Exam 2: The Biological Basis of Behavior

Which of the following would provide the best map of physical structures in the brains of living human beings?

For ethical reasons, only strain and selection studies can be used to explore human genetics.

Broca and Wernicke are most well known for studying how the brain processes ________.

Compare and contrast the functions of the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system.

The cell membrane of a neuron is ________.

The adrenal glands are important in your body's reaction to ________.

Masculine sex hormones are called ________.

The somatic nervous system contains two branches: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic divisions.

Explain the process of how a neural message is transmitted from the end of one neuron to the beginning of another. In your explanation, identify at least two neurotransmitters and describe their functions.

The point at which the nerves from the left side of the body cross over into the right side of the brain, and vice versa, is the ________.

Split-brain patients who are shown objects in such a way that the visual information goes only to the right hemisphere of the brain ________.

In many important psychological characteristics, a number of genes make a small contribution to the trait in question. This process is known as ________.

The neurotransmitter known as the "mood molecule" is ________.

How can the nervous system represent increases in the intensity of a stimulus?

Compare and contrast the functions of the left and right hemispheres of the cerebral cortex. What role does the corpus callosum play in this functioning? Finally, what were the reasons for, and results of, split-brain operations?

The field of psychobiology explores the ________.

The endocrine glands located just above the kidneys that release hormones important for dealing with stress are the ________.

An elderly male is diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease. His physician tells him the disorder involves a deficiency of ________.

Studies of heritability in humans that assume that if genes influence a certain trait, close relatives should be more similar with that trait than distant relatives are called ________ studies.

After drinking several cups of strong coffee, a person develops "coffee nerves" or "jitters." This probably is due to the ability of caffeine to ________.