Question 1

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?

Accepted Answer

Normally, olfactory information bypasses the thalamus and is processed primarily in the right hemisphere, which is less involved in language processing. Rewiring to pass through the thalamus and involve the left hemisphere, which is typically more involved in language processing, could make it easier for the person to verbally label smells.

Question 2

As people age, what happens to their olfactory sensitivity?

Accepted Answer

The answer of As people age, what happens to their...

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

Receptor adaptation is the correct term for the phenomenon where receptors in the nose stop responding to an odorant after continuous exposure, leading to a temporary inability to detect that specific odor.

Question 4

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?

Accepted Answer

Receptor adaptation is responsible for this phenomenon. It occurs when sensory receptors in your nose become less sensitive to the presence of a particular odor after prolonged exposure, leading to a decreased perception of the smell over time.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

Cross-adaptation occurs when exposure to one odorant reduces the sensitivity to another odorant, often because they share common molecular features or activate similar receptors.

Question 6

_______ 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.

Accepted Answer

Cross-adaptation can cause a wine to taste very different when sampled among many wines because the sensory receptors in the nose and mouth can become less sensitive to certain flavors or aromas if they've been exposed to similar stimuli shortly before, affecting the perception of subsequent wines.

Question 7

_______ 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.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive habituation refers to the process where, after prolonged exposure to an odor, a person becomes less sensitive or unable to detect that odor.

Question 8

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?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive habituation explains why you might not notice a smell in your house until you leave and return, as your brain becomes accustomed to the odors in your environment over time, making them less noticeable until you're re-exposed after an absence.

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of If somebody wears the same perfume or...

Question 10

Odor hedonics is

Accepted Answer

Odor hedonics refers to the "liking" dimension of odor perception, essentially how pleasant or unpleasant an odor is perceived to be by an individual.

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

A hedonic judgment is related to pleasure or enjoyment, which is relevant when you decide you like the scent of a perfume.

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

Learned taste aversion occurs when an individual associates the taste of a certain food with symptoms caused by a toxic, spoiled, or poisonous substance. This psychological phenomenon explains why we might develop a strong dislike for a food after experiencing gastric illness following its consumption.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a learned taste aversion, where a negative experience (getting carsick) associated with a specific food (gummy bears) leads to a long-lasting aversion to that food.

Question 14

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.

Accepted Answer

Learned taste aversion occurs when an individual associates the taste of a certain food with unpleasant symptoms such as nausea or vomiting. This can happen during chemotherapy, leading patients to avoid foods they normally enjoy to prevent developing a negative association with those foods.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

California ground squirrels exhibiting a defensive response to the odor of their natural predator without prior exposure suggests a genetic predisposition to recognize and react to certain smells, aligning with the idea that olfactory preferences can be genetically determined.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

The orbitofrontal cortex is involved in the processing of olfactory information and plays a crucial role in assigning affective value to stimuli, integrating sensory experiences with emotional value.

Question 17

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?

Accepted Answer

The Vomeronasal organ, also known as Jacobson's organ, is a chemoreceptor organ thought to be involved in the detection of pheromones, chemical signals that carry information between individuals of the same species. It is located at the base of the nasal cavity in many animals and plays a role in certain social and reproductive behaviors.

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

The accessory olfactory bulb is the neural structure located directly behind the main olfactory bulb, involved in processing pheromonal and social cues.

Question 19

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

Accepted Answer

Pheromones are chemicals released by an organism that trigger a social response in members of the same species, influencing behavior or physiology.

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

When a honeybee stings, it releases a releaser pheromone that alerts other bees to the threat, causing them to become more aggressive and likely to sting as well.

Quiz 14: Olfaction