Chapter 6 Textbook Questions- Physio Psych

How do taste receptors differ from neurons?

• Taste receptors generate action potentials, while neurons do not.

• Because taste receptors are modified skin cells, they are replaced about every two weeks.

• Taste receptors and neurons function identically in signal transmission.

• Taste receptors communicate directly with muscles, whereas neurons do not.

What do we conclude if two tastes produce cross-adaptation?

• If they produce cross adaptation, they must stimulate the same taste receptors.

• The two tastes are detected by completely different pathways.

• The two tastes cannot be perceived simultaneously.

• The sensitivity to both tastes increases over time.

What evidence implies that we detect tastes partly by the timing pattern of neuron responses?

• All taste sensations depend on a single type of receptor.

• Some substances taste different depending on the concentration.

• When researchers stimulated rats brain cells with the same time pattern that quinine produces, the rats retreated and stopped drinking.

• Damage to taste receptors eliminates all taste perception.

Why are supertasters more sensitive to tastes than other people are?

• They have more taste buds near the tip of the tongue.

• They have fewer pain receptors in their mouths.

• Their taste receptors generate stronger action potentials.

• Their brains process taste information more slowly.

How do olfactory receptors resemble metabotropic neurotransmitter receptors?

• They both directly open ion channels for fast signaling.

• They both rely on G-protein-coupled mechanisms to trigger cellular responses.

• They both require physical stretching to activate.

• They both generate electrical signals without the need for secondary messengers.

How do neurons in the olfactory cortex differ from neurons in the olfactory bulb?

• Neurons in the olfactory cortex respond to complex odor combinations, while neurons in the olfactory bulb respond to specific odorants.

• Neurons in the olfactory cortex detect only a single odor, whereas neurons in the olfactory bulb detect multiple odors.

• Neurons in the olfactory cortex send signals directly to the muscles, while neurons in the olfactory bulb do not.

• Neurons in the olfactory cortex are responsible for detecting taste, while neurons in the olfactory bulb detect smells.

What factors contribute to individual differences in olfactory sensitivity?

• The number of taste buds on the tongue

• The ability to see different colors

• Genetics, age, and hormone level

• Genetics, age, illness, and gender

If someone reports seeing a particular letter in color, in what way is it different from a real color?

• The synesthetic color completely replaces the actual color of the letter.

• Someone who perceives a letter as yellow (when it is actually in black ink) can nevertheless see it on a yellow page.

• The synesthetic color is only imagined and cannot be perceived visually.

• The synesthetic color is perceived only in total darkness.

What evidence indicates that people learn their synesthetic associations, at least in some cases?

• Synesthetic associations are entirely random and show no patterns.

• Brain scans show no differences between synesthetes and non-synesthetes.

• Some people have letter-color synesthesias that match the colors of refrigerator magnets they played with in childhood.

• Synesthetic associations are always identical among all individuals.

The effects of miracle berries and Gymnema sylvestre support which of these conclusions?

• People from different cultures tend to have different taste preferences.

• Some of our receptors respond to a single taste.

• Increasing the temperature of a food enhances its flavors.

• Coding in the olfactory bulb differs from that in the olfactory cortex.