Deck 5: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

Vision is to the ________ as audition is to the ________.

A)medial geniculate nucleus / lateral geniculate nucleus
B)lateral geniculate nucleus / medial geniculate nucleus
C)medial geniculate nucleus / cochlear nucleus
D)cochlear nucleus / medial geniculate nucleus

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Information about which of the following senses does NOT pass through the thalamus on the way to the cortex?

A)Audition
B)Olfaction
C)Gustation
D)Somatosensation

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Hedwig the owl is having difficulty localizing sounds in space.After performing a series of studies,you realize that she has trouble localizing sounds in the left-right dimension,but she seems to know whether they are coming from above or below.Of the following choices,which brain region is the most likely to be impaired?

A)The cochlear nucleus
B)The magnocellular nucleus
C)The angular nucleus
D)The lemniscal nucleus

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Neurons in the olfactory bulb demonstrate an extensive amount of convergence and divergence.This means that neurons in this system

A)sometimes fire synchronously and asynchronously with respect to each other.
B)project to,and receive input from,a large number of other neurons.
C)synapse onto their own presynaptic neurons,creating feedback loops.
D)send output to regions of the brain both near and far from the olfactory epithelium.

Question 5

How many types of receptors are there in the olfactory epithelium?

A)Two
B)Four
C)Five
D)More than five

Question 6

Which of the following is a documented asymmetry in the olfactory system?

A)The number of receptor types in the left olfactory epithelium is 10 times greater than in the right olfactory epithelium.
B)The cortical volume of the primary olfactory cortex is larger on the right side than on the left in right-handed people.
C)The nasal passage in one nostril is larger than the other nostril,and this switches back and forth every few hours.
D)Although the left nostril projects to both the left and right cerebral hemispheres,the right nostril projects only to the right hemisphere.

Question 7

Konishi's model of spatial hearing in the barn owl posits that interaural time is computed using ________,whereas interaural intensity differences are computed using ________.

A)relative rate of firing / coincidence detectors
B)coincidence detectors / relative rate of firing
C)unimodal processing / multimodal integration
D)multimodal integration / unimodal processing

Question 8

The primary olfactory cortex is located at the junction of the ________ and ________ lobes.

A)frontal / temporal
B)frontal / parietal
C)temporal / occipital
D)parietal / occipital

Question 9

In the auditory system,the conversion of sound waves into action potentials occurs in the

A)ganglion cells.
B)eardrum.
C)cochlear nucleus.
D)hair cells.

Question 10

High-frequency sounds primarily activate hair cells at the ________ of the cochlea,whereas low-frequency sounds primarily activate hair cells at the ________ of the cochlea.

A)base (thicker end)/ apex (thinner end)
B)apex (thinner end)/ base (thicker end)
C)superior end / inferior end
D)inferior end / superior end

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT one of the basic tastes?

A)Acid
B)Bitter
C)Sweet
D)Umami

Question 12

The basic taste umami is experienced when eating foods rich in

A)fat.
B)protein.
C)carbohydrates.
D)minerals.

Question 13

Of the following choices,the strongest evidence for a link between the sense of smell and the triggering of memories is the observation that

A)the olfactory cortex has direct connectivity to the limbic cortex.
B)the olfactory cortex has direct connectivity to area MT.
C)people with damage to the basal ganglia have compromised odor recognition.
D)people with damage to the cerebellum have compromised odor recognition.

Question 14

The orbitofrontal cortex is considered a secondary cortical area for which of the following senses?

A)Proprioception
B)Vision
C)Olfaction
D)Audition

Question 15

The magnocellular nucleus and angular nucleus both project different kinds of auditory spatial information to (the)________.

A)area MT
B)area V4
C)lemniscal nucleus
D)external nucleus

Question 16

The two cues that barn owls use to localize sounds are

A)echolocation and interaural time.
B)interaural time and interaural intensity.
C)interaural intensity and interaural frequency.
D)interaural frequency and echolocation.

Question 17

The two parts of the cochlear nucleus are (the)________ and (the)________.

A)magnocellular nucleus / angular nucleus
B)lateral geniculate / medial geniculate
C)superior colliculus / pulvinar
D)MT / V4

Question 18

After modeling the quick habituation found in the olfactory system,Sobel's fMRI research suggested that

A)the primary olfactory cortex is related to sniffing,and the orbitofrontal cortex is related to smell.
B)the orbitofrontal cortex is related to sniffing,and the primary olfactory cortex is related to smell.
C)the orbitofrontal cortex is related to sniffing and smell,whereas the primary olfactory cortex is related to smell but not sniffing.
D)the primary olfactory cortex is related to sniffing and smell,whereas the orbitofrontal cortex is related to smell but not sniffing.

Question 19

The primary auditory cortex is located in the

A)medial geniculate nucleus.
B)inferior temporal lobe.
C)lateral geniculate nucleus.
D)superior temporal lobe.

Question 20

In the auditory system,the basilar membrane is located within the

A)cochlea.
B)eardrum.
C)pinna.
D)middle ear.

Question 21

A selective loss of motion perception is called

A)achromatopsia.
B)anomia.
C)akinetopsia.
D)agnosia.

Question 22

The primary visual pathway is best described as

A)retina -> optic nerve -> hypothalamus -> superior colliculus -> occipital lobe.
B)retina -> cochlea -> optic chiasm -> thalamus -> occipital lobe.
C)retina -> optic nerve -> optic chiasm -> thalamus -> occipital lobe.
D)retina -> hippocampus -> thalamus -> superior colliculus -> occipital lobe.

Question 23

The primary gustatory cortex is located in the

A)thalamus and hypothalamus.
B)hippocampus and amygdala.
C)pons and medulla.
D)insula and operculum.

Question 24

In which of the following brain areas might you expect an expert taster such as a chef or sommelier to have unique patterns of neural connectivity?

A)The superior temporal gyrus
B)Area MT
C)The orbitofrontal cortex
D)The basal ganglia

Question 25

A patient has an injury to the optic nerves,such that the branches of each optic nerve that normally cross to the opposite side of the brain at the optic chiasm are severed.The remaining branches,which do not cross to the other side of the brain,are intact.Which of the following best describes the effect of this injury on his vision?

A)He can now see only by using his right eye;his left eye is functionally blind.
B)Only information from the left visual field can enter his brain for processing.
C)Each eye can now carry only information from half of the visual field.
D)His brain now receives visual information only from the medial half of each retina.

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT a type of corpuscle used for somatosensation?

A)Merkel
B)Calvert
C)Meissner
D)Pacinian

Question 27

The orbitofrontal cortex is an integration area for which two senses?

A)Somatosensation and vision
B)Vision and audition
C)Olfaction and gustation
D)Somatosensation and proprioception

Question 28

A patient who has a focal brain injury to the human analog of area MT would demonstrate all of the following for visually presented stimuli EXCEPT

A)accurate shape discrimination.
B)accurate velocity discrimination.
C)accurate hue discrimination.
D)accurate object recognition.

Question 29

Simple cells in the primary visual cortex selectively respond to visual stimuli based on

A)direction of stimulus motion.
B)stimulus color.
C)stimulus orientation.
D)distance of the stimulus from the viewer.

Question 30

Using single-cell recording,you isolate a neuron in area MT that selectively responds to moving stimuli.What other response property would you expect from this cell?

A)It is selective for stimulus color.
B)It is selective for stimulus shape.
C)It is selective for stimulus hue.
D)It is selective for stimulus velocity.

Question 31

Information about the left hand is processed

A)in the left hemisphere for both the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices.
B)in the right hemisphere for both the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices.
C)in the left hemisphere for the primary somatosensory cortex and bilaterally for the secondary somatosensory cortex.
D)in the right hemisphere for the primary somatosensory cortex and bilaterally for the secondary somatosensory cortex.

Question 32

Which of the following structural attributes does NOT describe the organization of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)of the thalamus?

A)Inputs from each retina terminate in separate layers of the LGN.
B)Information about color and motion is represented by separate regions in the LGN.
C)Each layer of cells in the LGN contains a retinotopic map of the visual field.
D)Each half of the LGN carries information from only the contralateral eye.

Question 33

The highest density of ________,or color-sensitive photoreceptors,can be found in the ________ of the retina.

A)cones / fovea
B)cones / periphery
C)rods / fovea
D)rods / periphery

Question 34

Due to a defect in one type of photoreceptor,Susan has poor vision at night,when light levels are relatively low.Which type of photoreceptor is defective?

A)Ganglion cell
B)Cone
C)Rod
D)Cornea

Question 35

If you were to conduct a single-cell recording from a neuron in the MT region of the extrastriate visual cortex,you would probably find that the cell fires most vigorously to a

A)bar of light that alternates in color between red and green.
B)bar of light tilted at a 15° angle in the center of the cell's receptive field.
C)corner-shaped region of light on a dark background.
D)bar of light that moves across the cell's receptive field.

Question 36

The axons of nociceptors conduct information about which sensation?

A)Pain
B)Temperature
C)Pressure
D)Proprioception

Question 37

________ is a selective deficit in the visual recognition of objects and people.

A)Blindsight
B)Akinetopsia
C)Achromatopsia
D)Visual agnosia

Question 38

Achromatopsia is due to

A)the absence of the photopigment sensitive to long wavelengths.
B)the absence of the photopigment sensitive to short wavelengths.
C)cortical lesions in area V4.
D)cortical lesions in area MT.

Question 39

Which area of the body has the greatest amount of representation in the human primary somatosensory cortex?

A)Hands
B)Feet
C)Face
D)Trunk

Question 40

Before entering the brain,each optic nerve splits into two branches so that information from the ________ half of each retina crosses to the opposite side of the brain.

A)nasal (medial)
B)temporal (lateral)
C)left (dorsal)
D)right (ventral)

Question 41

Through a process known as retronasal olfaction,odorants from the mouth can travel back up into the nasal cavity.

Question 42

A scotoma that involves one entire side of the visual field is called a

A)topographic map.
B)homunculus.
C)receptive field.
D)hemianopia.

Question 43

A patient who demonstrates the phenomenon of blindsight

A)experiences great difficulty in using visual information to guide eye movements or to reach for visual objects.
B)has selective brain injury to the superior colliculus.
C)can localize stimuli that lie inside her scotoma without any subjective experience of them.
D)will be able to report visual stimuli only if they are large and bright relative to the background.

Question 44

The senses of olfaction and gustation are known as chemical senses because they begin with stimulation by chemicals (odorants or tastants).

Question 45

The primary olfactory cortex is located in the parietal lobe.

Question 46

Which of the following is the best example of cortical plasticity?

A)The processing of tactile information by blind people in cortical regions that process visual information in sighted people
B)The ability of the barn owl to localize objects in space based on auditory and not visual information
C)The integration of information about olfaction and gustation in the orbitofrontal cortex
D)The activation of the superior colliculus by visual information in patients exhibiting blindsight

Question 47

Unlike color and motion,there are as yet no unambiguous studies showing that depth perception is localized to a specific region of the visual system.This failure to localize visual depth perception is most likely due to the fact that

A)depth information is largely computed through other sensory modalities,like audition.
B)human beings are relatively insensitive to visual depth information.
C)depth perception incorporates multiple types of visual information.
D)the cortical region where depth information is thought to be processed is resistant to brain injury.

Question 48

The term proprioception refers to the sensation of knowing the position of the body and limbs.

Question 49

During audition,sound vibrations are encoded as neural signals in the basilar membrane of the cochlea.

Question 50

Which term is used to describe an idiosyncratic union between or within sensory modalities,such as experiencing the color red whenever seeing the letter A?

A)Achromatopsia
B)Akinetopsia
C)Synesthesia
D)Agnosia

Question 51

A patient with progressive supranuclear palsy is suffering from gradual deterioration of his superior colliculus.Which of the following statements best describes the result of this disease?

A)The patient has intact acuity and shape perception,but he can no longer recognize visual objects.
B)The patient demonstrates the phenomenon of blindsight.
C)The patient is cortically blind.
D)The patient is unable to initiate eye movements.

Question 52

The two ears of the barn owl are positioned asymmetrically on the head,improving sound localization in the vertical direction.

Question 53

Studies of cortical organization in blind people have shown that,compared to sighted people,

A)blind people show increased activity in the occipital cortex when sweeping their fingers over rough surfaces and when given tactile discrimination tasks.
B)blind people show increased activity in the occipital cortex when given tactile discrimination tasks but not when sweeping their fingers over rough surfaces.
C)blind people show decreased activity in the occipital cortex when sweeping their fingers over rough surfaces and when given tactile discrimination tasks.
D)blind people show decreased activity in the occipital cortex when given tactile discrimination tasks but not when sweeping their fingers over rough surfaces.

Question 54

Which of the following results has been shown for people who experience the most common form of synesthesia?

A)Their visual cortices have been shown to be sensitive to tactile discrimination.
B)They show interference effects when asked to identify the colors of letters if the colors are inconsistent with their synesthetic experiences.
C)Their somatosensory cortices have been shown to be sensitive to visual information.
D)They show interference effects when asked to identify sung letters if the pitches are inconsistent with their synesthetic experiences.

Question 55

Which subcortical region is known to maintain multimodal maps of the environment and is involved in the control and orienting of movements?

A)The pons
B)The cerebellum
C)The medulla
D)The superior colliculus

Question 56

Unlike the visual system,auditory information does NOT pass through the thalamus on the way to the cortex.

Question 57

Injury to all of the following brain areas EXCEPT ________ will result in a scotoma.

A)MT
B)V1
C)the LGN (lateral geniculate nucleus)
D)Brodmann area 17

Question 58

Information about color is extensively processed in visual area V5.

Question 59

The term akinetopsia refers to unusual sensory unions-either between two senses,such as perceiving tastes for words,or within a single sense,such as perceiving colors for letters.

Question 60

Different parts of the body are represented in the primary somatosensory cortex in proportion to their size.

Question 61

How do the two nostrils provide the brain with slightly different samples of the olfactory environment? Why might this be advantageous?

Question 62

Why might it be computationally useful for the primate brain to have so many different visual areas?

Question 63

What would the subjective experience of color-grapheme synesthesia be like? Describe an experiment (real or hypothetical)that demonstrates that these associations are automatically experienced.

Question 64

Speculate about what kinds of information might be processed in the superior temporal lobe of a congenitally deaf person.In your answer,consider the kinds of environmental information that are especially important in the absence of sound.

Question 65

Why is the coding of spatial information a more difficult problem in audition as compared to vision? Describe two ways in which the auditory system of the barn owl computes auditory spatial information.