Deck 2: Neuroscience and Biological Foundations

Question 1

Behavioral genetics is the study of _______________.

A) the relative effects of behavior and genetics on survival
B) the relative effects of heredity and environment on behavior and mental processes
C) the relative effects of genetics on natural selection
D) how genetics affects correct behavior

Answer 1

the relative effects of heredity and environment on behavior and mental processes

Question 2

The study of genetic and environmental influences on behavior is called _____.

A) behavioral genetics
B) genealogy
C) psychogenetics
D) biological psychology

Answer 2

behavioral genetics

Question 3

If a graduate student is studying the influence of biology (e.g., genetics, brain) on behavior and mental processes, what field of psychology would they be pursuing?

A) evolutionary psychology
B) neuroscience
C) cognitive psychology
D) psychoanalytic psychology

Answer 3

neuroscience

Question 4

The human body is composed of ___________ chromosomes.

A) 23
B) 22
C) 46
D) 44

Question 5

Which type of cell in the human body does NOT contain a cell nucleus?

A) white blood cells
B) red blood cells
C) skin cells
D) bone marrow

Question 6

The interdisciplinary field that studies how biological processes are related to behavioral and mental processes is called ________________.

A) behavioral genetics
B) neurology
C) psychiatry
D) neuroscience

Question 7

Modern psychologists believe that many human characteristics such as eye color, hair color, or height are _________________.

A) dominant
B) recessive
C) polygenic
D) multifactoral

Question 8

Which type of twins share the greatest genetic overlap?

A) identical
B) dizygotic
C) fraternal
D) zygotic

Question 9

Identical twin boys raised in different households demonstrated great similarity in their personalities when reunited 20 years later. This is evidence for the __________________.

A) predominance of "nurture"
B) predominance of "nature"
C) interacting contributions of "nature" and "nurture"
D) equal contributions of "nature" and "nurture"

Question 10

If the heritability estimate for height is 90% and your parents are both tall, which of the following statements is ACCURATE?

A) You have a 90% chance of being tall.
B) Ninety percent of your parent's children will be tall.
C) You will achieve about 90% of your parent's combined heights.
D) It is impossible with certainty to predict height from this estimate.

Question 11

The branch of psychology that studies the ways in which natural selection and adaptation can explain behavior and mental processes is _____________.

A) behavioral genetics
B) environmental psychology
C) evolutionary psychology
D) Darwinian psychology

Question 12

The message that travels along an axon of a neuron is called a(n) ____________.

A) neurotransmission
B) action potential
C) mylinazation
D) chemical impulse

Question 13

The fatty insulation surrounding the axon of most neurons is called _____________.

A) a myelin sheath
B) dendrites
C) axons
D) glial cells

Question 14

Molecules that carry positive or negative electrical charges are called _____.

A) ions
B) chemicals
C) charged substances
D) neurotransmitters

Question 15

A synaptic gap is the _____.

A) gap between the brain and the skull that contains cerebrospinal fluid
B) tiny opening between the sending and receiving neuron
C) vesicle that contains neurotransmitters
D) place where neurotransmitters exchange ionic molecules

Question 16

Neurotransmitters _____.

A) are chemicals that cross the synaptic gap and bind to receptors on another neuron
B) are surrounded by a myelin sheath
C) deliver only excitatory messages
D) deliver only inhibitory messages

Question 17

According to your text, an antagonist drug that blocks an excitatory neurotransmitter like acetylcholine, which works in muscle action, will lead to _______.

A) spasms
B) numbness
C) paralysis
D) uncontrolled movement

Question 18

Certain forms of depression are related to lowered levels of _____.

A) Prozac
B) Zoloft
C) GABA
D) serotonin

Question 19

High levels of _______________ are associated with states of mania.

A) epinephrine
B) norepinephrine
C) GABA
D) serotonin

Question 20

__________ is a component of the endocrine system.

A) Neurotransmitter
B) Neurogenesis
C) Adrenal gland
D) Neuroplasticity

Question 21

Which of the following is associated with the endocrine system?

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

Question 22

Your text presented an analogy showing that neurotransmission at the synapse is like _____, whereas hormonal communication is like _____.

A) a drug; a vitamin
B) an individual e-mail; a global e-mail
C) Halloween; Christmas
D) a classroom; television

Question 23

One of the hormones released by the adrenal glands in response to stress is ________.

A) cortisol
B) serotonin
C) dopamine
D) GABA

Question 24

Which of the following chemicals does the body use as both a hormone and neurotransmitter?

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

Question 25

Which part of the endocrine system is involved in regulating metabolism?

A) the pituitary gland
B) the thyroid gland
C) the pancreas
D) the parathyroid gland

Question 26

Which part of the endocrine system is involved in controlling sleep?

A) the pineal gland
B) the thyroid gland
C) the pancreas
D) the parathyroid gland

Question 27

We are able to learn a new language or a new sport because of the brain's ______.

A) neurogenesis
B) action potentials
C) neurotransmission
D) neuroplasticity

Question 28

A stroke victim was unable to talk after one year, but in the second year gradually regained the ability to speak. What probably happened?

A) The neurons regenerated.
B) Neurons split to form new neurons.
C) Stem cells initiated the formation of new cells.
D) The brain rerouted the neurons around the damaged area.

Question 29

_________, in stroke victims, has (have) been found to restore function in an affected limb as long as 21 years after the stroke.

A) Use of stem cells
B) Use of curare
C) Immobilizing the unaffected limb and exercising the affected limb
D) Hyperbolic oxygen

Question 30

In the study mentioned in the textbook, rats with spinal cord damage implanted with embryonic stem cells showed ___________.

A) improvements in the damaged areas in the spinal cord.
B) no improvements in the damaged areas in the spinal cord.
C) no improvements in other paralyzed areas of the body.
D) improvements in the damaged area of the spinal cord and the paralyzed areas of the body.

Question 31

The reflex involved when you stroke an infant's cheek and she/he turns toward the stimulator and begins to suck is called the ___________ reflex.

A) Babinski
B) sucking
C) feeding
D) rooting

Question 32

Lightly stroking the bottom of a baby's foot causes the toes to fan out. This is known as the ________.

A) rooting reflex
B) Babinski reflex
C) moro reflex
D) sucking reflex

Question 33

After arguing with her husband over dinner, Sue developed a stomachache. This was probably because her ___________________________.

A) sympathetic nervous system activated and shut down digestion during the argument
B) parasympathetic nervous system activated and shut down digestion during the argument
C) endocrine system sent out too many hormones to her stomach
D) central nervous system signaled for too much acid to be produced in her stomach

Question 34

Which of the following is a reaction of the sympathetic nervous system?

A) decreased heart rate
B) decreased respiration
C) release of hormones into the bloodstream
D) increased digestive processes

Question 35

Which part of the nervous system is being activated during yoga?

A) sympathetic
B) parasympathetic
C) somatic
D) spinal cord.

Question 36

The part of your brain that refocuses your attention from a newspaper to noticing a crash in the street outside is the _____.

A) medulla
B) cerebral cortex
C) reticular formation
D) auditory cortex

Question 37

The hypothalamus is involved with which of the following functions?

A) hunger and thirst
B) sleep
C) memory
D) sensory messages

Question 38

This part of the limbic system helps regulate emotions such as fear and aggression.

A) fornix
B) hippocampus
C) amygdala
D) thalamus

Question 39

What part of the brain does C correspond to?

A) corpus callosum
B) cerebral cortex
C) medulla
D) pons

Question 40

What part of the brain does F correspond to?

A) corpus callosum
B) cerebral cortex
C) medulla
D) limbic system

Question 41

What part of the brain does A correspond to?

A) corpus callosum
B) cerebral cortex
C) thalamus
D) hypothalamus

Question 42

What part of the brain does B correspond to?

A) corpus callosum
B) cerebral cortex
C) medulla
D) pons

Question 43

What is the part of the brain that is most likely overactive in someone who suffers from panic disorder?

A) amygdala
B) thalamus
C) pons
D) hypothalamus

Question 44

Which of the following regions is the correct location of the occipital lobes?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D

Question 45

Which of the following regions is the correct location of the parietal lobes?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D

Question 46

Which of the following regions is the correct location of the temporal lobes?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D

Question 47

Abnormalities in the ________ lobe are associated with schizophrenia.

A) parietal
B) temporal
C) occipital
D) frontal

Question 48

The situation in which a person is blindfolded and cannot verbally identify objects placed in her left hand suggests that they have had _____.

A) a dyslexic episode
B) split-brain surgery
C) too much to drink
D) a lateralization of her brain hemispheres

Question 49

Define behavioral genetics, providing a description of the four methods of study used in this field. State three cautions related to heritability findings.

Question 50

Diagram a neuron with its major parts, and describe the functions of each part. Note: Artistic ability will not be graded; accuracy will be.

Question 51

Describe the electrochemical process that changes a resting potential into an action potential, including a statement about how neurotransmitters act to excite or inhibit action potentials.

Question 52

Describe how communication between neurons occurs. Provide a diagram of this process. What determines whether or not this communication happens?

Question 53

What are the different types of neurotransmitters, and how do they affect our behavior? What consequences do neurotransmitter imbalances have for behavior?

Question 54

How do hormones work? How are they different from neurotransmitters? Provide some examples of hormones, and discuss how they affect behavior.

Question 55

Describe recent research regarding neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, and the role of stem cells in the treatment of various physical and neurological dysfunctions.

Question 56

Name the two branches of the autonomic nervous system, describe the function of each branch, and state the changes that occur in various target organs during the "fight-or-flight"
response.

Question 57

Describe the main functions and location of the cerebellum, the three parts of the brainstem, and the reticular formation.

Question 58

Describe the location and main functions of the subcortical areas of the brain: the thalamus, hypothalamus, and limbic system.

Question 59

Define cerebral cortex and diagram the left hemisphere of the brain with its four lobes, the motor control area, somatosensory area, Broca's area, and Wernicke's area. Describe the main functions of each of these lobes and areas, including the "association"
areas. Note: Artistic ability will not be graded; accuracy will be.

Question 60

Review the findings regarding brain lateralization and evolutionary psychology, and describe the debate regarding the evolution of gender differences.