Deck 12: Emotional Behaviors

Question 1

The limbic system-the forebrain areas surrounding the thalamus-has been regarded as non-critical for emotion.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

In people with an uncommon condition called pure autonomic failure, output from the autonomic nervous system to the body fails, either completely or almost completely.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Low serotonin turnover is associated with reduced aggression.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

People with damage to either the prefrontal cortex or the amygdala show difficulties processing emotional information.

Question 5

The more important contributions to emotions come from the effects of the autonomic nervous system, not muscle activity.

Question 6

The amygdala is important only for the expression of fear.

Question 7

Prefrontal cortex damage always results in poor decisions.

Question 8

The most commonly used anti-anxiety drugs are the benzodiazepines.

Question 9

The pattern of physiological reactions for each emotion is easily distinguishable by the person who is experiencing them.

Question 10

Amygdala damage will result in the complete loss of the startle response.

Question 11

Psychologists typically define emotion in terms of three components.

Question 12

Increasing the amount of phenylalanine in the diet may interfere with the synthesis of serotonin.

Question 13

The insula is strongly activated if you see a disgusting picture.

Question 14

Most of the vigorous emotional behaviors we observe in animals fall into the categories of attack and escape.

Question 15

The right hemisphere seems to be more responsive to emotional stimuli than the left hemisphere.

Question 16

According to the James-Lange theory of emotion, we experience physiological changes first and then label these changes as an emotion.

Question 17

Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder are more likely to have a suppressed startle reflex.

Question 18

Emotions are important for decision making.

Question 19

Activity in the amygdala can change without the person being consciously aware of an emotional stimulus.

Question 20

The amygdala is one of the main areas for integrating both environmental and genetic influences, and then regulating the current level of anxiety.

Question 21

The branch of the autonomic nervous system that is responsible for preparing the body for intense, vigorous, emergency activity is the:

A) somatic nervous system.
B) craniosacral nervous system.
C) sympathetic nervous system.
D) parasympathetic nervous system.

Question 22

According to the ____ theory, we experience emotion after we experience autonomic arousal.

A) Lange-Jung
B) Lange-Papez
C) James-Jung
D) James-Lange

Question 23

Which evidence is most detrimental to the James-Lange theory?

A) Patients with pure autonomic failure experience emotions.
B) Sometimes people have trouble reporting what they are feeling.
C) Changes in arousal are reported as changes in emotions.
D) Some people feel stronger emotions than others do.

Question 24

Brief activation of the sympathetic nervous system can enhance activity of the immune system.

Question 25

According to the James-Lange theory, we experience emotion:

A) first, then come our actions.
B) and act upon that emotion, simultaneously.
C) after we experience autonomic arousal.
D) and must label it before we can act on it.

Question 26

Individuals with pure autonomic failure:

A) do not experience emotions.
B) are paralyzed.
C) are always fearful.
D) do not experience much intensity of emotion.

Question 27

Individuals with pure autonomic failure:

A) experience no emotion at all.
B) have diminished intensity of emotion, but still report cognitive aspects of it.
C) die from low blood pressure.
D) lose all output to the muscles.

Question 28

According to the James-Lange theory of emotion:

A) only sympathetic arousal is important.
B) emotional intensity is a function of physiological responses.
C) we experience emotion first, and then our autonomic nervous system produces the appropriate changes.
D) we attack because we are angry.

Question 29

Psychologists typically define emotion in terms of the following three components:

A) actions, cognitions, and emotions
B) feelings, actions, and emotions
C) cognitions, actions, and emotions
D) cognitions, feelings, and actions

Question 30

Temporary increases in cortisol can enhance immune function.

Question 31

In the revised James-Lange theory of emotion, what occurs first?

A) cognitive appraisal
B) actions
C) physiological changes
D) feeling

Question 32

Benzodiazepines bind to the GABAC receptor.

Question 33

The sympathetic nervous system is to ____ as the parasympathetic nervous system is to ____.

A) fight; flight
B) emergencies; relaxation
C) assertiveness; aggressiveness
D) striated muscles; smooth muscles

Question 34

A scientist would be most likely to use which of the following when attempting to obtain an objective measure of emotion?

A) a self report
B) ratings by independent observers
C) measures of sympathetic nervous system responses
D) measures of parasympathetic nervous system responses

Question 35

The branch of the autonomic nervous system that is responsible for preparing the body for fight or flight behaviors is called the:

A) parasympathetic nervous system.
B) sympathetic nervous system.
C) somatic nervous system.
D) craniosacral nervous system.

Question 36

Activation of the HPA axis occurs during prolonged stress.

Question 37

Direct injections of cytokines into the brain would increase appetite.

Question 38

The autonomic nervous system is divided into two parts; the ____ nervous system (which prepares the body for emergency action), and the ____ nervous system (which calms the body).

A) sympathetic; parasympathetic
B) parasympathetic; sympathetic
C) somatic; craniosacral
D) craniosacral; somatic

Question 39

Prolonged high cortisol levels are associated with increased hippocampal damage.

Question 40

Individuals with PTSD usually have a smaller than average hippocampus.

Question 41

Which of the following problems is most likely to result in an increased ability to identify the emotional expression of people viewing pleasant and unpleasant pictures?

A) locked in syndrome
B) damage to the left hemisphere
C) panic disorder
D) damage to the right hemisphere

Question 42

The amygdala is part of the:

A) pyramidal system.
B) sympathetic nervous system.
C) parasympathetic nervous system.
D) limbic system.

Question 43

Children with a rare condition called ____ are unable to move their facial muscles to make a smile.

A) Lange syndrome
B) Möbius syndrome
C) James syndrome
D) Fregoli syndrome

Question 44

Activity in the left hemisphere is associated with:

A) decreased emotional experiences.
B) fear, but not other emotions.
C) behavioral activation.
D) behavioral inhibition.

Question 45

The Behavioral Inhibition System is associated with:

A) low to moderate arousal, tendency to approach new objects, and pleasant mood.
B) maximum arousal, increased fear, and negative mood.
C) lack of arousal, decreased action, and pleasant mood.
D) increased attention and arousal, decreased action, and fear or disgust.

Question 46

The Behavioral Activation System is associated with:

A) low to moderate arousal, tendency to approach new objects, and pleasant mood.
B) maximum arousal, increased fear, and negative mood.
C) lack of arousal, decreased action, and pleasant mood.
D) increased attention and arousal, decreased action, and fear or disgust.

Question 47

Findings from people with pure autonomic failure suggest that:

A) autonomic output is important for experiencing emotion.
B) the James-Lange theory is incorrect.
C) feelings are the same thing as emotions.
D) lack of physiological feedback makes us happy.

Question 48

The area that is activated by feeling disgusted is the same area of the brain responsible for:

A) sight.
B) smell.
C) taste.
D) hearing.

Question 49

The limbic system consists of structures that are believed to be important for which kind of responses?

A) reflexes
B) fine motor control
C) spatial orientation
D) emotional

Question 50

A group of forebrain structures that appear to be critical for emotion are known as the:

A) pyramidal system.
B) sympathetic nervous system.
C) parasympathetic nervous system.
D) limbic system.

Question 51

Damage to the insular cortex impairs the sense of taste and the ability to recognize:

A) fear.
B) sadness.
C) happiness.
D) disgust.

Question 52

The challenge in identifying specific brain areas that are associated with specific emotions is that:

A) all emotions activate all parts of the brain.
B) the procedures used to measure emotions vary considerably.
C) we don't have techniques to view activity in the brain.
D) the area of the brain responsible for a particular emotion varies over time.

Question 53

A search for the happiness center in the brain is unlikely to be successful because:

A) brain areas associated with particular emotions vary considerably.
B) happiness is only an epiphenomenon.
C) fear activates the identical brain areas as happiness does.
D) no one has been able to define happiness.

Question 54

Which of the following is characterized by extreme sympathetic nervous system arousal?

A) locked-in syndrome
B) pure autonomic failure
C) panic attack
D) prosopagnosia

Question 55

Damage to the ____ results in a diminished ability to experience and recognize disgust.

A) temporal cortex
B) insular cortex
C) hippocampus
D) frontal cortex

Question 56

Increased activity of the frontal and temporal lobes of the right hemisphere is associated with the:

A) Behavioral Inhibition System.
B) Behavioral Activation System.
C) Behavioral Attenuation System.
D) Behavioral Attraction System.

Question 57

When people were forced to smile, by clenching a pen between their teeth, how did they rate a cartoon they were reading?

A) funnier than if they were not forced to smile
B) just as funny as when they were frowning
C) not as funny as when they were holding a pen between their lips
D) as frightening

Question 58

People with pure autonomic failure have ____ changes in their heart rate and other organ responses; they usually report ____ intensity of emotions.

A) increased, increased
B) increased, decreased
C) decreased, increased
D) decreased, decreased

Question 59

Which of the following is characterized by extreme physiological arousal?

A) locked-in syndrome
B) pure autonomic failure
C) panic attack
D) prosopagnosia

Question 60

Which of the following systems is most likely to be active when moderate physiological arousal occurs while approaching a member of the opposite sex?

A) Behavioral Inhibition System
B) Behavioral Activation System
C) Behavioral Attenuation System
D) Behavioral Attraction System

Question 61

A research study linked different genes for the enzyme MAO-A to the probability of antisocial behavior. The effect of the gene varied from small to great, depending on what?

A) whether the person lived in a large or small town
B) whether the person lived alone or with others
C) whether the person was maltreated during childhood
D) whether the person's diet was high or low in fats and carbohydrates

Question 62

If a monkey with low serotonin turnover survives, they are more likely to:

A) be extremely fearful.
B) be submissive.
C) have fewer offspring.
D) have dominant status.

Question 63

A study administering testosterone to women found which of these effects?

A) Testosterone increased their violent dreams.
B) Testosterone decreased their ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion.
C) Testosterone caused them to report feeling angry for no apparent reason.
D) Testosterone made them want to play pool, drink beer, and spit.

Question 64

Historically, the most famous case of a person with prefrontal damage is that of:

A) John Limbic.
B) James Papez.
C) Antonio Damasio.
D) Phineas Gage.

Question 65

Stimuli that are below the level of conscious detection:

A) have no effect on our autonomic system activity.
B) may produce changes in autonomic responses that account for "gut feelings."
C) are easily detected if we attend to them.
D) produce memory loss.

Question 66

Male aggressive behavior depends heavily on:

A) acetylcholine.
B) estrogen.
C) testosterone.
D) dopamine.

Question 67

Several studies have found that ____ is particularly enhanced in people with both a genetic predisposition and a troubled early environment.

A) anxiety
B) emotion
C) violence
D) trust

Question 68

Some cats "play" with a mouse before killing it. How can this kind of behavior best be explained?

A) the cat's perverse pleasure in prolonging the mouse's pain
B) an instinctive need for additional pursuit behaviors prior to eating
C) a conflict between attack and escape behaviors
D) regression to infantile patterns of activity in the hippocampus

Question 69

If a hamster is primed for a fight, increased activity will most likely be found:

A) in the corticomedial amygdala.
B) all over the cortex.
C) all over the temporal lobe.
D) in the occipital lobe.

Question 70

Investigators have found that individuals who suffer prefrontal cortex damage:

A) often make bad decisions.
B) become more logical than usual in their reasoning.
C) become excessively inhibited in their dealings with others.
D) perform poorly on IQ tests.

Question 71

What potential advantage does a moderately aggressive monkey possess?

A) They are more likely to get mates and food.
B) They have better memories of other monkeys they have defeated.
C) They are less depressed.
D) Their immune system becomes stronger with each fight.

Question 72

Not all children who are abused become violently aggressive in adolescence or adulthood. Of the following, which has been demonstrated to influence violence by these people?

A) genes regulating testosterone receptors
B) genes regulating the suprachiasmatic nucleus
C) genes regulating secretion of aldosterone
D) genes regulating monoamine oxidase

Question 73

Of the following choices, the most likely explanation for how testosterone may be associated with violent behavior is that it:

A) may induce greater attention to situations of aggression and conflict.
B) creates greater muscle mass.
C) reduces inhibitions.
D) inhibits cells in the amygdala.

Question 74

If a hamster in its home territory attacks an intruder, what will the hamster do if a second intruder arrives shortly after the first intruder leaves?

A) Withdraw from the second intruder.
B) Play with the second intruder.
C) Attack the second intruder quickly and vigorously.
D) Attack the second intruder but less vigorously than the first.

Question 75

Why do individuals with prefrontal cortex damage often make bad decisions?

A) They can't understand complexly worded questions.
B) They don't anticipate the unpleasantness of likely outcomes.
C) They conform readily to whatever other people are doing.
D) They can't predict the consequences of one decision or another.

Question 76

Impulsive behavior and poor decisions are common symptoms of:

A) parietal damage.
B) prefrontal damage.
C) occipital damage.
D) temporal damage.

Question 77

Under what circumstances do the criminal behaviors of monozygotic twins resemble each other more than dizygotic twins?

A) when the monozygotic twins have been raised apart
B) when the dizygotic twins have been raised together
C) in adulthood
D) in childhood

Question 78

Directly stimulating the ____ of a hamster results in priming it to attack, even without the previous experience of fighting.

A) corticomedial amygdala.
B) cortex.
C) temporal lobe.
D) occipital lobe.

Question 79

People are given moral dilemmas, such as whether it is all right to kill one person in order to save five others. The people most likely to make the "cold, calculating" decision that these acts are okay are people who have suffered brain damage that impairs which of these?

A) Memory
B) Emotions
C) Vision
D) Activity level

Question 80

Studies of aggressive and criminal behaviors in adulthood have found that:

A) there doesn't appear to be a genetic link.
B) there appears to be more aggression by twins than non-twins.
C) monozygotic twins resemble each other more closely than dizygotic twins.
D) dizygotic twins resemble each other more closely than monozygotic twins.