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MCAT > MCAT Biology Sensation and Perception Part 1 > Flashcards

MCAT Biology Sensation and Perception Part 1 Flashcards

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MCAT flashcards
1
Q

___ is the act of organizing, assimilating, and interpreting the sensory input into useful and meaningful information

A

Perception

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2
Q

How does the brain know the difference between stimulation of visual receptors andd olfactory receptors?

A

Both signals are received in the brain as action potentials from sensory neurons. The brain distinguishes the sensory stimuli based on which sensory neurons are signaling

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3
Q

___are pressure sensors located deep in the skin

A

Pacinian corpuscles

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4
Q

Pacinian corpuscles, auditory hair cells, and vestibular hair cells are all___

A

mechanoreceptors, responding to mechanical disturbances

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5
Q

This is a specialized cell found in the cochlea of the inner ear that detects vibrations caused by sound waves (mechanoreceptor)

A

Auditory hair cell

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6
Q

____ are mechanoreceptors located inside semicircular canals in the inner ear

A

Vestibular hair cells

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7
Q

___ is a mechanoreceptor that detects acceleration and position relative to gravity

A

Vestibular hair cell

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8
Q

____ is found in the cochlea of the inner ear

A

Auditory hair cells

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9
Q

__detect airborne chemicals and allow us to smell things

A

Olfactory receptors

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10
Q

____ are chemoreceptors for taste buds

A

Gustatory receptors

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11
Q

___are stimulated by tissue injury

A

Nociceptors

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12
Q

___ is the phenomenon of illusionary pain on the skin when nerve ends of nociceptors cross paths with somatic afferents from the skin

A

Referred pain

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13
Q

____ are stimulated by electromagnetic waves

A

Electromagnetic receptors

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14
Q

The four properties of all sensory receptors that need to be communicated to the CNS are

A
  1. stimulus modality (what type of stimulus)
  2. Location
  3. Intensity is coded by the frequency of action potentials
  4. Duration of stimulus
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15
Q

How is the stimulus modality determined by the CNS?

A

CNS determines the modality (what type) of stimulus based on which type of receptor fires

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16
Q

How is stimulus location determined by the CNS

A

The stimulus location is communicated by the receptive field of the receptor sending the signal.

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17
Q

How is stimulus intensity determined by the CNS?

A

Intensity is coded by the frequency of action potentials.

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18
Q

___ is a decrease in firing frequency when the intensity of a stimulus remains constant

A

Adaptation

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19
Q

___ is an important proprioceptor (mechanoreceptor) that detects muscle stretch

A

Muscle spindle

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20
Q

__is a proprioceptor (mechanoreceptor) that monitors tension in the tendons

A

Golgi tendon organs

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21
Q

___ is a proprioceptor that detects pressure, tension, and movement in the joints

A

Joint capsule receptors

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22
Q

What portion of the CNS would require input from proprioceptors?

A

The cerebellum which is responsible for motor coordination

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23
Q

Olfaction is accomplished by olfactory receptors in the roof of the __

A

nasopharynx

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24
Q

A thin watery fluid found in the anterior segment of the eye (between the lens and the cornea)

A

Aqueous humor

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25
Q

The tube that connects the middle ear cavity with the pharynx; also known as the Eustachian tube

A

Auditory tube

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26
Q

___ functions to equalize middle ear pressure with atmospheric pressure so that pressure is equal on both sides of the tympanic membrane

A

Auditory tube

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27
Q

The flexible membrane in the cochlea that supports the organ of Corti (the structure that contains the hearing receptors)

A

Basilar membrane

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28
Q

The fibers of the __ are short and stiff near the oval window and long and flexible near the apex of the cochlea. This difference in structure allows the basilar membrane to help transduce pitch

A

Basilar membrane

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29
Q

A cell in the retina of the eye that receives input from photoreceptors and subsequently synapses on the ganglion cells.

A

Bipolar cells

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30
Q

__ belong to a class of neurons that have a single dendrite and single axo extending from opposite sides of the cell body

A

Bipolar cells

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31
Q

A tenet of Gestalt psychology wherein the processing of sensory input begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the complex integration of information occurring in the brain

A

Bottom-up processing

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32
Q

The darkly pigmented middle layer of the eyeball, found between the sclera (outer layer) and the retina (inner layer)

A

Choroid

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33
Q

The curled structure in the inner ear that contains the membranes and hair cells used to transduce sound waves into action potentials

A

Cochlea

34
Q

Photoreceptors in the retina of the eye that respond to bright light and provide color vision

A

Cones

35
Q

The clear portion of the tough outer layer of the eyeball, found over the iris and pupil

A

Cornea

36
Q

The minimum noticeable difference between any two sensory stimuli, 50% of the time

A

Difference threshold

37
Q

Inhibitory neurotransmitter released onto bipolar cells in the retina by rods and cones.

A

Glutamate

38
Q

The release of __ is stopped when light hits the photoreceptor, and the subsequent cessation in __ releases the inhibition on the bipolar cells, causing it to fire

A

Glutamate

39
Q

___respond to vibrations in the cochlea caused by sound waves

A

Cochlear hair cells

40
Q

____respond to changes in position and acceleration

A

Vestibular hair cells

41
Q

A pigmented membrane found just in front of the lens of the eye

A

Iris

42
Q

The ___ regulates the diameter of the pupil in response to the brightness of the light

A

Iris

43
Q

The “blind spot” of the eye, this is where the axons of the ganglion cells exit the retina to form the optic nerve

A

Optic disk

44
Q

The nerve extending from the back of the eyeball to the brain that carries visual information

A

Optic nerve

45
Q

The optic nerve is made up of the axons of the _____

A

ganglion cells of the retina

46
Q

The structure in the cochlea of the inner ear made up of the basilar membrane, the auditory hair cells, and the tectorial membrane

A

Organ of Corti

47
Q

The __ is the site where auditory sensation is detected and transduced to action potentials

A

Organ of Corti

48
Q

The three small bones found in the middle ear are __,___,and___

A

Malleus
Incus
Stapes

49
Q

The malleus, incus, and stapes (small bones found in the middle ear) are called___

A

Ossicles

50
Q

The ___ help to amplify the vibrations from sound waves

A

Ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes)

51
Q

The ___ is attached to the tympanic membrane

A

Malleus

52
Q

The ___ is attached to the oval window of the cochlea

A

Stapes

53
Q

The portion of the ear consisting of the pinna and external auditory canal

A

Outer ear

54
Q

The outer ear is separated from the middle ear by the ___

A

Tympanic membrane (the ear drum)

55
Q

A hole in the center of the iris of the eye that allows light to enter the eyeball

A

Pupil

56
Q

The diameter of the __ is controlled by the iris in response to the brightness of light

A

Pupil

57
Q

The innermost layer of the eyeball

A

Retina

58
Q

The ___ is made up of a layer of photoreceptors, a layer of bipolar cells, and a layer of ganglion cells

A

Retina

59
Q

A chemical derived from vitamin A found in the pigment proteins of the rod photoreceptors of the retina

A

Retinal

60
Q

Photoreceptors in the retina of the eye that respond to dim light and provide us with black and white vision

A

Rods

61
Q

The white portion of the tough outer layer of the eyeball

A

Sclera

62
Q

Three loop-like structures in the ear that contain sensory receptors to monitor balance

A

Semicircular canals

63
Q

The integration of single muscle twitches into a sustained contraction (tetany)

A

Summation

64
Q

A tenet of Gestalt psychology where the brain applies experience and expectations to interpret sensory information

A

Top-Down processing

65
Q

The membrane that separates the outer ear from the middle ear.

A

Tympanic membrane

66
Q

A thick gelatinous fluid found in the posterior segment of the eye (between the lens and the retina)

A

Vitreous humor

67
Q

The ___ is only produced during fetal development and helps maintain intraocular pressure (the pressure inside the eyeball)

A

Vitreous humor

68
Q

____states that two stimuli must differ by a constant proportion in order for their difference to be perceptible

A

Weber’s Law

69
Q

The __ is a membrane that divides the middle and the inner ear

A

Oval window

70
Q

The semicircular canals together with the __ and __ are important to the sense of balance

A

Utricle and saccule

71
Q

The ___ is a membrane covered hole in the cochlea near the oval window that releases excess pressure

A

Round window

72
Q

The __ is a passageway from the back of the throat to the middle ear

A

Eustachian tube

73
Q

__ functions to equalize pressure on both sides of the eardum and is the cause of “ear popping” at high altitudes or underwater

A

Eustachian tube / auditory tube

74
Q

Vibration of the oval window creates pressure waves in the ___ and ____ the fluids in the cochlea

A

Perilymph and endolymph

75
Q

The pressure waves in the ___ cause vibration of the basilar membrane

A

Endolymph

76
Q

___ of sound is distinguished by which regions of the basilar membrane vibrate, stimulating different auditory neurons

A

Pitch (frequency)

77
Q

Low frequency (long wavelength) sound stimulate hair cells at the ___

A

apex of the cochlear duct, farthest away from the oval window

78
Q

High pitched sounds stimulate hair cells at the__

A

base of the cochlea, near the oval window

79
Q

Loundness of a sound is distinguished by the __

A

amplitude of vibration

80
Q

Larger vibrations cause more ___

A

frequent action potentials in auditory neurons

81
Q

If a sensory neuron leading from the ear to the brain fires an action potential more rapidly, how will the brain perceive this change?

A

More rapid firing of a cochlear neuron indicates an increase in volume of sound

82
Q

If the bones of the middle ear are unable to move, would this impair the detection of sound by conductance through bone?

A

The bones of the middle ear serve to conduct vibrations from the outer ear to the liquid within the cochlea but are not involved directly in detecting sound. Bond conductance can still stimulate the cochlea and result in hearing if the middle ear is nonfunctional

MCAT (45 decks)

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