Exam 2: The Biological Basis of Behavior

A technique in which an X-ray photography unit rotates around a patient, moving from the top of the head to the bottom, creating a series of images that are combined by a computer to produce pictures of the inner regions of the brain is called ________.

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

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

A young woman recovering from a blow to her head finds she has great difficulty maintaining her balance and coordinating her movements. Injury to which part of her brain is likely to be causing her difficulties?

When a neuron is polarized, ________.

The section of the frontal lobe responsible for voluntary movement is the ________.

Each of the following is a current criticism of evolutionary psychology except ________.

Define neuron, axon, dendrite, cell body, and myelin sheath. In your definitions, be sure to describe the specific functions of each item.

The neuron cannot fire during the absolute refractory period.

Permanent damage to the reticular formation can cause ________.

Messages from the sense receptors are registered in those areas of the brain called the ________.

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 brown eyes?

Each neuron has ________ axon(s).

Humans share about ________ percent of their genes with chimpanzees.

Before birth, human embryos have a large supply of cells known as ________ cells, which are capable of becoming neurons.

An elderly person with Parkinson's disease is most likely to have a problem with which of the following neurotransmitters?

A resting potential is the electrical charge across a neural membrane when ________ ions concentrate on the outside and ________ ions concentrate on the inside.

Strain studies involve ________.

If you wanted to measure various brain waves, which of the following techniques should you use?

The nervous system is usually divided into two major parts: the central nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.