Question

Which of the following situations would interfere with the ability to discriminate whether a stimulus was light or touch?

A. The central nervous system can't tell which axon generated an action potential.
B. Both light and touch receptors were stimulated.
C. Receptors normally have a low degree of specificity.
D. Sensory organs convert stimuli into different types of action potentials.
E. Touch receptors are more sensitive.

Answer 1

The ability to discriminate between light and touch is compromised if the central nervous system cannot identify which axon generated an action potential, due to receptor specificity and the specialized nature of sensory receptors like mechanoreceptors.

Step-by-step explanation:

The situation that would interfere with the ability to discriminate whether a stimulus was light or touch is outlined by option A: The central nervous system can't tell which axon generated an action potential. Sensory receptors such as mechanoreceptors are specialized to detect specific types of stimuli and convert them into electrical signals in the nervous system.

This specificity is due to receptor specificity, where each type of receptor responds to a certain type of stimulus. Touch receptors, for instance, will only respond to mechanical stimuli such as pressure, not to light. If the central nervous system cannot distinguish which sensory axons are sending signals, it will be unable to accurately determine the source of the stimulation, thus making it difficult to discern light from touch.