Deck 7: Mechanisms of Perception

Question 1

Each cortical level of a sensory system - primary, secondary, or association - is itself composed of different areas that mediate different psychological processes.This principle of sensory system organization is referred to as

A) functional segregation.
B) parallel processing.
C) the binding problem.
D) hierarchical organization.
E) serial processing.

Answer 1

functional segregation.

Question 2

Modern biopsychological theory considers sensory systems to be

A) analog, parallel, and general.
B) functionally segregated, serial, and parallel.
C) hierarchical, functionally segregated, and parallel.
D) functionally segregated, serial, and sequential.
E) none of the above

Answer 2

hierarchical, functionally segregated, and parallel.

Question 3

The auditory system is organized

A) retinotopically.
B) geographically.
C) tonotopically.
D) somatotopically.
E) volumetrically.

Answer 3

tonotopically.

Question 4

The simple process of detecting the presence of stimuli is often referred to as

A) seeing.
B) hearing.
C) sensation.
D) perception.
E) attention.

Question 5

A major principle of sensory system organization is

A) hierarchical organization.
B) functional segregation.
C) parallel processing.
D) all of the above
E) both A and B

Question 6

Which of the following auditory structures has the appearance of a snail and has a name that is derived from the Greek word for land snail?

A) ossicles
B) cochlea
C) malleus
D) tectorial membrane
E) superior olive

Question 7

Which of the following contains the receptors of the vestibular system?

A) the basilar membrane
B) the semicircular canals
C) the ossicles
D) the superior olive
E) the cochlea

Question 8

An area of cerebral cortex that receives input from more than one sensory system is classified as

A) hierarchical cortex.
B) primary sensory cortex.
C) secondary sensory cortex.
D) association cortex.
E) both A and B

Question 9

Because sensory systems are characterized by functional segregation while perception is largely holistic, there is a

A) binding problem.
B) need for feedback circuits.
C) flaw in serial coding.
D) flaw in parallel coding.
E) segregation problem.

Question 10

Areas of neocortex that receive most of their input from the sensory thalamic relay nuclei of the thalamus are classified as

A) association cortex.
B) tertiary cortex.
C) motor cortex.
D) secondary sensory cortex.
E) primary sensory cortex.

Question 11

Which of the following ossicles is attached to the round window?

A) malleus
B) incus
C) hammer
D) both A and C
E) none of the above

Question 12

The visual system is to retinotopic as the auditory system is to

A) homotopic.
B) spatiotopic.
C) intensity topic.
D) tonotopic.
E) timbre topic.

Question 13

The malleus, incus, and stapes

A) are small bones that transmit vibrations from the ear drum to the oval window.
B) are small bones that transmit vibrations from the oval window to the round window.
C) were the three ships of Christopher Columbus.
D) are small bones in the inner ear.
E) both B and D

Question 14

For humans, sounds are those molecular vibrations between about __________ hertz.

A) 20 and 200
B) 2,000 and 20,000
C) 200 and 2,000
D) 200 and 8,000
E) 20 and 20,000

Question 15

The frequency of sound waves is to the complexity of sound waves as the

A) pitch of sound is to the timbre.
B) amplitude of sound is to the loudness.
C) pitch of sound is to the amplitude.
D) timbre of sound is to the loudness.
E) loudness of sound is to the timbre.

Question 16

A system in which information is conducted in a single route through its various components - like a string through beads - is called a

A) parallel system.
B) functional system.
C) hierarchical system.
D) serial system.
E) none of the above

Question 17

A hierarchical system is one in which

A) there is one absolute top.
B) there is one absolute bottom.
C) each element has specific levels or ranks with respect to one another.
D) no two elements are at the same level.
E) there is no cortical involvement.

Question 18

The loudness, pitch, and timbre of a sound are directly related to the __________, respectively, of the vibrations that produced it.

A) frequency, amplitude, and complexity
B) amplitude, complexity, and frequency
C) amplitude, frequency, and complexity
D) complexity, frequency, and amplitude
E) none of the above

Question 19

Resting on the auditory hair cells is the

A) cochlea.
B) basilar membrane.
C) organ of Corti.
D) tectorial membrane.
E) auditory nerve.

Question 20

Which of the following is part of the organ of Corti?

A) the semicircular canals
B) the hair cells
C) the basilar membrane
D) all of the above
E) both B and C

Question 21

The axons of the auditory nerves synapse in the ipsilateral

A) cochlear nuclei.
B) superior olivary nuclei.
C) medial geniculate nuclei.
D) inferior colliculi.
E) lateral lemniscus.

Question 22

Investigators have proposed that in each hemisphere, there are two major streams of

A) visual information
B) auditory information.
C) pain information.
D) all of the above
E) both A and B

Question 23

The arrow points to

A) somatosensory cortex.
B) vestibular cortex.
C) gustatory cortex.
D) auditory cortex.
E) olfactory cortex.

Question 24

The permanent effects of bilateral auditory cortex damage are surprisingly minor in primates although they do include disruption of the ability to

A) detect sounds, but only those presented to the contralateral ear.
B) discriminate frequencies.
C) localize brief sounds.
D) both A and B
E) both B and C

Question 25

In most of the mammals that have been studied, auditory cortex lesions produce

A) permanent and total deafness.
B) permanent and total deafness, if the lesions are bilateral.
C) a deficit in the ability to localize brief sounds.
D) tinnitus.
E) total deafness that is permanent only in the contralateral field.

Question 26

Barn owls are often used in auditory research on sound localization because they have

A) excellent sound localization ability.
B) large ears.
C) a large auditory cortex.
D) all of the above
E) both B and C

Question 27

The semicircular canals are the receptive organs of

A) the auditory system.
B) the vestibular system.
C) a top-down system .
D) an exteroceptive system.
E) both A and C

Question 28

Which of the following has played a major role in differentiating neurons that respond to pitch from those that respond to frequency?

A) missing fundamentals
B) primary auditory cortex
C) tinnitus
D) barn owls
E) posterior auditory pathway

Question 29

Tinnitus

A) always accompanies hearing loss.
B) is always cured by cutting the contralateral auditory nerve.
C) is always cured by cutting the ipsilateral auditory nerve.
D) both A and C
E) none of the above

Question 30

Neurons of the monkey secondary auditory cortex respond robustly to

A) bird calls.
B) pure tones.
C) monkey calls.
D) the location of sounds.
E) pitch.

Question 31

Much of the human auditory cortex is invisible to casual inspection because it is in the depths of the __________ fissure.

A) central
B) lateral
C) longitudinal
D) calcarine
E) postcentral

Question 32

The perception of pitch in primates seems to occur in

A) the thalamus.
B) one small cortical area just anterior to primary auditory cortex.
C) association cortex.
D) primary auditory cortex.
E) all areas of association cortex together.

Question 33

The superior olives receive most of their input from the

A) medial geniculate nuclei.
B) superior colliculus.
C) inferior colliculus.
D) cochlear nuclei.
E) lateral geniculate nuclei.

Question 34

The major auditory projections of the inferior colliculi go to the

A) cochlear nuclei.
B) medial geniculate nuclei.
C) lateral geniculate nuclei.
D) superior olives.
E) auditory nerve.

Question 35

The somatosensory system is

A) exteroceptive.
B) proprioceptive.
C) interoceptive.
D) all of the above
E) both B and C

Question 36

Bilateral damage to which of the following auditory structures would be most likely to produce complete and permanent hearing loss?

A) primary auditory cortex
B) superior colliculus
C) cochlear nerve
D) secondary auditory cortex
E) association cortex

Question 37

One exception to the usual tonotopic organization of the auditory system is the

A) primary auditory cortex.
B) basilar membrane.
C) superior colliculus.
D) inferior colliculus.
E) cochlear nucleus.

Question 38

Much of the recent research on sound localization has focused on the

A) cochlea.
B) barn owl.
C) snail.
D) mouse.
E) cat.

Question 39

The sensory organs of the vestibular system

A) maintain balance.
B) activate one branch of cranial nerve VIII.
C) are the semicircular canals.
D) all of the above
E) both A and B

Question 40

The primary auditory cortex is in the

A) temporal lobe.
B) lateral fissure.
C) occipital lobe.
D) frontal lobe.
E) both A and B

Question 41

The perception of both pain and changes in skin temperature are largely mediated by

A) free nerve endings.
B) Pacinian corpuscles.
C) nociceptors.
D) temperoceptors.
E) both B and D

Question 42

Free nerve endings are thought to mediate the perception of

A) pressure.
B) pain.
C) skin temperature.
D) all of the above
E) both B and C

Question 43

The identification of objects by touch is

A) proprioception.
B) lewd.
C) vestibulation.
D) stereognosis.
E) astereognosia.

Question 44

The dorsal-column medial-lemniscus system and the anterolateral system both carry sensory information from the

A) eyes.
B) ears.
C) skin.
D) nose.
E) mouth.

Question 45

A dermatome is a

A) slowly adapting cutaneous receptor.
B) fast adapting cutaneous receptor.
C) free nerve ending.
D) both A and C
E) none of the above

Question 46

The sense of touch is largely

A) exteroceptive.
B) proprioceptive.
C) interoceptive.
D) nociceptive.
E) slow-adapting.

Question 47

Pacinian corpuscles, Merkel's disks, and Ruffini endings are

A) blood cells.
B) auditory receptors.
C) receptors in the skin.
D) taste receptors.
E) nuclei in the somatosensory system.

Question 48

The longest neuron in the human body

A) is a toe motor neuron.
B) has its cell body in the spinal cord.
C) is part of the anterolateral system.
D) all of the above
E) is somatosensory.

Question 49

Most of the neurons of the anterolateral system decussate in the

A) spinal cord.
B) lower brain stem.
C) midbrain.
D) corpus callosum.
E) medulla.

Question 50

The dorsal-column medial-lemniscus system is particularly responsive to

A) sound and movement.
B) touch and proprioception.
C) motor output.
D) proprioception and temperature.
E) pain and temperature.

Question 51

The cutaneous somatosensory system responds to

A) nociceptive stimuli.
B) thermal stimuli.
C) mechanical stimuli.
D) all of the above
E) both A and B

Question 52

Dorsal columns are to anterolateral pathways as

A) pain is to temperature.
B) touch is to temperature and pain.
C) exteroceptive is to interoceptive.
D) free nerve endings are to Pacinian corpuscles.
E) temperature is to pain.

Question 53

The anterolateral system comprises the

A) spinothalamic tract.
B) spinoreticular tract.
C) spinotectal tract.
D) all of the above
E) both B and C

Question 54

The dorsal columns are composed of

A) the axons of cutaneous somatosensory neurons.
B) the cell bodies of cutaneous somatosensory neurons.
C) the dorsal column nuclei.
D) many of the branches of the trigeminal nerve.
E) the axons of medial lemniscus neurons.

Question 55

The Pacinian corpuscle is

A) the largest cutaneous receptor.
B) the most deeply positioned cutaneous receptor.
C) fast adapting.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 56

The destruction of a single dorsal root typically produces little somatosensory loss because

A) there are few cutaneous receptors in the back.
B) the dorsal roots soon degenerate.
C) there is considerable overlap between adjacent dermatomes.
D) the dorsal roots accurately regenerate.
E) none of the above

Question 57

The anterolateral system is particularly responsive to

A) pain.
B) temperature.
C) touch.
D) all of the above.
E) both A and B

Question 58

Nociceptive stimuli are

A) exteroceptive.
B) mechanical.
C) thermal.
D) painful.
E) bad.

Question 59

The area of the body that is innervated by the left and right dorsal roots of a given segment of the spinal cord is a

A) dermatome.
B) stereognosis.
C) Ruffini ending.
D) region of glabrous skin.
E) none of the above

Question 60

The neurons of the ventral posterior nucleus project to

A) SI, SII, and the posterior parietal cortex.
B) the thalamus.
C) the medial lemniscus.
D) the dorsal column nuclei.
E) the auditory cortex.

Question 61

Electrical stimulation of the periaqueductal gray (PAG)produces

A) opiates.
B) serotonin.
C) analgesia.
D) opiate receptors.
E) pain.

Question 62

Much of SII is

A) adjacent to SI.
B) in the lateral fissure.
C) in the parietal cortex.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 63

Research has shown that SI

A) is really SII.
B) includes SII.
C) is posterior to SII.
D) is organized in four somatotopically organized, parallel strips.
E) is smaller than SII.

Question 64

Hemispherectomized patients feel

A) no pain.
B) no pain from the contralateral side of the body.
C) no pain from the ipsilateral side of the body.
D) no pain from their extremities.
E) pain from both sides of the body.

Question 65

Primary somatosensory cortex is in the

A) postcentral gyrus.
B) precentral gyrus.
C) occipital lobe.
D) frontal lobe.
E) both A and B

Question 66

The inability to identify objects by touch is

A) astereognosia.
B) stereognosis.
C) asomatognosia.
D) anosognosia.
E) apraxia.

Question 67

Unilateral damage to SI

A) eliminates the sense of touch in the contralateral hand.
B) eliminates the sense of touch in the ipsilateral hand.
C) produces contralateral neglect.
D) produces stereognosis.
E) none of the above

Question 68

Which of the following somatosensory structures do not receive substantial input from the anterolateral system?

A) dorsal column nuclei
B) tectum
C) reticular formation
D) colliculi
E) intralaminar nuclei

Question 69

Harold Klawans's case of Aunt Betty suffered from a form of

A) asomatognosia.
B) prosopagnosia.
C) color agnosia.
D) stereognosis.
E) anosmia.

Question 70

The ventral posterior nuclei of the thalamus receive direct input from the

A) dorsal-column medial-lemniscus system.
B) lateral geniculate nuclei.
C) spinothalamic tract of the anterolateral system.
D) all of the above
E) both A and C

Question 71

The cortical area that has most frequently been linked to pain by functional brain imaging studies is the

A) anterior cingulate cortex.
B) secondary somatosensory cortex.
C) posterior parietal cortex.
D) inferotemporal cortex.
E) PAG.

Question 72

The first influential theory to emphasize that central circuits can block incoming pain signals before they reach the brain was the

A) endorphin theory.
B) gate-control theory.
C) duplexity theory.
D) dopamine theory.
E) pain-inhibition theory.

Question 73

Astereognosia and asomatognosia are the two major types of

A) touch blindness.
B) apraxia.
C) somatosensory agnosia.
D) contralateral neglect.
E) stereognosis.

Question 74

Illustrated here is the cortical area most commonly linked to the perception of pain: the

A) anterior cingulate cortex.
B) periaqueductal gray matter.
C) gate control cortex.
D) pain mucosa.
E) dorsolateral frontal cortex.

Question 75

Contralateral neglect is often observed in cases of

A) stereognosis.
B) astereognosia.
C) asomatognosia.
D) congenital absence of pain.
E) prosopagnosia.

Question 76

Which of the following is often associated with asomatognosia?

A) contralateral neglect
B) aphasia
C) anosognosia
D) all of the above
E) both A and C

Question 77

Some primary somatosensory cortex is in the

A) central fissure.
B) lateral fissure.
C) longitudinal fissure.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 78

Lesions to the intralaminar and parafascicular nuclei

A) disrupt input from the spinoreticular tract.
B) reduce deep chronic pain.
C) eliminate cutaneous sensitivity.
D) both A and B
E) both B and C

Question 79

Unilateral excision of SI produces a contralateral deficit in the ability to

A) detect light touch.
B) identify objects by touch.
C) feel pain.
D) all of the above
E) both A and B

Question 80

Evidence suggests that the anterior cingulate cortex plays a major role in the

A) detection of pain.
B) localization of pain.
C) emotional reaction to pain.
D) none of the above
E) both A and B