Deck 10: Emotional Influences on Learning and Memory

Question 1

Memories for highly emotional events such as the terrorist attacks of September 11 are known as:

A) mood-congruent memories.
B) episodic memories.
C) flashbulb memories.
D) false memories.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Epinephrine mediates the physiological components of the fight-or-flight response by stimulating the:

A) cortex.
B) brainstem nuclei.
C) hippocampus.
D) frontal lobes.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Describe two examples of emotional responses in nonhuman animals.

Answer 3

Discuss any examples from the book: Tina the elephant, chimpanzee mothers, sick killer whales, startle responses in gorillas, and other animals, rats' reactions to taste, "laughing" responses in some animals.

Question 4

The medial prefrontal cortex seems to be involved in:

A) interpreting the expression of emotion in other people.
B) mediating arousal in the autonomic nervous system.
C) sending incoming sensory information to the amygdala.
D) stimulating the release of stress hormones.

Question 5

In what ways does a conditioned emotional response differ from other conditioned responses?

Question 6

People with posttraumatic stress disorder:

A) have a conditioned fear reaction that is triggered by one specific stimulus.
B) may benefit from drugs that increase the levels of stress hormones.
C) often have a smaller hippocampal volume than people without this disorder.
D) have higher-than-normal levels of stress hormones following the initial traumatic event.

Question 7

Imagine one is startled by their friends when they all suddenly shouted "surprise" at one's surprise birthday party. Describe how the James-Lange theory, Cannon-Bard theory, and two-factor theory would each account for one's experience of feeling surprised.

Question 8

Cameron's heart begins to beat rapidly right before he has to deliver an important sales pitch to a client. This is an example of:

A) a physiological response.
B) an overt behavior.
C) a conscious feeling.
D) perseveration.

Question 9

Oliver was furious when he learned that his brother had stolen money from him. His heart rate and blood pressure increased, and he started to breathe more rapidly. According to the James-Lange theory of emotion:

A) Oliver determined that his physiological changes were a result of the theft, and he labeled the changes as "anger."
B) Oliver felt angry that led to the physiological changes he experienced.
C) Oliver took into account both his physiological changes and the theft in determining that the emotion he felt was "anger."
D) Oliver's physiological changes led him to consciously experience "anger."

Question 10

The _____ sends sensory input to the amygdala.

A) adrenal gland
B) frontal lobes
C) thalamus
D) hippocampus

Question 11

The part of the brain that mediates learning about contextual information is the:

A) amygdala.
B) thalamus.
C) frontal lobes.
D) hippocampus.

Question 12

Which statement is an example of a conditioned emotional response?

A) A girl's heart rate increases upon entering the theater where she had previously seen a horror movie.
B) A boy is startled by a sudden loud noise outside his window on a stormy night.
C) A woman screams when she nearly steps on a snake during a mountain hike.
D) A child smiles on hearing a funny joke.

Question 13

The research on learned helplessness suggests that depression may be prevented by:

A) encouraging people to think about the good things in their lives.
B) encouraging people to smile, even when they feel sad.
C) exposing people to adversities that they can overcome.
D) preventing people from experiencing even minor challenges.

Question 14

Autonomic arousal involves:

A) a decrease in blood pressure.
B) increased sexual arousal.
C) diverting energy away from the large muscles.
D) decreased pain sensitivity.

Question 15

Describe the three phenomena that make up an emotion. Give an example of each of these for the emotion of anger.

Question 16

Experimental studies of emotion in animals have focused mainly on the emotion of:

A) anger.
B) happiness.
C) surprise.
D) fear.

Question 17

If one hears a cracking twig in the forest at night, which part of amygdala is responsible for causing one's heart rate to increase?

A) the lateral nucleus
B) the central nucleus
C) the basolateral nucleus
D) the medial prefrontal area

Question 18

Mood congruency demonstrates that emotion can influence which aspect of memory?

A) encoding
B) storage
C) retrieval
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 19

Although Cooper tried to learn to play chess, other players easily beat him. Now Cooper refuses to try playing chess again. This is an example of:

A) a conditioned emotional response.
B) learned helplessness.
C) mood congruency of memory.
D) perseveration.

Question 20

Describe the basic procedure involved in creating a conditioned emotional response.

Question 21

What is mood congruency of memory? What does it suggest about the effects of emotion on retrieval?

Question 22

A collection of bodily responses that prepare the body to face a threat is known as:

A) emotion.
B) fear response.
C) arousal.
D) fight-or-flight.

Question 23

Describe the mechanism by which activation of the amygdala enhances memory for emotional events.

Question 24

What kind of effect does stimulating the amygdala (in the lab) have on humans? Why does it have this effect?

Question 25

During a state of arousal:

A) digestion speeds up.
B) heart rate slows down.
C) pain is suppressed.
D) blood glucose decreases.

Question 26

Describe the function of each of the direct and indirect neural pathways for emotion.

Question 27

Provide an example of conditioned escape in everyday life.

Question 28

Which statement is an example of an overt behavior caused by an emotion?

A) Amelia feels her heart rate increase right before she gives a speech.
B) Mason is elated when his football team wins the playoffs.
C) Paige is very sad when her dog runs away.
D) Keegan screams loudly when his brother startles him.

Question 29

The fear response involves _____ reactions.

A) physiological
B) motor
C) conscious
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 30

The body changes that occur during arousal are mediated by the _____ system.

A) autonomic nervous
B) somatic
C) central nervous
D) respiratory

Question 31

Give an example of a flashbulb memory and explain how it is different from an ordinary memory.

Question 32

Which statement is TRUE regarding emotions?

A) There seem to be many cultural differences in feeling emotions but not in expressing them.
B) People have a difficult time recognizing emotions in the faces of people from other cultures.
C) Emotions seem to be hardwired although they may be expressed to different degrees.
D) People experience very different emotions depending on their culture.

Question 33

Describe how a therapist could use systematic desensitization to extinguish a person's fear of spiders.

Question 34

Imagine one is walking through a dark alley alone at night and one hears a sudden noise that subsequently turns out to be just a cat. Describe the neural pathways along which this information travels, including one's auditory system (hearing the sound), the initial fear response, and the subsequent realization that there is no danger.

Question 35

Suppose one has just learned that one has lost their job, and one is feeling very angry at their boss. Discuss the role of the frontal lobes in one's experience and expression of anger in this example.

Question 36

Describe how Seligman demonstrated learned helplessness in dogs.

Question 37

A hormone that is released in response to signals from the autonomic nervous system is known as:

A) a stress hormone.
B) estrogen.
C) dopamine.
D) serotonin.

Question 38

What is one reason flashbulb memories can contain inaccuracies?

Question 39

How can classical conditioning principles explain why people experience posttraumatic stress disorder?

Question 40

Provide an example of conditioned avoidance in everyday life.

Question 41

Whenever a child has a tantrum, his mother has learned to put the child in his bedroom and close the door in order to get away from his yelling and screaming. This is an example of:

A) conditioned escape.
B) learned helplessness.
C) conditioned avoidance.
D) perseveration.

Question 42

The idea that stimuli simultaneously evoke both emotions and arousal with neither causing the other is known as:

A) the Cannon-Bard theory.
B) Schachter's two-factor theory.
C) the James-Lange theory.
D) a somatic theory of emotion.

Question 43

Which statement is an example of a conditioned emotional response?

A) A rat freezes in response to a tone that was previously paired with a shock.
B) A pigeon is startled by a sudden loud noise.
C) A rat runs away when it spots a cat.
D) A rat's heart rate increases in response to a sudden unexpected shock.

Question 44

Based on the two-factor theory of emotion, if one wants their date to become very attracted to them, one should:

A) take their date on an exhilarating roller coaster ride.
B) have a quiet dinner together.
C) discuss topics that are not likely to be very emotional for their date.
D) do something low key at the start of the date.

Question 45

That different emotions can lead to similar types of physiological responses is a problem for which theory of emotion?

A) the Cannon-Bard theory
B) Schachter's two-factor theory
C) the James-Lange theory
D) It is a problem for all of these theories.

Question 46

When compared with conditioned responses that do not involve emotion, conditioned emotional responses:

A) require more pairings to learn.
B) are harder to reinstate after extinction has occurred.
C) are harder to extinguish.
D) take more time to learn.

Question 47

The chief glucocorticoid in humans is known as:

A) epinephrine.
B) glucocorticoid.
C) cortisol.
D) serotonin.

Question 48

A rat that is placed in a pool of water can learn to locate and climb onto a submerged platform in order to get out of the water. This is an example of:

A) conditioned escape.
B) learned helplessness.
C) conditioned avoidance.
D) perseveration.

Question 49

Physiological responses that correlate with the emotion of fear:

A) are present in humans but not in nonhuman animals.
B) prove the existence of emotions in nonhuman animals.
C) are consistent with the existence of emotions in nonhuman animals.
D) are very different in humans than in nonhuman animals.

Question 50

Holding a pencil between one's teeth so that one is "smiling," can increase feelings of happiness. This is consistent with the predictions of which theory?

A) both the James-Lange theory and the Cannon-Bard theory
B) neither the James-Lange theory nor the Cannon-Bard theory
C) the Cannon-Bard theory
D) the James-Lange theory

Question 51

When researchers injected participants with a stress hormone that increases arousal and then put them in a room with a person who acted either irritated or joyful, they found that the participants reported feeling:

A) joyful.
B) irritated.
C) both joyful and irritated at the same time.
D) the same emotion as the other person in the room.

Question 52

The theory of emotion based on the central premise that physiological responses to stimuli come first and that they determine or induce emotions is known as:

A) the Cannon-Bard theory.
B) Schachter's two-factor theory.
C) the James-Lange theory.
D) a somatic theory of emotion.

Question 53

Caden was overjoyed when he learned that he was accepted into a top business school. His heart rate and blood pressure increased and he started to breathe more rapidly. According to the James-Lange theory of emotion:

A) Caden felt happy, which led to the physiological changes he experienced.
B) Caden determined that his physiological changes were due to being accepted, and he labeled the changes as "happiness."
C) Caden's physiological changes led him to consciously experience "happiness."
D) Caden took into account both his physiological changes and the fact that he was accepted in determining that the emotion he felt was "happiness."

Question 54

According to the James-Lange theory of emotion, the:

A) conscious feeling of an emotion leads to the bodily responses associated with that emotion.
B) bodily responses associated with an emotion leads to the conscious feeling of that emotion.
C) cognitive assessment of an emotional situation leads to the conscious feeling of that emotion.
D) conscious feeling of an emotion leads to the cognitive assessment of that emotional situation.

Question 55

A gorilla encounters a frightening stimulus; its first reactions may include a sudden jump followed by immobility. It may also display _____, meaning that its body hair stands on end; this makes the animal look bigger and more threatening.

A) sphincter control
B) piloerection
C) goosebumps
D) bladder control

Question 56

Nonhuman animals have:

A) been proven to consciously experience the emotion of fear.
B) been shown to experience all of the same emotions that humans do.
C) not shown any expressions of joy.
D) shown behavioral responses to pleasant and unpleasant tastes.

Question 57

Which human response has been found in other mammals like rats in which an ultrasonic vocalization is expressed?

A) sadness
B) fear
C) laughter
D) anxiety

Question 58

A mother and her toddler are crossing when a car runs the stop sign and hits the toddler. The toddler is stuck under the wheel of the car. The mother without thinking lifts the car to save the life of her toddler. This amazing feat was a result of _____ being released into her body.

A) epinephrine
B) glucocorticoid
C) dopamine
D) serotonin

Question 59

_____ is any stimulus that causes bodily arousal and release of stress hormones.

A) Arousal
B) Fear response
C) Fight or flight
D) Stress

Question 60

Which statement is TRUE regarding emotions in nonhuman animals?

A) Emotions cannot be studied in nonhuman animals because there is no way to assess whether such animals have a subjective experience of emotions like humans do.
B) The biological responses made in emotional situations are similar in humans and nonhuman animals.
C) Nonhuman animals do not display any overt behaviors that can be linked to emotions.
D) Different animals have vastly different reactions to emotional stimuli.

Question 61

Hannah successfully solved several problems in her math class. She was then given some very difficult problems that she could not solve. The research on learned helplessness suggests that if Hannah is then given some easier problems to try to solve, she will:

A) try to solve the problems.
B) look at the problems but not bother to try solving them.
C) avoid looking at the problems altogether.
D) ask the teacher for help before trying to solve the problems.

Question 62

Five-year-old Julian has learned that loud thunder usually follows a bolt of lightning. As soon as he sees lightning, he covers his ears to avoid the loud thunder. According to the two-factor theory of avoidance learning, covering his ears is reinforced because:

A) it stops him from seeing the lighting.
B) he starts to believe there will not be any thunder.
C) it removes the fear that has become associated with the thunder.
D) it removes the fear that has become associated with the lighting.

Question 63

A problem for the two-factor theory of avoidance learning is that:

A) the avoidance response should extinguish easily, but it does not.
B) the avoidance response should be hard to extinguish, but it is easy to extinguish.
C) it is usually too hard for an organism to learn a conditioned emotional response.
D) classical and operant conditioning cannot both operate at the same time.

Question 64

Strong and vivid memories for highly emotional events are called:

A) congruent memories.
B) flashbulb memories.
C) phobias.
D) conditioned memories.

Question 65

Human depression seems to involve:

A) learned helplessness.
B) conditioned avoidance.
C) flashbulb memories.
D) conditioned emotional responses.

Question 66

According to the two-factor theory of avoidance learning, the first stage of avoidance learning involves _____ and then the avoidance response involves _____.

A) reinforcement of escaping the US; reinforcement of escaping the CS
B) reinforcement of avoidance of the fear CR; reinforcement of escaping the CS
C) classical conditioning of the conditioned emotional response; reinforcement of avoidance of the fear CR
D) reinforcement of escaping the US; classical conditioning of the conditioned emotional response

Question 67

Which statement is an example of mood congruency of memory?

A) If one is upset, one remembers unpleasant material better than pleasant material.
B) Word pairs are easier to learn if both words convey the same mood.
C) In general, one remembers pleasant experiences better than unpleasant experiences.
D) In general, one remembers unpleasant experiences better than pleasant experiences.

Question 68

The hippocampus and cingulate cortex play major roles in emotions along with the thalamus, which is where sensory information enters the brain, and the hypothalamus, which regulates the response to emotion. This loop was known as yjr:

A) autonomic nervous system.
B) Papez circuit.
C) somatic system.
D) central nervous system.

Question 69

Which memory is an example of a flashbulb memory?

A) remembering sad words because one is feeling sad
B) remembering a game show one watched on TV last night
C) remembering happy words because one was happy when one learned them
D) remembering the birth of one's first child

Question 70

_____ is a psychiatric condition that involves sadness as well as general loss of initiative and activity.

A) Bipolar
B) Depression
C) Phobia
D) Anxiety

Question 71

What is the phenomenon in which exposure to an uncontrollable punisher reduces the chance that an organism will try to make an avoidance response?

A) conditioned emotional response
B) learned helplessness
C) conditioned avoidance
D) perseveration

Question 72

When researchers exposed dogs to an inescapable shock and then put the dogs in a situation in which they could escape the shock, the dogs:

A) quickly learned to escape the shock.
B) did not learn to escape the shock.
C) learned to escape the shock if a warning tone was first presented.
D) learned to escape the shock if it was extremely painful.

Question 73

According to cognitive expectancy theories of avoidance, animals make a decision based on:

A) how strong the conditioned fear is.
B) a comparison of expected outcomes.
C) whether the CS was successfully avoided on the previous trial.
D) how strong the US is.

Question 74

Noah once failed a class taught by a particular professor. He now refuses to take another class with that professor and seeks out other professors who teach the classes he needs. Noah is demonstrating:

A) mood congruency of memory.
B) learned helplessness.
C) conditioned avoidance.
D) perseveration.

Question 75

Flashbulb memories:

A) remain highly accurate over time.
B) are relatively immune to inconsistencies.
C) are held with very high confidence.
D) are nearly perfect photographic records of the event.

Question 76

Depressed people are more likely to recall unpleasant memories than pleasant memories. This is an example of:

A) mood congruency of memory.
B) learned helplessness.
C) avoidance learning.
D) flashbulb memory.

Question 77

People who listen to an emotional narrative while watching an accompanying slide show remember the pictures from the:

A) emotional parts of the slide show particularly well.
B) unemotional parts of the slide show particularly well.
C) end of the slide show much better than those from the beginning or middle.
D) beginning of the slide show much better than those from the middle or end.

Question 78

When Talarico and Rubin (2003) studied students' memories of 9/11, they found that the students:

A) remembered fewer details as time went on.
B) forgot some things but didn't change any of their memories.
C) had consistently high recall over time.
D) completely changed what they recalled when questioned weeks later.

Question 79

According to Seligman's research on learned helplessness, one way to help "immunize" people from becoming depressed would be to:

A) surround them with as many pleasant stimuli as possible.
B) put them in situations where they cannot possibly escape from adversity.
C) make sure they do not experience much adversity in their life.
D) expose them early in life to adversities they can overcome.

Question 80

Which statement is TRUE regarding flashbulb memories?

A) They remain accurate over time.
B) It is usually easy to verify the accuracy of flashbulb memories.
C) Rehearsing and discussing the event can introduce inaccuracies into the memory.
D) People are usually very good at remembering where they first heard about the event.