Deck 14: Olfaction

Question 1

When you smell a candle, what kind of olfaction are you engaging in?

A) Retronasal
B) Allonasal
C) Pseudonasal
D) Orthonasal
E) Ipsinasal

Answer 1

Orthonasal

Question 2

_______ olfaction refers to sniffing in and perceiving odors through the nostrils, while _______ olfaction refers to perceiving odors through the mouth while chewing.

A) Normal; gustatory
B) Gustatory; normal
C) Retronasal; orthonasal
D) Orthonasal; gustatory
E) Orthonasal; retronasal

Answer 2

Orthonasal; retronasal

Question 3

If you taste the fruit characteristics of a fine wine, what kind of olfaction are you engaging in?

A) Retronasal
B) Allonasal
C) Pseudonasal
D) Orthonasal
E) Ipsinasal

Answer 3

Retronasal

Question 4

An _______ is a molecule defined by its physiochemical characteristics and is capable of being translated by the nervous system into the perception of a smell.

A) odor
B) odorant
C) olfactory entity
D) olfactory stimulus
E) olfactant

Question 5

Which of the following is the translation of a chemical stimulus into a smell sensation?

A) Odor
B) Odorant
C) Olfactory entity
D) Olfactory stimulus
E) Olfactant

Question 6

The _______ is a narrow space at the back of the nose into which air flows and where the main olfactory epithelium is located.

A) olfactory sensory neuron (ONR)
B) odorant receptor (OR)
C) olfactory mucosa
D) olfactory bulb
E) olfactory cleft

Question 7

Which cells are not found in the olfactory epithelium?

A) Supporting cells
B) Basal cells
C) Olfactory sensory neurons
D) Mitral cells
E) Muscous membrane cells

Question 8

_______ are the precursor cells to olfactory sensory neurons.

A) Mitral cells
B) Juxtaglomerular neurons
C) Basal cells
D) Tufted cells
E) Granule cells

Question 9

Which structure(s) is/are sometimes called the "retina of the nose"?

A) Olfactory cleft
B) Basal cells
C) Supporting cells
D) Olfactory bulb
E) Olfactory epithelium

Question 10

The cilia are

A) the last structures in the biochemical chain of events involved in odor perception.
B) the first structures involved in olfactory signal transduction.
C) the most important type of epithelial cells.
D) the axons involved in the firing of action potentials in the olfactory process.
E) the cells that carry olfactory information to the thalamus.

Question 11

The _______ is a bony structure riddled with tiny holes, at the level of the eyebrows, which separates the nose from the brain.

A) glomerulus
B) olfactory mucosa
C) olfactory bulb
D) olfactory epithelium
E) cribriform plate

Question 12

_______ is the total inability to smell, most often resulting from sinus illness or head trauma.

A) Anosmia
B) Prosopagnosia
C) Olfactory blindness
D) Insomnia
E) Agnosia

Question 13

Meet John. All food tastes pretty bland to him-he can only sense the sweetness, saltiness, bitterness, or sourness of food, but none of the other complexities. What is the best diagnosis for John?

A) Prosopagnosia
B) Olfactory blindness
C) Anosmia
D) Insomnia
E) Agnosia

Question 14

Which of the following animals has the highest number of functional olfactory receptor genes?

A) Dog
B) Elephant
C) Cow
D) Human
E) Chimpanzee

Question 15

The _______ is the blueberry-sized extension of the brain, just above the nose, where olfactory information is first processed.

A) epithelium
B) olfactory bulb
C) glomerulus
D) olfactory cortex
E) thalamus

Question 16

Each olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) converges onto two

A) olfactory bulbs.
B) tufted cells.
C) olfactory cilia.
D) glomeruli.
E) supporting cells.

Question 17

_______ are the first layer of cells surrounding the glomeruli. They are a mixture of excitatory and inhibitory cells and respond to a wide range of odorants.

A) Mitral cells
B) Juxtaglomerular neurons
C) Basal cells
D) Tufted cells
E) Granule cells

Question 18

_______ are the second layer of cells surrounding the glomeruli. They respond to fewer odorants than the first layer, but to more than the neurons at the deepest layer of cells.

A) Mitral cells
B) Juxtaglomerular neurons
C) Basal cells
D) Tufted cells
E) Granule cells

Question 19

_______ form part of the deepest layer of cells in the olfactory bulb. Each of these cells responds only to a few specific odorants.

A) Mitral cells
B) Juxtaglomerular neurons
C) Basal cells
D) Tufted cells
E) Granule cells

Question 20

_______ form part of the deepest layer of cells in the olfactory bulb. They comprise an extensive network of inhibitory neurons, integrate input from all the earlier projections, and are thought to be the basis of specific odorant identification.

A) Mitral cells
B) Juxtaglomerular neurons
C) Basal cells
D) Tufted cells
E) Granule cells

Question 21

The brain region responsible for processing smell is known as the

A) amygdala.
B) parietal lobe.
C) primary olfactory cortex.
D) occipital cortex.
E) thalamus.

Question 22

The limbic system is a group of neural structures that is involved in many aspects of

A) odor detection.
B) emotion and memory.
C) odor adaptation.
D) pain regulation involving odors.
E) odor habituation.

Question 23

Why is olfaction unique among all of the senses in terms of its neural wiring?

A) It has a direct connection to the limbic system.
B) It has a direct connection to the thalamus.
C) Each olfactory bulb is processed by the contralateral hemisphere, unlike the other senses.
D) It has a direct connection to the cerebellum.
E) The olfactory bulbs connect directly to the orbitofrontal cortex.

Question 24

While all mammals appear to have pretty much the same set of olfactory receptor genes, some genes in each species are _______ and are not expressed.

A) dominant
B) pseudogenes
C) missing
D) hybrid
E) active

Question 25

Sometimes odorants can stimulate the somatosensory system through polymodal nociceptors. These sensations are mediated by the _______, which transmits information about the "feel" of an odorant.

A) prefrontal cortex
B) ciliary nerve
C) maxillary nerve
D) trigeminal nerve
E) endocrine system

Question 26

Cutting onions makes you cry because chemicals in the onions

A) create a burning sensation via the ciliary nerve.
B) create a burning sensation via the inferior alveolar nerve.
C) create a burning sensation via the trigeminal nerve.
D) dry out the eyes, causing them to tear up.
E) irritate the eyes directly, causing them to tear up.

Question 27

The shape-pattern theory of olfaction is based on the idea that

A) every perceived smell has a different vibrational frequency.
B) the olfactory receptors can change their shapes to fit the odorants' shapes.
C) the firing pattern of neurons in the olfactory bulb is not important to odor perception.
D) the olfactory bulb recognizes specific patterns of odors.
E) odorants' shapes fit into the olfactory receptors' shapes.

Question 28

The vibration theory of olfaction contends that

A) trigeminal nerve vibrations transmit odor sensations.
B) vibrations cause odorous molecules to spread through the air.
C) vibrations mediate the transfer of neural signals in the brain.
D) there is a different vibrational frequency for every perceived smell.
E) maxillary nerve vibrations transmit odor sensations.

Question 29

Specific anosmia and the study of stereoisomers provide evidence against the _______ theory of olfactory perception.

A) regulated odor
B) shape-pattern
C) vibration
D) odor activation
E) olfactory nerve

Question 30

Refer to the figure.
This figure illustrates the concept of

A) odorous knowledge.
B) stereoisomers.
C) odor detection.
D) molecular binding.
E) shape-pattern invariance.

Question 31

The processing of components in an odorant mixture is completed by using

A) analysis and synthesis.
B) detection and regulation.
C) olfactory digestion.
D) olfactory separation.
E) the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).

Question 32

If a different scent is presented to each of your nostrils at the same time, what will you most likely experience?

A) Binaral rivalry
B) Binocular rivalry
C) Dichotic olfaction
D) Nostril agnosia
E) Gustatory rivalry

Question 33

_______ is the competition between two nostrils for odor perception.

A) Binocular rivalry
B) Binaral rivalry
C) Anosmia
D) Odor synthesis
E) Nostril wars

Question 34

This odor is created when at least 30 odorants of equal intensity that span olfactory physiochemical and psychological (perceptual) space are mixed. The resultant odor percept is the same as every other mixture of 30 odorants meeting the span and equivalent intensity criteria, even though the various mixtures do not share any common odorants.

A) Olfactory white
B) Olfactory yellow
C) Olfactory red
D) Olfactory green
E) Olfactory blue

Question 35

Contrary to vision and audition, odor _______ is not possible in olfaction.

A) recognition
B) identification
C) detection
D) imagery
E) discrimination

Question 36

Over the course of 30 days, the percentage of correct recognitions of an odor

A) changes dramatically.
B) becomes better.
C) becomes worse.
D) is based on retention levels.
E) remains relatively constant.

Question 37

Suppose you have to smell three perfumes, two of which are the same and one of which is different. How would you determine which perfume is different?

A) Triangle test
B) Staircase method
C) Binaral rivalry task
D) Olfactory imagery
E) Direct matching task

Question 38

The _______ phenomenon is the inability to name an odorant, even though it is very familiar.

A) missing odor
B) tip-of-the-nose
C) blocked identification
D) tip-of-the-tongue
E) stereoisomer

Question 39

If you are in a food court and recognize the smell of a particular dish but cannot name it, you are experiencing the _______ phenomenon.

A) tip-of-the-tongue
B) blocked identification
C) tip-of-the-nose
D) object anomia
E) anosmia

Question 40

One explanation for why our senses of smell and language are so disconnected is that

A) language developed earlier than smell.
B) olfactory information is not integrated in the thalamus prior to processing in the cortex.
C) olfactory information is not integrated in the cortex prior to processing in the thalamus.
D) there is no need to have connections between smell and language.
E) smell is only of secondary use to humans.

Question 41

Suppose a person's olfactory system is "rewired" such that olfactory signals pass through the thalamus and are processed more in the left hemisphere of the brain. What might be a consequence?

A) It would be harder for them to verbally label smells.
B) Smell would more isolated from the other senses.
C) The emotional aspects of smell would increase for them.
D) It would be easier for them to verbally label smells.
E) There would be no difference between the typical and rewired systems.

Question 42

As people age, what happens to their olfactory sensitivity?

A) Olfactory sensitivity is highest as a child, then declines in middle adulthood and old age.
B) Olfactory sensitivity is lowest as a child, then increases in middle adulthood and old age.
C) Olfactory sensitivity is low as a child, high during middle adulthood, and then decreases in old age.
D) Olfactory sensitivity is high as a child, low during middle adulthood, and then high again in old age.
E) Olfactory sensitivity stays at a constant level from childhood to old age.

Question 43

_______ is the biochemical phenomenon, occurring after continual exposure to an odorant, whereby receptors stop responding to an odorant and detection ceases.

A) Receptor adaptation
B) Cognitive habituation
C) Anosmia
D) Odor repression
E) Cross-adaptation

Question 44

Suppose you enter a hair salon and the smell of the hair dyes and other chemicals is very strong and distinctive at first. However, after a few minutes you no longer smell those chemicals. What process is responsible for this phenomenon?

A) Anosmia
B) Receptor adaptation
C) Cognitive habituation
D) Cross-adaptation
E) Odor repression

Question 45

_______ is the reduction in detection of one odorant following exposure to another odorant.

A) Anosmia
B) Receptor adaptation
C) Cognitive habituation
D) Odor repression
E) Cross-adaptation

Question 46

_______ might cause a wine to taste very different when you are sampling many other wines at the same time, compared to drinking the wine on its own.

A) Anosmia
B) Receptor adaptation
C) Cross-adaptation
D) Cognitive habituation
E) Odor repression

Question 47

_______ is the psychological process by which, after long-term exposure to an odorant, one is no longer able to detect that odorant, or has very diminished detection ability.

A) Anosmia
B) Receptor adaptation
C) Cognitive habituation
D) Cross-adaptation
E) Odor repression

Question 48

Suppose you leave town for a few weeks and when you return, your house has a strange smell that you didn't notice before you left. What might be the explanation?

A) Anosmia
B) Cognitive habituation
C) Receptor adaptation
D) Cross-adaptation
E) Odor repression

Question 49

If somebody wears the same perfume or cologne every day, they may start to put on more and more after several weeks because it doesn't smell as strongly to them as it used to. This is due to

A) anosmia.
B) receptor adaptation.
C) cognitive habituation.
D) cross-adaptation.
E) odor repression.

Question 50

Odor hedonics is

A) responsible for odor detection.
B) the precise description of various odors.
C) the intensity ratings of various odors.
D) the "liking" dimension of odor perception.
E) the study of odor creation.

Question 51

If your friend is wearing a new perfume and you decide you really like it, you have just made a _______ judgment.

A) gustatory
B) value
C) fashion
D) logical
E) hedonic

Question 52

A(n) _______ is often responsible for our disliking of a particular food after gastric illness.

A) odor trauma
B) learned taste aversion
C) restricted aversion
D) odor dilemma
E) virus

Question 53

If you got carsick while eating gummy bears as a child and haven't wanted to eat them ever since, you have a(n)

A) odor trauma.
B) restricted aversion.
C) odor dilemma.
D) learned taste aversion.
E) olfactory overdose.

Question 54

When people are going through chemotherapy, they often feel very nauseous. Because of this, they are instructed to avoid eating foods they normally like because they might acquire a(n) _______ and not want to eat their favorite foods again.

A) odor trauma
B) restricted aversion
C) odor dilemma
D) olfactory overdose
E) learned taste aversion

Question 55

Which of the following is consistent with the idea that olfactory preferences are genetically determined?

A) Infants develop greater preferences for distinctive-smelling odors that their mothers consumed during pregnancy.
B) California ground squirrels have a defensive response the first time they are exposed to the odor of their natural predator, the Pacific rattlesnake.
C) Indigenous peoples of the Bering Strait prefer rotten-smelling fish and meat.
D) Many Japanese people find cheese disgusting.
E) People develop a taste aversion to foods that have made them sick in the past.

Question 56

The _______ is the part of the brain responsible for processing olfaction and for assigning affective value to stimuli.

A) orbitofrontal cortex
B) prefrontal cortex
C) temporal lobe
D) occipital lobe
E) thalamus

Question 57

Which of the following is a chemical-sensing organ in non-human animals located at the base of the nasal cavity, with a curved, tubular shape?

A) Orbitofrontal cortex
B) Prefrontal cortex
C) Main olfactory bulb
D) Accessory olfactory bulb
E) Vomeronasal organ

Question 58

Which of the following is a neural structure located behind the main olfactory bulb?

A) Orbitofrontal cortex
B) Prefrontal cortex
C) Main olfactory bulb
D) Accessory olfactory bulb
E) Vomeronasal organ

Question 59

_______ are chemicals emitted by one member of a species that trigger a psychological or behavioral response in another member of the same species.

A) Odors
B) Olfactants
C) Pheromones
D) Odorants
E) Primers

Question 60

If you are stung by a honeybee, many other bees nearby may be cued to sting you because the first bee emitted a(n)

A) chemosignal.
B) odorant.
C) releaser pheromone.
D) primer pheromone.
E) olfactant.

Question 61

The _______ occurs when women who live in close proximity to one another begin to have menstrual cycles that coincide over time.

A) releaser pheromone effect
B) primer pheromone effect
C) cohabitation effect
D) McClintock effect
E) menstrual cycle phenomenon

Question 62

What is anosmia?

Question 63

What are the two major theories of how chemicals come to be perceived as specific odors?

Question 64

Describe two psychophysical methods for measuring olfactory detection and discrimination.

Question 65

What are pheromones and chemosignals?

Question 66

What is the anatomical sequence of how odors are sensed, from nose to brain?

Question 67

Describe three ways in which the olfactory system adapts to smells.

Question 68

In what ways are olfactory hedonics determined by nature or nurture?