Biopsych Ch. 6 Test Questions
The fact that women can discriminate smaller differences in 'ridge width' is because of
A higher concentration of merkel disks in their fingers
Itching is primarily the result of ____.
histamine release
What does the vestibular system detect?
movement of the head
In the otolith organs, the otoliths are calcium carbonate particles that ____.
push against hair cells when moved
Visual imagery is to ______ as auditory imagery is to ______.
V1; A1
What is a dermatome?
an area of the skin innervated by a given spinal nerve
One hypothesis of synesthesia is that ____.
some of the axons from one cortical area have branches into another cortical area
Which of the following tasks would a grapheme-color synesthetic be best at?
Being able to identify the key of a song within moments of hearing it
Which of the following is not a similarity between the auditory and visual systems?
Both complement each other and have a complete perceptual range
Which type of deafness can be treated with a hearing aid?
Conductive deafness
Reduced response to one taste after exposure to another is referred to as ____.
Cross-adaptation
What is the evolutionary advantage of having a sensation for taste?
Deciding whether or not to spit out your food
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
Your friend just had their heart broken (</3) and is completely useless - what's the "best" (according to what we talked about in class) way to get them back 'in the saddle'?
Feed them ice cream - but crush up a Tylenol tablet or two and mix it in
Being raised _______ causes humans to not develop hearing properly
In constant noise
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
Individual with chronic tinnitus often report that clenching their jaw will change the pitch of the tinnitus tone this implies that...
Jaw neurons have innervated the damaged auditory cortex
What is the primary neurological hypothesis for amusia?
Lack of connections between the auditory cortex and pre-frontal cortex
Larger animals tend to hear lower frequency sounds better while smaller animals tend to hear higher frequency sounds better, what could be one explanation for this phenomena?
Larger ear drums are better equipped to pick up the large space between low frequency noises & vice versa
What is the perception of the intensity of a sound wave called?
Loudness
In the auditory system, hair cells are specialized receptors that respond to ____.
Mechanical displacement
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.
In addition to loss of hair cells, as we age people lose the ability to listen well because they cannot
Pay attention
Which method of sound localization is best used for low frequency sounds?
Phase difference
How is your ear like a satellite dish?
Sound waves bounce off of our ear which directs them to our auditory canal
Wine connoisseurs will roll the liquid around in their mouth in order to get the full flavor on their palate. Why?
Taste receptors are more concentrated on the edges of the tongue, rolling it around gets more receptors than swallowing it.
Auditory information is often sent to which cortex?
Temporal
What is the primary taste cortex?
The insular cortex
Why does the size of the vestibular system not grow in relation to the size of the organism it's in?
The vestibular organ functions the same regardless of its size
We can make finer (smaller) motor movements with our eyes than we can are biceps because
There is a higher proportion of motor neurons to muscle fibers in the eye than the bicep
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.
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.
Two types of instruments playing the same note at the same loudness will produce different sounds. This is because of...
Timbre
The primary auditory cortex is arranged such that higher frequencies activate more posterior sections of the primary auditory cortex. Researchers this give this special name to this property of the cortex.
Tonotopic Map
What is the best description of umami flavor?
Unsalted chicken broth
The current view of how we perceive high frequencies is based on _____.
Where along the bailer membrane neurons fire most rapidly
Why do you like the smell of your [heterosexual partner] better than your biological sibling?
Your immune system produces odorants that are emitted through the skin, different immune systems smell better
According to the frequency theory, the ____.
basilar membrane vibrates in synchrony with a sound, producing action potentials at the same frequency
Large diameter pain axions ________
carry sharp pain information
Ruffini's endings are ____.
elaborate neuron endings for touch
The ____ of a sound is the number of compressions per second.
frequency
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
Olfactory information is coded in receptor cells through ____.
hundreds of types of receptor molecules, each responsive to a different chemical
Salty and sour taste receptors are __________ while sweet, bitter, and umami receptors are __________
ionotropic; metabotropic
What sound characteristics can be compared between the two ears to locate the source of the sound?
loudness and timing
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
Olfactory receptors carry their message to the ____.
olfactory bulb
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 ____.
pheromes
Pacinian corpuscles respond best to ____.
rapid mechanical pressure
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
The eardrum vibrates at ____.
the same frequency as the sound waves that hit it
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
If you are a supertaster, then ____.
you are more sensitive than the average person to nearly all tastes
An individual with damage to the primary somatosensory cortex would most have problems with ____.
Ability to locate where they are being touched
Damage to V1 produces ____ and damage to A1 produces ____.
blindness; deafness to complex sounds
