The modality of a stimulus can be determined within the central nervous system by
A) population coding.
B) lateral inhibition.
C) frequency coding.
D) adequate stimulus from the sensory receptor cell.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The modality of a stimulus is initially determined by the adequate stimulus that activates a specific sensory receptor cell. For example, light activates photoreceptor cells in the retina, whereas sound waves activate hair cells in the cochlea. Therefore, the answer choice that best describes how the modality of a stimulus is determined in the central nervous system is D, adequate stimulus from the sensory receptor cell. Population coding, lateral inhibition, and frequency coding are all involved in processing sensory information but do not directly determine the modality of the stimulus.

The Modality of a Stimulus Can Be Determined Within the Central