Question 1

The idea that humans are sensitive to pheromones is supported by which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

The ability of people to identify gender by smell alone suggests that humans can detect chemical signals, which supports the idea that humans are sensitive to pheromones.

Question 2

I pass by a woman as I am walking down the sidewalk. She absolutely captures my attention. She mesmerizes me. If I am attracted to her based on smell, my state of attraction toward her is likely to be based on the:

Accepted Answer

Pheromones are chemicals emitted by individuals that can affect the behavior or physiology of others of the same species, often playing a role in attraction.

Question 3

Which of the following statements about olfaction is true?

Accepted Answer

All the statements are true: A) Olfaction can detect extremely low concentrations of odor molecules. B) Odorants can enter through the nose or mouth. C) Smell transduction occurs in the olfactory epithelium.

Question 4

A recent study found that:

Accepted Answer

The study suggests that a poor ability to recognize familiar odors is linked to greater cognitive impairment over time, indicating a potential early sign of Alzheimer's disease.

Question 5

From an evolutionary perspective, taste does NOT involve which function?

Accepted Answer

Taste does not directly determine the caloric requirements of the organism; it primarily helps in identifying and avoiding harmful substances and in regulating nutrient intake.

Question 6

The bumps on your tongue are called:

Accepted Answer

The bumps on your tongue are called papillae, which house the taste buds. Taste buds contain taste receptors.

Question 7

The authors of your textbook use which one of the following as the reason for why regeneration of taste receptors is essential?

Accepted Answer

Regeneration of taste receptors is essential because otherwise, damage such as a burn to the tongue could result in a permanent loss of taste.

Question 8

If an individual experiences damage to the brain area responsible for the primary gustatory system, that person will have difficulty with

Accepted Answer

Damage to the primary gustatory system, located in the insula and frontal operculum, impairs the ability to identify food and taste differences between sweet and salty foods.

Question 9

The pathway for taste that leads to the limbic system is responsible for

Accepted Answer

The limbic system is involved in emotion and memory, so it plays a role in learned responses to tastes, such as avoiding foods that previously caused nausea.

Question 10

Mr. C. loves Mexican food; the spicier the better. With what we know about taste, especially the research by Bartoshuk, what is probably true about Mr. C.?

Accepted Answer

Supertasters are more sensitive to bitter and spicy foods, so Mr. C. is likely a non-taster, which means he has two recessive alleles and can tolerate spicier foods better.

Question 11

_____ involves the presence of misleading sensations from missing appendages.

Accepted Answer

Phantom limb is a condition in which a person experiences sensations from a limb that has been amputated.

Question 12

Which of the following is not an important function performed by the skin?

Accepted Answer

The skin does not play a role in identifying learned responses to previously experienced objects; this function is related to the brain and nervous system.

Question 13

The sense of touch is actually a mixture of all of these except:

Accepted Answer

The sense of touch includes pressure, temperature, and pain, but itch is considered a separate sensation.

Question 14

The primary touch center in the brain is the:

Accepted Answer

The somatosensory cortex is the primary area of the brain responsible for processing touch and other sensory information from the body.

Question 15

Which is true of our touch sensations?

Accepted Answer

All the statements are true: A) The face and fingers are indeed more sensitive due to a higher density of nerve endings. B) There are distinct receptors for cold and warmth. C) Free nerve endings and substance P play roles in pain perception.

Question 16

The most important receptors for pain are thought to be the:

Accepted Answer

Free nerve endings in the skin are the most important receptors for pain as they are responsible for detecting noxious stimuli and transmitting pain signals to the brain.

Question 17

One useful way of treating or controlling pain is:

Accepted Answer

The answer of One useful way of treating or controlling...

Question 18

Many chronic pain patients show all of the following characteristics except one. Which one don't they show?

Accepted Answer

Chronic pain patients are often anxious and depressed, have difficulty expressing anger, and may blame their problems on their condition, but they are not typically characterized as optimists.

Question 19

I saw videotape of a guy who lost his arm in an accident and yet truly believes that he can still feel the arm. He even thinks he can feel exactly where his hand is even though he knows, and can see that, it is gone. He is:

Accepted Answer

Phantom limb is a condition where individuals feel sensations, including pain, in a limb that has been amputated.

Question 20

The _____ sense is associated with the position of the body in space and makes use of gravity and movement.

Accepted Answer

The vestibular sense is associated with the position of the body in space and makes use of gravity and movement.

Quiz 4: Sensation and Perception