TestBank psychology around us 2nd edition comer ch05

Chapter: Chapter 05: Sensation and Perception

Short Answer

1. List the technical names for each of the five sensory systems.
Ans: Olfactory, gustatory, somatosensory, auditory, visual
Section Ref: Common Process of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty: Medium

True/False

2. Transduction is the process by which sensory receptor cells convert environmental stimuli into
neural impulses.
Ans: True
Section Ref: Common Process of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty: Medium

Fill-in-the-blank

3. The physical stimuli used by the gustatory sensory system are called __________.
Ans: chemicals
Section Ref: Common Process of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.

Difficulty: Medium

Short Answer

4. What sensory process describes why the continual presence of a stimulus results in a
decreased response to that stimulus over time?
Ans: Adaptation
Section Ref: Common Process of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty: Hard

Essay

5. Describe the difference between absolute threshold and difference threshold.
Ans: An absolute threshold refers to the minimum amount of one stimulus necessary for
detection to occur, whereas a difference threshold refers to the smallest amount of difference
between two or more stimuli necessary for a person to be able to discriminate one stimulus from
another.
Section Ref: Common Process of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty: Hard

Multiple Choice

6. If a light bulb does not cast a light that can be detected, what threshold has not been
surpassed?
a) Difference
b) Absolute


c) Stimulus
d) Transduction
Ans: b
Feedback A: When more than one stimulus is being discriminated
Feedback B: Correct!
Feedback C: Light from the bulb is a stimulus, but a stimulus is not a type of threshold.
Feedback D: Conversion of environmental stimuli into neural impulses.
Section Ref: Common Process of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty: Medium

True/False

7. Bottom-up processing begins with previously acquired knowledge.
Ans: False
Section Ref: Common Process of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty: Medium

Fill-in-the-blank

8. The sensory system that responds to pressure or damage to the skin is called the __________
system.
Ans: somatosensory (touch, heat, pain)
Section Ref: Common Process of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty: Medium


Short Answer

9. What type of perceptual processing begins with physical energies that enter the body from the
environment?
Ans: Bottom-up
Section Ref: Common Process of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty: Hard

Essay

10. Describe how top-down processing and bottom-up processing differ.
Ans: Top-down uses previously acquired knowledge and experience to assist us in recognizing
environmental stimuli, whereas bottom-up uses the physical energies that enter the body from the
environment.
Section Ref: Common Process of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,

transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty: Hard

Multiple Choice

11. The conversion of environmental stimuli into neural impulses is called ________.
a) perception
b) translation
c) adaptation
d) transduction
Ans: d
Feedback A: Incorrect. The conversion of environmental stimuli into neural impulses is called
transduction, not perception. Perception is a broader process involving the recognition and


identification of stimuli.
Feedback B: Incorrect. The conversion of environmental stimuli into neural impulses is called
transduction, not translation.
Feedback C: Incorrect. The conversion of environmental stimuli into neural impulses is called
transduction, not adaptation. Adaptation is a different process in which constant stimulation
produces a deceased response to the stimulus.
Feedback D: Correct!
Section Ref: Common Processes of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty Level: Easy

12. We can detect a single drop of perfume diffused in an area the size of a one-bedroom

apartment. This is a(n) ________.
a) absolute threshold
b) difference threshold
c) sensory minimum
d) just noticeable difference
Ans: a
Feedback A: Correct!
Feedback B: Incorrect. The example illustrates an absolute threshold, not a difference
threshold.
Feedback C: Incorrect. The example illustrates an absolute threshold, not a sensory minimum.
The term “sensory minimum” is not used in your text.
Feedback D: Incorrect. The example illustrates an absolute threshold, not a just noticeable
difference.
Section Ref: Common Processes of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty Level: Medium

13. A snack manufacturer finds that it must increase the salt content of its chips by 8% in order
for a sample of consumers to notice that the chips are saltier than they were before. This
example most nearly illustrates the concept of a(n) _________ threshold.
a) transduction
b) difference
c) adaptation
d) absolute


Ans: b
Feedback A: Incorrect. The example illustrates a difference threshold. There is no threshold

termed the “perceptual threshold.”
Feedback B: Correct!
Feedback C: Incorrect. The example illustrates a difference threshold. There is no threshold
termed the “adaptation threshold.”
Feedback D: Incorrect. The example illustrates a difference threshold, not an absolute
threshold.
Section Ref: Common Processes of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty Level: Medium

14. “It’s so noisy! How can you stand it?” remarks Caitlyn as the thruway traffic screams past
her friend Dave’s ground floor apartment. “I don’t even notice it anymore,” Dave replies. This
exchange best exemplifies the concept of _________.
a) adaptation
b) accommodation
c) adjustment
d) attenuation
Ans: a
Feedback A: Correct!
Feedback B: Incorrect. The example illustrates adaptation, not accommodation.
Feedback C: Incorrect. The example illustrates adaptation, not adjustment.
Feedback D: Incorrect. The example illustrates adaptation, not attenuation.
Section Ref: Common Processes of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty Level: Medium

16. Why do we adapt after prolonged exposure to a constant stimulus?
a) so that we continue to respond to ongoing stimulation
b) so that we don’t become distracted by irrelevant changes in the environment
c) so that we detect potentially important changes in what’s going on
d) so that we don’t become overstimulated by the environment
Ans: c
Feedback A: Incorrect. Adapation ensures the ability to detect potentially important changes
in the environment.
Feedback B: Incorrect. Adapation ensures the ability to detect potentially important changes


in the environment.
Feedback C: Correct!
Feedback D: Incorrect. Adapation ensures the ability to detect potentially important changes
in the environment.
Section Ref: Common Processes of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty Level: Hard

17. “Wow! I’m sorry! I didn’t recognize you out of context!” you exclaim, excusing your
blank stare when your accounting professor greets you in a café. This vignette illustrates the
importance of _________ in perception.
a) transduction
b) adaptation
c) bottom-up processes
d) top-down processes
Ans: d
Feedback A: Incorrect. The influence of context on perception reflects top-down processing,

not transduction.
Feedback B: Incorrect. The influence of context on perception reflects top-down processing,
not adaptation.
Feedback C: Incorrect. The influence of context on perception reflects top-down, not
bottom-up, processing.
Feedback D: Correct!
Section Ref: Common Processes of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty Level: Medium

18. Which of the following sentences expresses bottom-up processing?
a) You see what’s in front of you.
b) You see what you want to see.
c) You see what you expect to see.
d) You see what you’re conditioned to see.
Ans: a
Feedback A: Correct!
Feedback B: Incorrect. Seeing what you want to see reflects top-down, not bottom-up,
processing.

Commented [w1]: Don’t really like this as an indication of
top-down processing. I think you could make a better case for it
being perceptual set – a person doesn’t recognize the professor
outside the “set” of the class room.


Feedback C: Incorrect. Seeing what you expect to see reflects top-down, not bottom-up,
processing.

Feedback D: Incorrect. Seeing what you’re conditioned to see reflects top-down, not
bottom-up processing.
Section Ref: Common Processes of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty Level: Medium

19. Which of the following statements most accurately expresses the relationship between
top-down and bottom-up processing?
a) Some stimuli are processed in a bottom-up fashion, while others are processed in a top-down
manner.
b) Bottom-up processing precedes top-down processing during the perception of most stimuli.
c) Top-down processes only contribute to perception when stimuli are highly novel, unexpected,
or ambiguous.
d) Top-down and bottom-up processes occur simultaneously during the perception of many, if
not all, stimuli.
Ans: d
Feedback A: Incorrect. Top-down and bottom-up processes occur simultaneously during the
perception of most stimuli.
Feedback B: Incorrect. Top-down and bottom-up processes occur simultaneously during the
perception of most stimuli.
Feedback C: Incorrect. Top-down and bottom-up processes occur simultaneously during the
perception of most stimuli. Top-down processes are less able to contribute to the perception of
novel stimuli than to the perception of familiar stimuli.
Feedback D: Correct!
Section Ref: Common Processes of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.

Difficulty Level: Hard
Microscopes and telescopes represent technological advances to overcome natural limitations in
our ______ for vision.
a) absolute threshold
b) perceptual constancy
c) perceptual set
d) sensory adaptation
Ans: a


Feedback A: Correct!
Feedback B: Instruments such as microscopes and telescopes help use overcome natural
limitations in our absolute threshold for vision.
Feedback C: Instruments such as microscopes and telescopes help use overcome natural
limitations in our absolute threshold for vision.
Feedback D: Instruments such as microscopes and telescopes help use overcome natural
limitations in our absolute threshold for vision.
Section Ref: Common Process of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty: Medium
Scientists often use ______ to overcome the absolute threshold for visual stimuli.
a) imagination
b) instruments
c) speculation
d) simulation
Ans: b
Feedback A: Scientists often use instruments to overcome the absolute threshold for visual
stimuli.

Feedback B: Correct!
Feedback C: Scientists often use instruments to overcome the absolute threshold for visual
stimuli.
Feedback D: Scientists often use instruments to overcome the absolute threshold for visual
stimuli.
Section Ref: Common Process of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty: Easy

Short Answer
Given that the human visual system has natural limitations on our sense of vision, how have
astronomers been able to see objects that are very far away?
Ans: The invention of telescopes has allowed scientists to view far away objects.
Section Ref: Common Process of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty: Easy


Given that the human visual system has natural limitations on our sense of vision, how have
biologists been able to see objects that are smaller than what is detectable by the naked eye?
Ans: The invention of microscopes has allowed scientists to view small objects up close.
Section Ref: Common Process of Sensation and Perception
Learning Objective: Describe characteristics shared by all the senses, including receptor cells,
transduction, and thresholds, and differentiate between top-down and bottom-up processes of
perception.
Difficulty: Easy

20. In what hair-like structures are the sensory receptors of the olfactory system located?
a) Nasal mucosa
b) Papillae
c) Odorants
d) Cilia
Ans: d
Feedback A: Where odorants are converted to neural signals
Feedback B: Bumps on the tongue that contain clumps of taste buds
Feedback C: Chemicals that enter the nose
Feedback D: Correct!
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Medium

True/False

21. Olfaction and gustation emerged early in our evolutionary history.
Ans: True
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Easy

Fill-in-the-blank

22. The method used by odorants to enter the nose and bind to specific receptor sites is similar to
the method used by neurotransmitters binding to receptors sites on receiving neurons. Both bind
in a(n) __________ fashion.

Commented [w2]: Wording is awkward. Recommend
changing to: The sensory receptors of the olfactory s ystem are

located in the hair-like s tructures called:


Ans: lock-and-key
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Medium

Short Answer

23. What sense is most closely tied to taste?
Ans: Smell
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Easy

Essay

24. Why are taste and smell referred to as chemical senses?
Ans: Both senses involve responses to specific chemicals such as those in odorants (for smell)
and in food (for taste).
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Medium

Multiple Choice

25. Approximately how many taste receptors are on each taste bud?
a) 20-40
b) 50-90

c) 30-50
d) 60-100
Ans: d


Feedback A: Too few
Feedback B: Not the correct range
Feedback C: Too few
Feedback D: Correct!
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Hard

True/False

26. Sweet/sour is the taste associated with monosodium glutamate.
Ans: False
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Medium

Fill-in-the-blank

27. The human tongue is covered with bumps called __________.
Ans: papillae
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Medium

Short Answer

28. “Hot” or spicy foods activate what component of the tongue that communicates pain?
Ans: Tactile system
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Hard

Commented [w3]: Tactile sys tem that communicates pain


Essay

29. How is the consistency of food communicated to the brain?
Ans: Touch receptors located on the tongue relay textural information such as “slimy” to the
brain.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Medium

Multiple Choice

30. When olfactory information reaches the olfactory nerve, it travels to which organ located
beneath the frontal lobes?
a) Cerebral cortex
b) Olfactory bulb
c) Piriform cortex
d) Amygdala
Ans: b
Feedback A: Where information from the olfactory bulb is sent
Feedback B: Correct!

Feedback C: Region of the cerebral cortex; involved later in the process
Feedback D: Where information from the olfactory bulb is sent
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Hard

True/False

31. Studies have shown that the piriform cortex is changeable in adulthood.
Ans: True


Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Medium

Fill-in-the-blank

32. The olfactory bulb sends information to the __________, an area important for learning and
memory.
Ans: hippocampus
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Hard

Short Answer

33. What structure that is activated by the olfactory bulb is associated with regulation of
emotions and fear?
Ans: Amygdala

Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Hard

Short Answer

34. Many people report that smells are evocative of past events. What 2 structures in the brain
may be activated during these olfactory “trips down memory lane”?
Ans: Hippocampus and amygdala
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Hard


Multiple Choice

35. Which structure serves as a relay station for incoming sensory information to the cerebral
cortex?
a) Hippocampus
b) Amygdala
c) Insula
d) Thalamus
Ans: d
Feedback A: Activated by familiar smells
Feedback B: Activated by familiar smells
Feedback C: Part of the cortex that receives taste information; associated with emotion of disgust
Feedback D: Correct!
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Medium

True/False

36. All sensory systems send information through the thalamus.
Ans: False
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Medium

Fill-in-the-blank

37. People who have lost the ability to smell have a disorder known as __________.
Ans: anosmia
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.


Difficulty: Medium

Short Answer

38. Why may a person develop the disorder of ageusia, the loss of the ability to taste?
Ans: Head trauma or oral surgery
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Hard

Essay

39. Identify an age-related disease that produces a diminished sense of smell. What does this

relationship between disease and smell indicate about brain structures?
Ans: Alzheimer’s disease and the related loss of smell may indicate that the neurons in brain
structures located in olfactory brain regions are deteriorating.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty: Hard

Multiple Choice

40. Olfaction is to gustation as _______ is to _______.
a) smell; taste
b) hearing; taste
c) taste; hearing
d) taste; smell
Ans: a
Feedback A: Correct!
Feedback B: Incorrect. Olfaction refers to the sense of smell, not hearing.
Feedback C: Incorrect. Olfaction refers to the sense of smell, not taste. Gustation refers to
taste, not hearing.


Feedback D: Incorrect. Olfaction refers to the sense of smell, not taste. Gustation refers to
taste, not smell.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Difficulty Level: Easy

41. The sense receptors for olfaction are located on hair-like structures called ______. They
convert odorants into neural impulses, an example of a process termed _______.
a) papillae; transduction
b) papillae; perception

c) cilia; transduction
d) cilia; perception
Ans: c
Feedback A: Incorrect. The olfactory receptors are located on cilia, not papillae.
Feedback B: Incorrect. The olfactory receptors are located on cilia, not papillae. Converting
odorants into neural impulses exemplifies transduction, not perception.
Feedback C: Correct!
Feedback D: Incorrect. Converting odorants into neural impulses exemplifies transduction, not
perception.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Medium

42. Which of the following statements most accurately describes the responsiveness of an
individual olfactory receptor?
a) A given olfactory receptor responds only to a specific airborne chemical.
b) A given olfactory receptor responds to a wide range of odorants.
c) A given olfactory receptor responds to one of four or five basic classes of odorants.
d) A given olfactory receptor responds to virtually any airborne chemical.
Ans: a
Feedback A: Correct!
Feedback B: Incorrect. A given olfactory receptor responds only to a specific airborne
chemical.
Feedback C: Incorrect. A given olfactory receptor responds only to a specific airborne
chemical.
Feedback D: Incorrect. A given olfactory receptor responds only to a specific airborne
chemical.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Medium

43. Your text states that “continuous binding of certain odorants . . . will result in the fatigue of
the olfactory receptor neurons to which they bind.” This passage should remind you of the
concept of:
a) tolerance
b) adaptation
c) habituation
d) desensitization
Ans: b
Feedback A: Incorrect. The passage refers to a process called adaptation, not tolerance.
Feedback B: Correct!
Feedback C: Incorrect. The passage refers to a process called adaptation, not habituation.
Feedback D: Incorrect. The passage refers to a process called adaptation, not desensitization.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Medium

44. Gustatory receptors are contained in the ________, located on the ________.
a) taste buds; cilia
b) cilia; taste buds
c) taste buds; papillae
d) papillae; taste buds
Ans: c
Feedback A: Incorrect. The taste buds are located on papillae, not cilia.
Feedback B: Incorrect. Gustatory receptors are contained in the taste buds, located on the
papillae.
Feedback C: Correct!
Feedback D: Incorrect. Gustatory receptors are contained in the taste buds, located on the
papillae – not the other way around.

Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Medium

45. How many basic types of taste are there?
a) 3
b) 4
c) 4, perhaps 5
d) 5, perhaps 6


Ans: c
Feedback A: Incorrect. There are 4 or 5 basic tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, and sour, plus
perhaps umami.
Feedback B: Incorrect. Umami may comprise a 5th basic taste.
Feedback C: Correct!
Feedback D: Incorrect. There are 4 or 5 basic tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, and sour, plus
perhaps umami.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Medium

46. Regarding taste receptors, which of the following statements is TRUE?
a) Each taste receptor responds to any of the five basic tastes.
b) The different types of taste receptors are located on distinct parts of the tongue.
c) The different types of taste receptors are evenly distributed across the tongue.
d) The different types of taste receptors are not distributed evenly across the tongue.
Ans: d
Feedback A: Incorrect. Each taste receptor responds to only one of the basic tastes.
Feedback B: Incorrect. Most tastes can be recognized on most parts of the tongue.

Feedback C: Incorrect. The different types of taste receptors are not distributed evenly across
the tongue.
Feedback D: Correct!
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Medium

47. Which are the main senses involved in the experience of a spicy meal?
a) olfaction and gustation
b) gustation and the tactile sense of pain
c) gustation, olfaction, and the tactile sense of pain
d) gustation and the tactile sense of temperature
Ans: c
Feedback A: Incorrect. A spicy meal involves gustation, olfaction, and the sense of pain.
Feedback B: Incorrect. A spicy meal involves gustation, olfaction, and the sense of pain.
Feedback C: Correct!
Feedback D: Incorrect. A spicy meal involves gustation, olfaction, and the sense of pain.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Medium


48. When Amber eats the hot peppers she loves so much, a chemical called _______ activates
________ receptors in her tongue.
a) capsaicin; taste
b) capsaicin; pain
c) umami; taste
d) umami; pain
Ans: b
Feedback A: Incorrect. When Amber eats hot peppers, capsaicin activates pain, not taste,

receptors in her tongue.
Feedback B: Correct!
Feedback C: Incorrect. When Amber eats hot peppers, a chemical called capsaicin, not
umami, activates pain, not taste, receptors in her tongue.
Feedback D: Incorrect. When Amber eats hot peppers, a chemical called capsaicin, not umami,
activates pain receptors in her tongue.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Easy

49. Olfactory information is processed in each of these brain areas EXCEPT the:
a) thalamus
b) piriform cortex
c) hippocampus
d) amygdala
Ans: a
Feedback A: Correct!
Feedback B: Incorrect. Olfactory information is processed in the piriform cortex.
Feedback C: Incorrect. Olfactory information is processed in the hippocampus.
Feedback D: Incorrect. Olfactory information is processed in the amygdala.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Medium

50. Annelle is a professional “perfume smeller” for a major cosmetics firm. She claims that
“the nose” is a gift: Some people are just born with more sensitive olfactory mechanisms than
others are. How does Annelle view the relative importance of top-down and bottom-up
processes in olfaction? Is Annelle’s view of an innate olfactory talent supported by empirical
research?
a) Annelle believes that olfaction is primarily a bottom-up process. Her view is supported by

research showing that humans have difficulty learning to discriminate among odors and that
piriform cortex is not plastic.
b) Annelle believes that olfaction is primarily a bottom-up process. Her view is discredited by
research showing that humans can learn to discriminate among odors and that piriform cortex is
highly plastic.
c) Annelle believes that olfaction is primarily a top-down process. Her view is discredited by
research showing that humans have difficulty learning to discriminate among odors and that
piriform cortex is not plastic.
d) Annelle believes that olfaction is primarily a top-down process. Her view is supported by
research showing that humans can learn to discriminate among odors and that piriform cortex is
highly plastic.
Ans: b
Feedback A: Incorrect. Annelle’s view is discredited by research showing that humans can
learn to discriminate among odors and that piriform cortex is highly plastic.
Feedback B: Correct!
Feedback C: Incorrect. Annelle believes that olfaction is primarily a bottom-up process.
Feedback D: Incorrect. Annelle believes that olfaction is primarily a bottom-up process.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Hard

51. The relationship between smell and memory reflects connections between the olfactory
bulb and the ___________. The link between smell and emotion reflects connections between
the olfactory bulb and the ___________.
a) amygdala; hippocampus
b) amygdala; amygdala, also
c) hippocampus; hippocampus, also
d) hippocampus; amygdala

Ans: d
Feedback A: Incorrect. The relationship between smell and memory reflects connections
between the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus, not the amygdala. The link between smell and
emotion reflects connections between the olfactory bulb and the amygdala, not the hippocampus.
Feedback B: Incorrect. The relationship between smell and memory reflects connections
between the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus, not the amygdala.
Feedback C: Incorrect. The link between smell and emotion reflects connections between the
olfactory bulb and the amygdala, not the hippocampus.
Feedback D: Correct!
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Easy


52. Which of the basic tastes are considered rewarding? Which are considered aversive?
a) Salty and sweet are considered rewarding. Sour and bitter are considered aversive.
b) Sweet is considered rewarding. Salty, sour, and bitter are considered aversive.
c) Sweet and sour are considered rewarding. Salty and bitter are considered aversive.
d) Sweet, sour, and salty are considered rewarding. Bitter is considered aversive.
Ans: a
Feedback A: Correct!
Feedback B: Incorrect. Salty and sweet are considered rewarding. Sour and bitter are
considered aversive.
Feedback C: Incorrect. Salty and sweet are considered rewarding. Sour and bitter are
considered aversive.
Feedback D: Incorrect. Salty and sweet are considered rewarding. Sour and bitter are
considered aversive.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Medium

53. Dr. Baquero shows one group of participants repulsive scenes on a computer screen. A
second group of participants tastes a small portion of revolting food. What should images of the
participants’ brains reveal regarding cortical activity in the two groups of participants?
a) The piriform cortex should be active among participants in the visual scene group, whereas the
insula should be active among participants in the taste group.
b) The insula should be active among participants in the visual scene group, whereas the piriform
cortex should be active among participants in the taste group.
c) The insula should be active among participants in both groups.
d) The piriform cortex should be active among participants in both groups.
Ans: c
Feedback A: Incorrect. The insula should be active in participants in both groups.
Feedback B: Incorrect. The insula should be active in participants in both groups.
Feedback C: Correct!
Feedback D: Incorrect. The insula, not the piriform cortex, should be active in participants in
both groups.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Hard

54. Clay is a newborn. Which of the following statements is TRUE with respect to his
chemical senses?
a) Clay prefers the odor of his mother’s milk to the odor of another woman’s milk.


b) Clay will rapidly develop a preference for sour tastes.
c) Clay’s ability to taste is quite poor.
d) Clay does not yet show a preference for sweet tastes over bitter tastes.
Ans: a
Feedback A: Correct!

Feedback B: Incorrect. A preference for sour tastes does not develop until around age 7.
Feedback C: Incorrect. Among humans, the ability to taste is well-developed at birth.
Feedback D: Incorrect. Newborns show a preference for sweet tastes and an aversion to bitter
ones.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Hard

56. Your text states that many of the developmental changes in taste preferences “ . . . are the
result of learning . . . However . . . the gustatory system itself changes from infancy to
adulthood.” The nonitalicized phrase underscores the importance of ________ processes in
gustatory development. The italicized phrase points out the role of __________.
a) top-down; bottom-up processes
b) top-down; top-down processes as well
c) bottom-up; top-down processes
d) bottom-up; bottom-up processes as well
Ans: a
Feedback A: Correct!
Feedback B: Incorrect. The italicized phrase points out the role of bottom-up processes in
gustatory development.
Feedback C: Incorrect. The nonitalicized phrase underscores the importance of top-down, not
bottom-up, processes in gustatory development. The italicized phrase points out the role of
bottom-up, not top-down, processes.
Feedback D: Incorrect. The nonitalicized phrase underscores the importance of top-down
processes in gustatory development.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Easy

57. Your text offers the hypothesis that picky eating among children may be adaptive in helping

us survive. Which of the following findings would offer the STRONGEST support for this
hypothesis if it were true?
a) Children are picky eaters in a range of very different cultures around the world.
b) Children’s pickiness in their food preferences is related to their parents’ disciplinary styles.
c) In some of the world’s cultures, children are no pickier than adults in their food preferences.


d) Identical twins raised in different adoptive families are equally picky in their food preferences.
Ans: a
Feedback A: Correct!
Feedback B: Incorrect. If it were true, the finding that children’s pickiness is related to their
parents’ disciplinary styles would not really support the hypothesis that picky eating among
children may be adaptive in helping us survive.
Feedback C: Incorrect. If it were true, the finding that children are no pickier than adults in
some cultures would disconfirm the hypothesis that picky eating among children may be
adaptive in helping us survive.
Feedback D: Incorrect. If it were true, the finding that identical twins raised apart are equally
picky would be consistent with the hypothesis that picky eating among children may be adaptive
in helping us survive. However, the finding that picky eating among children is universal across
cultures would offer stronger support for the hypothesis.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Hard

58. Based on your text’s discussion of the development of the sense of taste, which of the
following statements is most likely TRUE?
a) Research has confirmed the plasticity of both the piriform cortex and the insula.
b) Research has yet to confirm the plasticity of either the piriform cortex or the insula.
c) Research has established the plasticity of the insula. Research has yet to confirm the
plasticity of the piriform cortex.

d) Research has established the plasticity of the piriform cortex. Research has yet to confirm the
plasticity of the insula.
Ans: d
Feedback A: Incorrect. While research has established the plasticity of the piriform cortex, it
has yet to confirm the plasticity of the insula.
Feedback B: Incorrect. While research has yet to confirm the plasticity of the insula, it has
established the plasticity of the piriform cortex.
Feedback C: Incorrect. Research has not established the plasticity of the insula. It has,
however, confirmed the plasticity of the piriform cortex.
Feedback D: Correct!
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Hard

59. Dwight is a man. Estella is his sister. How does Estella’s sensitivity to smell probably
compare to Dwight’s?
a) Estella is less sensitive to smell than is Dwight, except during ovulation.


b) Estella is more sensitive to smell than is Dwight, except during ovulation.
c) Estella is less sensitive to smell than is Dwight, especially during ovulation.
d) Estella is more sensitive to smell than is Dwight, especially during ovulation.
Ans: d
Feedback A: Incorrect. Estella is more, not less, sensitive to smell than is Dwight. This is
especially true during ovulation.
Feedback B: Incorrect. Estella is more sensitive to smell than is Dwight. This is especially
true during ovulation.
Feedback C: Incorrect. Estella is more, not less, sensitive to smell than is Dwight. This is
especially true during ovulation.
Feedback D: Correct!

Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Medium

60. Supertasters:
a) have learned to become more sensitive to the four basic tastes
b) make up 10% of the population
c) can better detect a specific bitter chemical than other people can
d) are more likely to be men than women
Ans: c
Feedback A: Incorrect. The supertaster phenomenon involves an innate sensitivity to a
specific bitter chemical.
Feedback B: Incorrect. Supertasters make up 25%, not 10%, of the population.
Feedback C: Correct!
Feedback D: Incorrect. Supertasters are more likely to be women than men.
Section Ref: The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste
Learning Objective: Summarize the biological changes that underlie smell and taste.
Difficulty Level: Medium

61. According to your text, the fact that a greater percentage of women than of men are
supertasters may have had adaptive significance. Which of the following psychologists is most
likely to endorse this hypothesis?
a) Dr. Hahn, an evolutionary psychologist
b) Dr. Iverson, a neuropsychologist
c) Dr. Joseph, a cognitive psychologist
d) Dr. King, a behavioral psychologist
Ans: a
Feedback A: Correct!