Deck 3: The Emotional Brain

Question 1

Which emotion is key in testing the competing predictions of the valence hypothesis and the approach-withdrawal hypothesis of hemispheric lateralization?

A)Disgust
B)Happiness
C)Anger
D)Fear

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Damage to the somatosensory cortex (which is responsible for processing sensory feedback from the face and body) reduces accuracy in the recognition of other's facial expressions. This supports what idea?

A)James-Lange theory of emotion
B)The Cannon Bard theory of emotion experience
C)The distributed network hypothesis
D)The embodied cognition account of emotion perception

Answer 2

D

Question 3

How did the concept of mirror neurons originate?

A)Single-cell recordings of monkeys
B)fMRI studies with babies
C)Lesion patient studies
D)EEG studies with mice

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Why is the existence of the mirror neuron system doubted by some?

A)Because there is no evidence that viewing another person's actions activates brain areas associated with producing actions
B)Because proving the existence of mirror neurons in humans requires invasive surgical techniques
C)Because humans do not even have the brain regions where mirror neurons were recorded in animals
D)All of the above are reasons the MNS's existence is doubted

Question 5

Which of the following neurotransmitters is best described as the ""wanting"" chemical?

A)Oxytocin
B)Opioids
C)Serotonin
D)Dopamine

Question 6

Which of the following neurotransmitters is currently described as the liking/pleasure/reward chemical?

A)Opioids
B)Noradrenaline
C)Dopamine
D)Serotonin

Question 7

A researcher administers an antidopaminergic drug to mice, which prevents neurons from receiving dopamine. What behavioral symptoms would you predict?

A)A lack of disgust for biologically harmful stimuli, like feces and rotten meat
B)Unprovoked aggression and rage
C)A lack of seeking or desire for previously desired things, like food and sex
D)Uncontrollable and constant playful behavior

Question 8

Which neurotransmitter is most associated with social behaviors like bonding, sex, eye contact, and facial mimicry?

A)Dopamine
B)Opioids
C)Oxytocin
D)Serotonin

Question 9

Why don't more affective neuroscientists study the neurotransmitters underlying emotions?

A)Most work on neurotransmitters is done in animal models, and it is sometimes difficult to translate to human behavior
B)Neurotransmitters have widespread effects in the brain, making specific behavioral correlates challenging to pinpoint
C)The blood-brain barrier makes it difficult to experimentally manipulate the amount of particular neurotransmitters in the brain
D)All of the above reasons make the neurochemical basis of emotions challenging to study

Question 10

What brain area was found to be smaller in maltreated children and is likely related to the emotion dysregulation observed in these children?

A)Cerebellum
B)Prefrontal cortex
C)Temporal lobe
D)Ventral tegmental area

Question 11

What role does the somatic sensory system play?

A)It includes both motor and sensory neurons that allow for muscular movement and somatosensation
B)It includes both the sympathetic and the parasympathetic branches, which regulate internal organ functioning
C)It regulates the release of hormones responsible for homeostasis
D)A part of the central nervous system, it does not have any cell bodies outside the brain

Question 12

What is a neuronal synapse?

A)The space between two neurons, into which one neuron releases neurotransmitters that the other neuron receives
B)The long arm of a neuron down which the action potential travels
C)A type of neurotransmitter that also serves as a hormone in the body
D)Receptors on the surface of the neuron that receive neurotransmitters and regulate the activity of ion channels

Question 13

The thalamus is lateral to the third ventricle. What does this mean?

A)That the thalamus is closer to the midline than the third ventricle
B)That the thalamus is closer to the back of the skull compared to the third ventricle
C)That the thalamus is further away from the midline compared to the third ventricle
D)That the thalamus is rostral to the the third ventricle

Question 14

What does the the valence hypothesis of hemispheric specialization propose?

A)The experience of valence is generated by the right hemisphere; the experience of arousal is generated by the left hemisphere
B)The left hemisphere is responsible for approach-related emotions; the right hemisphere, for withdrawal-related emotions
C)Negative emotions are perceived, experienced, and expressed by the right hemisphere; positive emotions, by the left hemisphere
D)Negative emotions are perceived, experienced, and expressed by the left hemisphere; positive emotions, by the right hemisphere

Question 15

People recognize facial expressions in their left visual field better than in their right visual field. They also tend to express emotions more using the left side of their faces. This provides evidence for which hypothesis of hemispheric lateralization?

A)The approach-withdrawal hypothesis
B)The valence hypothesis
C)The left hemisphere hypothesis
D)The right hemispherehypothesis

Question 16

""The cortex"" refers to what part of the brain?

A)The outer layer of the cerebrum, made up of grey matter
B)The brainstem, including the midbrain and the medulla oblongata
C)A collection of nuclei, including the thalamus and hypothalamus
D)The bulb at the lower back of the brain, which is responsible for fine motor control

Question 17

Which of the following is not a name of a lobe of the brain?

A)The liminal lobe
B)The occipital lobe
C)The parietal lobe
D)The temporal lobe
E)All of the above are lobes in the brain

Question 18

When a neuroscientist says that the temporal lobe is anterior to the occipital lobe, what do they mean?

A)That the temporal lobe is above the occipital lobe (e.g., closer to the top of the skull)
B)That the temporal lobe is further from the middle of the brain compared to the occipital lobe (e.g., closer to the side of the skull)
C)That the temporal lobe is below the occipital lobe (e.g., closer to the spine)
D)That the temporal lobe is closer to the front of the brain than the occipital lobe (e.g., closer to the face)

Question 19

What is a ""gyrus"" in the brain?

A)A collection of neurons, also known as a nucleus
B)A white matter tract made up of neuronal axons
C)A ridge (e.g., high point) in the wrinkles of the cortex
D)The part of the neuron cell that receives neurotransmitter molecules

Question 20

In the 1920s, researchers Cannon and Bard showed removing the outer layer of the brain does not eliminate aggressive behavior in cats. They therefore suggested that at least some emotions originate from where?

A)The cortex and the phylogenetically newer parts of the brain
B)The hypothalamus, a subcortical area located deep in the brain
C)The bodily feedback from changes in sympathetic nervous system activity
D)The cerebellum and other brain regions responsible for motor control

Question 21

According to MacLean's triune brain theory, emotions originate from which of the three brain systems?

A)The reptilian complex
B)The paleomammalian complex
C)The neomammalian complex
D)Both A and B
E)All of the above

Question 22

What is the key difference between locationist and constructionist perspectives of the brain?

A)A locationist perspective believes that specific emotion states originate from distinct brain areas or systems, while a constructionist perspective believes such brain areas will never be identified
B)A locationist perspective believes that the effects of neurotransmitters on behavior will depend on their location in the brain, while a constructionist perspective believes that neurotransmitters construct consistent behaviors across areas
C)A locationist perspective believes that the emotions a brain is capable of generating depend on learning experiences, while a constructionist perspective believes that all brains are capable of producing all basic emotions
D)""Locationist"" and ""constructionist"" are two terms to describe the same school of thought, namely psychological constructionism

Question 23

Which of the following is not a reason why it is difficult to elicit strong, intense emotion states during brain imaging studies involving fMRI?

A)Participants have to lie very still in the scanner, which can limit the extent of the emotion response
B)Many repetitions of each type of trial (such as viewing fear-inducing images) are required to get clean data
C)If the emotions elicited in the scanner are too intense, it will be difficult for the researchers to identify specific areas of activity in the brain
D)Experimental methodologies that tend to induce stronger emotions are more difficult in a scanner, such as scripted social interactions

Question 24

Which of the following brain areas is most associated with the experience, expression, and perception of fear, among other emotions?

A)The hippocampus
B)The corpus collosum
C)The amygdala
D)The prefrontal cortex

Question 25

According to both human and nonhuman animal research, the experience and expression of which emotion is most strongly linked to the insula?

A)Sadness
B)Disgust
C)Happiness
D)Fear

Question 26

When a constructionist examines the current neuroscientific evidence and concludes that emotions are most likely produced by a distributed network, what do they mean?

A)Emotions originate from brain networks that are responsible for general processes, rather than for producing specific emotion states
B)Specific emotions originate from specific and identifiable brain areas that are found throughout the brain
C)When analyzed using cluster analyses, discrete emotions can be located in the brain; this was not possible using more traditional statistics
D)That the neurotransmitters associated with each basic emotion are distributed throughout the brain by long white matter tracts

Question 27

An older hypothesis of hemispheric specialization proposes that one hemisphere is reponsible for the expression, experience, and recognition of both positive and negative emotions. This hypothesis is known as what?

A)The left hemisphere hypothesis
B)The right hemisphere hypothesis
C)The approach-withdrawal hyphothesis
D)The valence hypothesis

Question 28

Which of the following imaginary pieces of evidence would best support the hypothesis that both positive and negative emotions originate from a single brain hemisphere?

A)A patient with a stroke in one hemisphere becomes highly emotional, manic, and delusional; a different patient with a stroke in the other hemisphere becomes emotionless and almost robotic
B)Stimulating one hemisphere in a rat causes playful exuberance; stimulating the other hemisphere causes fearful aggression
C)EEG recordings of participants viewing facial expressions show left-side lateralization for positive expressions and right-side lateralization for negative expressions
D)All of the above would support the hypothesis

Question 29

Which system in MacLean's triune brain theory is also known as the ""limbic system""?

A)The reptilian complex
B)The paleomammalian complex
C)The neomammalian complex
D)The cortical mammalian complex