You Have Just Arrived at the Library to Study and Just

question 337

Multiple Choice

You have just arrived at the library to study and just as you are starting to read your assignment, a group of students at a nearby table begin a loud conversation. At first, these extra sounds annoy you, but you return to your reading and pretty soon, you are no longer aware of them, even though the students are continuing to talk. This example is most similar to what is known as

• A)a difference threshold
• B)transduction
• C)a perceptual set
• D)sensory adaptation

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Definitions:

Timbre

The quality or color of sound that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices or musical instruments.

Overtones

Additional, often subtle, qualities or implications beyond the explicit or primary meaning of something.

Trichromatic Theory

A theory of color vision that proposes three types of color receptor cells in the eye, each sensitive to red, green, or blue.

Opponent-Process Theory

A psychological model that explains emotional and motivational states as the result of opposing processes or forces.