Deck 12: Learning, Memory, and Decision Making

Question 1

In Pavlov's conditioning experiments the conditioned stimulus was typically _________.

A) the food
B) the salivation
C) the bell or bowl
D) electric shock

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The law of effect was proposed by ________.

A) Ivan Pavlov
B) John B. Watson
C) B. F. Skinner
D) Edward Thorndike

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The facilitation of synaptic transmission underlying the behavioral sensitization of gill retraction in Aplysia is due to the changes in the enzymatic activity of __________.

A) Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)
B) cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA)
C) Serotonin
D) Calcium

Answer 3

B

Question 4

________ has been proposed to be the biological mechanism underlying learning and memory.

A) Long-term potentiation
B) Place cells
C) Operant conditioning
D) Contingency

Question 5

________ has been proposed to be the mechanism of synaptic restructuring.

A) Habituation
B) Sensitization
C) Presynaptic inhibition
D) Activity-mediated spine enlargement

Question 6

Gerd Kempermann has suggested that ________.

A) neurons that fire together wire together.
B) different types of memories are stored in different parts of the brain.
C) the theory of equipotentiality.
D) networks that are too stable cannot acquire new things

Question 7

The memory engram is________

A) The replacement of one memory with another
B) The deficit produced when a memory is lost to damage
C) The trace of a memory in the brain
D) The communication of memories between organisms

Question 8

Successful performance in the "place" version of the Morris water maze task is critically dependent on the _________.

A) amygdala
B) hippocampus
C) interpositus nucleus
D) insula

Question 9

Successful performance in the delayed nonmatching-to-sample task is critically dependent on the _______.

A) parahippocampal area
B) interpositus nucleus
C) orbitofrontal cortex
D) raphe nuclei

Question 10

_________ allows for the updating of memories.

A) Postretrieval lability
B) The theory of equipotentiality
C) Confabulation
D) Familiarity

Question 11

______ is a brain change associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

A) Reduced hippocampal volume
B) Reduced anterior cingulate cortex activity
C) Reduced amygdala activity
D) Reduced insular cortex activity

Question 12

_________ improve memory in rats.

A) Hippocampal lesions
B) High levels of stress
C) Moderate levels of stress
D) Reduced levels of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM)

Question 13

People with highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM) possess ________ compared to normal controls.

A) a smaller insula
B) a larger putamen
C) a smaller parahippocampal cortex
D) less white matter

Question 14

Determining the distance to a stop light is an example of __________.

A) state uncertainty
B) rule uncertainty
C) sensory uncertainty
D) evaluation uncertainty

Question 15

___________ protein can be used to determine whether neurons in a brain region have fired recently.

A) NMDA receptors
B) Epinephrine
C) Aplysia
D) Fos

Question 16

Pavlov's conditioning work helped to establish psychology as an objective science because _______.

A) behaviors could now be described
B) the relationship between stimuli and responses could be objectively quantified
C) the mechanisms by which behaviors could be acquired could be subjectively explained
D) the study of human processes could be compared to those of animals

Question 17

The long-lasting sensitization of the gill reflex in Aplysia through associative learning depends on _______.

A) a reduction in potassium (K⁺) flow in the sensory neuron
B) a reduction in cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) in the sensory neuron
C) a decrease in levels of serotonin
D) a reduction in cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)

Question 18

High stimulation parameters (high-frequency stimulation) are required for long-term potentiation (LTP) because it creates a situation where ________.

A) high-frequency stimulation inhibits hippocampal mossy fibers
B) high-frequency stimulation reduces θ brain waves
C) serotonin levels increase dramatically with this type of stimulation
D) magnesium no longer blocks the NMDA receptor after postsynaptic depolarization

Question 19

Henry Molaison (H.M.) would be unable to ________.

A) learn how to play a musical instrument
B) remember the face of a recent acquaintance
C) learn how to trace objects viewed through a mirror
D) stay within the lines on the road after driving for several years

Question 20

It's likely that the grandmother cell hypothesis is false because __________.

A) it does not explain implicit memory
B) Henry Molaison was able to remember his own grandmother
C) Lettvin was unable to find a grandmother cell
D) it would be too easy to forget our grandmother following injury

Question 21

The Morris water maze and Mishkin's version of the delayed nonmatching-to-sample task are similar because both tasks __________.

A) require implicit memory
B) are typically conducted in rodents
C) require the hippocampus
D) support the theory of equipotentiality

Question 22

The classical conditioning of the eyeblink response critically depends on the ______________.

A) interpositus nucleus in the cerebellum
B) hippocampus
C) amygdala
D) cerebral cortex

Question 23

The conditioned eye-blink response is a______________.

A) rigid association that is slow to encode
B) rigid association that is encoded rapidly
C) flexible association that is slow to encode
D) flexible association that is encoded rapidly

Question 24

When the administration of a protein synthesis inhibitor during retrieval can disrupt the original memory this suggests that protein synthesis is important for ________.

A) the encoding of new memories
B) extinction
C) implicit learning
D) reconsolidation

Question 25

Following unavoidable predator exposure in rats, their brains show ________.

A) Longer primary dendrites.
B) enhanced long-term potentiation (LTP).
C) lower levels of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM)
D) no differences when compared to control animals.

Question 26

A heightened autonomic response along with reduced cortisol levels might be observed in someone suffering from ______.

A) Korsakoff's syndrome
B) hippocampal lesions
C) major depressive disorder (MDD)
D) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Question 27

A subject's performance in distinguishing between safety and threatening stimuli can be assessed by a task known as ________.

A) conditional discrimination
B) radial arm maze.
C) reconsolidation.
D) delayed matching-to-sample task.

Question 28

Individuals with a highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM) sometimes also display ________.

A) reduced insula volume
B) obsessive-compulsive disorder
C) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
D) reduced volume in the striatum

Question 29

The part of the brain that encodes the probability of positive outcomes is the ________.

A) orbitofrontal cortex
B) hippocampus
C) lateral intraparietal area (LIP)
D) medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)

Question 30

The part of the brain area activated if an expected outcome does not occur following a decision would be the ________.

A) orbitofrontal cortex
B) hippocampus
C) lateral intraparietal area (LIP)
D) medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)

Question 31

Clive Wearing's encephalitis-induced amnesia has spared his memories of ________.

A) his love for his wife
B) conducting a concert
C) his wedding ceremony
D) all of the above options are correct

Question 32

Our ability to learn complex tasks, such as driving, to achieve everyday goals is dependent on ______________.

A) hand-eye coordination
B) simple repetition
C) flexible neural networks
D) stress hormones

Question 33

John Locke believed that our minds at birth were ______________.

A) possessed some inherited information
B) a tabula rasa, or blank slate
C) unable to learn from experience
D) none of the above options are correct

Question 34

In Pavlov's conditioning experiments the unconditioned stimulus was typically _________.

A) the food
B) the salivation
C) the bowl or bell
D) electric shock

Question 35

In Pavlov's conditioning experiments the conditioned response was typically _________.

A) the food
B) the salivation
C) the bowl or bell
D) electric shock

Question 36

In Pavlov's conditioning experiments the unconditioned response was typically _________.

A) the food
B) the salivation
C) the bowl or bell
D) electric shock

Question 37

Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It (1913) was written by ___________.

A) Ivan Pavlov
B) John B. Watson
C) B. F. Skinner
D) Edward Thorndike

Question 38

Thorndike's law of effect described ___________.

A) how two stimuli were associated in an animal's memory
B) the engram
C) the effects of various reinforcers on behavioral patterns
D) the relationship between behavior and consequences

Question 39

B. F. Skinner's work explored ___________.

A) how two stimuli were associated in an animal's memory
B) the engram
C) the effects of various reinforcers on behavioral patterns
D) the relationship between behavior and consequences

Question 40

___________ developed operant chambers in which rats pressed levers to receive food pellets.

A) Ivan Pavlov
B) John B. Watson
C) B. F. Skinner
D) Edward Thorndike

Question 41

The form of learning where animals manipulate certain aspects of their environment and their actions are reinforced and repeated is referred to as _______.

A) Pavlovian conditioning
B) classical conditioning
C) operant conditioning
D) implicit learning

Question 42

_______ is the probability that a specific outcome will follow a specific response.

A) Conditioning
B) Contiguity
C) Contingency
D) Continuance

Question 43

The book pioneering ideas about how neuronal circuits were established and strengthened during learning, The Organization of Behavior (1949) was written by _______.

A) Eric Kandel
B) B. F. Skinner
C) Edward Thorndike
D) Donald Hebb

Question 44

Hebb's idea of several neurons firing simultaneously during memory formation became known as the _______.

A) cellular assembly theory of learning
B) spreading cortical depression model of learning
C) synaptic function theory of learning
D) organizational theory of learning

Question 45

In the Aplysia, the habituation of the gill withdrawal response is associated with ___________.

A) increased serotonin levels
B) increased calcium levels
C) increased cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels
D) decreased serotonin levels

Question 46

Habituation and sensitization in Aplysia results in ___________.

A) structural changes in both presynaptic and postsynaptic cells
B) no structural changes in the Aplysia nervous system
C) structural changes in presynaptic cells
D) structural changes in postsynaptic cells

Question 47

___________ discovered that certain cells in the rat hippocampus were activated when the rats were located in specific locations.

A) Eric Kandel
B) Donald Hebb
C) Carla Schatz
D) John O'Keefe and John Dostrovsky

Question 48

Cells in the rat hippocampus that are activated when the rats are in specific locations are called ___________.

A) place cells
B) direction cells
C) grid cells
D) navigation cells

Question 49

Place cells are found in the ___________.

A) hippocampus
B) subiculum
C) entorhinal cortex
D) insula

Question 50

Direction cells are found in the ___________.

A) hippocampus
B) subiculum
C) entorhinal cortex
D) insula

Question 51

___________ observed and described long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus for the first time.

A) Eric Kandel
B) John O'Keefe and John Dostrovsky
C) Timothy Bliss and Terje Lomo
D) Donald Hebb

Question 52

The ___________ is not involved in the associative learning observed in long-term potentiation (LTP).

A) mossy fiber pathway
B) perforant pathway
C) Schaffer collateral pathway
D) all of the above options are involved in the associative learning seen in LTP.

Question 53

The high-frequency stimulation used to induce LTP is similar to the ___________ rhythm recorded in the hippocampus during learning.

A) β wave
B) α wave
C) θ wave
D) δ wave

Question 54

Certain biochemical alterations such as the modification of the ___________ receptor are critical in both LTP and memory formation.

A) NMDA
B) serotonin
C) β-adrenergic
D) cortisol

Question 55

The coactivation of the presynaptic and postsynaptic cells in ___________ is reminiscent of Hebb's earlier cellular theories of learning.

A) long-term potentiation (LTP)
B) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
C) the lateral intraparietal area (LIP)
D) implicit learning

Question 56

Transgenic mice with extra copies of the NR2B gene ___________ their normal counterparts in object recognition tasks.

A) moved more slowly than
B) moved more quickly than
C) performed better than
D) performed worse than

Question 57

___________ of active regions in the brain is one likely mechanism for learning-dependent structural plasticity.

A) The formation and rearrangement of dendrites on neurons
B) The uptake of glucose
C) The uptake of oxygen
D) Increased blood flow

Question 58

The activation of existing spines can prompt ___________ located near the original activated spine set.

A) the emergence of new spines on dendrites
B) the retraction of other spines on dendrites
C) the emergence of new spines on separate other neurons
D) the emergence of new terminal buttons on axons

Question 59

Dendritic spine restructuring initiates rewiring of a neural circuit but also influences the intensity of the synaptic connections by ___________.

A) increasing presynaptic calcium influx
B) increasing transmitter release in each terminal button
C) decreasing overall spine density
D) increasing overall spine density

Question 60

While neurogenesis is thought to play a role in learning and memory ___________.

A) the complete process takes too long for it to play a role in all learning
B) it is unlikely to play a role outside of infancy
C) it is likely only to play a role in working memory
D) it unlikely to play a role in the elderly

Question 61

The hippocampus is ________ in species that are opportunistic and adapt to new environments.

A) proportionately smaller
B) more developed
C) located more dorsally
D) more resistant to long-term potentiation (LTP)

Question 62

It is thought that the hippocampus of a dolphin is proportionately small compared to the overall size of their brains because ________.

A) it is constrained by their need to conserve oxygen underwater
B) it is more efficient at storing memory
C) their habitat is more homogenous than that of land mammals
D) their cognitive abilities are very limited.

Question 63

Henry Molaison's medial temporal lobes and both hippocampi were removed by experimental surgery in a desperate attempt to treat his ________.

A) schizophrenia
B) Parkinson's disease
C) epilepsy
D) dementia

Question 64

Someone with ________ can no longer form new long-term memories.

A) an implicit memory deficit
B) anterograde amnesia
C) a procedural memory deficit
D) motor memory deficit

Question 65

Episodic memory consists of ________.

A) autobiographical knowledge
B) memory for word meanings and concept-based knowledge
C) motor memory underlying skilled performances
D) classical conditioning

Question 66

Sematic memory consists of ________.

A) autobiographical knowledge
B) memory for word meanings and concept-based knowledge
C) motor memory underlying skilled performances
D) classical conditioning

Question 67

Procedural memory consists of ________.

A) autobiographical knowledge
B) memory for word meanings and concept-based knowledge
C) motor memory underlying skilled performances
D) classical conditioning

Question 68

________ spent his entire career searching for the memory engram.

A) Karl Lashley
B) Eric Kandel
C) Donald Hebb
D) B. F. Skinner

Question 69

Karl Lashley had spent his entire career searching in the brain for memory traces in the________.

A) hippocampus
B) amygdala
C) cortex
D) cerebellum

Question 70

The theory that multiple brain areas contribute equally to a particular task or function is referred to as ________________.

A) Hebbian synapse theory of learning
B) the theory of equipotentiality
C) cellular assembly theory of learning
D) neural network theory

Question 71

Your ability to recall the number of turns you took while driving to your friend's house represents ________________.

A) declarative memory
B) semantic memory
C) procedural memory
D) classical conditioning

Question 72

Your improved ability to stay within the lines on the road after driving for several years represents________.

A) declarative memory
B) semantic memory
C) procedural memory
D) classical conditioning

Question 73

In the delayed nonmatching-to-sample task the successful subject must ________.

A) choose the object that has not been seen before
B) choose the object they are familiar with
C) choose the previously rewarded object
D) choose the edible object

Question 74

In the eye-blink reflex conditioning task, the ___________ forms the association between the tone, air-puff, and eye-blink.

A) interpositus nucleus
B) pontine nuclei
C) granule cells
D) Purkinje cells

Question 75

Changes in the ___________ accompany acrobatic training in rats.

A) interpositus nucleus
B) pontine nuclei
C) paramedian lobule
D) granule cells

Question 76

New ________ may indeed be more difficult to form than others in old age.

A) declarative memories
B) semantic memories
C) procedural memories
D) episodic memories

Question 77

PET scans in humans have shown that the hippocampus is activated when subjects are asked to ________.

A) review words to determine how familiar they are
B) associate the dissimilar words
C) contemplate the meanings of words
D) all of the above options are correct

Question 78

Eichenbaum has proposed a ________ memory system.

A) cortical-hippocampal
B) fast versus slow encoding
C) single-item versus associative encoding
D) flexible versus rigid representation

Question 79

The rapid encoding of flexible associations would best be exemplified by ________.

A) episodic memory
B) procedural memory
C) classical conditioning
D) semantic memory

Question 80

The slow encoding of rigid associations would best be exemplified by________.

A) episodic memory
B) procedural memory
C) familiarity
D) priming