LearningCurve Activity #12 - Recognizing Physical Sensation, Smell, and Taste

activation of specific neural fibers in your spinal cord

According to gate-control theory, a back massage would most likely reduce your physical aches and pains by causing the:

C

Ben still perceives a dull pain in his nose days after breaking it in a football game. This pain sensation is transmitted by _____ fibers

pheromones

Biochemical odorants called _____ play a role in the reproductive behavior of many species

haptic

The term _______ perception is used to denote the knowledge of the world that is derived from sensory receptors in skin, muscles, tendons, and joints, and usually involves active exploration

taste receptor cells; microvilli

The tips of the _____ are called _____

adaptation

Your friend rarely freshens the cat box in her apartment. You notice the odor immediately each time you visit, but your friend appears not to notice. Your friend is demonstrating smell _____

amygdala

Your text states that olfaction is closely linked to brain areas related to emotion. In the limbic system, one such area is the _____

the way color is processed, according to trichromatic theory

According to your text, our varied and complex sensations of touch reflect the activity of a very small number of basic receptor types. This is most nearly analogous to:

increased; decreased

According to your text, supertasters may be at ______ risk for such health problems as colon cancer. They may also be at a _____ risk for obesity and heart disease

five

According to your text, there are a total of _____ basic types of taste

salt, sour, bitter, sweet, and savory

Our sense of taste involves five main types of taste sensations:

taste buds; papillae

Gustatory receptors are contained in the _____, located on the _____

The pain tolerance of the African-American students should be lower than that of their Caucasian counterparts. In addition, the African-American students should rate the water as more painful than should the Caucasians

In an experiment, Caucasian and African-American college students plunge their forearms into freezing water. Each participant is asked to keep their hand in the water as long as they can stand it. The length of time each participant keeps their hand in the water is taken as a measure of their pain tolerance. Each participant is additionally asked to rate how painful the freezing water is. Based on your text's discussion, which alternative best expresses the likely results of this experiment?

operational; dependent

In an experiment, Caucasian and African-American college students plunge their forearms into freezing water. Each participant is asked to keep their hand in the water as long as they can stand it. The length of time each participant keeps their hand in the water is taken as a measure of their pain tolerance. In this study, the length of time each participant keeps their hand in the water is a(n) ____ definition of the _____ variable of pain tolerance

referred

Margaret is experiencing pains in her abdomen and goes to the doctor, who tells her that she has suffered a mild heart attack. Margaret's experience of pain in her abdomen and not in her chest is an example of _____ pain

top-down

People rate an odor as more pleasant when it is given an appealing rather than an unappealing verbal label. Because this effect reflects an influence of experience and associations, it is an example of a(n) _____ influence on our sense of smell

sexual orientation

Recent research has shown a relation between response to human pheromones and:

opposite; contralaterally

Relative to the location of the stimulation, tactile information is processed on the ________ side of the brain; that is, it is processed _______

a wine's price has a top-down influence on its perceived taste

Research on wine drinkers demonstrated that:

top-down

Research reported in your text suggests that participants rate wine as tasting more pleasant when they think it costs more. Because this finding reflects the effects of experience or expectations, it represents a(n) _____ influence on perception

glutamate

Salt is to sodium chloride as umami is to:

flavor

Taste and smell combine to cause you to experience _____

flavor

Taste and smell combine to cause you to experience:

pain receptors

The A-delta and C fibers are types of:

negatively

The absolute threshold for touch is _____ correlated with the density of touch receptors in the part of the body being stimulated

umami

The least understood taste receptor is _____

pressure, pain, warmth, and cold

The sense of touch includes the four basic sensations of:

parietal

Touch information is relayed from the thalamus to somatosensory cortex in the ______ lobe

somatosensory; parietal

Touch information is relayed from the thalamus to the ________ cortex in the _______ lobe

glutamate

Umami receptors respond most strongly to _____, an amino acid that also acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter

smell

Unlike the other senses, our sense of _____ is closely related to our emotional and social behavior

on the tongue, the roof of the mouth, and in the upper throat

Where are the taste buds located?

Such differences are partly genetic

Which alternative best expresses your text's conclusion regarding individual differences in taste perception?

smell

Which of the following is BEST described as a chemical sense?

Olfaction is the only sense with connections to the thalamus

With respect to potential differences between olfaction and the other senses, which of the following statements is FALSE?

tastant

With respect to the microvillae of salt taste receptors, sodium is a(n):

hippocampus

Your text states that the olfactory bulb sends outputs to the parts of the brain responsible for basic drives, emotions, and memories. You should be reminded of the hypothalamus, amygdala, and _____, respectively

olfactory

_____ receptor cells detect airborne chemical molecules

Olfactory

_____ receptor neurons detect airborne chemical molecules