Exam 2: The Biological Basis of Behavior

Jessica's mother has brown eyes, with a dominant gene for brown eyes and a recessive gene for blue eyes. Her father also has brown eyes, with a dominant gene for brown eyes and a recessive gene for blue eyes. What are the chances that Jessica has blue eyes?

The part of the brain that acts as a switchboard or relay station, sending incoming messages to the appropriate areas of the brain, is the ________.

A young woman returns from a day at the beach to find she has developed severe sunburn. Which neurons are sending messages from her burned skin to her brain informing her of the pain from the burn?

________ has long been linked to aggressive behavior.

An imaging technique that has been useful in helping researchers discover the biological origins of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is ________.

The language used by neurons to communicate ________.

Strain studies involve intensive inbreeding of close relatives among animals.

Neurons that carry messages from the spinal cord or the brain to the muscles and glands are called ________ neurons.

Eating, drinking, sexual behavior, sleeping, and temperature control are most strongly influenced by the ________.

Antipsychotic medications help reduce schizophrenic hallucinations by ________.

The area at the back of the temporal lobe that is crucial in our ability to listen, process, and understand what others are saying is ________ area.

A young man is taking an important test in a large room. He is progressing nicely when, about ten minutes into the exam, the proctor opens the window and he becomes distracted by the noise of the traffic outside. Which of the following psychological explanations is the least plausible explanation for what occurred when the window was opened?

Specifically describe the effects of the neurotransmitters acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and endorphins.

A baby is born with an impairment of her right cerebral hemisphere, but it is not discovered until years later, when certain clues are pieced together. Which of the following is least likely to be one of those clues?

The outer surface of the two cerebral hemispheres that regulate most complex behavior is called the ________.

It's midnight and you are alone in your room studying. You hear a loud crash outside your room. Your body instantly reacts to this potential threat as you feel your heart pounding and your senses sharpening. Then you see your lumbering English sheep dog walking around the hallway corner and realize that the crash was undoubtedly from something he knocked over. Recovering from your alarm, your body now relaxes and you return to normal. The body system helping you to return to normal is the ________.

A group of axons bundled together is called a ________.

The central nervous system consists of ________.

The function of the neuron's axon is to ________.

Strain studies involve ________.