3.1.2.2.2 Binocular depth cues: retinal disparity and convergence Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. What is retinal disparity?

   • The difference in size between a near object and a far object as seen by one eye alone
   • The difference in brightness between the centre and edges of the retina of a single eye
   • The small difference between the images received by each eye, which gives information about depth
   • The tension in the eye muscles that turn the eyes inwards to focus on an object up close

2. What is convergence?

   • The spreading of parallel lines in a scene so that the distant parts look larger to the viewer
   • The inward turning of the eyes to focus on a close object, with the muscle tension giving depth information
   • The outward turning of the eyes to focus on a distant object, with muscle tension giving depth
   • The overlap of two objects in the visual field, which shows which object is nearer to the viewer

3. Which depth cues are binocular?

   • Relative size and occlusion
   • Linear perspective and height in plane
   • Motion parallax and relative size
   • Retinal disparity and convergence

4. Why does a close object produce a larger retinal disparity than a distant object?

   • Because the close object is larger in the visual field, so each eye sees a bigger image of it
   • Because the two eyes see the close object from the same angle, so the images are much brighter
   • Because the two eyes see the close object from more different angles than they see a distant one
   • Because the close object is higher in the visual field than the distant object seen by the eyes

5. A person holds a pencil close to their face and both eyes turn inwards. Which cue is being used?

   • Relative size, because the pencil looks bigger than the objects behind it in the room
   • Occlusion, because the pencil hides part of the room behind it from the viewer's sight
   • Linear perspective, because the sides of the pencil appear to converge towards the far end
   • Convergence, because the inward turning of the eyes signals that the pencil is close

6. A child with both eyes working sees a toy closer than a box across the room. Which binocular cue helps?

   • Relative size, because the box looks larger on the retina than the toy in the view of the child
   • Retinal disparity, because the toy produces a larger difference between the two images than the box does
   • Retinal disparity, because the box produces a larger difference between the two images than the toy does
   • Height in plane, because the toy is lower in the visual field than the box across the room

7. Why does convergence provide depth information?

   • Because the muscle tension used to turn the eyes inwards changes with the distance of the object
   • Because the lens of each eye becomes thinner for near objects, giving a fixed signal of distance
   • Because the two eyes receive a single shared image of every object in the visual field of view
   • Because the eyes turn outwards for distant objects, which makes the convergence cue easy to use

8. Which statement about binocular depth cues is correct?

   • They depend on the size of the object alone, so they are unaffected by the number of working eyes
   • They need both eyes to work together, so they are lost in someone who sees with only one eye
   • They work with one eye alone, so they are kept by someone who sees with only one eye working
   • They depend on the amount of light entering each eye, so they are the same in both light and dark

9. Which pair of depth cues depends on both eyes working together?

   • Occlusion and linear perspective
   • Height in plane and relative size
   • Relative size and linear perspective
   • Retinal disparity and convergence

10. A stereoscope shows each eye a slightly different picture of a scene, and the scene looks deep. Which cue is simulated?

    • Retinal disparity, because each eye receives a slightly different image of the same scene
    • Linear perspective alone, because the lines in each picture converge towards the horizon
    • Convergence alone, because the eyes turn inwards to look at a single flat image on the card
    • Occlusion alone, because one picture hides parts of the other from the viewer's eye

11. Which description best explains how retinal disparity helps depth judgement?

    • The brain uses the overlap between objects to decide which of the objects is nearer to the viewer
    • The brain uses the difference between the two eyes' images to judge how far away an object is
    • The brain uses the brightness of one image to judge whether an object is near or far away
    • The brain uses the size of one image to judge how far away an object is from the viewer

12. A person with both eyes working reaches for a cup. Which binocular cue helps them judge its distance?

    • Occlusion, because the cup hides part of the table from the viewer's sight as it is reached for
    • Convergence, because the eyes turn inwards and the muscle tension signals how close the cup is
    • Relative size, because the cup looks larger on the retina than the table it is standing on
    • Linear perspective, because the edges of the table converge as they recede from the viewer

13. Why is retinal disparity described as a binocular cue?

    • Because it compares the images from two different objects in a single eye's view
    • Because it depends on the two lines of a scene converging towards the horizon for the viewer
    • Because it depends on two objects overlapping, so one hides part of the other from view
    • Because it compares the images from the two eyes, so it needs both eyes to be working

14. Which cue would be most useful to judge the distance of a fly landing on a window from the viewer's point of view?

    • Linear perspective, as the lines of the window frame converge towards the far side of the glass
    • Relative size, as the fly looks small compared with the window frame in the viewer's view
    • Height in plane, as the fly is higher in the visual field than the window frame below it
    • Convergence, as the eyes turn inwards to focus on the fly when it is close

15. What do retinal disparity and convergence have in common?

    • Both depend on information from one eye, so both are monocular depth cues
    • Both depend on information from both eyes, so both are binocular depth cues
    • Both depend on the lines of a scene converging, so both are monocular depth cues
    • Both depend on the size of the object alone, so both are monocular depth cues

16. A person covers one eye and finds it harder to thread a needle. Which binocular cues have been lost?

    • Occlusion and linear perspective, both of which depend on the position of objects in the scene
    • Retinal disparity and convergence, both of which depend on the two eyes working together
    • Motion parallax and relative size, both of which depend on the person moving their head around
    • Relative size and height in plane, both of which depend on the size of the needle in view

17. Why does a pencil held at arm's length produce less retinal disparity than one held near the face?

    • Because a more distant object subtends a smaller angle between the eyes, so the two images are more alike
    • Because the pencil near the face is hidden by the nose, which changes the two images the eyes receive
    • Because the pencil at arm's length is larger on the retina, which evens out the two images for the brain
    • Because the pencil at arm's length has more light falling on it, which makes both images more alike

18. Why is retinal disparity more useful for judging depth of nearby objects than distant ones?

    • Disparity is the same for all objects, so it is most useful when the objects are far away from view
    • Disparity depends on colour, so it is most useful for bright objects that are placed close to the eyes
    • Disparity is largest for distant objects, so the difference between the two images is easier to detect
    • Disparity is largest for nearby objects, so the difference between the two images is easier to detect

19. A child watches a 2D film on a flat screen. Why does the film look flat even though both eyes see it?

    • The eyes cannot converge on a flat screen, so convergence is missing from the view entirely
    • The two eyes receive almost identical images, so there is little retinal disparity to signal depth
    • The two eyes receive very different images, so the film has too much disparity to be seen as depth
    • The screen lacks motion, so motion parallax is the only depth cue and it is absent from the film

20. Why might a person with eyes that are not aligned (a squint) struggle with depth judgement?

    • Because the squint blocks the sensory store, so depth information is lost before it is interpreted
    • Because the squint reduces the size of the image, so relative size gives the wrong depth information
    • Because the two eyes do not send matching images, so retinal disparity and convergence are disrupted
    • Because the squint makes monocular cues stronger, which confuses the brain about how far objects are

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