Deck 9: Biological Theories: Evolution, Genetics, and Biological Factor Theories

Question 1

Aggression and striving for dominance are more common in

A) children than adults.
B) parents than childless couples.
C) females than males.
D) males than females.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Parents enhance the survival of their genes by

A) having only one child.
B) adopting children.
C) nurturing their children.
D) abusing their children.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Imitating others is made possible biologically by

A) Mirror neurons
B) Memory strategies
C) Evolved psychological mechanisms
D) Temperament

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Reportedly, Hilary Rodham Clinton has always been bold and assertive. This early display of these traits suggests the influence and importance of _____ in the development of her personality.

A) biological predispositions
B) evolutionary
C) parenting style
D) early life experiences

Question 5

Specific processes that have evolved because they solve particular adaptive problems of survival are called:

A) Evolved coping skills
B) Evolved psychosocial mechanisms
C) Unconscious processes
D) Evolved psychological mechanisms

Question 6

Sexual jealousy

A) is an evolved psychological mechanism.
B) is more frequent among females than among males.
C) is learned, not innate.
D) all of the above

Question 7

Evolved psychological mechanisms include all of the following except

A) imitation.
B) sexual jealousy.
C) temperament.
D) sexual attraction based on physical appearance.

Question 8

Evolutionary theory has implications for

A) aggression.
B) altruism.
C) sexual behavior.
D) all of the above

Question 9

When it comes to reproductive potential, men may choose to do which of the following?

A) Promiscuity
B) Have children with one women and then stay and protect them
C) Not have children but help care and protect his kin's children
D) All the above
E) None of the above

Question 10

Sexual fidelity, according to evolutionary theory,

A) is greater in females than in males.
B) is greater in males than in females.
C) is equal in both sexes.
D) is explained by cultural norms, not natural selection.

Question 11

Which statement best describes the relevance of evolutionary theory for culture?

A) Evolutionary theory competes with and contradicts cultural explanations.
B) Cultural explanations have demonstrated that evolutionary explanations are incorrect.
C) Evolutionary explanations have demonstrated that cultural explanations are incorrect.
D) Cultural evolution is included within evolutionary theory.

Question 12

Studies of rats deprived of maternal contact showed that the rats developed permanent deficits in the hippocampus. Such deficits (in rats or humans) could make them more vulnerable to

A) aggression.
B) depression.
C) introversion.
D) sexual promiscuity.

Question 13

The fundamental assumption of evolutionary approaches is that

A) genetic variations that enhance reproductive success will become more frequent over generations as a result of natural selection.
B) males are superior to females.
C) biology influences physical but not behavioral characteristics.
D) experience does not influence personality.

Question 14

Parental uncertainty

A) is greater in males than in females.
B) contributes to sexual jealousy in females.
C) explains reciprocal altruism.
D) all of the above

Question 15

According to evolutionary theory, altruistic behavior has survival advantages

A) when it enhances survival of one's children.
B) when it enhances survival of other relatives, in addition to children.
C) when it enhances survival of other members of one's group who are not one's relatives.
D) all of the above

Question 16

Altruism, according to evolutionary perspectives, is most directly caused by

A) reasoning.
B) the emotion of empathy.
C) experience.
D) the emotion of happiness.

Question 17

In cultures with equal status for men and women,

A) sex differences in factors that contribute to sexual attraction are reduced.
B) attractiveness and status have effects on sexual attraction are similar to cultures with greater status differences.
C) there is less sexual infidelity.
D) there is more parental uncertainty.

Question 18

Evolutionary theory describes that sexual attraction is greatest toward

A) physically attractive partners.
B) older partners.
C) partners who resemble the opposite sex parent.
D) partners with artistic or musical talents.

Question 19

The sexes differ in attitudes toward sexual promiscuity, according to evolutionary theory, because of

A) differences in parental investment.
B) different social norms.
C) parental uncertainty.
D) differences in the age of puberty.

Question 20

How does evolutionary theory explain people that choose to be celibate? People that choose celibacy

A) make no contribution to the species and therefore it is inadvisable as an evolutionary strategy.
B) often still take care of their kin, who in turn have children and thus the celibate person is still contributing to the well-being of the species.
C) have weak genes and in not having children they are serving to strengthen the species.
D) are confused about what they really want and therefore they cannot be good parents.

Question 21

Which of the following is one of the dimensions of the EASI temperament model?

A) Energetic
B) Agreeability
C) Intraversion
D) Sociability

Question 22

Kagan's temperament types are:

A) Only the result of heredity.
B) At least half influenced by heredity if not more.
C) Mostly influence by the environment.
D) Related to intelligence.

Question 23

Neuroscientists have found that approaching pleasant stimuli and avoiding unpleasant stimuli

A) activate the same neural pathways, but at different levels.
B) activate different areas of the brain: the left hemisphere for pleasant experiences and the right hemisphere for unpleasant experiences.
C) activate different areas of the brain: the left hemisphere for unpleasant experiences and the right hemisphere for pleasant experiences.
D) activate subcortical areas but not the cerebral cortex.

Question 24

The term "phenotype" refers to

A) a person's inherited genetic profile.
B) a person's temperament.
C) a person's observed characteristics.
D) heritability.

Question 25

In Kagan's studies, children with an uninhibited type of temperament

A) acted aggressively.
B) tended to be only children (with no siblings).
C) interacted with the experimenter and a strange woman.
D) all of the above

Question 26

Children who cried and clung to their mothers, in Kagan's studies, were called

A) inhibited.
B) neurotic.
C) difficulty children.
D) uninhibited.

Question 27

The term that refers to a person's inherited genetic profile is

A) genotype.
B) phenotype.
C) temperament.
D) genome.

Question 28

Neuroscience has found that the right cerebral hemisphere is active when people

A) are motivated to approach something.
B) are motivated to move away from something.
C) are angry.
D) are happy.

Question 29

Which of the following is not one of the EASI temperament model's dimensions?

A) Emotionality
B) Agreeability
C) Sociability
D) Impulsivity

Question 30

The term heritability refers to

A) how much the variability of a trait in a population can be attributed to genetic variation.
B) the similarity of identical twins.
C) the nature-nurture controversy.
D) similarity of physical characteristics, but not of psychological traits, with one's parents.

Question 31

The best way to raise a child who has an inhibited temperament, in order to produce a well-adapted personality, is to

A) continue setting high standards for the child to achieve.
B) encourage the child to explore the environment and give warnings when appropriate.
C) do not interfere with the child's innate tendencies.
D) provide strict discipline.

Question 32

In temperament studies, the sympathetic nervous system is less active in

A) inhibited children.
B) uninhibited children.
C) younger children.
D) older children.

Question 33

Which statement best describes the influence of genetics on personality?

A) Genetics has little or no influence on personality.
B) Genetics influences serious personality disorders, but not variations in normal personality.
C) Genetics influences personality considerably, with heritability estimates of about .50.
D) The influence of genetics on personality has not been studied, so no conclusions are possible.

Question 34

In Kagan's model, children are more likely to develop an aggressive, antisocial personality if

A) they have an inhibited temperament and receive overprotection.
B) they have an inhibited temperament and are encouraged to explore the environment.
C) they have an uninhibited temperament and receive strict discipline.
D) they have an uninhibited temperament and receive lax discipline.

Question 35

Kagan suggests that stimulation of the __________ contributes to an inhibited temperament.

A) frontal lobe
B) amygdala
C) cingulate gyrus
D) brain stem

Question 36

Evolution through transmitted learning from one generation to another is called

A) Normative evolution
B) Classical conditioning
C) Cultural evolution
D) Cultural consciousness

Question 37

According to the text, the communication of _______ make social living possible.

A) Social norms
B) Emotions
C) Altruism
D) Empathy

Question 38

Rewarding experiences and drug abuse are associated with the neurotransmitter

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

Question 39

The biological foundation of personality is

A) temperament.
B) extraversion.
C) gender.
D) dominance.

Question 40

A person's temperament is best described as

A) learned in early childhood.
B) similar to the Freudian superego.
C) changeable until adolescence, but stable in adulthood.
D) biologically determined.

Question 41

Pavlov noted that some dogs, that he described as having a strong nervous system,

A) could tolerate more intense stimuli before inhibition set in.
B) inhibited stimuli at lower levels than others.
C) could not be conditioned in his experiments.
D) could be conditioned to sounds but not to lights.

Question 42

Neurological evidence of left-right brain functioning shows that anger

A) activates the left hemisphere, along with anxiety and fear.
B) activates the left hemisphere, along with pleasant experiences that lead to approach.
C) activates the right hemisphere, along with anxiety and fear.
D) activates the right hemisphere, along with pleasant experiences that lead to approach.

Question 43

According to J. A. Gray's theory, behaviors of approaching and avoiding stimuli are influenced by

A) neurotransmitters.
B) birth order.
C) early experience.
D) visual stimuli.

Question 44

Eysenck's three factors of personality are theorized to be caused by

A) biology.
B) early experience.
C) patterns of thinking.
D) learning throughout life.

Question 45

The term "BIS" in Gray's theory refers to

A) the Behavioral Impulse Syndrome.
B) behavior, intellect, and selectivity.
C) belief, inspiration, and sublimation.
D) the Behavioral Inhibition System.

Question 46

The Behavioral Inhibition System would most likely be activated when you experience

A) a sudden, frightening stimulus.
B) the need to study instead of going out.
C) joy.
D) goal attainment.

Question 47

The Behavioral Activation System is associated with

A) impulsive behavior.
B) negative emotions.
C) fear.
D) all of the above

Question 48

Which of the following factors is included in Gray's theory?

A) the Behavioral Activation System
B) the Behavioral Inhibition System
C) the Fight-Flight System
D) all of the above

Question 49

In Gray's theory, the term "BAS" refers to

A) behavior, affect, and situation
B) Behavioral Activation System
C) belief, action, and situation
D) brain, axon, and synapse

Question 50

Eysenck's personality factors have been found to be correlated with

A) emotions,
B) distractibility.
C) criminal behavior.
D) all of the above

Question 51

According to Eysenck, people become introverts because

A) they are maladjusted.
B) they have been mistreated by other people.
C) their nervous systems are easily overstimulated.
D) their nervous systems are slow to react to stimuli.

Question 52

In Eysenck's theory, neuroticism is associated with

A) greater emotional arousal.
B) greater activity in the limbic system.
C) greater use of defense mechanisms.
D) all of the above

Question 53

People who seek intensely stimulating experiences and who take risks are said to be high in the trait of

A) neurosis.
B) psychosis.
C) introversion.
D) sensation seeking.

Question 54

The Behavioral Activation System is associated with

A) rewarding and pleasant experiences.
B) extraversion.
C) dopamine.
D) all of the above

Question 55

High levels of BIS activity are associated with

A) criminal behavior.
B) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
C) anxiety.
D) all of the above

Question 56

In J. A. Gray's theory, the BAS would be most active when a person is

A) sleeping.
B) avoiding a feared event.
C) approaching a pleasant experience.
D) studying for a test.

Question 57

Besides Extraversion and Neuroticism, Eysenck proposed a factor he called

A) Introversion.
B) Melancholia.
C) Psychoticism.
D) Sensation Seeking.

Question 58

People scoring high on Psychoticism are typically

A) impulsive, hostile, sadistic, and unempathic.
B) out of contact with reality.
C) schizophrenic.
D) well-liked.

Question 59

Neuroscientists recording responses to auditory stimuli in the people's brainstem, find that

A) no activity is produced in this area of the brain.
B) extraverts react more strongly to auditory stimuli than introverts.
C) introverts react more strongly to auditory stimuli than extraverts.
D) introverts and extraverts react similarly.

Question 60

Researchers have found correlations between BAS scores and

A) depression.
B) alcohol craving.
C) bipolar disorder.
D) all of the above

Question 61

In Gray's theory, __________ are more influenced by reward.

A) introverts
B) extraverts
C) children
D) psychotics

Question 62

Evolutionary approaches emphasize universal human tendencies, more than do other biological
approaches.

Question 63

Which of the following is not a factor in C. R. Cloninger's tridimensional model?

A) harm avoidance
B) extraversion
C) novelty seeking
D) reward dependence

Question 64

Low levels of norepinephrine, in the tridimensional model proposed by C. R. Cloninger, are associated with

A) anxiety.
B) reward dependence.
C) novelty seeking.
D) psychoticism.

Question 65

According to Gray's theory, extraverts and introverts respond differently to

A) reward but not punishment.
B) punishment but not reward.
C) both reward and punishment.
D) neither reward nor punishment.

Question 66

The neurotransmitter __________ is active in conveying rewards and positive incentives to the brain, in Gray's theory.

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

Question 67

According to evolutionary thought, men tend to be more selective and women more opportunistic in regard to mate selection.

Question 68

Altruism cannot be explained by evolutionary theory, since it decreases survival and reproduction for
the individual.

Question 69

Kin altruism explains altruism toward relatives.

Question 70

Normal development of the brain depends upon

A) genetics.
B) environment.
C) mother-infant interaction.
D) all of the above

Question 71

Evolutionary theory proposes that every trait that now exists has adaptive value.

Question 72

Emotions are essential for social behavior.

Question 73

The trait of harm avoidance is associated with

A) the neurotransmitter serotonin.
B) introversion.
C) high tolerance for pain.
D) a history of abuse.

Question 74

Understanding other's facial expressions of emotion is a learned skill.

Question 75

Low status males tend to mate more than high status males because females view them as more likely to stick around and help raise and protect their children.

Question 76

In Cloninger's theory, dopamine is associated with

A) psychosis.
B) harm avoidance.
C) novelty seeking.
D) extraversion.

Question 77

The tendency to imitate others makes social learning possible.

Question 78

According to the text, biological theories have clear operational definitions of theoretical constructs.

Question 79

Altruism is a rationally calculated act.

Question 80

Evolutionary approaches emphasize the great differences between modern people and our remote
ancestors.