Chapter 5

Question 1

Sensation vs Perception

Answer 1

Sensation – the process through which the senses pick up visual, auditory, and other sensory stimuli and transmit them to the brain.
Perception – the process by which the sensory information is actively organized and interpreted by the brain.

Question 2

What are the sensory receptors?

Answer 2

They are large cells that detect physical stimulus. Sensory receptors better to detect changes in temporary sensation, not so much in constant stimulation (habituation). Pain – very little adaptation, more produce the reaction on stimulation, but not part of receptors.

Question 3

What is sensory acuity?

Answer 3

Ability to detect the difference between 2 similar stimuli. For example, on a popular eye chart, people with 20/20 can reliably read the increasingly smaller letters up to the 8th row, but cannot distinguish the smallest letters in rows 9–11.

Question 4

What are the complex structures of the peripheral auditory system? Their function?

Answer 4

the outer, middle, and inner ear. They provide the mechanisms for transforming sounds (variations in sound pressure) into neuronal signals

Question 5

What is habituation?

Answer 5

slowed, changed or stopped response to repeated stimulation. Habituation involves growing accustomed to a situation or stimulus

Question 6

What is vestibular “sense”?

Answer 6

The vestibular sense, also known as the movement or balance sense, allows us to move smoothly. We are able to maintain our balance while engaged in activities because of this sense. It maintains our body posture and helps us to sit and stand upright.

Question 7

What is transduction?

Answer 7

Convert physical stimulus, which is detected by the sensory receptor into the neuronal signals.

Question 8

What are semicircular canals?

Answer 8

They are three tiny, fluid-filled tubes: horizontal, superior and posterior in the inner ear that help you keep your balance.

Question 9

What is vestibular input?

Answer 9

Vestibular input is the sensation of any change in position, direction, or movement of the head. The receptors are located in the inner ear and are activated by the fluid in the ear canals moving as you move.

Question 10

Which of the following functions shows the GREATEST degree of functional lateralization in most healthy individuals?
a) depth perception
b) musical perception
c) facial recognition
d) speech

Answer 10

d) speech

Question 11

The auditory cortex plays the most important for creating our perception of _________________, while the auditory nucelli in brainstem are more important for creating our perception of _________________

Answer 11

what is making a sound ; where the source of the sound is located in the environment. Different neurons tell information about different frequencies

Question 12

Place coding meaning

Answer 12

the theory that sounds of different frequencies stimulate different places along the basilar membrane.

Question 13

Receptive field definition

Answer 13

Receptive fields are the region of stimulus space that cause a neuron to respond. In the auditory system one could define a cell’s receptive field as the specific set of frequencies to which the cell responds.

Question 14

high pitched VS low pitched sounds (location)

Answer 14

the base of the basilar membrane responds best to high frequencies and the apex (tip) of the basilar membrane responds best to low frequencies, near which the hair cells are located

Question 15

interaural time definition

Answer 15

The difference in time between when a sound reaches each of the two ears. This information is represented at various stages in the auditory pathway and provides an important cue for sound localization.

Question 16

interpreter (which hemisphere and function?)

Answer 16

A left-hemisphere mechanism that seeks expla- nations for internal and external events in order to produce appropriate response behaviors.

Question 17

preamplifier meaning

Answer 17

an electronic device that amplifies a very weak signal, for example from a microphone, and transmits it to a main amplifier.

Question 18

Brainstem reflexes meaning?

Answer 18

Brainstem reflexes are relatively simple motor responses organized by the brainstem and designed to enable the body to adjust rapidly to sudden changes in the environment

Question 19

Pheromones meaning

Answer 19

Pheromones are chemical substances that are created and emitted by organisms as odorants—often as oils or sweat—into the environment that may influence the behavior of other members of the same species

Question 20

Smell transduction

Answer 20

Smell is the sensory experience that results from the transduction of odor molecules (or odorants) into neuronal signals, which are sent to the olfactory cortex. These molecules enter the nasal cavity during the course of normal breathing or passively.

Question 21

Coincidence detector?

Answer 21

a device that can detect simultaneous electric signals; for example, when the sound source is directly in front of the owl, the stimulus reaches the two ears at the same time. As activation is transmitted across the delay lines, the coincidence detector representing the central location is activated simultaneously from both ears.

Question 22

What are the chemical senses?

Answer 22

The 2 senses taste and smell are often grouped together, because they both interpret the environment by a chemical stimulus.

Question 23

Lateral inhibition

Answer 23

is the process by which stimulated neurons inhibit the activity of nearby neurons

Question 24

What are the basic tastes?

Answer 24

There are five basic tastes: salty, sour, bitter, sweet, and umami—the savory taste you experience when you eat steak or other protein-rich substances. All five tastes are present across the tongue.

Question 25

What is nociceptive receptor?

Answer 25

It’s a type of pain receptor, which are activated by irritants such as capsaicin (contained in chili peppers), carbon dioxide (carbonated drinks), and acetic acid (vinegar). The output from these receptors follows a different path, joining the trigeminal nerve (5th cranial nerve)

Question 26

What is somatosensation?

Answer 26

is the part of the sensory system concerned with the ability of the body to sense things, such as touch, temperature, pain (nociception) and body position (proprioception).

Question 27

What is retina?

Answer 27

it is made up of layers of neurons, which are composed of millions of photoreceptors that contain photopigments, protein molecules that are sensitive to light.

Question 28

Which neuron doesn’t fire action potentials?

Answer 28

Unlike most neurons, the retina’s photoreceptors do not fire action potentials

Question 29

Rods vs Cones s-re and function

Answer 29

The photoreceptors consist of rods and cones.
Rods contain the photopigment rhodopsin, which is destabilized by low levels of light. Rods are most useful at night, when light energy is reduced. There is no color response with the rod system. Rods produce a black and white response.
Cones contain a different type of photopigment, called photopsin. Cones require more intense levels of light. Thus, cones are most active during daytime vision.

Question 30

What leads to our ability to see color?

Answer 30

There are three types of cones, defined by their sensitivity to different regions of the visible spectrum: (a) cones that respond to shorter wavelengths, the “blue” part of the spectrum; (b) cones that respond to medium wavelengths, the “green” region; and (c) cones that respond to the longer “red” wavelengths. The activity of these three differ- ent receptors ultimately leads to our ability to see color.

Question 31

Rodes vs Cones (location)

Answer 31

Rods and cones are not distributed equally across the retina. Cones are densely packed near the center of the retina, in a region called the fovea. In contrast, rods are distributed throughout the retina. For example, we can demonstrate the differential distribution of rods and cones by having a friend slowly bring a colored marker into your view from one side of your head. Notice that you see the marker and its shape well before you identify its color

Question 32

Blobs definition

Answer 32

Blobs are sections of the visual cortex where groups of neurons that are sensitive to color assemble in shapes. Blobs receive information of color, such as red or blue.

Question 33

membrane potential (resting potential) vs action potential

Answer 33

membrane potential is the difference in electric potential (voltage) between the interior and the exterior of a biological cell.
action potential occurs when the membrane potential of a specific cell location rapidly rises and falls.