Deck 1: What Is Behavioral Neuroscience

Question 1

What modern invention has the brain been compared to in terms of storage capacity?

A) a Google server
B) a smartphone
C) the Internet
D) a compact disc

Answer 1

the Internet

Question 2

Which of the following is a recent discovery in the field of behavioral neuroscience?

A) The cause of depression has been identified.
B) Dementia has been cured.
C) The brain area responsible for consciousness has been identified.
D) Genes for schizophrenia have been identified.

Answer 2

Genes for schizophrenia have been identified.

Question 3

What do behavioral neuroscientists study?

A) the relationship between the body and the brain
B) the relationship between behavior and the body
C) the structure of the body
D) the rules that describe how behavior is modifiable by experience

Answer 3

the relationship between behavior and the body

Question 4

Which of the following terms can be used interchangeably with "behavioral neuroscience"?

A) psychology
B) biology
C) behavioral genetics
D) psychobiology

Question 5

Psychologists consider emotions, thoughts, memories, and observable acts to be characterized as ______.

A) cognitions
B) behaviors
C) processes
D) mysteries of the mind

Question 6

Which of the following would be a question that a behavioral neuroscientist would investigate?

A) Which neurotransmitter systems are responsible for the development of drug addiction?
B) Which muscles focus the eye on a moving object?
C) Is there a genetic predisposition for cancer?
D) What are the diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder?

Question 7

If you were able to build a time machine and wanted to travel back to observe the first psychology laboratory, where would you go?

A) to Charles Darwin's office in Germany
B) to Charles Darwin's boat in England
C) to Wilhelm Wundt's lab in Germany
D) to Rene Descartes' apothecary in France

Question 8

Which of the following is true of the mind-brain question?

A) It was originally posed by early neuroscientists and remains unsolved today.
B) It is concerned with the nature of the mind and its relation to the brain.
C) It usually involves a choice between the positions of psychology and philosophy.
D) It usually involves a choice between the positions of psychology and biology.

Question 9

The textbook authors and many neuroscientists view the mind as a ______.

A) spirit
B) soul
C) source of our actions
D) concept

Question 10

Which of the following is an accurate statement about the origins of the mind-brain problem?

A) This problem was first debated by psychologists in the late 1800s.
B) This problem was first debated by philosophers in the fifth century BCE.
C) This problem was first debated by Darwin's followers in the late 1800s.
D) This problem was first debated by neuroscientists in the 1990s.

Question 11

Which of the following individuals was a dualist?

A) Plato
B) Democritus
C) Aristotle
D) Darwin

Question 12

Dr. Smith believes that both the mind and the brain are made of physical matter. Which philosopher would agree most with Dr. Smith's views?

A) Descartes
B) Plato
C) Democritus
D) Wundt

Question 13

What difficulty did dualists face in finding support for their views regarding the mind and brain?

A) explaining how a physical brain could result in mental processes
B) explaining how the mind could exist
C) explaining how the brain could exist
D) explaining how a nonphysical mind could impact a physical body

Question 14

What difficulty did monists face in finding support for their views regarding the mind and brain?

A) explaining how a physical brain could result in mental processes
B) explaining how the mind could exist
C) explaining how the brain could exist
D) explaining how a nonphysical mind could impact a physical body

Question 15

Which of the following was a barrier to resolving the mind-brain problem during the time of the early philosophical debates in the fifth century BCE?

A) The mind could only be observed in corpses.
B) The mind could only be observed in nonhuman animals.
C) There was not an understanding of how the brain or its cells functioned.
D) Introspection provided limited views of the brain.

Question 16

Nakia wants to better understand the neural basis of deception, so she recruits people to undergo brain scans while they tell a lie. The fact that Nakia believes she can uncover where deceptions come from in the brain reveals that Nakia is a ______.

A) dualist
B) idealistic monist
C) materialistic monist
D) philosopher

Question 17

Which of the following is a true statement about scientific models?

A) A model can only be a theory that explains why a behavior occurs.
B) A model can only be an organism or system that includes components of a behavior that is studied.
C) A model organism is typically more complex than the organism that scientists are working to understand.
D) A model can be either a theory or a simple organism or system.

Question 18

Based on the discussion of models in the textbook, why do many behavioral neuroscientists study rats?

A) Rats are complex animals.
B) Rats are simpler systems than humans.
C) Rats are more complex than computers.
D) Rats were central to Darwin's theory.

Question 19

Researchers have used computers to model ______ that occur(s) in humans.

A) cognitive processes
B) Alzheimer's disease
C) only simplistic behaviors
D) only abnormal behaviors

Question 20

Descartes used a ______ model for the activity of the human brain.

A) hydraulic
B) computer
C) rat
D) connectionist

Question 21

Why did Descartes choose the pineal gland as the "seat of the soul"?

A) It was a hollow structure.
B) It was attached just below the two cerebral hemispheres.
C) It looked like a pump.
D) It was the largest visible structure in the brain.

Question 22

How did Descartes' hydraulic model of brain functioning hold up to scientific testing?

A) There is currently evidence to support this model of brain functioning.
B) This model is not supported by modern observations of brain functioning.
C) There has not been sufficient testing to determine if this model is supported.
D) This model is not scientifically testable.

Question 23

Reaching conclusions about the brain by observation is the method for obtaining knowledge called ______.

A) empiricism
B) dualism
C) monism
D) idealism

Question 24

Rosalind thinks that the hippocampus is needed for new memories to be formed. In order to determine if she is correct, she conducts a study in which people perform a memory task while having their brains scanned. Rosalind is using the method of ______ to learn about the brain.

A) monism
B) intuition
C) empiricism
D) dualism

Question 25

Philosophers of the Renaissance proposed models of how the brain works while later ______ tested models of how the brain works using scientific methods.

A) thinkers
B) individualistic monists
C) dualists
D) empiricists

Question 26

From Descartes' work on the hydraulic model of brain functioning, we can see that models or theories are ______.

A) sometimes proven to be incorrect
B) always correct
C) never tested
D) based on a lack of thought about a problem

Question 27

What was the inspiration for Descartes' model of brain function?

A) a stream
B) statues in the gardens at St. Germain
C) a frog's leg
D) Plato's idea of dualism

Question 28

Why was Descartes' hydraulic model of brain function an important step in modern understanding of the brain?

A) This model correctly marked the pineal gland as the "seat of the soul."
B) This model correctly stated that muscles were inflated with liquid, which led to movement.
C) This model predicted the existence of encased nerve cells.
D) This model was a first attempt at providing a physical explanation for behavior.

Question 29

When did scientists first become aware that the body operates using electrical signals?

A) late 1700s
B) late 1800s
C) early 1900s
D) 1990s

Question 30

What force did physiologists Galvani and Helmholtz show was responsible for animation of the body?

A) electricity
B) chemicals
C) animal spirits
D) water

Question 31

What type of approach did Helmholtz take in investigating how the nervous system works?

A) idealistic monist
B) empiricist
C) dualist
D) artistic

Question 32

In addition to studying the role of electricity in the functioning of nerve cells, Helmholtz also studied ______.

A) smell
B) drug addiction
C) vision
D) anger

Question 33

Which of the following scientists provided the first insights into the role of electricity in biological functioning?

A) Hermann von Helmholtz
B) Eduard Hitzig
C) Gustav Fritsch
D) Luigi Galvani

Question 34

Which of the following individuals was important to developing the understanding that nerve cells communicate using electrical signals?

A) Hermann von Helmholtz
B) Rene Descartes
C) Paul Broca
D) Phineas Gage

Question 35

Which of the following individuals performed work that best fits the method of empiricism?

A) Rene Descartes
B) Gustav Fritsch
C) Plato
D) Aristotle

Question 36

Which of the following people was a physiologist?

A) Phineas Gage
B) Paul Broca
C) Luigi Galvani
D) Aristotle

Question 37

Through their experiments, Fritsch and Hitzig showed that ______.

A) movement could be produced in an animal by providing electrical current to the brain
B) the rate of nerve conduction is about 90 feet per second
C) the left hemisphere controls speech
D) sensation is the result of electrical activity in the brain

Question 38

A woman is involved in a car crash and, as a result, cannot speak at all for several days. Surprisingly, she can still hear and understand what her doctor is saying perfectly well. If her doctor ordered a CAT scan of her brain (a form of X-ray), where might the doctor see damage/swelling?

A) in her pineal gland
B) in her right parietal lobe
C) in her left frontal lobe
D) in both sides of her motor cortex

Question 39

How have cases of people with brain damage, such as Phineas Gage and Broca's patient, contributed to our understanding of the relationship between brain and behavior?

A) These cases have demonstrated that electrical signaling occurs in the human brain.
B) These cases have shown that specific brain areas control some specific behaviors.
C) These cases have provided evidence for equipotentiality.
D) These cases have refuted monism.

Question 40

Phineas Gage's changes in behavior following brain damage showed that the ______ is involved in planning behavior to fit with social expectations.

A) parietal lobe
B) Broca's area
C) pineal gland
D) frontal lobe

Question 41

Laurie had a stroke that damaged part of her brain. In the weeks following the stroke, her family reported that she had difficulty following through on tasks - they would find that she would go grocery shopping but then leave half the groceries out on the counter to rot. In addition, instead of completing tasks that she used to handle around the house, she would sit and play video games for hours each day. What part of the brain was likely impacted by the stroke?

A) occipital lobe
B) pineal gland
C) frontal lobe
D) Broca's area

Question 42

Based on what was presented in the textbook about localization, how did researchers in the 1800s go about identifying parts of the brain that are involved in specific behaviors?

A) by conducting brain scans
B) by examining the brains of people with disrupted behavior after those people died
C) by giving thorough examinations to anyone who suffered brain damage
D) by recording the electrical activity of individual brain cells while a person completed a task

Question 43

Which scientist adopted an extreme view of localization that has not held up to later scientific investigation?

A) Paul Broca
B) Phineas Gage
C) Luigi Galvani
D) Franz Gall

Question 44

Which theory of brain function involved measuring the bumps on the skull as a means to determine a person's individual characteristics?

A) equipotentiality
B) phrenology
C) localization
D) hydraulic model of nervous system

Question 45

Karl Lashley is known for developing the theory of ______, which stated that behaviors arise from equal involvement of all the parts of the brain.

A) equipotentiality
B) phrenology
C) localization
D) hydraulic model of nervous system

Question 46

Which theory was consistent with the idea of localization?

A) equipotentiality
B) phrenology
C) dualism
D) hydraulic model of nervous system

Question 47

Which observation has provided support for localization?

A) Spurzheim's measurements of skull bumps correlated with behaviors
B) Lashley's theory of equipotentiality
C) Broca's autopsy of the patient who lost the ability to speak
D) Galvani's animated frog leg

Question 48

Which position is consistent with the way that modern-day neuroscientists approach the localization issue?

A) They agree with Lashley that the brain has equipotentiality.
B) They agree with Gall that even very specific behaviors can be localized to individual brain areas.
C) They agree with Broca that language function can be found exclusively in Broca's area.
D) They have adopted the view that cooperation among several brain areas is necessary for behavior.

Question 49

Which observation has provided support for localization?

A) Phineas Gage's changes in behavior following the accident that damaged his frontal lobes
B) Gall's 35 faculties of emotion and intellect, which were related to the bumps on a person's skull
C) Helmholtz's observations of the speed of electrical signals in nerve cells
D) Descartes' hydraulic model of brain function

Question 50

The quotation from your textbook "The truth, as is often the case, lies somewhere between these two extremes" describes current understanding of what neuroscience debate?

A) the debate between monism and dualism
B) the debate between the hydraulic model and electrical signaling for communication in the brain
C) the debate between localization and distribution of function in the brain
D) the debate about the speed at which electrical signals occur in nerve cells

Question 51

What is a concern of modern nonmaterial neuroscientists?

A) The brain is not accessible for study.
B) Consciousness will not be capable of explanation using material explanations.
C) Vision and hearing are too complex to be explained as arising from a material brain.
D) Lashley was correct in saying that brain functions are not localized.

Question 52

Monism is consistent with the idea that ______.

A) many brain functions can be localized somewhat, showing that specific brain regions produce specific behaviors
B) electricity moves slowly through nerve cells
C) the brain does not produce behaviors such as combativeness
D) the mind explains the brain

Question 53

When the brain changes in response to psychotherapy, nonmaterial neuroscientists believe that ______ is responsible for the brain changes.

A) the brain
B) the electrical signal
C) the nerves
D) the mind

Question 54

The nature-versus-nurture question deals with the relative influences of ______ and environment on shaping behavior.

A) electricity
B) brain
C) heredity
D) mind

Question 55

What is one concern that has been raised over explaining behaviors with a hereditary cause?

A) Heredity removes the mystery in human existence.
B) Heredity suggests that anyone can be pushed to engage in bad behavior if given the proper circumstances.
C) Heredity leaves no room for choice in behavior.
D) Hereditary explanations mean that individuals cannot be held accountable for their bad behaviors.

Question 56

The plans for cellular processes are contained within our ______.

A) brains
B) genes
C) environment
D) electrical signals

Question 57

Which of the following statements about chromosomes is true?

A) Genes contain chromosomes.
B) Chromosomes are all found in mitochondria.
C) Chromosomes contain genes.
D) Chromosomes come in groups of three.

Question 58

Which of the following is a true statement about the sex chromosomes?

A) The Y chromosome is shorter than the X chromosome.
B) There are 23 pairs of sex chromosomes.
C) Mammalian females have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome.
D) Mammalian males have two X chromosomes.

Question 59

Which of the following is a true statement about chromosomes?

A) Scientists identify individual chromosomes by number.
B) Chromosomes are identical in appearance.
C) All people have two X chromosomes.
D) All people have two Y chromosomes.

Question 60

How are sperm cells different from body cells?

A) Sperm cells do not contain genes.
B) Sperm cells contain 45 chromosomes.
C) Sperm cells contain 23 chromosomes.
D) Sperm cells contain 12 chromosomes.

Question 61

The process of ______ results in a zygote being created with 23 pairs of chromosomes.

A) birth
B) ovulation
C) implantation
D) fertilization

Question 62

A fertilized egg, which eventually develops into an organism, is initially called a(n) ______.

A) embryo
B) fetus
C) baby
D) zygote

Question 63

Kathryn recently took a pregnancy test and discovered that she was pregnant. When she went to her doctor for an examination, she discovered that she had been pregnant for 5 weeks. What term do scientists used to refer to the fertilized egg that is developing in Kathryn's uterus?

A) fetus
B) embryo
C) baby
D) infant

Question 64

Most pregnant women undergo regular medical evaluations of their pregnancies beginning at 8 weeks after fertilization. At this point in development, the fertilized egg is referred to by scientists as a(n) ______.

A) zygote
B) embryo
C) fetus
D) baby

Question 65

Which scientists are known for reporting that DNA is structured in a double helix?

A) Fritsch and Hitzig
B) Gall and Spurzheim
C) Watson and Crick
D) Gage and Broca

Question 66

What does the "double helix" refer to?

A) the location of genes within body cells
B) the paired nature of chromosomes in cells of the body
C) the twisted ladder-like structure of DNA
D) the fact that genes can be found on chromosomes within the cell body and also in mitochondria

Question 67

Which of the following is a nucleotide that makes up DNA?

A) uracil
B) guanine
C) GABA
D) acetylcholine

Question 68

Adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine are nucleotides that make up ______.

A) cell bodies
B) neurotransmitters
C) DNA
D) RNA

Question 69

The code for our genetic information is carried in which of the following?

A) the twisting pattern that our DNA creates
B) the speed of electrical signals along strands of DNA
C) the number of chromosomes we have in each body cell
D) the order of nucleotides on our DNA strands

Question 70

Which of the following is a true statement about enzymes in the body?

A) Enzymes are coded for by DNA.
B) Enzymes are used to build cells in the body.
C) Enzymes are found in pairs.
D) Enzymes are unique to each individual.

Question 71

Chemical reactions in the body can be modified by ______, which are coded for by genes.

A) DNA
B) chromosomes
C) zygotes
D) enzymes

Question 72

Which of the following is a true statement about genes?

A) All chromosomes contain the same number of genes.
B) Chromosomes, but not genes, are paired.
C) Genes, but not chromosomes, are paired.
D) The Y chromosome has fewer genes than the X chromosome.

Question 73

Type AB blood is an example of ______.

A) two alleles blending to create a result
B) one allele that is dominant over another
C) one allele that is recessive compared to another
D) a homozygous case

Question 74

Keysha's mother is homozygous for a dominant allele for unattached earlobes and her father is homozygous for a recessive allele for attached earlobes. What is true about Keysha's earlobes?

A) Keysha has a homozygous genotype.
B) Keysha's phenotype is not predictable from her genotype.
C) Keysha has attached earlobes.
D) Keysha has unattached earlobes.

Question 75

Keysha's mother is homozygous for a dominant allele for unattached earlobes and her father is heterozygous for a recessive allele for attached earlobes. Keysha has two siblings. What of the following is a true statement about Keysha and her siblings?

A) Keysha and her siblings will all have the same genotype.
B) Keysha and her siblings will all have the same phenotype.
C) Keysha and her siblings will all have attached earlobes.
D) Keysha, but not her siblings, will have unattached earlobes.

Question 76

Why are males more likely than females to have a deficiency in red-green color vision?

A) Males have more recessive alleles for color vision.
B) Males do not use their color vision as much as females.
C) Males only receive one X chromosome.
D) Color deficiencies are the result of dominant alleles.

Question 77

Neither of Sean's parents has a red-green color deficiency, but Sean does. Why is this possible?

A) Both of Sean's parents must be heterozygous for the gene for red-green color deficiency.
B) Both of Sean's parents must be homozygous for the dominant allele for red-green color vision.
C) Sean's father must be heterozygous for the gene for red-green color deficiency.
D) Sean's mother must be heterozygous for the gene for red-green color deficiency.

Question 78

How do modern psychologists approach the nature-versus-nurture question?

A) They feel that both are important to understanding behavior.
B) They feel that environment is more important than heredity in understanding behavior.
C) They feel that heredity is more important than environment in understanding behavior.
D) They feel that environment plays no role in shaping behavior.

Question 79

What was the purpose of the Human Genome Project?

A) to determine if genes are linked to human behaviors
B) to identify all the genes in our chromosomes
C) to determine the structure of DNA
D) to find the mitochondria that contain genes

Question 80

When did the Human Genome Project take place?

A) 1950s
B) 1960s
C) 1990s
D) 2010s