Deck 3: Biopsychology

Question 1

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are drugs commonly prescribed for ________.

A) depression
B) obsessive-compulsive disorder
C) Parkinson's disease
D) schizophrenia

Answer 1

depression

Question 2

Human eggs and sperm each contain 23 ________, which are composed of long strands of ________.

A) chromosomes; DNA
B) chromosomes; genes
C) DNA; genes
D) genes; DNA

Answer 2

chromosomes; DNA

Question 3

The ________ of a neuron contain ________ that house neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers of the nervous system.

A) axons; terminal buttons
B) dendrites; synaptic vesicles
C) terminal buttons; synaptic vesicles
D) terminal buttons; transport proteins

Answer 3

terminal buttons; synaptic vesicles

Question 4

A(n) ________ is the electrical signal that typically moves from the neuron's cell body down the axon to the axon terminals.

A) action potential
B) depolarization
C) hyperpolarization
D) threshold of excitation

Question 5

The ________ nervous system is responsible for stimulating digestion and causing the bladder to contract.

A) autonomic
B) parasympathetic
C) somatic
D) sympathetic

Question 6

A particular electrical signal being transmitted to a neuron is sufficient to generate an action potential. If the magnitude of the incoming electrical signal is doubled, the action potential will ________.

A) be twice as strong
B) last twice as long
C) undergo no changes in strength, speed, or duration
D) travel twice as fast down the axon

Question 7

Hyperpolarization means that the ________.

A) membrane potential becomes more negative than the resting potential
B) membrane potential becomes more positive than the resting potential
C) potassium gates open
D) sodium gates open

Question 8

The ________ is the difference in charge between the intracellular and extracellular space of a neuron.

A) extracellular fluid
B) intracellular fluid
C) membrane potential
D) resting potential

Question 9

Which one of the following processes does not occur to excess neurotransmitters in the synapse?

A) break down into inactive fragments
B) collection by scavenger vesicles left over from the neurotransmitter release
C) drifting away from the synapse
D) reuptake

Question 10

In a resting state, sodium (Na⁺) is at a higher concentration outside the cell and potassium (K⁺) is more concentrated inside the cell. During an action potential, the sodium levels ________ inside the cell.

A) decrease
B) increase
C) increase only if potassium levels remain the same
D) stay the same

Question 11

Changes in behavior and cognitive processes over time are studied by ________.

A) behavioral geneticists
B) behavioral psychologists
C) evolutionary psychologists
D) historical psychologists

Question 12

________ is a neurotransmitter with roles in pleasure and pain modulation.

A) acetylcholine
B) beta-endorphin
C) GABA
D) norepinephrine

Question 13

________ asserts that our genes set the boundaries within which we can operate, and our environment interacts with our genes to determine where within those boundaries we will fall.

A) behavioral genetics
B) environmental psychology
C) evolutionary psychology
D) range of reaction

Question 14

The myelin sheath is made from ________.

A) axons
B) glial cells
C) somas
D) terminal buttons

Question 15

The space between two neurons is called the ________.

A) soma
B) synapse
C) terminal button
D) vesicle

Question 16

Which two neurotransmitters have roles in appetite suppression?

A) dopamine; acetylcholine
B) dopamine; norepinephrine
C) serotonin; GABA
D) serotonin; glutamate

Question 17

The theory of ________ states that organisms that are better suited for their environment will survive and reproduce, while those that are poorly suited for their environment will die off.

A) behavioral genetics
B) evolution by natural selection
C) genetic mutation
D) survivalism

Question 18

Wendy's mother has blue eyes and her father has brown eyes. The allele for brown eye color is dominant (B) to the allele for blue eye color (b), but Wendy has blue eyes. Therefore, Wendy's ________ must be ________ and her father's must be Bb.

A) genotype; Bb
B) genotype; bb
C) phenotype; Bb
D) phenotype; bb

Question 19

The two major divisions of the nervous system are the ________ and ________.

A) autonomic; somatic nervous systems
B) autonomic; sympathetic nervous systems
C) central; peripheral nervous systems
D) parasympathetic; sympathetic nervous systems

Question 20

The ________ nervous system is responsible for responses such as pupil dilation, increased heart rate, and increased respiration.

A) autonomic
B) parasympathetic
C) somatic
D) sympathetic

Question 21

Dmitris is in a car accident and his parietal lobe is injured. Which of the following is the most likely behavioral effect of his accident?

A) blindness
B) a loss of both his sense of taste and his sense of smell
C) no sensation in his legs and feet
D) Wernicke's aphasia

Question 22

Terri Schiavo went into cardiac arrest and her brain was deprived of oxygen, leaving only her brainstem functioning. Which of the following functions could Schiavo still accomplish?

A) feel someone touching her hand
B) groan and move her eyes
C) hear someone talking to her
D) speak in simple words

Question 23

Gyri and sulci are the ________ and ________, respectively, which characterize the surface of the human brain.

A) cortex; forebrain
B) fissures; folds
C) folds; grooves
D) grooves; folds

Question 24

Henry Gustav Molaison (H. M.) had brain surgery for which of the following reasons?

A) He had encephalitis as a child.
B) He had severe seizures.
C) He was born with an extra area of the cortex.
D) He suffered serious symptoms as a result of having polio.

Question 25

Which of the following is not a part sympathetic activation during the fight or flight response?

A) adrenaline surges into the bloodstream
B) heart rate and blood pressure increases
C) pupils dilate
D) digestion functions become more active

Question 26

Which of the following senses is not first routed through the thalamus?

A) audition
B) smell
C) taste
D) vision

Question 27

Parsons and her colleagues are doing a study comparing differences in brain activity levels between patients with schizophrenia and controls with no psychological disorders. Their hypothesis requires a high level of detail and good detection of differences over time. Which of the following is the best brain imaging technique to use?

A) computerized tomography (CT) scan
B) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
C) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
D) positron emission tomography (PET)

Question 28

Ainsley is participating in a study that aims to determine whether the occipital cortex becomes more active in response to moving versus stationary stimuli. When she arrives at the lab, she ingests a "tracer" and then enters the scanning machine. What type of brain imaging is most likely being conducted in this study?

A) computerized tomography (CT) scan
B) electroencephalograph (EEG)
C) magnet resonance imaging (MRI)
D) positron emission tomography (PET)

Question 29

Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the case study of Phineas Gage's accident, which led to brain injury?

A) Temporal lobe injury causes people to be incapable of controlling their emotional impulses.
B) Injury to the brain causes changes in behavior, but specific brain areas are not linked to specific behaviors.
C) Injury to the frontal lobe does not affect behavior.
D) Injury to the brain causes changes in behavior, and specific brain areas are linked to particular behaviors.

Question 30

Elaina has been diagnosed with a small brain tumor. She first went to see her doctor after experiencing symptoms such as feeling very cold, almost fainting, a reduced appetite, and reduced sexual desire. Which of the following structures is her tumor most likely affecting?

A) Broca's area
B) hypothalamus
C) substantia nigra
D) thalamus

Question 31

Sensory and motor neurons of the ________ nervous system are associated with activities traditionally thought of as conscious or voluntary.

A) autonomic
B) parasympathetic
C) somatic
D) sympathetic

Question 32

The somatosensory cortex is responsible for processing ________.

A) cognition and emotion
B) language, such as speech
C) motor information to body areas, such as arms, legs, and face
D) temperature, touch, and pain

Question 33

Which of the following areas is located in the frontal lobe of the brain?

A) Broca's area
B) hippocampus
C) thalamus
D) Wernicke's area

Question 34

Which of the following brain processes is not a function of the cerebral cortex?

A) breathing
B) emotion
C) memory
D) reasoning

Question 35

Jeremy has Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects motor skills. In addition to motor symptoms, Jeremy has noticed changes in his mood. It is likely that Jeremy's ________ is producing less ________ than it needs to.

A) motor cortex; acetylcholine
B) motor cortex; dopamine
C) substantia nigra; acetylcholine
D) substantia nigra; dopamine

Question 36

People who have their corpus callosum severed for medical reasons would be able to tell you about which images shown to ________.

A) both visual fields
B) neither visual field
C) only the left visual field
D) only the right visual field

Question 37

One example of ________ is the differences between hemispheres in the areas underlying language function.

A) brain organization
B) lateralization
C) synaptogenesis
D) Wernicke's area

Question 38

Kelsey had a CT scan that showed a tumor in the right frontal cortex. Which of the following behavioral symptoms most likely prompted the scan to take place?

A) difficulty comprehending language
B) difficulty producing language
C) motor skill deficits in the left side of her body
D) sensory deficits in the right side of her body

Question 39

________ is a state of equilibrium, in which biological conditions (such as body temperature) are maintained at optimal levels.

A) homeostasis
B) resting potential
C) reuptake
D) synergy

Question 40

Randolf is walking down the street of his hometown, after being away for several years, when he smells the scent of freshly baked pie coming from a local baker. He suddenly has vivid memories of walking down this street as a child, holding both of his parents' hands, and swinging between them, feeling relaxed and happy. This is because the sense of smell projects directly to the ________, which is responsible for emotional memories.

A) medulla
B) frontal ganglia
C) reward pathway
D) limbic system

Question 41

List two different functions of glial cells.

Question 42

What are the two branches of the somatic nervous system?

Question 43

What are two neurotransmitters involved in regulating mood and sleep?

Question 44

In which lobes of the brain are the motor cortex and somatosensory cortex located? (hint: there are two different answers!)