Deck 7: Sensation and Perception

Question 1

JND stands for __________.

A) Juxtaposed Natural Difference
B) Just Noticeable Difference
C) Just Noticeable Detection
D) Juxtaposed Natural Detection

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Neuroscience studies the relationship between stimuli and neural responses.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

__________ studies the relationship between psychological events and physical stimuli.

Answer 3

Psychophysics

Question 4

Which approach to research in sensation and perception focuses on the measurement of a just-noticeable difference?

Question 5

Describe the Weber's law.

Question 6

If the JND for a standard weight of 1,000 g was found to be 50 g, then the JND for a standard weight of 4,000 g would be __________.

A) 250 g
B) 200 g
C) 100 g
D) 150 g

Question 7

The Fechner's law defines how our perception of the magnitude of a sensory stimulus depends on its physical intensity.

Question 8

The __________ represents the threshold between two sensory experiences (e.g. judging two weights as 'same' or 'different').

Question 9

What methodological framework allows to measure how observer decisions are influenced both by sensory factors and by decision factors?

Question 10

Describe the two processing stages taking place during a cognitive task defined by the signal detection theory.

Question 11

What technique allows to detect changes in neural activity in the brain by measuring changes in blood oxygenation?

A) Computer tomography
B) Transcranial direct current stimulation
C) Electroencephalogram
D) Functional magnetic resonance imaging

Question 12

The field of computational neuroscience has started to rapidly grow since __________.

A) the 1980s
B) the 1970s
C) the 1990s
D) the 1960s

Question 13

Which book by David Marr is thought to have contributed to the emergence of the field of computational neuroscience?

A) Numeracy
B) Vision
C) Asperger's
D) Psychophysics

Question 14

_________ is a brain-scanning technique based on X-rays.

A) Computer tomography
B) Transcranial direct current stimulation
C) Functional magnetic resonance imaging
D) Electroencephalogram

Question 15

Which receptors respond to vibration and heavy pressure?

A) Photoreceptors
B) Chemoreceptors
C) Mechanoreceptors
D) Auditory receptors

Question 16

What receptors are characterized by a 'free nerve ending'?

A) Mechanoreceptors
B) Photoreceptors
C) Chemoreceptors
D) Nociceptors

Question 17

Which of the following receptors are responsible for the perception of hearing?

A) Mechanoreceptors.
B) Nociceptors.
C) Chemoreceptors.
D) Photoreceptors.

Question 18

All the sensory pathways, except for the olfactory pathway, travel to the brain passing through the __________, a structure sited in the middle of the brain above the brainstem which regulates the flow of information around the brain.

Question 19

Sensory neurons cannot simultaneously separate out information about different stimulus properties. This principle of neural coding is known as __________.

A) Tuning
B) Firing
C) Population coding
D) Univariance

Question 20

Individual cortical neurons show a high degree of specialization in all sensory modality, apart from audition.

Question 21

The tuning properties of individual neurons are organized in cortical __________, that summarize how tuning properties are spatially distributed across the surface of the brain.

Question 22

In which part of the brain you can find a topographical map of the body?

Question 23

Describe the topographical map distributed in the somatosensory cortex.

Question 24

How many types of receptors do we have?

A) 5
B) 4
C) 7
D) 6

Question 25

Mechanoreceptors are responsible for the sense of balance.

Question 26

The lemniscal tract carries the receptor signals towards the __________, a primary specialized cortical area.

Question 27

What is the name of the fibres carrying receptors signals to the brain?

Question 28

Which receptors respond to excessive heat?

Question 29

Where are auditory receptors located?

Question 30

What is the name of the tiny hair filaments that can be observed on the surface of auditory receptors?

Question 31

Describe the sixth sensory modality, also known as 'the body sense'.

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT a qualia?

A) Electromagnetic radiation
B) Loudness
C) Heat
D) Pressure

Question 33

Which are the three criteria to group qualia into different sensory modalities?

A) Physical, abstract, computational
B) Physical, biological, abstract
C) Physical, biological, computational
D) Chemical, biological, computational

Question 34

Haptic object segregation and recognition, withdrawal, and orienting are all computations of __________.

A) Proprioception
B) Vestibular sense
C) Somatosensation
D) Vision

Question 35

Stimulus approach and avoidance, and substance edibility are both computations of __________.

A) Olfaction
B) Vision
C) Gustation
D) Somatosensation

Question 36

Which of the following statements most accurately describe the two dimensions of odour perception?

A) The first dimension relates to the pleasantness-unpleasantness scale. The second dimension relates to edible-inedible scale.
B) The first dimension relates to the dangerousness-safeness scale. The second dimension relates to edible-inedible scale.
C) The first dimension relates to the sweetness-bitterness scale. The second dimension relates to edible-inedible scale.
D) The first dimension relates to the sweetness-bitterness scale. The second dimension relates to dangerousness-safeness scale.

Question 37

Which of the following items will most likely evoke a 'pleasant' and 'edible' percept?

A) Perfume
B) Chocolate
C) Blue cheese
D) Ammonia

Question 38

"It is phylogenetically ancient and seems to serve the same functions in many other animals; it gives them the minimum amount of information that they need to know about a substance, even if that substance has never been encountered before". Which sensory modality is your text referring to?

A) Vision
B) Olfaction
C) Gustation
D) Somatosensation

Question 39

Our discrimination of odour __________ is very good.

A) Type
B) Class
C) Intensity
D) Source

Question 40

Sweet is the taste associated with monosodium glutamate.

Question 41

Umami relates to the presence of amino acids in food.

Question 42

__________ signals the presence and encourages the consumption of sodium chloride, an essential element for proper neural functioning.

A) Sweetness
B) Saltiness
C) Sourness
D) Umami

Question 43

__________ is composed by amino acids and is added in processed foods to increase consumption, but it can also be found naturally in tomatoes, mushrooms and parmesan cheese.

A) Sodium chloride
B) Aspartame
C) Monosodium glutamate
D) Glucose

Question 44

The gustatory system is strongly associated to __________ and __________.

A) Olfaction; audition
B) Audition; somatosensation
C) Vision; Audition
D) Olfaction; somatosensation

Question 45

The ability to identify objects by active touch alone is called __________.

A) Contact
B) Haptics
C) Tactile stimulation
D) Adaptation

Question 46

Haptic object recognition is mediated by neurons in the __________ and in the __________ areas.

A) Somatosensory cortex; motor
B) Somatosensory cortex; visual
C) Visual cortex; motor
D) Thalamus; visual

Question 47

Which sentence best describes the fibres travelling to the somatosensory cortex, via the lemniscal tract, responsible for the propagation of signals mediating haptic object recognition?

A) Their axons are wrapped in a protective coating (the myelin sheath), which slows down the conduction but ensures that signal is fully processed.
B) Their axons are wrapped in a protective coating (the myelin sheath), which gives them a fast conduction velocity.
C) Their axons are not myelinated, which guaranties a fast conduction velocity.
D) Their axons are not myelinated and the signal propagation is relatively slow.

Question 48

Which of the following sequences CORRECTLY reflects the order in which different structures are involved during haptic object recognition?

A) Mechanoreceptors; brainstem; lemniscal tract; thalamus; primary somatosensory cortex.
B) Mechanoreceptors; lemniscal tract; brainstem; thalamus; primary somatosensory cortex.
C) Mechanoreceptors; lemniscal tract; thalamus; brainstem; primary somatosensory cortex.
D) Mechanoreceptors; thalamus; brainstem; primary somatosensory cortex.

Question 49

Rapidly adapting fibres respond during the __________ phase of stimulation.

A) Final
B) Initial
C) Middle
D) Whole

Question 50

Which fibres are involved in the sensation of steady pressure caused by a tight ring?

Question 51

In the experiment conducted by Kaltzky, Lederman, and Metzger (1985), blindfolded participants had to identify 100 common objects by active touch alone. Recognition accuracy was __________.

A) at chance level
B) about 60%
C) about 90%
D) higher than 95%

Question 52

The vestibular sense is vital for humans, but some unpleasant phenomena can be attributed to this sense, such as __________.

A) hallucinations
B) vertigo and motion sickness
C) tremors
D) tinnitus

Question 53

Which of the following lists contains structures that are ALL involved in the vestibular sense?

A) Semicircular canals; utricle; cochlea; cerebellum
B) Semicircular canals; saccule; cerebellum; tympanic membrane
C) Semicircular canals; utricle; saccule; cerebellum
D) Pinna; utricle; saccule; cerebellum

Question 54

Which reflex allows you to follow the directions on a map while walking at the same time, compensating the eyes rotation for your head's movements?

Question 55

The saccule and utricle are the two chambers of the vestibular apparatus.

Question 56

The three tunnels of the vestibular apparatus are called __________.

Question 57

What term describes how your eyes rotate by exactly the correct amount to compensate for your head's movements?

Question 58

Describe how alcohol intoxication can cause changes in the responses of vestibular receptors which produce symptoms such as nausea and dizziness.

Question 59

The caloric reflex test __________.

A) is a neurological test of brainstem function which uses warm or cold water to alter the vestibular fluid and generate reflexive eye rotation.
B) is a neurological test of reflex function which uses hot water to produce pain and evoke a reaction.
C) is a psychophysical test which measures the sensitivity of an observer to variations in water temperature.
D) is a psychophysical test which uses hot water to measure the pain threshold of participants.

Question 60

Describe the Fourier analysis.

Question 61

__________ is to hertz as amplitude is to __________.

A) Time; decibel
B) Frequency; cycle
C) Frequency; decibel
D) Peak; seconds

Question 62

A sound of 200 Hz will produce a lower and deeper pitch than a sound of 2,000 Hz.

Question 63

The perceived pitch of a sound depends on its __________ frequency component.

Question 64

If a sound has a frequency of 100 Hz, how many cycles of vibration will occur in one second?

Question 65

Describe the principal steps of a sound travelling from the ear to the brain

Question 66

If a sound pressure level exceeds 140 dB, permanent hearing loss is likely to occur.

Question 67

After the cochlear nuclei, converging projections travel towards a second structure of the brainstem known as __________.

Question 68

What is the name of the membrane housing the auditory mechanoreceptors?

Question 69

Describe the phenomenon known as 'the cocktail party effect'.

Question 70

Auditory analysis of complex sounds arriving at the two ears divides them up into contributions from different sound sources based on __________.

A) spatial location, spectral content, and frequency
B) amplitude, pitch, and frequency
C) amplitude, spatial location, and onset
D) spatial location, spectral content, and onset

Question 71

What are binaural cues?

A) They are a type of pitch cues which allow to identify familiar voices.
B) They are a type of spectral content cues which allow to divide a complex waveform into discrete auditory objects.
C) They are a type of location cues which allow localization in the horizontal plane.
D) They are a type of location cues which allow localization in the vertical plane.

Question 72

__________ describes the horizontal dimension along which a source direction can vary.

A) Azimuth
B) Elevation
C) Range
D) Proximity

Question 73

The 'range' refers to the __________ dimension of the source direction variation.

A) left-right
B) up-down
C) horizontal-vertical
D) near-far

Question 74

"When a sound source is located to one side of the head, the sound emanating from it arrives at the nearer ear slightly before the further ear, creating __________."

A) an interaural level difference (ILD)
B) an interaural time difference (ITD)
C) a cocktail party effect
D) a just-noticeable difference (JND)

Question 75

Localization of sound sources on the horizontal plane is thought to rely on two complementary cues: interaural time difference and interaural level difference. This theory is known as __________.

A) Weber's law
B) Fourier's localization theory
C) Rayleigh's horizontal law
D) Rayleigh's duplex theory

Question 76

The __________ is a complex folded structure which alters the high frequencies of a sound wave. This structure aids localization in the __________ plane.

A) cochlea; vertical
B) cochlea; horizontal
C) pinna; vertical
D) pinna; horizontal

Question 77

With respect to the spectral content of a sound, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Pitch is an important cue for grouping a complex auditory waveform into discrete objects.
B) Men and women speak at very similar pitches, making very hard for the auditory system to separate their voices.
C) The auditory system perceives the pitch of a voice as its fundamental frequency, which corresponds to the highest harmony in the sound.
D) Harmonicity cannot be used as a cue for segregating complex sounds in distinct auditory objects.

Question 78

With respect to the auditory form of grouping known as 'streaming', which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Streaming grouping reflects the probability that two components could stem from a single source.
B) When the two frequencies are similar and the interval between the two tones is not too big, the listener hears a melody.
C) A two-tone siren is an example of a train of pulses at different frequencies which are perceived as a single sound.
D) Regardless of the similarity and rate of alternation of two tones' frequencies, listeners will always perceive a train of pulses as a single tone.

Question 79

"The way that a sound starts (its __________) and stops (its __________) has a major impact on its perceived timbre".

A) beginning; end
B) attack; decay
C) entrance; decline
D) inception; downfall

Question 80

Which of the following statements describes the phenomenon known as 'missing fundamental'?

A) People affected by a rare form of hearing impairment are unable to detect the fundamental frequencies of sounds.
B) It's the process through which the fundamental component of a melody is removed to improve its sound quality.
C) Listeners can hear the pitch corresponding to the fundamental frequency even when this component is not present.
D) The reduction of hearing in noisy environments is attributable to difficulties detecting fundamental frequencies.