Exam 4: The Brain and Behaviour

Research on the brains of people with schizophrenia suggests problems with the structure that organizes sensory information and routes it to appropriate parts of the brain; that is, the __________.This malfunctioning structure may therefore be responsible for schizophrenic hallucinations and other disturbing sensory experiences.

On a hot summer day, five children decide to fill up Brock's kiddie pool. Yesterday, Brock's father ran over the hose with the lawnmower, so the hose is not working. The children decide to create a bucket line from the faucet to the pool. The first child passes the full bucket to the second child, the second to the third, and so on until the last child empties the bucket into the pool and tosses the bucket back to the first child. If we compare the children's bucket line to a SINGLE neuron, we can say that the water, which is passed from child to child until it reaches the pool, is like the __________________,or nerve impulse, which is passed through the axon.

Harry is going to Mei's house to feed Mei's cat while she is gone. Mei left Harry her keyring, but when Harry reaches the front door, he realizes he doesn't know which key fits the lock. He tries several before finding the right one. If we compare the key and the lock to the behavior of communicating neurons, we can say that the key is like a __________ and the lock is like a

Eric and Sonia are camping, and they decide to gather wood for a fire before they sit down to eat their dinner. Eric returns to the campsite before Sonia and finds a baby bear eating their food. While the bear is only a baby, it is still a BEAR, and he feels his body preparing to fight or flee. The stress hormones that prepare him for action are produced by the

Anton's grandfather had a stroke. When the family arrives at the hospital, Grandfather is unable to speak. The family gives him some paper and a pencil, but Grandfather is unable to write. A speech therapist explains that Grandfather probably knows what he wants to say, but the part of his brain that allows him to produce speech has been damaged by the stroke, causing a condition called__________. She plans to work with Grandfather to help him learn to speak again.

Professor Kendell is explaining how neurons work. He uses the metaphor of an electrical cord to explain neuron structure. Like the wires inside the electrical cord, he says, the __________ carriesthe neuron's electrical message; like the rubber protecting the cord's wires, the neuron's __________ensures that the signal goes where it's supposed to go.

Julianna suffers from terrible allergies and goes to see her physician to get some medicine. The physician explains that the body overreacting to foreign substances in the air that we call allergens causes allergies. These foreign substances, which trigger a biochemical response from the immune system, are also called

When we're asked to read a passage of text out loud, many parts of the brain are required to recognize the letters, give them meaning, and translate them into speech. Even if each of these parts of the brain is intact, damage to parts of the brain that connect them, collectively referred to as __________ canmake the process difficult or impossible.

Stoddard, Raine, Bihrle, and Buchsbaum (1997) were interested in what might cause people who had not been abused, neglected, or raised in disrupted households to kill. Using PET scans, they determined that the murderers' brains had lower-than-normal prefrontal activity. This finding can help us understand why these individuals were more likely to kill because this part of the brain is

Monica is going to the dentist to get her first filling. She tries to be responsible about all medications, so before he numbs her mouth, she asks the dentist to explain how Novocain works. The dentist tellsMonica that Novocain creates numbness and prevents pain by __________ in the target area.

Anton's grandfather had a stroke. When the family arrives at the hospital, Grandfather is unable to speak. The family gives him some paper and a pencil, but Grandfather is unable to write. A speech therapist explains that Grandfather probably knows what he wants to say, but the part of his brain that allows him to produce speech, __________ has been damaged by the stroke. She plans to work withGrandfather to help him learn to speak again.

Derek has been asked to hand-deliver a message to Adeline. Adeline lives across the river from Derek, and there is no bridge. Therefore, Derek must take a boat across the channel to deliver the message. If we compare Derek's actions to those that occur in neurons, we can say that Derek, the person who carries the message across the channel, is like a

Tatiana writes for the school paper, is active in the mathematics club, and enjoys logic games. She has been reading about the concept of "left brain/right brain"and decides that, based on her interests, she is probably more

People who have paralysis due to a break in the spinal cord have intact sensory neurons in spite of their inability to experience sensation in the paralyzed areas. The problem is that the sensory information cannot reach the part of the brain that translates it into actual sensation. This part of the brain is called

Jordy took an extremely heavy course-load this semester, and as finals approach, he worries about having enough time and energy to study for each exam. Jordy's worries cause his __________ toproduce stress hormones to try to help him cope.

When your body gets too warm, you begin to sweat, your skin flushes, and you're likely to seek out cooler surroundings. When your body gets too cool, you get goosebumps, you shiver, and you're likely to seek out warmer surroundings. These behaviors are evidence that your body likes to maintain an internal balance called __________ to keep you safe and healthy.