet

6. Which example best shows sensation rather than perception?

   • Knowing that a shape in the distance is a tree because of its height and branches
   • Recognising a face in a crowd because the person has seen it many times in the past
   • Understanding that a red sign means stop because the person learnt this at school
   • The eye responding to light of a particular wavelength falling on the retina

7. Why is it important that perception goes beyond sensation?

   • Because sensory input is always stored in full in the long-term memory store before it is used
   • Because perception is faster than sensation, so it can deal with more input than the senses
   • Because raw sensory input has to be interpreted before a person can act sensibly on it
   • Because the receptors cannot detect stimuli unless the person has interpreted them first

8. A person sees a shape on a page and reads it as the letter A. What process is shown?

   • Perception, because the shape has been interpreted as a meaningful letter
   • Sensory memory, because the shape is kept as an exact visual copy of the page for a short time
   • Sensation, because the eyes have detected the shape on the page of the book they are reading
   • Rehearsal, because the person has repeated the letter silently so it passes into memory store

9. Which part of the process is sensation in the perception of a sound?

   • The brain comparing the sound with previous sounds to decide which object made it
   • The ears converting the sound waves into nerve signals that are sent to the brain
   • The person deciding that the sound is a friend's voice rather than a radio or television
   • The person recognising the words spoken and understanding the meaning of the message

10. What is the best description of sensory input before it has been perceived?

    • A memory stored in long-term memory that can be retrieved only on request later
    • A fully interpreted object with a name, a meaning and a known use in the world
    • Raw information from the senses, which has been detected but has no meaning yet
    • A pattern of attention that the learner has chosen to focus on during a task

11. A learner hears a word and notices it is a word, then works out its meaning. Which step is perception?

    • Working out the meaning of the word, because it involves interpreting the input
    • Repeating the word silently, because rehearsal moves the sound into the short-term store
    • Noticing the word is a word, because the sound has been stored in the sensory store
    • Hearing the word itself, because hearing is the detection of the sound by the ears

12. Which of these is an example of perception rather than sensation?

    • Hearing a chair scrape on the floor as a sound of a particular frequency and loudness
    • Seeing light reflected from the chair as the eyes detect the brightness of its surface
    • Seeing an object as a chair in a room because of its shape, size and what people usually use it for
    • Feeling the pressure of a chair against the back as it touches the skin of the person

13. Why might two people perceive the same sensory input differently?

    • Because sensation is stored in long-term memory differently for each person in the room
    • Because the input reaches each person's sense receptors with a different strength at each time
    • Because sensation depends on how many receptors each person has in their eyes and ears
    • Because perception depends on interpretation using each person's prior knowledge and expectations

14. In a test, a participant detects a flash of light but says they did not understand what it meant. Which process is still needed?

    • Sensation, to detect the flash for the first time using the receptors in the eyes
    • Perception, to give the detected flash a meaning that the participant can use
    • Storage, to keep the flash in long-term memory until the participant is ready to recall it
    • Retrieval, to bring back a stored memory of a flash of light seen in the past

15. A driver sees a pedestrian step into the road and brakes. Which step is perception?

    • Recognising the figure as a pedestrian about to cross, which gives it meaning for the action
    • Storing the image of the pedestrian in the sensory memory store for a brief moment only
    • Detecting the light from the pedestrian's clothing as it reaches the receptors of the eyes
    • Rehearsing the sight of the pedestrian so that it passes into the short-term memory store

16. Which statement about sensation and perception is most accurate?

    • Sensation is only possible after perception has finished, so perception always comes first
    • Sensation and perception occur in the long-term memory store and are not linked to the senses
    • Perception supplies the input and sensation organises it into meaningful information for use
    • Sensation supplies the input and perception organises it into meaningful information

17. A person cannot make sense of an unfamiliar sound until they hear it again. What does this show?

    • Perception is stored in the sensory store, so unfamiliar sounds decay before they are interpreted
    • Perception depends on prior knowledge, so an unfamiliar input may be detected but not yet interpreted
    • Sensation fails for unfamiliar sounds, so the ears must receive the sound several times in turn
    • The sound is stored in short-term memory, where it can only be used after being rehearsed twice

18. Which stage comes first when a stimulus is processed?

    • Retrieval, because the stimulus is found in memory before it can be detected by the senses
    • Sensation, because receptors must detect the stimulus before it can be interpreted
    • Storage, because the stimulus is kept in long-term memory before any receptor responds to it
    • Perception, because the stimulus must be given meaning before the receptors can detect it

19. A person smells smoke and recognises it as a sign of a fire nearby. Which process is the recognition?

    • Sensory memory, because the smell is kept in a brief store for a few seconds after input
    • Perception, because the smell has been interpreted as meaning that there is a fire nearby
    • Sensation, because the nose has detected the chemicals in the air as a physical stimulus
    • Rehearsal, because the person has repeated the smell silently so that it reaches memory

20. A person with normal receptors struggles to make sense of a blurred image. Which stage is most affected?

    • Perception, because the input is detected but its meaning is hard to work out
    • Storage, because the blurred image cannot be kept in the memory store for very long
    • Retrieval, because the blurred image cannot be found in memory as a stored trace
    • Sensation, because the receptors have stopped detecting any light at all in the eye

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