Question 1

The local fire department sounds the 12 o'clock whistle. The process by which your ears convert the sound waves from the siren into neural impulses is an example of:&#10;A)accommodation.&#10;B)absolute threshold.&#10;C)transduction.&#10;D)sensory adaptation.

Accepted Answer

The process by which sound waves are transformed into neural impulses is called transduction. This process occurs in the cochlea of the inner ear, where hair cells convert the mechanical vibrations of sound waves into electrical signals that are transmitted to the brain. Accommodation and sensory adaptation refer to other sensory processes, and absolute threshold refers to the minimum intensity of a stimulus required to detect it at least 50% of the time, which is not directly relevant to this question.

Question 2

Visual form agnosia is MOST associated with impaired functioning in the:&#10;A)ventral stream of visual processing.&#10;B)dorsal stream of visual processing.&#10;C)area MT.&#10;D)optic chiasm.

Accepted Answer

Visual form agnosia is a disorder that affects the ability to recognize and identify visual objects or forms. This deficit is typically associated with lesions in the ventral stream of visual processing, which is primarily responsible for object recognition and identification. In contrast, the dorsal stream is more involved in spatial perception and visual attention and is less likely to be affected in cases of visual form agnosia. The area MT (middle temporal area) and optic chiasm are not directly related to this disorder.

Question 3

Which receptor cells MOST directly enable us to perceive color from different wavelengths of light?&#10;A)rods&#10;B)bipolar cells&#10;C)cones&#10;D)feature detectors

Accepted Answer

Cones are the receptor cells that enable us to perceive color from different wavelengths of light. They are primarily responsible for our ability to see color and are more densely packed in the fovea, the central part of the retina, which is why we have the best color vision when we look directly at an object. Rods, on the other hand, are more sensitive to light and enable us to see in low-light conditions, but they do not contribute directly to color vision. Bipolar cells and feature detectors are also involved in visual processing, but they do not directly enable us to perceive color.

Question 4

In a landscape, artists often paint distant objects, such as trees, closer to the top of the canvas than nearby objects, like flowers. This is an example of the use of the distance cue known as:&#10;A)linear perspective.&#10;B)texture gradient.&#10;C)relative height.&#10;D)interposition.

Accepted Answer

The use of relative height in this context means that objects that are farther away are typically shown higher on the canvas than nearby objects. This creates the illusion of depth and distance in the landscape. Linear perspective involves using converging lines to show distance, texture gradient involves the gradual change in texture as objects move farther away, and interposition involves objects blocking one another in the foreground and background. While these distance cues may also be used in a landscape, the description given in the question specifically refers to the use of relative height.

Question 5

Which statement is NOT true of supertasters?&#10;A)They represent about 25 percent of the adult population.&#10;B)They tend to like green leafy vegetables.&#10;C)They tend to dislike fatty foods.&#10;D)They tend to be thinner than nontasters.

Accepted Answer

Supertasters often find green leafy vegetables too bitter and tend to avoid them.

Question 6

A participant is shown a black &#34;8&#34; and a gold &#34;6.&#34; When asked to describe the visual display, she responds that she saw a gold &#34;8&#34; and a black &#34;6&#34;, illustrating a(n) _____ primarily caused by _____.&#10;A)color blindness; genetics&#10;B)agnosia; hippocampal impairments&#10;C)illusory conjunction; occipital lobe deficits&#10;D)illusory conjunction; lack of focused attention

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates an example of an illusory conjunction, which occurs when features from different objects are incorrectly combined, in this case, the color of one number being combined with the shape of the other number. This phenomenon is primarily caused by a lack of focused attention, as the brain struggles to correctly process all the details in a visual display when attention is divided or distracted. It is not indicative of color blindness, agnosia, or occipital lobe deficits.

Question 7

Due to the partial crossing of visual information at the _____, information from the _____ visual field projects to the right hemisphere.&#10;A)optic chiasm; right&#10;B)optic chiasm; left&#10;C)lateral geniculate nucleus; right&#10;D)lateral geniculate nucleus; left

Accepted Answer

At the optic chiasm, information from the left visual field of both eyes crosses over to the right hemisphere.

Question 8

A blind spot occurs when an object is projected directly onto the:&#10;A)retina.&#10;B)fovea.&#10;C)optic nerve.&#10;D)cornea.

Accepted Answer

The optic nerve is the bundle of nerve fibers that transfers visual information from the eye to the brain. It is formed by the convergence of all the retinal ganglion cell axons as they exit the eye at the optic disc, which is also known as the blind spot. Thus, a blind spot occurs when an object is projected directly onto the optic nerve.

Question 9

After a small section of his basilar membrane was damaged, Josko experienced a noticeable loss of hearing for high-pitched sounds only. Josko's hearing loss is best explained by the _____ code mechanism of the ear to encode sound-wave frequencies.

A)place
B)opponent-process
C)temporal
D)modular

Accepted Answer

The place code mechanism suggests that different frequencies of sound waves stimulate different parts (or places) of the basilar membrane, which then sends signals to the auditory nerve. If a section of the basilar membrane is damaged, it could potentially affect the ability to perceive certain frequencies of sound, which is what appears to have happened to Josko with his loss of high-pitched sounds. Opponent-process, temporal, and modular coding mechanisms do not directly relate to the specific frequency loss that Josko is experiencing.

Question 10

A neuroscientist records neuronal firing from Hillary's retina and notices that her m-cones and l-cones are both firing at an equal rate. From this, Hillary is probably looking at a:&#10;A)bowl of lemons.&#10;B)blue sky.&#10;C)lush green field.&#10;D)red apple.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A neuroscientist records neuronal firing from Hillary's...

Question 11

Which of these would play a role in quickly alerting you to a gas leak in your home?&#10;A)the vestibular system&#10;B)olfactory receptor neurons&#10;C)feature detectors in the A1 area of the occipital cortex&#10;D)thermoreceptors

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of these would play a role...

Question 12

Brightness is to amplitude as hue is to:&#10;A)purity.&#10;B)pitch.&#10;C)color.&#10;D)wavelength.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Brightness is to amplitude as hue is...

Question 13

According to _____-based theories of object recognition, your brain compares perceived retinal images with _____ to make identifications.&#10;A)image; templates&#10;B)image; geons&#10;C)parts; templates&#10;D)parts; geons

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to _____-based theories of object recognition,...

Question 14

The registration of light, sound, pressure, odor, or taste as your body interacts with the physical world is called:&#10;A)priming.&#10;B)perception.&#10;C)synesthesia.&#10;D)sensation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The registration of light, sound, pressure, odor,...

Question 15

Giulio's bag of marbles is twice as heavy as Jim's. If it takes 5 extra marbles to make Jim's bag feel heavier, it will take 10 extra marbles to make Giulio's bag feel heavier. This best illustrates:&#10;A)signal detection theory.&#10;B)Weber's law.&#10;C)accommodation.&#10;D)sensory adaptation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Giulio's bag of marbles is twice as...

Question 16

Days after breaking his nose in a football game, Ben still perceived a dull pain in his nose, due to which pain sensory neurons?&#10;A)A-delta fibers&#10;B)B-gamma fibers&#10;C)C fibers&#10;D)V fibers

Accepted Answer

The answer of Days after breaking his nose in a...

Question 17

Which structure is contained in the middle ear?&#10;A)auditory canal&#10;B)ossicles&#10;C)ear drum&#10;D)cochlea

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which structure is contained in the middle...

Deck 4: Section 6: Sensation and Perception