Test BankChapter 15: The Chemical Senses

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. The senses of ____________ are referred to as the gatekeepers.

a. olfaction and gustation c. vision and olfaction
b. kinethesis and proprioception d. vision and proprioception

ANS: A REF: Chemical Senses MSC: Conceptual

2. The life-span of olfactory receptors in humans is

a. 1 day. c. 7 years.
b. 5 to 7 weeks. d. 60 years.

ANS: B REF: Chemical Senses MSC: Factual

3. ____ tastes cause an autonomic acceptance response and prepares the gastrointestinal tract for
these substances.
a. Bitter c. Sour
b. Sweet d. Umami
ANS: B REF: Taste System MSC: Factual

4. A fifth basic taste discovered many years after the other four is
a. referred to as salty-sweet. c. described as putrid.
b. described as bittersweet. d. referred to as umami.

ANS: D REF: Basic Taste Qualities MSC: Factual

5. Sodium nitrate results in a taste of

a. sweet. c. sour.
b. sweet and sour. d. a combination of salty, sour, and bitter.

ANS: D REF: Basic Taste Qualities MSC: Factual

6. The tiny bumps on the tongue that contain the taste buds are the
a. insulae. c. papillae.
b. lattices. d. tadomae.

ANS: C REF: Structure of the Taste System MSC: Factual

7. The _____ papillae are mushroom-shaped and found on the tip and sides of the tongue.
a. filiform c. foliate
b. fungiform d. circumvillate

ANS: B REF: Structure of the Taste System MSC: Factual

8. Areas on the tongue covered primarily with filiform papillae are similar to ______ in vision.
a. convergence c. cortical magnification
b. the blind spot d. accretion and deletion

ANS: B REF: Structure of the Taste System MSC: Applied

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 9. The central part of the tongue has no taste sensations because that part consists primarily of
_______ papillae which do not contain taste buds.
a. filiform c. foliate
b. fungiform d. circumvillate

ANS: A REF: Structure of the Taste System MSC: Conceptual

10. The ____ pathway conducts signals from the front and sides of the tongue to the brain.
a. chorda tympani c. vagus nerve
b. glossopharyngeal nerve d. insula nerve

ANS: A REF: Structure of the Taste System MSC: Factual

11. Olfactory signals from the thalamus project to

a. the insula and the frontal operculum cortex.
b. only the nucleus of solitary tract.
c. the orbitofrontal cortex.
d. the parietal cortex.

ANS: A REF: Structure of the Taste System MSC: Factual

12. Across-fiber patterns is another name for

a. distributed coding. c. olfactory decoding.
b. specificity coding. d. common coding.

ANS: A REF: Distributed Coding MSC: Conceptual

13. Evidence for ______ is provided by an Erickson (1963) study in which rats appeared to be
unable to discriminate between two different solutions that produce a similar taste.
a. distributed coding. c. olfactory decoding.
b. specificity coding. d. common coding.

ANS: A REF: Distributed Coding MSC: Conceptual

14. Mueller et al. created a strain of mice that lacked the receptor that normally responds to a
bitter substance called Cyx. The mice that did not have this receptor
a. avoided all bitter substances.
b. avoided Cyx, but would eat other bitter foods.
c. did not avoid Cyx.
d. avoided high concentrations of PTC.

ANS: C REF: Specificity Coding MSC: Conceptual

15. The substance amiloride

a. blocks the flow of sucrose to taste receptors.
b. blocks the flow of sodium to taste receptors.
c. increases neural responses to salt detection.
d. neutralizes bitter tastes by confusing the signal.

ANS: B REF: Specificity Coding MSC: Factual

16. Eliminating the receptor for bitter tastes results in

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 a. a shifting of the selectivity other receptors to allow some detection of bitter.
b. the regeneration of bitter receptors.
c. less sensitivity to umami and salty tastes.
d. no effect on responses to the other tastes.
ANS: D REF: Specificity Coding MSC: Conceptual

17. The finding that rats will still prefer sweet substances even though their sweet receptors
have been eliminated
a. proves that taste uses distributed coding.
b. presents a challenge to distributed coding theories.
c. presents a challenge to specificity coding theories.
d. is unrelated to the issue of neural representation of taste.
ANS: C REF: Specificity Coding MSC: Conceptual

18. In regard to specificity vs. distributed coding , most researchers conclude

a. distributed coding has the most research support.
b. specificity coding has the most research support.
c. basic taste qualities are determined by specificity coding, and distributed coding is
important for discriminating subtle differences.
d. basic taste qualities are determined by distributed coding, and specificity coding is
important for discriminating subtle differences.
ANS: C REF: Specificity Coding MSC: Conceptual

19. In taste research, people are classified as tasters or non-tasters based on their sensitivity to
PTC, which tastes
a. sweet. c. salty.
b. sour. d. bitter.

ANS: D REF: Individual Differences in Tasting MSC: Conceptual

20. The difference between tasters and non-tasters in the ability to taste PROP is due to:
a. a higher density of taste buds for tasters than non-tasters.
b. a lower density of taste buds for tasters than non-tasters.
c. specialized receptors present in tasters tongues that are absent from non-tasters.
d. both higher taste bud density and specialized receptors for tasters.

ANS: D REF: Individual Differences in Tasting MSC: Factual

21. Macrosmatic species will use olfaction for

a. marking territory. c. a guide for food sources.
b. sexual reproduction. d. all of these.

ANS: D REF: Olfactory System MSC: Factual

22. In one study, men rated the scent of t-shirts worn by women three nights in a row. The results
indicated that
a. men disliked the smell of dirty t-shirts on men, but not women.

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 b. men preferred the t-shirt scent if the woman who were ovulating.
c. men preferred the t-shirt scent if the woman was not ovulating..
d. men preferred the t-shirt scent of women who showered regularly.

ANS: C REF: Olfactory System MSC: Conceputal

23. __________ is the inability to smell due to injury or infection.

a. Aphasia c. Alliesthesia
b. Anosmia d. Prosopagnosia

ANS: B REF: Olfactory System MSC: Factual

24. When using the forced-choice procedure in measuring odor detection thresholds, the
experimenter should
a. do two trials simultaneously. c. separate trials by at least 5 seconds.
b. separate trials by at least 500 msec. d. separate trials by at least 30 seconds.

ANS: D REF: Method: Measuring the Detection Threshold

MSC: Conceputal

25. The human sensitivity for the odorant found in natural gas is ________ the odorant for the
main substance in nail polish remover.
a. greater than c. the same as
b. less than d. not consistently different than

ANS: A REF: Detecting Odors MSC: Factual

26. Dogs are more sensitive to smells than humans because

a. humans have more olfactory receptors than dogs.
b. dogs have many more olfactory receptors than humans.
c. each individual olfactory receptor is more sensitive in dogs than in humans.
d. dogs tend to be microsmatic.

ANS: B REF: Detecting Odors MSC: Factual

27. When Doty told a participant the correct label for an odor initially described as fishy-goaty-
oily, the participant transformed the smell into the perception of
a. Aquavit. c. leather.
b. licorice. d. meatloaf.

ANS: C REF: Identifying Odors MSC: Conceptual

28. When presented with a common odor like banana or motor oil, participants can identify the
odor approximately _____% of the time.
a. 10 c. 87
b. 50 d. 98

ANS: B REF: Identifying Odors MSC: Factual

29. Finding the neural code for odor molecules

a. is relatively straightforward, since molecules that are similar result in similar
smells.
b. is relatively straightforward, since there is a simple relationship between the
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 chemical properties of the odor and the perceived odor.
c. has focused on what smells cause olfactory neurons to fire.
d. has focused on which chemical odorants cause the olfactory neurons to fire.

ANS: D REF: Puzzle of Olfactory Quality MSC: Conceptual

30. The __________ is the structure that contains the receptors for olfaction.
a. olfactory bulb c. chorda tympani
b. olfactory mucosa d. substantia gelatinosa

ANS: B REF: Olfactory Mucosa MSC: Factual

31. Olfactory transduction occurs at

a. the olfactory receptor neurons. c. the papillae.
b. the amygdala. d. the foliate.

ANS: A REF: Olfactory Mucosa MSC: Applied

32. There are __________ different types of olfactory receptors in humans.

a. 4 c. approximately 350
b. 20 d. approximately 10,000

ANS: C REF: Olfactory Mucosa MSC: Factual

33. Which of the following is a correct interpretation when using calcium imaging to measure
olfactory receptor response?
a. The more strongly the ORN is activated, the fluorescence increases.
b. The more strongly the ORN is activated, the fluorescence decreases.
c. The more strongly the ORN is activated, the greater the glow.
d. The more strongly the ORN is activated, the concentration of calcium ions
decreases.
ANS: B REF: Search for Order in the Olfactory Bulb
MSC: Conceptual

34. The relationship between an odorants smell and its recognition profile is similar to
___________ in vision.
a. stereopsis. c. trichromatic coding for color.
b. binocular cell response. d. corollary discharge theory.

ANS: C REF: How ORNs Respond to Odarants MSC: Conceptual

35. Octanoic acid and octanol differ in molecular structure by one oxygen molecule. When
smelling these substances,
a. participants report that the two substances both smell sweet.
b. participants report that the two substances both smell musky.
c. the recognition profiles for the two substances are very different.
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 d. octanoic acid, but not octanol, was classified as a pheromone for sexual
attraction.
ANS: C REF: How ORNs Respond to Odarants MSC: Conceptual

36. The axons of the olfactory sensory neurons project to the ___________ in the brain.
a. glomeruli in the olfactory bulb c. lateral geniculate nucleus
b. occipital lobe d. superior olivary nucleus

ANS: A REF: Search for Order in the Olfactory Bulb

MSC: Factual

37. Uchidas optical imaging research showed that larger carbon chains activate areas on the
olfactory bulb that are
a. more centrally located.
b. located more to the right.
c. located more to the left.
d. randomly distributed across the glomeruli.
ANS: C REF: Search for Order in the Olfactory Bulb
MSC: Factual

38. Which technique involves injecting an animal with a radioactive molecule to see which part of
the olfactory bulb is most activated by different chemicals?
a. Genetic tracing c. 2-DG
b. Olfactory Evoked Potentials d. TVC-15

ANS: C REF: Method: 2-Deoxyglucose Technique

MSC: Factual

39. Olfactory signals from the glomeruli project to

a. the piriform cortex in the temporal lobe.
b. the orbitofrontal cortex in the frontal lobe.
c. the amygdala.
d. all of these.

ANS: D REF: Representing Odors in the Cortex MSC: Factual

40. The _______ is most likely involved perceiving overlapping odors, such as coffee French
toast and bacon.
a. piriform cortex. c. PTC.
b. nasal pharynx. d. insula.

ANS: A REF: How Odor Objects are Represented

MSC: Factual

41. Flavor is the impression a person gets from

a. taste only.
b. the combination of olfaction and kinesthesis.
c. the combination of olfaction and taste.
d. the combination of olfaction, taste, and vision.

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 ANS: C REF: Perception of Flavor MSC: Conceptual

42. Which of the following compounds had the same flavor whether or not the persons nose was
clamped to prevent olfaction?
a. sodium oleate
b. ferrous sodium
c. MSG
d. all of these are all affected by clamping the nostrils
ANS: C REF: Taste and Olfaction Meet in the Mouth and Nose
MSC: Factual

43. The orbital frontal cortex receives input from

a. the visual pathways.
b. the primary somatosensory cortex.
c. the primary cortical areas for taste and olfaction.
d. all of these.

ANS: D REF: Taste and Olfaction Meet in the Nervous System

MSC: Factual

44. As a monkeys hunger for cream decreases, the firing of the OFC neuron to the creams odor
a. increases. c. stays the same.
b. decreases. d. randomly increases or decreases.

ANS: B REF: Flavor is Influenced by Food Intake

MSC: Conceptual

45. When an eight-hour-old newborn is given a concentrated shrimp odor to smell, the
newborn
a.responds with a facial expression similar to a smile.
b.responds with an increase in sucking.
c.responds with a facial expression that displays disgust.
d.does not respond at all to smells at this young age.
ANS: C REF: Infant Chemical Sensitivity MSC: Factual

46. Which of the following tastes do newborns NOT react to?

a. bitter c. sour
b. sweet d. salty

ANS: D REF: Infant Chemical Sensitivity MSC: Factual

ESSAY

1. Does distributed coding or specificity coding occur in taste? Support your answer with
research.

ANS: Answer not provided.

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2. What is the difference between tasters and non-tasters? What is the proposed cause(s) for this
difference?

ANS: Answer not provided.

3. In one study males were asked to rate the scent of a t-shirt worn by a woman three nights
during ovulation or three nights when not in ovulation. Discuss the results of this study and
relate them to reproductive fertility and the human ability to sense phermones.

ANS: Answer not provided.

4. Discuss the research on odor identification. Relate Goldsteins anecdote about smelling
Aquavit to odor identification (or better yet, describe a similar situation that happened in
your life).

ANS: Answer not provided.

5. Compare three different methods for studying the physiology of olfaction.

ANS: Answer not provided.

6. Discuss how top-down processing is involved in odor perception; form both a behavioral
and physiological approach.

ANS: Answer not provided.

7. What is flavor? Describe how taste experience is affected if olfaction does not take place
when tasting a substance.

ANS: Answer not provided.

8. Describe the Proust effect and provide a physiological explanation for its occurrence.

ANS: Answer not provided.