Psychology
3215 - Fall 2022 ("What
Virus?" Edition) Questions
about Psychophysics |
◔_◔
|
**You should
have access to a calculator and a straight edge for the test.**
1. What was Fechner trying to accomplish when he founded psychophysics? From his viewpoint, what is the absolute threshold and why is it important? 2. How do you determine the absolute threshold, using the Method of Limits, the Method of Constant Stimuli, and the Method of Adjustment? How are the methods similar and how are they different? 3. Using the
Method of Constant Stimuli, explain how a psychophysical
function for the absolute threshold is produced and calculated.
4. What is a difference threshold? How are the data collected? How are the results plotted? 5. Examine the psychophysical function for a difference threshold on the class web site. Be able to determine and explain the reasoning behind such terms as the Point of Subjective Equality, Upper Difference Limen, Lower Difference Limen, the Interval of Uncertainty, and the Just Noticeable Difference. 6. What is
Weber's Law? Explain the meaning of the mathematical formula. Be
able to interpret JNDs. Be able to compute a JND using Weber�s
Law. How can it be used practically? 7. What is Stevens' Power Law? Understand the Magnitude Estimation procedure and how the results from that procedure are used in Stevens' Power Law. 8. Be able to predict or interpret the meaning of various exponents derived from Stevens' Power Law on the form of the psychophysical function. How can it be used practically? 9. Compare and contrast Stevens' and Weber�s approach to the definition of units on psychological scales. 10. Know the difference in procedures between a Signal Detection experiment and the classical absolute threshold experiment. 11. Know the matrix of possible outcomes for a trial in a Signal Detection experiment. 12. According to Signal Detection Theory, our tendency to say "Yes, I detected it" is controlled by our criterion or decision rule (bias, beta, criterion) and our sensitivity to the difference between the event being there or not (d�). Know how outcome matrices should be examined to separate these two factors. Could a person with a 100% Hit rate be a bad detector? 13.
Practice interpreting d' and C scores.
What do they tell us?? 14. What is a ROC plot? What is on each axis? What is the meaning of the diagonal line? Practice interpreting points which indicate differences in sensitivity vs. differences in strategy.
|