Chapter 6
What is the intensity of a sound wave called?
amplitude
Most theorists believe that the first sensory system was ____.
chemical
30. The scala media makes up part of the ____.
cochlea
The scala vestibuli makes up part of the ____.
cochlea
Pitch is a perception related to which aspect of sound?
frequency
The ____ of a sound is the number of compressions per second.
frequency
A mild pain stimulus is associated with a release of ____.
glutamate
What is the perception of the intensity of a sound wave called?
loudness
What kind of deafness is the result of damage to the cochlea or the hair cells?
nerve
The brain chemicals known as endorphins produce effects similar to which substance?
opiates
The structure that we commonly refer to as the ear (on the outside of the head) is formally known as the ____.
pinna
115. A person who "sees" spoken language or music may be experiencing ____.
synesthesia
To what lobe of the cerebral cortex is auditory information sent?
temporal
How do sound waves ultimately result in the production of receptor potentials?
Hair cells in the cochlea vibrate, causing ion channels to open in their membrane.
Which of the following is true for nerve deafness?
It can result from damage to the cochlea.
What is the major problem for the frequency theory of sound perception?
It requires that neurons respond as quickly than they are able to do.
Why is it important for sound vibrations to be amplified as they pass through the ear?
More force is needed to create waves in fluid.
What process is predicted by the gate theory of pain?
Non-pain information can inhibit pain information.
What occurs to a tone as the frequency increases?
Pitch gets higher
Which statement is TRUE of various types of somatosensation?
They are at least partly distinct all the way from the receptors to the cerebral cortex.
What is unusual about olfactory receptors compared to most other mature mammalian neurons?
They are replaceable when old neurons die.
Three small bones connect the tympanic membrane to the oval window. What is the function of these bones?
They convert airwaves into waves of greater pressure.
Visual imagery is to ____ as auditory imagery is to ____.
V1; A1
An individual with damage to the primary somatosensory cortex would most have problems with ____.
ability to locate where they are being touched
The ability to hear a note and identify it perfectly is called ____.
absolute pitch
Each receptor responds to a wide range of stimuli and contributes to the perception of each of them. This type of coding is referred to as ____.
across-fiber
Loudness is to ____ as pitch is to ____.
amplitude; frequency
What is a dermatome?
an area of the skin innervated by a given spinal nerve
Areas bordering the primary auditory cortex are important for ____.
analyzing the meaning of sounds
A tonotopic map refers to a(n) ____.
auditory cortex map of sounds
The eighth cranial nerve contains both a(n) ____ component and a ____ component.
auditory; vestibular
According to the frequency theory, the ____.
basilar membrane vibrates in synchrony with a sound, producing action potentials at the same frequency
Damage to V1 produces ____ and damage to A1 produces ____.
blindness; deafness to complex sounds
Each spinal nerve has ____.
both a sensory and a motor component
Large-diameter pain axons ____.
carry sharp pain information
In adult humans, the taste buds are ____.
concentrated along the outside edge of the tongue
Reduced response to one taste after exposure to another is referred to as ____.
cross-adaptation
Along each strip of somatosensory cortex, different sub-areas respond to ____.
different areas of the body
Damage to the primary auditory cortex results in ____.
difficulty in responding to sequences of sounds
Tinnitus may be ____.
due to a phenomenon like the phantom limb
Meissner's corpuscles are ____.
elaborate neuron endings for touch
Ruffini's endings are ____.
elaborate neuron endings for touch
Studies with placebos and studies using hypnotism suggest that much of the reduction in pain is the result of decreased activation in the ____.
emotion areas of the brain sing
Taste and smell axons converge onto many of the same cells in an area called the ____.
endopiriform cortex
The fact that the refractory period limits the firing rate of a neuron is problematic for which of the following?
frequency theory only
Perception of a low tone is to ____ as perception of a high tone is to ____.
frequency theory; place theory
A mild degree of pain releases the neurotransmitter ____. A more intense pain also releases ____.
glutamate; substance P
Vibrations in the fluid of the cochlea causes ____.
hair cells to displace
Itching is primarily the result of ____.
histamine release
A sound shadow refers to ____.
how much louder a high-frequency sound is for the ear closest to the sound
How many kinds of olfactory receptors do we have?
hundreds
Olfactory information is coded in receptor cells through ____.
hundreds of types of receptor molecules, each responsive to a different chemical
One difference between labeled-line coding and across-fiber pattern coding is that labeled-line is ____.
less versatile
What sound characteristics can be compared between the two ears to locate the source of the sound?
loudness and timing
In the auditory system, hair cells are specialized receptors that respond to ____.
mechanical displacement
Conductive deafness is also known as ____.
middle ear deafness
Morphine and other opiate drugs decrease sensitivity to pain by ____.
mimicking the effects of endorphins at the synapses
The receptors for taste are ____.
modified skin cells
Repeated exposure to male pheromones may be associated with ____ in young women who are not sexually active.
more regular menstrual cycles
Patients with damage in area MT have problems with perception of ____.
movement of objects and sound
What does the vestibular system detect?
movement of the head
The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is a set of receptors located ____.
near, but separate from, the olfactory receptors
The taste nerves initially project to the ____.
nucleus of the tractus solitarius
Olfactory receptors carry their message to the ____.
olfactory bulb
Where are the auditory receptor cells located?
on the basilar membrane
The tympanic membrane connects to three tiny bones that transmit the vibrations to the ____.
oval window
Somatosensory information travels from the thalamus to which area of the cortex?
parietal lobe
Humans localize low frequencies by ____ differences and high frequencies by ____ differences.
phase; loudness
In terms of sound localization, low frequencies are to ____ differences, as high frequencies are to ____ differences.
phase; loudness
Many women living in a college dormitory will gradually begin to synchronize their menstrual cycles. The research indicates that this is, at least in part, based on ____.
pheromones
The fact that the various parts of the basilar membrane are tightly bound together is problematic for which of the following?
place theory only
In the otolith organs, the otoliths are calcium carbonate particles that ____.
push against hair cells when moved
Pacinian corpuscles respond best to ____.
rapid mechanical pressure
Chemicals that prevent sodium from crossing the membrane ____.
reduce the intensity of salty tastes
Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, relieve pain by ____.
reducing the release of chemicals from damaged tissues
Taste perception in the brain depends on ____.
relative activity of different taste neurons
Which two structures provide information about vestibular sensation?
semicircular canals and otolith organs
Pain receptors of the skin are ____.
simple, bare neuron endings
Morphine is effective in relieving ____.
slow, dull pain
Olfaction also plays a subtle role in ____.
social behavior
Stimulation of a touch receptor opens ____ channels in the axon.
sodium
What kind of receptors detect pain, warmth, and cold?
somatosensory
The sensory aspect of pain activates the ____ cortex, whereas the emotional aspect activates the ____ cortex.
somatosensory; cingulate
One hypothesis of synesthesia is that ____.
some of the axons from one cortical area have branches into another cortical area.
What neurotransmitter is released by axons that carry pain information to the brain?
substance P
Timing differences can be used most accurately for localizing ____.
sudden-onset sounds
The somatosensory system involves sensation of ____.
the body and its movements
Most auditory information is sent to which hemisphere of the brain?
the contralateral side
The current view of how we perceive sounds less than 100 Hz is based on ____.
the frequency of action potentials
An acceleration of the head at any angle causes ____.
the jelly-like substance in one of the semicircular canals to push against hair cells
When mechanical pressure bends the membrane of a Pacinian corpuscle, ____.
the membrane's resistance to the flow of sodium ions decreases
The eardrum vibrates at ____.
the same frequency as the sound waves that hit it
The eardrum is also known as the ____.
tympanic membrane
A distinctive feature of itch is that it relies on ____.
unusually slow axons
The ____ nucleus of the thalamus is associated with pain perception of the body.
ventral posterior
Which ability would be most impaired with damage to the vestibular senses?
visually tracking an object while dancing
We can identify a wide variety of bitter substances because ____.
we have many different bitter receptors
The current view of how we perceive high frequencies is based on ____.
where along the basilar membrane neurons fire most rapidly
If you are a supertaster, then ____.
you are more sensitive than the average person to nearly all tastes