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Perception, 4/e

Robert Sekuler, Brandeis University
Randolph Blake, Vanderbilt University

Touch


1	Which of these statements is not true of the sense of touch?
		A)	Some patients suffering from multiple sclerosis are devoid of the sense.
		B)	Touch deprivation results in the secretion of growth hormone.
		C)	Mothers can identify their infants by stroking their hands or cheeks.
		D)	Touching others is an important means of social communication.


2	By using hairs of various diameters and length, called von Frey hairs, it has been determined that
		A)	tactile sensitivity is greatest on the stomach.
		B)	males are generally more sensitive than females.
		C)	touch sensitivity is dulled when the skin is cooled.
		D)	touch sensitivity is approximately equal across the body.


3	Sensitivity to vibrotactile stimulation
		A)	is best for the fingertips.
		B)	does not vary with probe size.
		C)	is greatest for vibration frequencies around 30 Hz.
		D)	can provide early warning signs of peripheral nerve dysfunction.


4	Touch acuity measured using the two-point threshold test
		A)	has replaced the less valid grating orientation discrimination technique.
		B)	finds that acuity and sensitivity are poorly correlated.
		C)	is about 10mm on the finger pads.
		D)	deteriorates markedly with age.


5	The ability to localize the relative position of a stimulus by touch is
		A)	less accurate than predicted by touch acuity experiments.
		B)	as accurate as predicted by touch acuity experiments.
		C)	more accurate than predicted by touch acuity experiments.
		D)	unrelated to touch acuity.


6	The ability to resolve fine detail with the fingers
		A)	is best when the fingers are stationary.
		B)	is the same regardless of the orientation of the surface features.
		C)	is fundamentally better in blind individuals.
		D)	does not depend critically on the way in which the fingers are moved across the surface.


7	The Braille system
		A)	is limited because it still requires special typewriters to produce the dots.
		B)	allows literate Braille readers to read at 60 to 120 words per minute.
		C)	has no application beyond representing text.
		D)	is no easier to read than text in raised Roman letters.


8	The difficulty in recognizing embossed spatial images by touched compared to by sight can be explained by
		A)	the fingertips' comparatively limited spatial resolution.
		B)	the limited "field of view" of the finger compared to vision.
		C)	the total inability of the sense of touch to integrate information across space.
		D)	touch being preferentially able to recognize common objects.


9	Metal feels cooler to the touch than cloth because
		A)	metal is actually colder than cloth.
		B)	metal has a lower thermal conductivity.
		C)	metal is harder than cloth.
		D)	both b and c.


10	Which of these mechanoreceptors is properly matched with the spatiotemporal properties of their afferent fiber types?
		A)	Ruffini endings - Slow adapting/diffuse
		B)	Meissner corpuscles - Slow adaptive/punctate
		C)	Merkel disks - Rapid adapting/diffuse
		D)	Pacinian corpuscles - rapid adapting/punctate


11	Free nerve endings in the skin play an important role in the perception of
		A)	light touch.
		B)	stretching of the skin.
		C)	pain.
		D)	steady pressure.


12	Which of these statements about the somatosensory cortex is false?
		A)	It is located in the parietal lobe.
		B)	It is somatotopically organized.
		C)	Damage to it results in deficits in touch sensitivity.
		D)	Each hemisphere represents the contralateral side of the body.


13	Sensory information that depends upon both touch and kinesthesis is called
		A)	haptics.
		B)	proprioception.
		C)	nocioception.
		D)	analgesia.


14	The condition where an amputee has the compelling sense that an amputated limb is still attached to his or her body is known as
		A)	tactile agnosia.
		B)	phantom limb.
		C)	unilateral neglect.
		D)	Meissner's condition.


15	According to the gate control theory of pain,
		A)	the T-cells block transmission of pain signals to the brain.
		B)	activation of fast-conducting fibers carrying touch information enhances pain signals.
		C)	T-cells can be blocked by fibers originating in the brain.
		D)	acupuncture cannot be explained.


16	Studies of somatosensory plasticity demonstrate
		A)	cortical maps cannot be reorganized after a critical period in development.
		B)	unlike non musicians, musicians have comparably sized representations of the left and right hands.
		C)	cortical representations in Braille readers depend on their technique in reading.
		D)	changes in cortical organization don't depend on attention to the stimulus.

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