Lab Exercise with Quizzing

Read the materials, click on the lab exercise links and take the quizzes. Please note these will open in a new window.

Lab Exercise 1: Find Your Blind Spot Demonstration 

This demonstration lets you measure the location of your blindspot and map its size. “Find” your blind spot. What is happening? How is it possible to have a “hole” in your vision?

Follow-Up Quiz

1. Where is the blink spot located on your eye?

  1. retina
  2. cornea
  3. optic nerve
  4. pupil

Ans: A

2. You never notice the blind spot because your brain fills in the missing information.

  1. True
  2. False

Ans: T

3. How did the demonstration let you find your blind spot?

  1. by changing the element of the dot stimuli
  2. by changing the size of the dot
  3. by calculating the distance between you and the screen
  4. all of these

Ans: D

 

Lab Exercise 2: Light from Above Demonstration

In this demonstration you can experience the effects of the direction of illumination on visual perception. Try out the light from above heuristic. What affects this heuristic? Can you mention other heuristics we use in vision? Are they always accurate?

Follow-Up Quiz

1. What does the light from above demonstration test?

  1. effects of the visual perception of lightness and darkness
  2. effects of the direction of illumination on visual perception
  3. effects of the light to dark colors on visual perception
  4. effects of rapidly changing illumination on visual perception

Ans: B

2. How were you able to distinguish shapes within the array of dots?

  1. by distinguishing the dots that had gradients in opposite directions
  2. by adjusting the light in certain directions
  3. by changing the gray-scale gradient on some dots
  4. by distinguishing the topographical quality of some of the dots

Ans: A

3. Humans perceive objects better when things are lit up from the side.

  1. True
  2. False

Ans: F

 

Lab Exercise 3: Motion Aftereffect Demonstration

This is a website designed by Michael Bach that offers exciting visual illusions. Try out motion aftereffect. What happened? How does the brain play a role in the experience you had?

Follow-Up Quiz

1. How long can the spiral aftereffect last?

  1. up to approximately 5 seconds
  2. up to approximately 20 seconds
  3. up to approximately 30 seconds
  4. up to approximately 2 minutes

Ans: C

2. What would Gestalt psychologists characterize this optical illusion as?

  1. motion tracking
  2. proximity
  3. similarity
  4. phi perception

Ans: D

3. The motion aftereffect is often explained in terms of “fatigue” of the class of neurons encoding one motion direction.

  1. True
  2. False

Ans: T