Question 1

The eighth cranial nerve carries information about hearing and equilibrium from the ear to the central nervous system.

Accepted Answer

The eighth cranial nerve, also known as the vestibulocochlear nerve, is responsible for transmitting sound and balance (equilibrium) information from the inner ear to the brain.

Question 2

Receptive field sizes are approximately the same over all parts of the body for a specific modality.

Accepted Answer

Receptive field sizes vary across different parts of the body, with areas like the fingertips having smaller receptive fields allowing for finer spatial resolution, and areas like the back having larger receptive fields.

Question 3

Each taste receptor cell is specific to only one of the four primary tastes.

Accepted Answer

Taste receptor cells are not specific to just one of the four primary tastes (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter); they can respond to different types of tastes, although they may be more sensitive to one.

Question 4

In order to taste food, the chemicals must be dissolved in mucus.

Accepted Answer

Taste requires chemicals to be dissolved in saliva, not mucus, to interact with taste receptors on the tongue.

Question 5

The primary interface between the body and the external environment is the skin. Thus, a variety of receptors exist within the skin for the detection of our external environment. List the three classes of receptors found in the skin (with an example of each with its function), and the pathways that those stimuli must follow to reach the somatosensory cortex.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The primary interface between the body and...

Question 6

Photoreceptive cells are located within the retina. Describe the general structure and the cells present within the retina, and how light is converted into electrical energy within rods and cones.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Photoreceptive cells are located within the retina....

Question 7

Tonic receptors are best at detecting changes in the environment.

Accepted Answer

Tonic receptors are slow-adapting receptors that respond continuously to a stimulus, making them better at detecting the presence of a stimulus rather than changes in the environment. Phasic receptors, on the other hand, are fast-adapting and are better at detecting changes in the environment.

Question 8

In a neural pathway, when an excitatory synapse follows an inhibitory synapse, this is called disinhibition.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In a neural pathway, when an excitatory...

Question 9

Taste receptor cells are located only on the tongue.

Accepted Answer

Taste receptor cells are also found in parts of the oral cavity such as the palate, pharynx, and epiglottis, not just on the tongue.

Question 10

A decrease in the amplitude of a receptor potential over time in the presence of a continued stimulus is called habituation.

Accepted Answer

The decrease in the amplitude of a receptor potential over time in the presence of a continued stimulus is called adaptation, not habituation. Habituation refers to a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations.

Question 11

The response of every sensory receptor is governed by the law of specific nerve energies. Explain this law and its consequence for a receptor's response to low -and high -intensity stimuli, along with the general process of sensory transduction.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The response of every sensory receptor is...

Question 12

Nociceptors play an important role in protecting us from damaging stimuli. Describe the two types of pain and the difference between discriminative and affective pain. Describe the gate -control theory of pain modulation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Nociceptors play an important role in protecting...

Question 13

Describe the neural pathway of vision from the photoreceptor to the primary visual cortex. How are we able to perceive the three -dimensional character of the world around us?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the neural pathway of vision from...

Question 14

Depth perception requires visual input from both eyes.

Accepted Answer

Depth perception, or stereopsis, relies on binocular vision, where the brain combines slightly different images from each eye to perceive depth and distance.

Question 15

Auditory information is transmitted through the medial geniculate nucleus in the thalamus to the cortex.

Accepted Answer

The medial geniculate nucleus (MGN) of the thalamus acts as a relay station for auditory information on its way to the auditory cortex in the brain.

Question 16

The vestibular apparatus can only detect changes in the rate of head movement.

Accepted Answer

The vestibular apparatus can detect changes in both the rate and direction of head movement.

Question 17

All receptors, by definition, must transduce the energy from a stimulus into an electrical signal before that information can be sent to the central nervous system. Once that electrical signal is generated, how does the brain decode the type, intensity, duration, and location of a stimulus?

Accepted Answer

The answer of All receptors, by definition, must transduce the...

Question 18

Describe the process involved in focusing an image onto the retina for objects near and far and how that process is controlled. Identify the two common defects in our ability to focus light on the retina and how they can be fixed.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the process involved in focusing an...

Question 19

Each semicircular canal can only detect rotation in one direction.

Accepted Answer

Each semicircular canal can detect rotation in both directions; it senses angular acceleration and deceleration in the plane it is oriented to, not just a single direction of movement.

Question 20

Although pain perception can vary between individuals, one person always perceives the identical painful stimulus as being the same.

Accepted Answer

Pain perception can vary in the same individual due to factors such as emotional state, context, previous experiences, and expectations, meaning the perception of the identical painful stimulus can change over time for the same person.

Quiz 10: The Nervous System: Sensory Systems