Deck 6: Vision

Question 1

The ________ is the membrane that prevents a contact lens from slipping into the space behind the eyeball.

A) iris
B) cornea
C) conjunctiva
D) vitreous humor
E) sclera

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Damage to the muscles that connect the orbits with the sclera would be expected to

A) reduce the diameter of the pupil.
B) impair the movements of an eye.
C) change the rate of eye-blinking.
D) impair the ability of a person to blink to an air puff.
E) increase the diameter of the pupil.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following attributes corresponds to the purity of the dominant wavelength of light?

A) saturation
B) brightness
C) hue
D) threshold
E) contrast

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The term ________ refers to the bony skull cavities that house our eyes.

A) orbit
B) optic disk
C) optic sinus
D) conjunctiva
E) optic ossicle

Question 5

The order in which light comes into the eye is

A) pupil, lens, vitreous humor, retina.
B) pupil, lens, retina, vitreous humor.
C) lens, pupil, vitreous humor, retina.
D) lens, pupil, retina, vitreous humor.
E) vitreous humor, lens, pupil, retina.

Question 6

If a light stimulus that contains an equal number of all wavelengths is presented to a human, they will report a perception of

A) a black color.
B) a rainbow of colors.
C) mostly purple.
D) white.
E) a fuzzy set of alternating black and white bars.

Question 7

Which of the following is true of the process of sensory transduction?

A) Receptors show action potentials to external stimuli.
B) The intensity of an external stimulus is related to the firing rate of the receptor.
C) An external stimulus is converted into changes in receptor membrane potential.
D) Most receptors show an action potential when stimulated with an external stimulus.
E) Transduction refers to the speed at which a sensory message travels toward the brain.

Question 8

Variation in the ________ of a light will result in variation in the perception of ________.

A) wavelength; brightness
B) saturation; brightness
C) wavelength; saturation
D) intensity; purity
E) wavelength; hue

Question 9

Julian looks around the room and sees Samantha, who is wearing a red shirt today. This visual experience is

A) perception.
B) stimulation.
C) innervation.
D) excitation.
E) sensation.

Question 10

The amount of light entering the eye is regulated by the size of the

A) optic orbits.
B) lens.
C) sclera.
D) pupil.
E) conjunctiva.

Question 11

The perceptual attribute of ________ best corresponds to that of the dominant wavelength of light.

A) saturation
B) brightness
C) hue
D) threshold
E) contrast

Question 12

A sensory receptor is a variant of a(n)

A) axon terminal.
B) neuron.
C) motor cell.
D) muscle fiber.
E) skin cell.

Question 13

The area of the eye that contains the sensory receptors is the

A) retina.
B) optic nerve.
C) fovea.
D) cornea.
E) lens.

Question 14

Which of the following pairs of terms belong together?
a. saturation; rods
b. sensory receptor; stimulus transduction
c. hue; light intensity
d. brightness; hue
e. saturation; hue

Question 15

Seeing splotches of color is __________, whereas seeing a painting of a tree would be ____________.

A) sensation; perception
B) sensation; stimulation
C) stimulation; sensation
D) perception; stimulation
E) perception; sensation

Question 16

A sensory receptor is specialized for the

A) detection of physical events.
B) coordination of movement of the hands and fingers.
C) detection of specific chemicals released from other neurons.
D) detection of neurohormones in the blood.
E) detection of electrical changes in nearby neurons.

Question 17

Julian looks around the room and his visual receptors detect edges, colors, and contrasts. This visual experience is

A) perception.
B) stimulation.
C) innervation.
D) excitation.
E) sensation.

Question 18

Rods are to low light levels as cones are to

A) the retinal periphery.
B) poor visual acuity.
C) color vision.
D) the least prevalent area in the central retina.
E) the retinal blind spot.

Question 19

The human visual system is specialized to detect

A) infrared radiation.
B) electromagnetic radiation between 380 and 760 nm.
C) ultraviolet radiation.
D) all wavelengths of light.
E) electrical charges associated with light particles.

Question 20

The attribute of ________ best corresponds to the intensity of a light.

A) brightness
B) saturation
C) hue
D) color
E) threshold

Question 21

Which of the following neuron types transmit information in a plane parallel to the surface of the retina?

A) amacrine
B) multipolar
C) bipolar
D) unipolar
E) nociceptor

Question 22

Visual information from the retina is carried by ________ to the ________.

A) bipolar cell axons; thalamic medial geniculate nucleus
B) ganglion cell axons; thalamic medial geniculate nucleus
C) short axon fibers; optic chiasma
D) ganglion cell axons; thalamic dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus
E) ganglion cell axons; striate cortex

Question 23

When you shift your gaze abruptly from one point to another, this movement is called

A) saccadic movement.
B) vergence movement.
C) pursuit movement.
D) erratic movement.
E) smooth movement.

Question 24

An owl, a nocturnal creature, likely has

A) more rods than cones.
B) more cones than rods.
C) more cones in the periphery.
D) equal numbers of rods and cones.
E) less cones in the periphery.

Question 25

The cell membrane of a retinal photoreceptor contains sodium channels that at rest (in the dark) are normally ________ and have a resting potential that is ________ compared to other neurons.

A) open; hyperpolarized
B) open; depolarized
C) closed; hyperpolarized
D) closed; depolarized
E) inactivated; normal

Question 26

When the photopigment rhodopsin is exposed to light, it

A) joins an opsin with a retinal.
B) is released from the axon terminal.
C) breaks into an opsin and a retinal.
D) turns a deep shade of purple.
E) undergoes a change in electrical charge.

Question 27

Photopigments are located within the

A) lamellae of rods and cones.
B) inner membrane of bipolar cells.
C) ganglion cells.
D) amacrine cells.
E) outer membrane of the horizontal cells.

Question 28

A unique feature of the fovea is that it

A) mediates vision in dim light.
B) contains mostly cone photoreceptors.
C) is devoid of photoreceptors.
D) contains mostly rods.
E) is unable to distinguish fine detail.

Question 29

A unique feature of the retinal circuitry is that

A) there are more cones than rods in the retina.
B) light must pass through the circuitry in order to stimulate the photoreceptors.
C) the rods are packed together at the center of the retina.
D) rods send signals through cones, which then activate the ganglion cells.
E) photoreceptors do not influence the activity of surrounding nerve cells.

Question 30

The retinal optic disk is

A) a region within retina that has the best visual acuity.
B) where the rods are most densely packed.
C) where the cones are most densely packed.
D) where axons leave the eye and join the optic nerve.
E) where visual signals begin to diverge laterally.

Question 31

The rods and cones are collectively referred to as

A) photoreceptors.
B) the hemiretina.
C) the fovea.
D) ganglion cells.
E) vitreous humor.

Question 32

Photopigments are molecules found in rods and cones that consist of

A) two peptides and a sugar molecule.
B) a carbon ring.
C) a steroid ring.
D) two fatty acid chains.
E) an opsin and a retinal.

Question 33

The ________ cells receive information from the photoreceptors and pass it on to the ganglion cells.

A) amacrine
B) horizontal
C) bipolar
D) cones
E) photopigment

Question 34

Axons that arise from the ________ cells form the optic nerve.

A) horizontal
B) bipolar
C) ganglion
D) amacrine
E) photoreceptors

Question 35

The membrane of a retinal photoreceptor is ________ in the dark, whereas exposure to light ________ the membrane.

A) depolarized; further depolarizes
B) hyperpolarized; inactivates
C) inactive; depolarizes
D) hyperpolarized; further hyperpolarizes
E) depolarized; hyperpolarizes

Question 36

The explanation for the "blind spot" in our visual field is that

A) the lens cannot focus all of the visual field onto the retina.
B) blood vessels collect together and enter the eye at the blind spot.
C) rods are less sensitive to light than are cones.
D) retinal cells die with age and overuse, resulting in blind spots.
E) there are no photoreceptors in the retina where the axons exit the eye.

Question 37

When light strikes a molecule of photopigment, the membrane potential undergoes a(n) ________, which in turn ________.

A) action potential; releases an excitatory transmitter onto the ganglion cell
B) hyperpolarization; reduces release of an inhibitory transmitter onto the bipolar cell
C) depolarization; releases an excitatory transmitter onto the ganglion cell
D) action potential; releases an inhibitory transmitter onto the ganglion cell
E) hyperpolarization; increases the release of an inhibitory transmitter onto the bipolar cell

Question 38

The process of accommodation involves

A) the lens becoming smaller as one ages.
B) contraction of the ciliary muscles to constrict the pupil.
C) contraction of the ciliary muscles to dilate the pupil.
D) hardening of the lens as one ages.
E) the lens becoming more rounded to focus on near objects.

Question 39

Which of the following is true of the visual transduction process?

A) In the dark, the photoreceptor releases a transmitter that inhibits the bipolar cell.
B) Light depolarizes the photoreceptor.
C) Action potentials are recorded from the bipolar cell after light exposure.
D) Action potentials are recorded from the photoreceptors after light exposure.
E) In the dark, the photoreceptor releases a transmitter that excites the bipolar cell.

Question 40

Which of the following is an explanation for the higher acuity of the visual system at the fovea, relative to the periphery of the retina?

A) A foveal ganglion cell may receive information from a single photoreceptor, whereas a peripheral ganglion cell may receive information from multiple photoreceptors.
B) The fovea contains only rods, which are directly connected to the ganglion cells.
C) Peripheral photoreceptors are more likely to be damaged by prolonged light exposure.
D) The foveal photoreceptor cells contain more photopigment per cell.
E) Peripheral photoreceptors are more isolated from bipolar cells and thus require greater activation in order to provoke a visual response.

Question 41

Which of the following is true of the manner in which visual information is carried from the retina to the cortex?

A) Information from the temporal ganglion cells projects to the opposite hemisphere.
B) Information from the nasal ganglion cells projects to the ipsilateral hemisphere.
C) Information from one side of the visual field is transmitted to the opposite hemisphere.
D) Visual information remains on the same side of the brain as it moves from retina to cortex.
E) The left hemisphere receives information from the left half of the visual field.

Question 42

The dorsal visual stream projects to the ________ and is involved in ________.

A) parietal association cortex; the analysis of spatial location
B) temporal association cortex; object form
C) primary motor cortex; object texture
D) parietal association cortex; the analysis of object identity
E) inferior temporal cortex; the analysis of where an object is located in space

Question 43

The visual pathway goes from

A) the retina, to the LGN, to the striate cortex.
B) the retina, to the striate cortex, to the LGN.
C) to the LGN, to the retina, to the striate cortex.
D) to the striate cortex, to the LGN, to the retina.
E) to the LGN, to the striate cortex, to the retina.

Question 44

Which of the following is true of the thalamic dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)?

A) The LGN is comprised of six similar layers.
B) Each LGN layer receives information from one eye.
C) The inner four layers of the LGN are termed the parvocellular layers.
D) The outer four layers of the LGN are termed the magnocellular layers.
E) The cell bodies of the inner two layers of the LGN are larger than those of the outer four layers.

Question 45

Neurons in the interblob area project to ______________ and send information about ________________.

A) thick and pale stripes; orientation and spatial orientation
B) thick stripes; orientation
C) pale stripes; spatial frequency
D) thin and pale stripes; spatial frequency
E) pale stripes; orientation

Question 46

Matt is a baseball player. In order for him to catch a fly ball, his __________ stream must analyze information related to where the ball is located in space.

A) dorsal
B) ventral
C) rostral
D) caudal
E) anterior

Question 47

A microelectrode is inserted into a neuron within the primate visual system. Various stimuli are presented to the eyes, and changes in firing rate are recorded from this visual system neuron. Those aspects of the visual field to which this neuron responds with a change in firing rate are termed the

A) parvocellular visual system.
B) striate response field.
C) magnocellular visual system.
D) tuning curve.
E) receptive field.

Question 48

Cytochrome oxidase blobs are predominantly found in layers

A) 1 and 2.
B) 2 and 3.
C) 3 and 4.
D) 4 and 5.
E) 5 and 6.

Question 49

The parvocellular and magnocellular layers of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus

A) may represent different visual systems.
B) analyze the same kind of information from the visual field.
C) are connected to the nasal and temporal halves of the retina, respectively.
D) receive input from the contralateral and ipsilateral halves of the visual field, respectively.
E) send inhibitory signals back to the retina.

Question 50

The neurons from the parvocellular and magnocellular layers of the primate lateral geniculate send their information to layer(s) ________ of the striate cortex.

A) 1
B) 2A
C) 3B
D) 4C
E) 5-6

Question 51

Cells that lie within the blob regions of Area V1 project to

A) thick stripes within area V2.
B) pale stripes in area V8.
C) thin stripes within area V2.
D) the LGN.
E) area V5.

Question 52

A microelectrode inserted into a cat retinal ganglion cell of the "ON" cell type described by Kuffler would

A) show a change in response rate to rapid movements of a dark spot.
B) record an excitatory burst of potentials to a light placed within a circular center.
C) record a decreased number of potentials to a light placed within a circular center.
D) show an increased number of potentials when a light was placed onto a ring surrounding the center.
E) result in random action potentials.

Question 53

In the extrastriate cortex, the ____________ stream is responsible for identifying an object.

A) dorsal
B) ventral
C) rostral
D) caudal
E) anterior

Question 54

The ventral visual stream projects to the ________ and is involved in ________.

A) primary motor cortex; object texture
B) temporal association cortex; object color
C) parietal association cortex; the analysis of "where" an object is located in space
D) parietal association cortex; the analysis of object identity
E) inferior temporal cortex; he perception of form

Question 55

____________ of the striate cortex is devoted to the analysis of information from the fovea.

A) Ten percent
B) A quarter
C) Half
D) Seventy-five percent
E) All

Question 56

Another term for the primary visual cortex is the

A) visuospatial cortex.
B) striate cortex.
C) optic cortex.
D) calcarine cortex.
E) superior visual cortex.

Question 57

Tasks that involve identification of an object's form would be expected to activate neurons of ________, while tasks that identify the location of an object would activate ________.

A) the dorsal stream; the ventral stream
B) the frontal cortex; the parietal cortex
C) the ventral stream; the dorsal stream
D) the parietal cortex; the frontal cortex
E) area V5; area V1

Question 58

A column of neurons that lie within the blob region of striate cortex modules can be selectively destroyed by an intracolumn injection of a neurotoxin. You would expect that ________ would be profoundly impaired by this toxin.

A) high spatial frequency sensitivity
B) orientation sensitivity
C) color vision
D) movement sensitivity
E) binocular disparity

Question 59

The two inner layers of the LGN are ____________ and the four outer layers are _____________.

A) magnocellular; parvocellular
B) parvocellular; magnocellular
C) koniocellular; parvocellular
D) magnocellular; koniocellular
E) cellular; magnocellular

Question 60

Which of the following is true of "ON" and OFF" retinal cells?

A) ON cells decrease their firing rate to a light placed onto the center of the field.
B) OFF cells increase their firing rate to a light placed onto the center of the field.
C) Rod bipolar cells are of the ON type.
D) Rod bipolar cells are of the OFF type.
E) ON cells help to detect a dark spot against a light background.

Question 61

Emma has tritanopia. When she looks around at the world, she sees shades of red and green. Her defect is caused by a lack of

A) red cones.
B) green cones.
C) yellow cones.
D) blue cones.
E) white cones.

Question 62

Color information from the blue cones is transmitted through the ________ system(s).

A) magnocellular
B) parvocellular
C) inter-blob
D) koniocellular
E) extrapyramidal

Question 63

The receptive fields of neurons of the primate inferior temporal cortex

A) are activated by novel complex stimuli.
B) play a role in light/dark adaptation.
C) are small and diffuse.
D) are sensitive to color but not form.
E) are activated by familiar complex stimuli.

Question 64

Visual agnosia, the inability to visually recognize objects, is caused by damage to the _____________ of the extrastriate cortex.

A) dorsal stream
B) ventral stream
C) rostral stream
D) caudal stream
E) posterior stream

Question 65

The fact that we experience negative afterimages is taken as support for the

A) notion that the retina contains three types of photopigments.
B) importance of color mixing in the visual system.
C) opponent-process theory of color vision.
D) idea that the visual system performs an algebraic summation of lights to generate a color perception.
E) trichromatic theory of color vision.

Question 66

A person who suffers from protanopia would be said to

A) have "red" cones filled with "green" photopigment.
B) have poor visual acuity.
C) lack "blue" cones.
D) confuse yellow with blue.
E) perceive a blue sky as green in color.

Question 67

There are three different cones that process different wavelengths of light. These wavelengths correspond to the colors

A) blue, red, and green.
B) blue, red, and yellow.
C) red, green, and yellow.
D) green, blue, yellow.
E) blue, green, yellow.

Question 68

Area ________ of the primate extrastriate cortex is critical for the analysis of ________.

A) V5; form
B) V4; color constancy
C) V8; movement
D) V3; form
E) V8; form

Question 69

________ colors form white (or gray) when mixed together.

A) Pastel
B) Afterimage
C) Opponent-process
D) Earth-toned
E) Complementary

Question 70

Imagine that you are looking at a bronze cast depicting the face of Mick Jagger and a second cast showing the face of Casper the Ghost. Which of the following statements would be true of the spatial frequencies represented in these casts?

A) Casper's face contains much more high-frequency information.
B) Mick's face contains high-frequency information.
C) Casper's face would be an example of an image made fuzzy because it lacks low-frequency information.
D) Mick's face contains mostly low-frequency information.
E) Mick's wrinkles represent low-frequency features.

Question 71

Cells located within the "blobs" of striate cortex play a key role in

A) color vision.
B) depth perception.
C) line orientation.
D) analyzing retinal disparity.
E) pattern discrimination.

Question 72

A person who suffers from deuteranopia would be said to

A) have "green" cones filled with "red" photopigment.
B) have poor visual acuity.
C) lack "red" cones.
D) confuse yellow with blue.
E) have color pigments within the rods.

Question 73

The primate retina

A) contains four photopigments.
B) contains five photopigments.
C) has one type of cone and three types of rods.
D) uses rods to make fine acuity distinctions.
E) is composed of alternating layers of rods and cones.

Question 74

The primary deficit noted in cerebral achromatopsia refers to

A) a difficulty in scanning the visual scene.
B) a symptom of Balint's syndrome.
C) a loss of color vision.
D) seeing the world as shades of red and green.
E) seeing the world as shades of one color.

Question 75

The lateral occipital complex is a portion of the ________ that responds to ________.

A) ventral stream; scenes and backgrounds
B) dorsal stream; objects and shapes
C) ventral stream; object movement
D) dorsal stream; scenes and backgrounds
E) ventral stream; objects and shapes

Question 76

Which of the following statements is true of color processing in the retina?

A) Blue light inhibits the activity of yellow-blue ganglion cells.
B) Green light excites the activity of red-green ganglion cells.
C) Red light inhibits the activity of red-green ganglion cells.
D) Blue light excites the activity of yellow-blue ganglion cells.
E) Yellow light inhibits the activity of both red and yellow ganglion cells.

Question 77

The magnocellular visual system

A) is a key part of color vision.
B) can detect small contrasts between light and dark.
C) is insensitive to movement.
D) provides information related to fine details of stimuli.
E) is not involved in brightness perception.

Question 78

Which of the following is true of cerebral achromatopsia?

A) It is produced by unilateral damage to the medial frontal lobe.
B) The blindness is complete for object form as well as object color.
C) The condition impairs current color perception, but not color recall.
D) It is produced by bilateral damage to the medial occipital lobe.
E) It is caused by damage to the ganglion cells connected to rods.

Question 79

Which pair below is a correct match between a visual system and visual function?

A) magnocellular visual system; sensitivity to color
B) parvocellular visual system; insensitivity to fine detail
C) koniocellular visual system; input from red-green cones
D) magnocellular visual system; sensitivity to movement
E) koniocellular visual system; sensitivity to fine detail

Question 80

Young's trichromatic color theory has difficulty explaining why

A) a mixture of yellow and blue lights will form the color green.
B) some persons are color blind.
C) any color can be produced by the appropriate mixture of three colors.
D) color is a useful aspect of primate vision.
E) yellow is a primary color.