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PSYCH 333
SELF-TEST: STUDY QUESTIONS FOR EXAM #1
INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL
1. What is a sensory system?
2. What are the basic components that make up a sensory system?
3. What is perception?
4. What are some factors that influence perception?
BACKGROUND INFORMATION THAT YOU SHOULD COME INTO THIS CLASS KNOWING
5. What are the main parts of the central nervous system? Draw a diagram of the brain and label
the following parts: 1) cerebral cortex; 2) thalamus; 3) brainstem; 4) cerebellum; 5) spinal cord.
6. What is a nucleus (as the term applies to gross anatomical structure)? What is a ganglion?
7. What are the cranial nerves? What are the spinal nerves?
8. What is the difference between a sensory nerve and a motor nerve?
9. Identify the main parts of a neuron, indicating the function of each. (you may draw a picture).
10. What are glia? What is their function?
11. What is an ion? What ions are found inside and outside the neuron?
12. What is meant by the term “resting membrane potential”?
13. Describe the flow of ions and changes in electrical potential that occur during the action
potential (you may draw a diagram).
14. What is the difference between an action potential and an excitatory post-synaptic potential
(EPSP)?
15. What is an ion channel? What is the difference between a ligand-gated (chemical-gated)
channel and a voltage-gated channel?
16. What is the absolute refractory period of a neuron? The relative refractory period?
17. What is a neurotransmitter? Which neurotransmitters are excitatory and which are inhibitory?
18. What is depolarization? What is hyperpolarization?
19. Under what conditions does neurotransmitter release cause an action potential?
20. Define spatial summation and temporal summation.
21. Define convergence and divergence as these terms would apply to a neural circuit.
22. What is the difference between an excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) and an inhibitory
postsynaptic potential (IPSP)?
23. How is information about the environment represented by neurons?
24. What kinds of changes can occur in the brain of an adult (for example, as a result of
learning)?
25. How does experience early in life influence brain development?
PSYCHOPHYSICS - NEW TOPIC
1. What is psychophysics?
2. Define absolute threshold. Give an example of how you could measure it.
3. What is Weber's law?
4. What is the Weber fraction? What is a JND?
5. What is magnitude estimation?
6. What is Stevens' power function?
7. Describe the procedures involved in the method of limits, method of adjustment, and method
of constant stimuli for measuring threshold. What errors could occur?
8. Describe the two-alternative forced choice procedure for determining absolute threshold. What
errors could occur?
9. In data obtained using a magnitude estimation procedure, what is response compression? What
s response expansion? (You may draw graphs)
TRANSDUCTION AND CHEMICAL SENSES
1. Define transduction, and describe the basic steps in transduction that are common to all
sensory systems.
2. Describe the basic flow of information in most sensory systems starting with an external
stimulus and ending in the cerebral cortex.
3. What are the chemical senses? Why are they important?
4. Where are the receptor cells for taste located, and what are they called?
5. How does transduction occur in taste cells?
6. How is information about taste represented in patterns of neural activity?
7. What is the first structure in the brain that receives information about taste?
8. What is a conditioned taste aversion? Why might it be important?
9. Where are the first neurons in the olfactory system located?
10. How does olfactory transduction occur?
11. Why is mucus important for olfaction?
12. Through what pathway does information about smell reach the olfactory cortex? The
thalamus?
13. Given that each olfactory and gustatory receptor cell responds to many different stimuli, how
might information about smell and taste be represented?
14. Which sensory systems contribute to our perception of the flavor of foods?
15. In what ways are the systems for olfaction and taste similar? In what ways are they different?
16. What features do the chemical senses have in common with all other sensory systems? In
what ways are they different?