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Self-Quiz on Senses and Perception

  1. What is myopia?
  2. Green afterimages after staring at red objects is evidence for..
  3. Evidence from brain scans shows...
  4. What do the ossicles accomplish?
  5. The frequency theory of auditory encoding suggests that different frequencies of sound...
  6. The little bumps visible on your tongue are...
  7. What sense dominates our ability to taste foods and liquids?
  8. How do scientists know endorphins are involved in placebo pain relief?
  9. What is the vestibular apparatus?
  10. The chapter said which of these might account for some ESP-like experiences?

End of multiple choice questions for Senses and Perception

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ANSWERS AND DISCUSSION SECTION

[The remainder of the page is not meant to be read sequentially; it consists of answers and explanations separated by stretches of nothing. You will jump back and forth to these as you click on possible answers of the questions.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You picked...

strain in eye muscles

No, eye muscles are strained (typically) by focusing on close-up objects. That is not myopia.

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degeneration of the retina

No, although degeneration of the retina does occur in some diseases (with serious consequences, including blindness) this is not the same thing as myopia.

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too much pressure in the vitreous humor

No, that is glaucoma, not myopia

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a problem focussing the visual image

Yes. Myopia is "near-sightedness." It occurs when the focal plane (the area where the visual image would be focussed) is slightly forward from the back the eye, so (unless the person wears corrective lenses) the visual image is out of focus, especially when the individual tries to see far-away objects.

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a problem seeing things which are either too close or too far away

No, that is presbyopia ("old eyes"), the problem caused by lack of flexibility in the lens, remedied by bifocals.

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color blindness

No, people with normal color perception can see colored afterimages.

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two channels of information

No, an afterimage involves only one channel.

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two types of rod receptor

No, color perception in general involves cones, not rods.

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two colors signaled by the same channel

Yes. The general idea is that, since one channel is used to signal information about two colors, when you fatigue (tire out) the response to one color (such as red) then a normal level of nerve activity in the channel will be perceived as green. Hence, staring at a red spot produces a green afterimage when you look at a blank surface, and vice versa.

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black and white opponent processes

No, color aftereffects involve the color perception channels.

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no sign of either hallucinations or illusions, showing they are imagined

No, brain scans can indeed show evidence of both hallucinations and illusions

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evidence of illusions, but not hallucinations

No, brain scans can shown evidence of both

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evidence of hallucinations, but not illusions

No, brain scans can show evidence of both

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evidence of both illusions and hallucinations

Yes. For example, PET scans can show activity corresponding to hallucinated voices, or activity corresponding to the perception of "illusary contours" (to cite two of many examples).

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evidence of illusions turning into hallucinations

No, I don't know of any case in which illusions turn into hallucinations.

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collecting sound

No, it is the outer ear which collects sounds. The ossicles are in the middle ear.

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amplifying vibrations

Yes. The chain of tiny bones in the middle ear (the ossicles) amplifies sound energy.

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transducing sound to nerve impulses

No, transduction is the function of the inner ear; the ossicles are in the middle ear.

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equalizing pressure between the middle and outer ear

No, it is the eustachian tube which serves this function, not the ossicles.

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equaling pressure between the middle and inner ear

No, there is no need for pressure to be equalized between middle and inner ear. However, pressure differences betwen the middle and outer ear must be equalized. This is done by opening the eustachian tube, not with the ossicles.

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result in different frequencies of nerve impulses

Yes. Below about 200 Hz, there is a direct translation of auditory frequency into frequency of nerve cell firing.

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result in different frequencies of brain rhythms

No...the frequency of low sounds (below 200 Hz) is translated into numbers of nerve impulses, not speed or frequency of brain waves.

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activate different neurons

No, that is the place theory, which is distinct from the frequency theory.

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create "resonance frequencies" in the middle ear

No. The middle ear amplifies all frequencies a person can hear; it does not resonate or vibrate in response to only some frequencies.

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are frequently perceived as "the same"

No, frequency discrimination helps tell different frequencies apart; it does not make them sound the same.

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taste buds

No, these structures are not the taste buds. Taste buds are buried inside pores on these structures.

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You picked...

taste cells

No, taste cells are grouped within the taste buds; they are not visible.

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papillae

Yes. Those are the little bumps on the surface of the tongue.

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receptors

No, the taste cells are the receptors, and they are not visible.

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epithelium

No, an epithelium is a sheet of cells, not a bump.

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olfactory

Yes. Even though the olfactory sense is "the sense of smell" and the gustatory sense is called "the sense of taste," the sense of smell actually plays the largest role in determining the taste of the food we eat.

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gustatory

No, one might think so because the gustatory sense involves the taste buds and taste cells, but actually olfaction is the dominant influence on the taste of food.

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cutaneous

No, the cutaneous sense is response for pain, pressure, and touch perception.

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kinesthetic

No, the kinesthetic sense is the sense of body position which uses receptors in joints and tendons.

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equilibratory

No, the equilibratory sense is the sense of balance and motion detection.

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endorphins go up when people take aspirin

No...this sounds reasonable, but aspirin works through a different mechanism.

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endorphins go up when people take any pain reliever, no matter what the chemical composition

No, over-the-counter pain relievers are not opiates and do not raise endorphin levels.

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naloxone, an opiate-blocker, eliminates placebo pain relief

Yes. Naloxone counteracts the effects of opiates, so the fact that naloxone eliminates pain relief when given secretly with a placebo indicates strongly that placebo pain relief is due to endogenous opiates (endorphins).

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placebo pain relief disappears if people are informed that they took a placebo

No, although this might conceivably happen, it does not show us what causes placebo-based pain relief.

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when people are informed that they are receiving endorphins, they show placebo pain relief

No, they can receive pain relief from any placebo, such as a sugar pill represented as a pain medication.

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the cochlea and surrounding bone

No, it is located near the cochlea but involves different organs.

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part of the kinesthetic sense

No, it is part of the sense of equilibrium.

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the organs for the sense of balance

Yes...the vestibular apparatus includes the semicircular canals and the "sacs" (the saccule and utricle). Altogether they contribute to the equilibratory sense, the sense of balance, equilibrium, and movement.

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a specialized nucleus which connects equilibratory and auditory nerves

No, the vestibular apparatus is not a "nucleus" (collection of neurons). It is a collection of sense organs.

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the same thing as the endolymph

No, the endolymph is the fluid inside the semicircular canals, which are part of the vestibular system.

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fever-induced polydipsia

No, polydipsia is excessive water-drinking, so this is not relevant to ESP.

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synchronicity

No, if synchronicity (an "acausal connecting principle") existed, it would be more like a proof of ESP than a substitute or explanation of it.

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precognitive dreams

No, "genuine" precognitive dreams are probably based on intuition, not ESP. So-called precognitive dreams with very great detail are probably deja vu sensations being mistaken for dreams coming true.

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anniversary phenomena

Yes. Anniversary phenomena are ESP-like experiences based on a seasonal rhythm or some other recurring event. For example, if you formerly saw a friend around New Year's Day, you might think of the friend near that time of the year. The friend might think of you, too, and call you on the telephone. It would seem like an uncanny coincidence.

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"hot flashes"

No, the term "hot flashes" usually refers to periodic bouts of heat and sweating during menopause. It has nothing to do with ESP.

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Write to Dr. Dewey at psywww@gmail.com.


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