Question 1

_______________ is what makes a note played on a flute, which produces relatively pure tones, sound different from the same note played on an oboe, which produces very complex sounds.
A) Frequency
B) Pitch
C) Loudness
D) Timbre

Accepted Answer

Timbre is the quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another, even when playing the same note at the same volume and pitch. It is caused by the unique combination of harmonics and overtones produced by each instrument.

Question 2

Which of the following physical characteristics of the sound wave corresponds to the psychological dimension of timbre?
A) intensity
B) pitch
C) frequency
D) complexity

Accepted Answer

Timbre refers to the quality of sound that allows us to distinguish between two sources producing the same pitch and loudness. It is determined by the complexity of the sound wave, including the presence of overtones and harmonics. Therefore, choice D (complexity) corresponds to the psychological dimension of timbre.

Question 3

Taste buds are contained in the tongue's:
A) papillae.
B) hair cells.
C) underside.
D) saccules.

Accepted Answer

Taste buds are located in the papillae, which are small bumps on the tongue.

Question 4

The snail-shaped, fluid-filled organ in the inner ear is called the _______________.
A) cochlea
B) stirrup
C) basilar membrane
D) semicircular canal

Accepted Answer

The snail-shaped, fluid-filled organ in the inner ear is called the cochlea. It is responsible for converting sound waves into electrical signals that can be sent to the brain for interpretation. The other options listed are also parts of the inner ear, but they have different functions. The stirrup is one of three small bones in the middle ear that help to amplify sound vibrations. The basilar membrane is a thin layer of tissue inside the cochlea that vibrates in response to sound waves. The semicircular canals are three fluid-filled structures that help to maintain balance and orient the body in space.

Question 5

Melissa likes to put her headphones on and listen to her MP3 player at very high volume. This habit will likely lead to her damaging the __________ in her ears, which can result in permanent hearing loss.
A) eardrums
B) hair cells
C) semicircular canals
D) small bones

Accepted Answer

Hair cells in the inner ear are responsible for converting sound waves into electrical signals that the brain can interpret. Exposure to high volume levels, such as from listening to music at very high volume, can damage these hair cells, leading to permanent hearing loss. The eardrums, semicircular canals, and small bones are also important parts of the ear, but they are not as directly affected by high volume levels as the hair cells.

Question 6

Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding audition?
A) Auditory information leaves the ear through the trigeminal nerve.
B) High-pitched sounds are discriminated largely on the basis of where vibration occurs along the basilar membrane.
C) The auditory Gestalt principles are very different from the visual Gestalt principles.
D) Localizing sounds that are directly to the left or right of the head is difficult.

Accepted Answer

The basilar membrane in the cochlea is organized such that different frequencies of sound activate specific locations along its length. High-pitched sounds vibrate near the base of the membrane and low-pitched sounds vibrate near the apex. This is known as tonotopic organization and is the basis for discriminating different pitches.

Question 7

The actual "detectors" for taste are called _______________.
A) papillae
B) olfactory cells
C) taste buds
D) taste receptor cells

Accepted Answer

Taste receptor cells are responsible for detecting taste molecules and sending signals to the brain for interpretation. Papillae are the small bumps on the tongue that contain taste buds, but they are not the actual detectors for taste. Olfactory cells are responsible for detecting odors, not taste. Taste buds are clusters of cells within the papillae that contain taste receptor cells.

Question 8

Which of the following is true regarding the Gestalt principles and hearing?
A) None of them apply to hearing.
B) The figure-ground principle is the only one that applies to both vision and hearing.
C) All of the principles except for closure apply to both vision and hearing.
D) Many of the visual principles also appear to apply to hearing.

Accepted Answer

Many of the visual principles also appear to apply to hearing. For example, the principles of similarity and proximity can apply to distinguishing between different sounds, and the principle of continuity can apply to organizing an ongoing sequence of sounds.

Question 9

The actual receptors for taste are found:
A) on the center of the tongue.
B) on top of the knoblike elevations on the tongue.
C) inside the nasal cavity.
D) inside the taste buds.

Accepted Answer

The actual receptors for taste are found inside the taste buds, which are primarily located on the tongue, but also in the throat and roof of the mouth.

Question 10

Tory eats a low-salt potato chip and spits it out and says, "That's so salty!" She also cannot eat Brussels sprouts, pickles, or anything with a lot of saccharin in it because it tastes "too bitter." It is likely that Tory is a(n):
A) supertaster.
B) taster.
C) umamitaster.
D) ultrataster.

Accepted Answer

Supertasters are individuals who are hypersensitive to taste due to having a higher density of taste buds on their tongue. They are more sensitive to bitter tastes, as well as other taste sensations such as saltiness and sweetness. The fact that Tory finds certain foods too salty or bitter suggests that she may be a supertaster.

Question 11

Tom Petty has a nasal voice and Bob Dylan has a gravelly voice. There is a difference in the complexity of the sound waves produced by both men. What psychological dimension of hearing describes the difference?
A) timbre
B) pitch
C) loudness
D) intensity

Accepted Answer

The psychological dimension of hearing that describes the difference in Tom Petty's nasal voice and Bob Dylan's gravelly voice is timbre. Timbre refers to the complexity of sound waves produced by a particular instrument or voice. In this case, the different timbre of Petty's and Dylan's voices is due to the different shape and size of their vocal cords, throat, and mouth.

Question 12

The auditory receptors are located in the _______________.
A) cochlea
B) middle ear
C) eardrum
D) oval window

Accepted Answer

The cochlea is the portion of the inner ear where the auditory receptors, known as hair cells, are located. These hair cells are responsible for converting sound waves into electrical signals that can be interpreted by the brain. The middle ear contains the three small bones known as the ossicles, which are involved in transmitting sound waves from the eardrum to the inner ear. The eardrum is a thin membrane that separates the outer and middle ear and vibrates in response to sound waves. The oval window is a membrane that connects the middle ear to the inner ear and also vibrates in response to sound waves. However, the auditory receptors are specifically located in the cochlea.

Question 13

Frida is sitting on a park bench when she hears a police car turn on its siren. Although she cannot see the police car, she is certain that it is nearby. What cue did her brain most likely use to come to this conclusion?
A) the slight energy difference between each ear
B) the slight time difference between when the sound reached each ear
C) the overall loudness of the sound
D) the frequency of the sound

Accepted Answer

The overall loudness of the sound is a cue that indicates the proximity of the source; a louder sound suggests that the police car is nearby.

Question 14

In Latin, "papillae" means _______________.
A) tiny
B) pimples
C) tasters
D) knobs

Accepted Answer

In Latin, "papillae" translates to "nipples" or "pimples," referring to small, rounded protuberances.

Question 15

Research on taste shows that:
A) the taste receptor cells are replaced by new cells about every 40 days.
B) the tongue is divided into sections, each of which is sensitive to a particular basic taste.
C) people who are above 40 years of age have fewer taste buds than those who are younger.
D) the highest concentration of taste buds is found in the center of the tongue.

Accepted Answer

As people age, the number of taste buds decreases, leading to a reduced sense of taste.

Question 16

In addition to salty, sour, bitter, and sweet, which of the following has been proposed as the fifth basic taste?
A) caramel
B) creamy
C) umami
D) pungent

Accepted Answer

Umami, which translates to "savory" in Japanese, has been proposed as the fifth basic taste. It is often described as a meaty or brothy taste, and is attributed to the presence of glutamate in certain foods, such as meat, cheese, and mushrooms.

Question 17

Liana is listening to National Public Radio when the satellite feed momentarily goes out for a split second. Despite the short interruption, she was able to understand the conversation. This would be an example of the Gestalt principle of _______________.
A) continuity
B) similarity
C) closure
D) proximity

Accepted Answer

The Gestalt principle of closure explains how people can perceive a complete image even when the parts of that image are missing. In this case, Liana was able to understand the conversation despite the brief interruption because her brain filled in the missing information, demonstrating the principle of closure.

Question 18

The hair cells of the cochlea are embedded in the rubbery _______________.
A) oval window
B) basilar membrane
C) auditory nerve
D) semicircular canals

Accepted Answer

The hair cells of the cochlea are embedded in the basilar membrane, which is a rubbery structure that runs the length of the cochlea and is responsible for transmitting sound waves and vibrations to the hair cells. The oval window is a membrane that separates the middle ear from the inner ear, the auditory nerve is a bundle of nerve fibers that carries auditory information from the cochlea to the brain, and the semicircular canals are structures in the inner ear that are involved in balance and spatial orientation.

Question 19

Uri is walking home alone on a dark night. He hears a stick breaking and immediately turns to his right to see what made the noise. What cue did Uri most likely use to tell which direction the sound came from?
A) the timbre of the sound
B) the slight time difference between when the sound reached each ear
C) the overall loudness of the sound
D) the frequency of the sound

Accepted Answer

Uri most likely used the slight time difference between when the sound reached each ear, also known as the interaural time difference, to determine the direction from which the sound came from. This is because sound waves will reach the closest ear first, resulting in a time lag between the two ears. The brain then uses this time difference to determine the sound source's location.

Question 20

Investigators have found that human tongues:
A) can have as few as 500 taste buds or as many as 10,000 taste buds.
B) show variation in sensitivity to taste but not in the number of taste buds.
C) taste subtle flavors, such as vanilla or chocolate, even without the sense of smell.
D) stop creating new taste receptors after about age 3.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that the number of taste buds on a human tongue can vary greatly, with as few as 500 and as many as 10,000 taste buds. The number of taste buds can also decrease with age or due to certain medical conditions.

Quiz 6: Sensation and Perception

_______________ is what makes a note played on a flute, which produces relatively pure tones, sound different from the same note played on an oboe, which produces very complex sounds.

Which of the following physical characteristics of the sound wave corresponds to the psychological dimension of timbre?

Taste buds are contained in the tongue's:

The snail-shaped, fluid-filled organ in the inner ear is called the _______________.

Melissa likes to put her headphones on and listen to her MP3 player at very high volume. This habit will likely lead to her damaging the __________ in her ears, which can result in permanent hearing loss.

Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding audition?

The actual "detectors" for taste are called _______________.

Which of the following is true regarding the Gestalt principles and hearing?

The actual receptors for taste are found:

Tory eats a low-salt potato chip and spits it out and says, "That's so salty!" She also cannot eat Brussels sprouts, pickles, or anything with a lot of saccharin in it because it tastes "too bitter." It is likely that Tory is a(n) :

Tom Petty has a nasal voice and Bob Dylan has a gravelly voice. There is a difference in the complexity of the sound waves produced by both men. What psychological dimension of hearing describes the difference?

The auditory receptors are located in the _______________.

Frida is sitting on a park bench when she hears a police car turn on its siren. Although she cannot see the police car, she is certain that it is nearby. What cue did her brain most likely use to come to this conclusion?

In Latin, "papillae" means _______________.

Research on taste shows that:

In addition to salty, sour, bitter, and sweet, which of the following has been proposed as the fifth basic taste?

Liana is listening to National Public Radio when the satellite feed momentarily goes out for a split second. Despite the short interruption, she was able to understand the conversation. This would be an example of the Gestalt principle of _______________.

The hair cells of the cochlea are embedded in the rubbery _______________.

Uri is walking home alone on a dark night. He hears a stick breaking and immediately turns to his right to see what made the noise. What cue did Uri most likely use to tell which direction the sound came from?

Investigators have found that human tongues: