Deck 15: The Chemical Senses

Question 1

Eliminating the receptor for bitter tastes results in

A) a "shifting" of the selectivity other receptors to allow some detection of bitter.
B) the regeneration of bitter receptors.
C) less sensitivity to umami and salty tastes.
D) no effect on responses to the other tastes.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The _____ papillae are mushroom-shaped and found on the tip and sides of the tongue.

A) filiform
B) fungiform
C) foliate
D) circumvillate

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A fifth basic taste discovered many years after the other four is

A) referred to as salty-sweet.
B) described as "bittersweet".
C) described as "putrid".
D) referred to as umami.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The difference between "tasters" and "non-tasters" in the ability to taste PROP is due to:

A) a higher density of taste buds for "tasters" than "non-tasters."
B) a lower density of taste buds for "tasters" than "non-tasters."
C) specialized receptors present in "tasters" tongues that are absent from "non-tasters."
D) both higher taste bud density and specialized receptors for "tasters."

Question 5

The finding that rats will still prefer sweet substances even though their "sweet" receptors have been eliminated

A) proves that taste uses distributed coding.
B) presents a challenge to distributed coding theories.
C) presents a challenge to specificity coding theories.
D) is unrelated to the issue of neural representation of taste.

Question 6

The substance amiloride

A) blocks the flow of sucrose to taste receptors.
B) blocks the flow of sodium to taste receptors.
C) increases neural responses to salt detection.
D) neutralizes bitter tastes by confusing the signal.

Question 7

The central part of the tongue has no taste sensations because that part consists primarily of _______ papillae which do not contain taste buds.

A) filiform
B) fungiform
C) foliate
D) circumvillate

Question 8

The tiny bumps on the tongue that contain the taste buds are the

A) insulae.
B) lattices.
C) papillae.
D) tadomae.

Question 9

In regard to specificity vs. distributed coding , most researchers conclude

A) distributed coding has the most research support.
B) specificity coding has the most research support.
C) basic taste qualities are determined by specificity coding, and distributed coding is important for discriminating subtle differences.
D) basic taste qualities are determined by distributed coding, and specificity coding is important for discriminating subtle differences.

Question 10

The senses of ____________ are referred to as the gatekeepers.

A) olfaction and gustation
B) kinethesis and proprioception
C) vision and olfaction
D) vision and proprioception

Question 11

Areas on the tongue covered primarily with filiform papillae are similar to ______ in vision.

A) convergence
B) the blind spot
C) cortical magnification
D) accretion and deletion

Question 12

Olfactory signals from the thalamus project to

A) the insula and the frontal operculum cortex.
B) only the nucleus of solitary tract.
C) the orbitofrontal cortex.
D) the parietal cortex.

Question 13

Evidence for ______ is provided by an Erickson (1963) study in which rats appeared to be unable to discriminate between two different solutions that produce a similar taste.

A) distributed coding.
B) specificity coding.
C) olfactory decoding.
D) common coding.

Question 14

In taste research, people are classified as "tasters" or "non-tasters" based on their sensitivity to PTC, which tastes

A) sweet.
B) sour.
C) salty.
D) bitter.

Question 15

Sodium nitrate results in a taste of

A) sweet.
B) sweet and sour.
C) sour.
D) a combination of salty, sour, and bitter.

Question 16

The "life-span" of olfactory receptors in humans is

A) 1 day.
B) 5 to 7 weeks.
C) 7 years.
D) 60 years.

Question 17

Mueller et al. created a strain of mice that lacked the receptor that normally responds to a bitter substance called Cyx. The mice that did not have this receptor

A) avoided all bitter substances.
B) avoided Cyx, but would eat other bitter foods.
C) did not avoid Cyx.
D) avoided high concentrations of PTC.

Question 18

The ____ pathway conducts signals from the front and sides of the tongue to the brain.

A) chorda tympani
B) glossopharyngeal nerve
C) vagus nerve
D) insula nerve

Question 19

"Across-fiber patterns" is another name for

A) distributed coding.
B) specificity coding.
C) olfactory decoding.
D) common coding.

Question 20

____ tastes cause an autonomic acceptance response and prepares the gastrointestinal tract for these substances.

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

Question 21

The human sensitivity for the odorant found in natural gas is ________ the odorant for the main substance in nail polish remover.

A) greater than
B) less than
C) the same as
D) not consistently different than

Question 22

When Doty told a participant the correct label for an odor initially described as "fishy-goaty-oily," the participant transformed the smell into the perception of

A) Aquavit.
B) licorice.
C) leather.
D) meatloaf.

Question 23

Finding the neural code for odor molecules

A) is relatively straightforward, since molecules that are similar result in similar smells.
B) is relatively straightforward, since there is a simple relationship between the chemical properties of the odor and the perceived odor.
C) has focused on what smells cause olfactory neurons to fire.
D) has focused on which chemical odorants cause the olfactory neurons to fire.

Question 24

When presented with a common odor like banana or motor oil, participants can identify the odor approximately _____% of the time.

A) 10
B) 50
C) 87
D) 98

Question 25

Which technique involves injecting an animal with a radioactive molecule to see which part of the olfactory bulb is most activated by different chemicals?

A) Genetic tracing
B) Olfactory Evoked Potentials
C) 2-DG
D) TVC-15

Question 26

The __________ is the structure that contains the receptors for olfaction.

A) olfactory bulb
B) olfactory mucosa
C) chorda tympani
D) substantia gelatinosa

Question 27

Dogs are more sensitive to smells than humans because

A) humans have more olfactory receptors than dogs.
B) dogs have many more olfactory receptors than humans.
C) each individual olfactory receptor is more sensitive in dogs than in humans.
D) dogs tend to be microsmatic.

Question 28

Olfactory transduction occurs at

A) the olfactory receptor neurons.
B) the amygdala.
C) the papillae.
D) the foliate.

Question 29

The relationship between an odorant's smell and its recognition profile is similar to ___________ in vision.

A) stereopsis.
B) binocular cell response.
C) trichromatic coding for color.
D) corollary discharge theory.

Question 30

There are __________ different types of olfactory receptors in humans.

A) 4
B) 20
C) approximately 350
D) approximately 10,000

Question 31

Olfactory signals from the glomeruli project to

A) the piriform cortex in the temporal lobe.
B) the orbitofrontal cortex in the frontal lobe.
C) the amygdala.
D) all of these.

Question 32

Macrosmatic species will use olfaction for

A) marking territory.
B) sexual reproduction.
C) a guide for food sources.
D) all of these.

Question 33

__________ is the inability to smell due to injury or infection.

A) Aphasia
B) Anosmia
C) Alliesthesia
D) Prosopagnosia

Question 34

In one study, men rated the scent of t-shirts worn by women three nights in a row. The results indicated that

A) men disliked the smell of dirty t-shirts on men, but not women.
B) men preferred the t-shirt scent if the woman who were ovulating.
C) men preferred the t-shirt scent if the woman was not ovulating..
D) men preferred the t-shirt scent of women who showered regularly.

Question 35

Octanoic acid and octanol differ in molecular structure by one oxygen molecule. When smelling these substances,

A) participants report that the two substances both smell "sweet."
B) participants report that the two substances both smell "musky."
C) the recognition profiles for the two substances are very different.
D) octanoic acid, but not octanol, was classified as a "pheromone" for sexual attraction.

Question 36

Uchida's optical imaging research showed that larger carbon chains activate areas on the olfactory bulb that are

A) more centrally located.
B) located more to the right.
C) located more to the left.
D) randomly distributed across the glomeruli.

Question 37

When using the forced-choice procedure in measuring odor detection thresholds, the experimenter should

A) do two trials simultaneously.
B) separate trials by at least 500 msec.
C) separate trials by at least 5 seconds.
D) separate trials by at least 30 seconds.

Question 38

Which of the following is a correct interpretation when using calcium imaging to measure olfactory receptor response?

A) The more strongly the ORN is activated, the fluorescence increases.
B) The more strongly the ORN is activated, the fluorescence decreases.
C) The more strongly the ORN is activated, the greater the "glow".
D) The more strongly the ORN is activated, the concentration of calcium ions decreases.

Question 39

The axons of the olfactory sensory neurons project to the ___________ in the brain.

A) glomeruli in the olfactory bulb
B) occipital lobe
C) lateral geniculate nucleus
D) superior olivary nucleus

Question 40

The _______ is most likely involved perceiving overlapping odors, such as "coffee" "French toast" and "bacon."

A) piriform cortex.
B) nasal pharynx.
C) PTC.
D) insula.

Question 41

In one study males were asked to rate the scent of a t-shirt worn by a woman three nights during ovulation or three nights when not in ovulation. Discuss the results of this study and relate them to reproductive fertility and the human ability to sense phermones.

Question 42

Does distributed coding or specificity coding occur in taste? Support your answer with research.

Question 43

Flavor is the impression a person gets from

A) taste only.
B) the combination of olfaction and kinesthesis.
C) the combination of olfaction and taste.
D) the combination of olfaction, taste, and vision.

Question 44

When an eight-hour-old newborn is given a concentrated shrimp odor to smell, the
Newborn

A) responds with a facial expression similar to a smile.
B) responds with an increase in sucking.
C) responds with a facial expression that displays disgust.
D) does not respond at all to smells at this young age.

Question 45

What is the difference between tasters and non-tasters? What is the proposed cause(s) for this difference?

Question 46

Describe the Proust effect and provide a physiological explanation for its occurrence.

Question 47

Discuss how "top-down" processing is involved in odor perception; form both a behavioral and physiological approach.

Question 48

Compare three different methods for studying the physiology of olfaction.

Question 49

Discuss the research on odor identification. Relate Goldstein's anecdote about smelling "Aquavit" to odor identification (or better yet, describe a similar situation that happened in your life).

Question 50

What is flavor? Describe how taste experience is affected if olfaction does not take place when tasting a substance.

Question 51

As a monkey's hunger for cream decreases, the firing of the OFC neuron to the cream's odor

A) increases.
B) decreases.
C) stays the same.
D) randomly increases or decreases.

Question 52

Which of the following compounds had the same flavor whether or not the person's nose was clamped to prevent olfaction?

A) sodium oleate
B) ferrous sodium
C) MSG
D) all of these are all affected by clamping the nostrils

Question 53

Which of the following tastes do newborns NOT react to?

A) bitter
B) sweet
C) sour
D) salty

Question 54

The orbital frontal cortex receives input from

A) the visual pathways.
B) the primary somatosensory cortex.
C) the primary cortical areas for taste and olfaction.
D) all of these.