PSYC370 FINAL

learning quizzes unit 1-13 combined

Which of the following brain structures is part of the cerebral cortex but cannot be seen from the surface of the brain?

Cingulate cortex → carry out cognitive processing & reward-based decision making

A participant in a research study is placed in an MRI scanner. As the scanner obtains measures of brain activity, the researchers expose the participant to a different odor every 5 minutes. Researchers ask the participant to report what type of odor they are perceiving. In this example, researchers are using both type of physiological approaches to study the perceptual process. (True or False)

True

Participants in a research study cannot determine a difference in the brightness of two lights unless one light is at least 9% brighter than the other. This study determined the difference threshold for light intensity and its Weber fraction is .09. (True or False)

True

A Weber fraction of 0.01 means that subjects can reliably detect a 1% change in stimulus intensity. 

The brain structure that receives almost all sensory information from the peripheral structures of the body and processes it extensively before relaying it to the primary sensory regions of the cerebral cortex is the _______.

Thalamus → body’s info relay station

The psychophysical method to determine threshold in which stimuli of varying intensities are presented in ascending and descending orders in discrete steps is called the method of ________.

limits

\
ex. you would be given a large amount of light and asked if you could see it. On the next trial, the amount of light would be decreased. This would occur until you report that you can no longer see the light

Above the absolute threshold, all stimuli are considered suprathreshold stimuli. (True or False)

True

Participants in a research study cannot determine a difference in loudness between two sounds unless one sound is at least 4% louder than the other. This is referred to as the ______ _________.

Difference threshold →

*  **the minimum difference between 2 stimuli that can be detected**
* **Varies depending on sensory dimension (pain, sound, etc.)**

\
\

The **oblique effect** refers to our ability to perceive visual stimuli oriented in a ______ direction better than stimuli oriented in a ____ direction.

horizontal & vertical, angled

A nucleus refers to a cluster of neuron cell bodies and dendrites in the central nervous system whose function is to process a specific type of information. (True or False)

True

A bundle of axons relaying information about touch on the skin of the arm that is traveling from the spinal cord up to the brain is called a ____.

tract

The procedure called _____ quantifies the relationship between stimulus intensity and perceived intensity.

Magnitude estimation → a method measuring perceptions of *suprathreshold stimuli* using a psychophysical scale by measuring people’s perception of stimuli

Stimuli that we most commonly encounter in our everyday lives that are well above our sensory thresholds are known as ___________

Suprathreshold stimuli

 The region of the brain responsible for (1) conscious awareness of sensations, (2) decision making, and (3) generating voluntary movements to execute a behavior is ____________

Cerebral cortex

A participant in a research study is placed in an MRI scanner. As the scanner obtains measures of brain activity, the researchers expose the participant to a different odor every 5 minutes. Participants are not asked to report anything about what they are perceiving. What approach to studying the perceptual process are the researchers using there?

Physiological approach measuring the relationship between the stimulus and physiological responses

Researchers ask chronic pain patients to describe their pain in words using a questionnaire that includes options such as burning, shooting, aching, throbbing, among others. The method the researchers are using to study pain perception in this example is

Phenomenological method →

* observer describes what’s perceived (distance, color, size, qualities of taste); helps test perception of individuals with brain damage
* Ex. asking if the pain is shooting, burning, aching, or throbbing type of pain

The structure(s) that relay sensory information about sounds in the environment from the ears to the CNS are the

Cranial nerves

Specific nuclei in the _______ receive and process sensory information from the head and neck.

brainstem

Cranial and spinal nerves relay sensory information from the peripheral structures of the head, neck, and body into the central nervous system. (True or False)

True

In a magnitude estimation experiment, participants rate the perceived magnitude of Stimulus A. They then rate the perceived magnitude of stimulus B. The stimulus intensity of stimulus B is double the magnitude of stimulus A. However, the perceived magnitude rated by the participants for stimulus B is LESS than double the rating for stimulus A. This demonstrates the phenomenon of

Response compression → increase in perceived magnitude is smaller than the increase in stimulus intensity (ex. brightness)

A specific neurotransmitter is always excitatory or inhibitory. For example, if dopamine is an excitatory neurotransmitter in one part of the brain, it will always be excitatory in other brain regions. (True or False)

False

Chemically-gated sodium ion channels open in a neuron that was previously in a resting state. The opening of these channels creates a local, graded potential called a 

Depolarization → neuron’s membrane potential becomes more *positive*

When all of the presynaptic inputs to a neuron cause the neuron to be excited to its threshold voltage, this triggers

Opening of voltage-gated sodium ion channels, which then causes the action potential to be generated

 The difference in electrical charge between the inside and the outside of a neuron when the neuron is at rest is called the _____ and is typically ____ mV.

resting membrane potential, -70

The concentration of ion X- is higher in the fluid outside the neuron than inside the neuron. As a result, it wants to move by diffusion into the neuron but can only do so if protein channels that allow ion X- to pass are open. (True or False)

True

Receptors that bind neurotransmitters are made of which type of chemical?

protein →

* provide pathway for dissolved chemicals (like sodium ions) to cross membrane
* Ions need to move in & out of the cell so neurons can send electrical signals

One factor that contributes to the resting membrane potential is the fact that there are many more sodium ion leak channels than potassium ion leak channels in the membrane of a neuron. (True or False)

False

\
Potassium (K+) continually leaking out through protein channels (down its concentration gradient); many potassium (K+) leak channels in the membrane, very few sodium (Na+) channels in membrane as they close at -70 mV

\
meaning neuron is more negative inside than outside

A difference in the concentration of a specific chemical dissolved in body fluids (such as a potassium ion) between two locations is called

Concentration gradient

An action potential is triggered when a neuron's membrane potential reaches threshold. Threshold is the voltage that opens voltage-gated potassium (K+) ion channels in the neuron's membrane. (True or False)

False

\
Voltage gated sodium (Na+) channels open & potassium (K+) channels close, so the neuronal membrane becomes positive

\
“All-or-none” → gates stay open for period of time

In any given region of the skin, multiple types of sensory receptors are present, including mechanoreceptors, nociceptors, and thermoreceptors. (True or False)

True

* **Mechanoreceptors:** produce tactile sensations & transduction of mechanical energy from stimuli on skin into energy of action potentials
* **Nociceptors:** respond to ANY TYPE of noxious (potentially damaging) stimuli
* Transduction of thermal, chemical, pressure energy into action potentials
* **Thermoreceptors:** respond to non-noxious temperatures (ex. cold metal pressing on your skin)

Which statement is FALSE about the two somatosensory pathways (dorsal column and spinothalamic tract)?

***A) The cell bodies and dendrites of the second group of neurons in each pathway are located in the medulla oblongata.***

\
B) The first group of neurons in each pathway are the sensory receptors.

\
C) The cell bodies and dendrites of the third group of neurons in each pathway are located in the thalamus.

\
D) The axons of the second group of neurons in each pathway decussate to the opposite side of the CNS.

Which of the following sensory receptors in the skin is NOT a rapidly adapting receptor?

Nociceptor → slow adapting as it does NOT adapt to continuous stimuli

Nociceptors are sensory receptors in the skin that detect pain. (True or False)

False

\
Nociceptors detect noxious (potentially harmful) stimuli. Pain is a perception generated in the brain.

 The "multimodal nature of pain" refers to the fact that

 pain has sensory, emotional, and cognitive components

A rapidly adapting sensory receptor in the skin will respond by firing action potentials when

a stimulus first makes contact with the skin AND when it stops making contact with the skin

You are a participant in an experiment testing how long you can keep your hand in painfully cold water. If someone is engaging you in an interesting conversation while you have your hand in the water, it is likely that you will not be able to keep your hand in as long as if you were alone in the room. (True or False)

False

When you try to identify a three-dimensional object by touch alone, and are allowed to have control over your hand and finger movements, you are using

Haptic perception → when 3D objects are explored with tactile (fingers/hands)

A body part with a low two-point threshold has __ tactile acuity and an example of such an area is ___.

 high, lips

\
**tactile acuity** →

* ability to detect details of stimuli on skin due to merkel cells SAI
* Varies across body, depends on density of __merkel receptors__ in body region

Which of the following structures is not part of the cortical pain network/matrix?

 ventrolateral nucleus

When you open your hand to grab your water bottle, which of the following sensory receptors are activated?

Ruffini cylinders → type of mechanoreceptor, deep, large Receptive Field; detect stretching of skin (object grasping)

The sensation of position of the body and limbs when you are not moving is a type of somatosensation called

proprioceptive sensation

Miss Chang is a right-handed violin player. She bows with her right hand and fingers the strings with her left. The cortical representation for the fingers on her left hand is

larger than the area for the fingers on the left hand of a non-musician

 Which of the following is FALSE about body maps in the somatosensory cortex?

***A) Body map regions are proportionate to the actual size of the body parts.***

\
B) Body maps appear in S1 and S2 in the parietal lobe.

\
C) A body map is referred to as a homunculus.

\
D) Body maps are affected by cortical magnification.

Thermoreceptors respond to heat stimuli that cannot damage the skin, while nociceptors respond to heat stimuli that could burn the skin. (True or False)

True

A slowly adapting sensory receptor in the skin will fire action potentials for the entire duration that a stimulus is in contact with the skin of its receptive field. (True or False)

True

 Axons that relay information about pain and temperature from the skin to the brain travel mainly along the __________.

Spinothalamic pathway

Adaptation is a process in which sensory receptors

gradually reduce their activity (action potential firing) in response to a constantly present stimulus

Neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex have been found to respond differently to tactile stimuli depending on how much attention is being paid to the tactile stimulus. (True or False)

True

The sensory receptors for both gustation and olfaction can regenerate due to the fact that they are easily damaged due to exposure to harsh environments. (True or False)

True

Specificity coding refers to neural processing in which

a single type of neuron responds to a stimulus and is associated with a specific perception

The perception of a specific taste is generated by both specificity and distributed coding processes in the brain. (True or False)

true

Which of the following is NOT one of the major taste qualities?

A) sweet

\
B) bitter

\
***C) unagi***

\
D) salty

The bumps on the surface of the tongue are called

papillae

We perceive that food has taste when it's in our mouth even though olfaction is the major contributor to flavor perception because

tactile sensations on the tongue provide the illusion that flavor is occurring in the mouth

Which of the following is NOT a function of the chemical senses?

trigger anosmia

An odor molecule is only able to bind and be transduced by one type of olfactory receptor. (True or False)

false

A supertaster is a person who has many more papillae on the tongue and therefore is highly sensitive to salt and avoids oversalty foods. (True or False)

false

Odor molecule A binds to and is transduced by 8 different olfactory receptors. Odor molecule B binds to and is transduced by 6 of the same olfactory receptors. The two odor molecules are perceived differently. This is referred to as

distributed coding

Where are the sensory receptors for olfaction located?

olfactory epithelium/mucosa

Because humans only have 350 types of olfactory receptor neurons and each of these only has one kind of receptor, humans can only detect 350 different odors. (True or False)

False

\
Each odor molecule binds several different receptors (to different degrees), thereby activating several ORNs. The population response of the activated ORNS (which ones and how strongly) determines the perceived odor.

Which cranial nerve is NOT involved in relaying gustatory information into the central nervous system?

CN XI

The fact that loudness of pure tones depends on both frequency and sound pressure level can be shown on a graph using

 equal loudness curves

The perceived **timbre** of sound between two instruments would occur if one instrument had a fundamental frequency of 300 Hz and harmonics of 900 Hz, 1200 Hz, and 3000 Hz, while the other instrument had a fundamental frequency of _____ Hz and harmonics of _______________ Hz.

300; 600, 1500, 3000

The amplitude of a sound stimulus is measured in ______ and results in the perception of _______.

decibels, loudness

A complex tone composed of a 440 Hz tone, a 880 Hz tone, and a 1320 Hz tone is presented. Which part of the basilar membrane will respond?

 three different areas that are characteristic of each individual frequency

The threshold of hearing (in dB) is the same for a 100 Hz sound and a 1,000 Hz sound. (True or False)

False

A cochlear implant can be used to treat all types of deafness. (True or False)

False

\
severely to profoundly deaf, help neural hearing loss when the auditory nerve is damaged or missing

The auditory ossicles of the middle ear are the tiniest muscles in the body and the correct order from tympanic membrane to oval window is malleus, incus, stapes. (True or False)

False

\
The auditory ossicles are bones, not muscles. Everything else about the statement is correct.

The sensory receptors for audition are hair cells and are located in the cochlea of the inner ear. (True or False)

True

Sound 1 will be perceived as louder than Sound 2 if its amplitude is greater because that will cause a greater number of hair cells to be activated. (True or False)

True

 The human tonotopic map shows that a hair cell (receptor) close to the apex of the cochlea will respond best to a tone of ____ Hz.

60

Which structures relay auditory information from the cochlea to the brain?

neurons that are part of the auditory nerve

The threshold of hearing (in dB) is the same for a 100 Hz sound and a 1,000 Hz sound. (True or False)

False

 A frequency spectrum shows a complex tone that is composed of a frequency of 440 Hz, 880 Hz, and 1320 Hz. The 440 Hz frequency is called the ___ and the 880 Hz and 1320 Hz frequencies are called the ___.

 fundamental frequency, **harmonics**

Hair cells are not neurons and can therefore repair themselves if damaged, or be replaced if killed. (True or False)

False

Hearing loss that occurs with age is called

presbycusis

 The unit of loudness of sound is decibels (dB). As sound levels rise from 120 dB to 200 dB, humans typically perceive the sound as getting louder. (True or False)

False

\
 At 120 dB and higher, humans perceive pain, not sound.

 The core area of the primary auditory cortex is involved in

analysis of individual sound frequencies

From the auditory nerve, information is passed through a sequence of subcortical structures of the brain (below the cortex). Which of the following reflects the correct sequence?

cochlear nucleus, superior olivary nucleus, inferior colliculus, medial geniculate nucleus

 The precedence effect is

the listener perceives the fused sound from two speakers to be originating from the lead speaker

The study in which a clicking sound was added to a visual display of two diagonally moving dots showed that

 hearing can influence visual perception

Some neurons in the multimodal association areas of the brain respond to both auditory and visual stimuli from the same area in the environment around a person (e.g. 90-degrees off to the left). (True or False)

True

Interaural level differences are a cue to auditory localization because the

person's head creates an acoustic shadow that prevents high-frequency sounds from reaching the far ear

Sound arriving at our ears at any given point in time is a combination of sounds coming from many sources in the environment. Our ability to distinguish one sound source from another is the result of a brain process called

 auditory scene analysis

The artist Vincent Van Gogh harmed himself by cutting off his ear. Which of the following aspects of his auditory perception was likely to be impacted?

localizing sounds along the elevation

If there is an interaural time difference, the brain interprets the sound as coming from

the side

Sound stimuli that travel the shortest distance between the sound source and a person are referred to as direct sound, while sound stimuli that travel longer distances because sound from the source is reflected off surfaces in a room before it reaches a person are referred to as indirect sound. (True or False)

true

Head movement can help provide additional cues to locate where a sound is located along the azimuth. (True or False)

False

 The __________ is composed of the locations where the ILD and ITD from one sound source are the same as from another sound source.

 cone of confusion

Our ears receive both direct and indirect sound from a sound source when we are indoors. (True or False)

False

High neural convergence in the retina results in ____ light sensitivity and ____ acuity.

increased, decreased

Rods and cones synapse with ___ neurons, which then synapse with ___ neurons.

bipolar, ganglion

When the cornea or lens has an irregular shape, causing light from some orientations to be focused properly but light from other orientations to be focused improperly, this is called

astigmatism

When visual pigments absorb light they

break apart and must be regenerated

The optic nerve is made up of axons of

ganglion neurons

The adjustable muscular structure in the eye that controls the amount of light entering the eye is the

iris

Different wavelengths of light have different colors as they travel through the air, which is why we perceive short wavelengths as blue and long wavelengths as red. (True or False)

True

An object will only be seen clearly when light reflected off of it is _____ when it enters the eye.

refracted