Deck 10: Emotional Influences on Learning and Memory

Question 1

Caden was overjoyed when he learned that he was accepted into a top business school.His heart rate and blood pressure increased,and he started to breathe more rapidly.According to the James-Lange theory of emotion:

A)Caden felt happy,which led to the physiological changes he experienced.
B)Caden determined that his physiological changes were due to being accepted,and he labeled the changes as "happiness."
C)Caden's physiological changes led him to consciously experience "happiness."
D)Caden took into account both his physiological changes and the fact that he was accepted in determining that the emotion he felt was "happiness."

Answer 1

C

Question 2

That different emotions can lead to similar types of physiological responses is a problem for which theory of emotion?

A)Cannon-Bard theory
B)Schacter's two-factor theory
C)James-Lange theory
D)It is a problem for all of these theories.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The body changes that occur during arousal are mediated by the:

A)autonomic nervous system.
B)somatic system.
C)central nervous system.
D)respiratory system.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Based on the two-factor theory of emotion,if you want your date to become very attracted to you,you should:

A)take him/her on an exhilarating roller coaster ride.
B)have a quiet dinner together.
C)discuss topics that are not likely to be very emotional for him/her.
D)do something low-key at the start of the date.

Question 5

During a state of arousal:

A)digestion speeds up.
B)the heart rate slows down.
C)pain is suppressed.
D)blood glucose decreases.

Question 6

Nonhuman animals have:

A)been proven to consciously experience the emotion of fear.
B)been shown to experience all of the same emotions that humans do.
C)not shown any expressions of joy.
D)shown behavioral responses to pleasant and unpleasant tastes.

Question 7

According to the James-Lange theory of emotion:

A)the conscious feeling of an emotion leads to the bodily responses associated with that emotion.
B)the bodily responses associated with an emotion lead to the conscious feeling of that emotion.
C)the cognitive assessment of an emotional situation leads to the conscious feeling of that emotion.
D)the conscious feeling of an emotion leads to the cognitive assessment of the emotional situation.

Question 8

Which of the following is true regarding emotions in nonhuman animals?

A)Emotions cannot be studied in nonhuman animals because there is no way to assess whether such animals have a subjective experience of emotions like humans do.
B)The biological responses made in emotional situations are similar in humans and nonhuman animals.
C)Nonhuman animals do not display any overt behaviors that can be linked to emotions.
D)Different animals have vastly different reactions to emotional stimuli.

Question 9

Which of the following is true regarding emotions?

A)There seem to be many cultural differences in feeling emotions but not in expressing them.
B)People have a difficult time recognizing emotions in the faces of people from other cultures.
C)Emotions seem to be hardwired,although they may be expressed to different degrees.
D)People experience very different emotions depending on their culture.

Question 10

When researchers injected participants with a stress hormone that increases arousal,and then put them in a room with a person who acted either irritated or joyful,they found that the participants reported feeling:

A)joyful.
B)irritated.
C)both joyful and irritated at the same time.
D)the same emotion as the other person in the room.

Question 11

Holding a pencil between your teeth,so that you are "smiling," can increase feelings of happiness.This is consistent with the predictions of which theory?

A)both the James-Lange theory and the Cannon-Bard theory
B)neither the James-Lange theory nor the Cannon-Bard theory
C)the Cannon-Bard theory
D)the James-Lange theory

Question 12

A rat that is placed in a pool of water can learn to locate and climb onto a submerged platform in order to get out of the water.This is an example of:

A)conditioned escape.
B)learned helplessness.
C)conditioned avoidance.
D)perseveration.

Question 13

According to the two-factor theory of avoidance learning,the first stage of avoidance learning involves _____ and then the avoidance response involves _____.

A)reinforcement of escaping the US;reinforcement of escaping the CS
B)reinforcement of avoidance of the fear CR;reinforcement of escaping the CS
C)classical conditioning of the conditioned emotional response;reinforcement of avoidance of the fear CR
D)reinforcement of escaping the US;classical conditioning of the conditioned emotional response

Question 14

The fear response involves _____ reactions.

A)physiological
B)motor
C)conscious
D)a combination of physiological,motor,and conscious

Question 15

Whenever a child has a tantrum,his mother has learned to put the child in his bedroom and closes the door in order to get away from his yelling and screaming.This is an example of:

A)conditioned escape.
B)learned helplessness.
C)conditioned avoidance.
D)perseveration.

Question 16

Physiological responses that correlate with the emotion of fear:

A)are present in humans but not in non-human animals.
B)prove the existence of emotions in non-human animals.
C)are consistent with the existence of emotions in non-human animals.
D)are very different in humans than in non-human animals.

Question 17

Which of the following is an example of a conditioned emotional response?

A)A rat freezes in response to a tone that was previously paired with a shock.
B)A pigeon is startled by a sudden loud noise.
C)A rat runs away when it spots a cat.
D)A rat's heart rate increases in response to a sudden unexpected shock.

Question 18

When compared to conditioned responses that do not involve emotion,conditioned emotional responses:

A)require more pairings to learn.
B)are harder to reinstate after extinction has occurred.
C)are harder to extinguish.
D)take more time to learn.

Question 19

Noah once failed a class taught by a particular professor.He now refuses to take another class with that professor,and seeks out other professors who teach the classes he needs.Noah is demonstrating:

A)mood-congruency of memory.
B)learned helplessness.
C)conditioned avoidance.
D)perseveration.

Question 20

Which of the following is an example of an overt behavior caused by an emotion?

A)Amelia feels her heart rate increase right before she gives a speech.
B)Mason is elated when his football team wins the playoffs.
C)Paige is very sad when her dog runs away.
D)Keegan screams loudly when his brother startles him.

Question 21

People who listen to an emotional narrative while watching an accompanying slide show remember the pictures from the:

A)emotional parts of the slide show particularly well.
B)unemotional parts of the slide show particularly well.
C)end of the slide show much better than those from the beginning or middle.
D)beginning of the slide show much better than those from the middle or end.

Question 22

Depressed people are more likely to recall unpleasant memories than pleasant memories.This is an example of:

A)mood congruency of memory.
B)learned helplessness.
C)avoidance learning.
D)flashbulb memory.

Question 23

Which of the following is true regarding the brain and emotion?

A)Emotion seems to arise from special circuits devoted to individual emotions.
B)The cingulate cortex is activated by all of the emotions.
C)There is a specialized emotion circuit in the limbic system.
D)Emotion is a function of the brain operating as a whole.

Question 24

Which of the following is an example of a flashbulb memory?

A)remembering sad words because you are feeling sad
B)remembering a game show you watched on TV last night
C)remembering happy words because you were happy when you learned them
D)remembering the birth of your first child

Question 25

According to Seligman's research on learned helplessness,one way to help "immunize" people from becoming depressed would be to:

A)surround them with as many pleasant stimuli as possible.
B)put them in situations where they cannot possibly escape from adversity.
C)make sure they do not experience much adversity in their life.
D)expose them early in life to adversities they can overcome.

Question 26

What is the phenomenon in which exposure to an uncontrollable punisher reduces the chance that an organism will try to make an avoidance response?

A)conditioned emotional response
B)learned helplessness
C)conditioned avoidance
D)perseveration

Question 27

Bushman and Bonacci showed that participants remembered commercials the best if the commercials were shown during a(n):

A)program that the participants liked.
B)violent program.
C)emotionally-neutral program.
D)sexually-explicit program.

Question 28

When Talarico and Rubin (2003)studied students' memories of 9/11,they found that the students:

A)remembered fewer details as time went on.
B)forgot some things but didn't change any of their memories.
C)had consistently high recall over time.
D)completely changed what they recalled when questioned weeks later.

Question 29

Strong and vivid memories for highly emotional events are called:

A)congruent memories.
B)flashbulb memories.
C)phobias.
D)conditioned memories.

Question 30

Human depression seems to involve:

A)learned helplessness.
B)conditioned avoidance.
C)flashbulb memories.
D)conditioned emotional responses.

Question 31

The basolateral nucleus of the amygdala is responsible for:

A)gathering sensory input from the thalamus.
B)driving expression of physiological responses to emotional stimuli.
C)driving behavioral responses to emotional stimuli.
D)modulating storage and retrieval of emotional memories.

Question 32

A problem for the two-factor theory of avoidance learning is that:

A)the avoidance response should extinguish easily,but it does not.
B)the avoidance response should be hard to extinguish,but it is easy to extinguish.
C)it is usually too hard for an organism to learn a conditioned emotional response.
D)classical and operant conditioning cannot both operate at the same time.

Question 33

Flashbulb memories:

A)remain highly accurate over time.
B)are relatively immune to inconsistencies.
C)are held with very high confidence.
D)are nearly-perfect photographic records of the event.

Question 34

Which part of the amygdala is primarily responsible for the increase in heart rate and blood pressure that is experienced when a person feels fear?

A)lateral nucleus
B)central nucleus
C)basolateral nucleus
D)thalamus

Question 35

Which of the following is true regarding flashbulb memories?

A)They remain accurate over time.
B)It is usually easy to verify the accuracy of flashbulb memories.
C)Rehearsing and discussing the event can introduce inaccuracies into the memory.
D)People are usually very good at remembering where they first heard about the event.

Question 36

According to cognitive expectancy theories of avoidance,animals make a decision based on:

A)how strong the conditioned fear is.
B)a comparison of expected outcomes.
C)whether the CS was successfully avoided on the previous trial.
D)how strong the US is.

Question 37

Five-year-old Juliann has learned that loud thunder usually follows a bolt of lightning.As soon as he sees lightning,he covers his ears to avoid the loud thunder.According to the two-factor theory of avoidance learning,covering his ears is reinforced because:

A)it stops him from seeing the lighting.
B)he starts to believe there will not be any thunder.
C)it removes the fear that has become associated with the thunder.
D)it removes the fear that has become associated with the lighting.

Question 38

Hannah successfully solved several problems in her math class.She was then given some very difficult problems that she could not solve.The research on learned helplessness suggests that if Hannah is then given some easier problems to try to solve,she will:

A)try to solve the problems.
B)look at the problems but not bother to try solving them.
C)avoid looking at the problems altogether.
D)ask the teacher for help before trying to solve the problems.

Question 39

Which of the following is an example of mood congruency of memory?

A)If you are upset,you remember unpleasant material better than pleasant material.
B)Word pairs are easier to learn if both words convey the same mood.
C)In general,you remember pleasant experiences better than unpleasant experiences.
D)In general,you remember unpleasant experiences better than pleasant experiences.

Question 40

When researchers exposed dogs to an inescapable shock,and then put the dogs in a situation in which they could escape the shock,the dogs:

A)quickly learned to escape the shock.
B)did not learn to escape the shock.
C)learned to escape the shock if a warning tone was first presented.
D)learned to escape the shock if it was extremely painful.

Question 41

Which part of the brain is often considered to be the "sensory gateway to the brain?"

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

Question 42

Lesions of the central nucleus of the amygdala disrupt the ability to respond to _____ in a conditioned emotional response paradigm.

A)both a CS and a US
B)the US but not the CS
C)neither the CS nor the US
D)the CS but not the US

Question 43

Electrical stimulation of the amygdala produces a:

A)strong emotional response in both animals and humans.
B)mild emotional response in both animals and humans.
C)strong emotional response in animals and a mild emotional response in humans.
D)mild emotional response in animals and a strong emotional response in humans.

Question 44

Which part of the brain is particularly important for expressing emotions in a socially appropriate manner and interpreting the emotions of others?

A)thalamus
B)frontal lobes
C)hippocampus
D)brainstem nuclei

Question 45

While watching a sad movie,Charlotte begins to cry;her husband Owen feels just as sad,but manages to suppress the urge to cry or express his sadness in front of his wife.Owen is likely using his ______ to inhibit expression of emotion.

A)amygdala
B)thalamus
C)hippocampus
D)prefrontal cortex

Question 46

Which of the following is true regarding activation of the amygdala in normal healthy people?

A)Higher amygdala activation is correlated with worse memory.
B)Higher amygdala activation is correlated with better memory.
C)The amygdala is activated by unpleasant pictures but not pleasant pictures.
D)Amygdala activation is associated with encoding but not recognition of emotionally-arousing pictures.

Question 47

Neurons in the ______ have been shown to increase their response to a CS after it is paired with a fear-invoking US.

A)lateral nucleus of the amygdala
B)central nucleus of the amygdala
C)thalamus
D)basal ganglia

Question 48

Suppose we shock a rat when it enters one corner of a learning chamber.If we inject the rat with epinephrine immediately following the shock,the rat will:

A)enter that corner again and stay in it despite receiving shock.
B)enter that corner briefly and then run away from it.
C)never enter that corner again.
D)wait longer than normal before entering that corner again.

Question 49

Damage to the hippocampus:

A)reduces the ability to learn a CS-US association.
B)reduces the ability to recall details of a learning situation.
C)leads to a lower-than-normal conditioned skin conductance response.
D)eliminates the ability to make a conditioned response.

Question 50

Jumping and screaming in response to an unidentified loud noise are controlled by the _____ path from the thalamus to the amygdala;being able to calm yourself down once you realize it was only your cat is controlled by the _____ path.

A)direct;direct
B)indirect;indirect
C)direct;indirect
D)indirect;direct

Question 51

Epinephrine:

A)is released by nuclei in the brainstem.
B)is produced in the central nucleus of the amygdala.
C)is released by the adrenal glands.
D)activates the basolateral amygdala.

Question 52

The direct pathway to the amygdala is _______ than the indirect pathway to the amygdala.

A)faster and conveys more detail
B)faster and conveys less detail
C)slower and conveys more detail
D)slower and conveys less detail

Question 53

The failure to extinguish a conditioned response is known as:

A)perseveration.
B)conditioned avoidance.
C)a conditioned emotional response.
D)piloerection.

Question 54

A person with amygdala damage who listened to an emotionally arousing story while watching an accompanying slide show remembered:

A)pictures from the emotional parts of the slide show particularly well.
B)pictures from the unemotional parts of the slide show particularly well.
C)pictures from the end of the slide show much better than those from the beginning or middle.
D)all of the pictures equally well.

Question 55

The types of emotional reactions seen in people with frontal lobe damage suggest that the frontal lobes:

A)drive the fight-or-flight response.
B)modulate the strength and vividness of emotional memories.
C)maintain a balance between too little and too much emotion.
D)provide information about the context in which learning occurs.

Question 56

Epinephrine:

A)crosses the blood-brain barrier to directly influence the amygdala.
B)activates brainstem nuclei that produce norepinephrine.
C)disrupts release of norepinephrine by brainstem nuclei.
D)is released by the basolateral nucleus in response to foot shock.

Question 57

Which of the following is true regarding the connections within the amygdala?

A)The lateral nucleus sends output to the basolateral nucleus and the central nucleus.
B)The lateral nucleus sends output to the thalamus and cortex.
C)The central nucleus sends output to the basolateral nucleus and the lateral nucleus.
D)The basolateral nucleus sends output to the thalamus and lateral nucleus.

Question 58

If we block norepinephrine and have people listen to an emotionally arousing story,they will remember:

A)the emotional parts of the story better than the unemotional parts.
B)the unemotional parts of the story better than the emotional parts.
C)all parts of the story equally well.
D)the beginning of the story better than the end.

Question 59

High levels of stress hormones:

A)can cause cell death in the hippocampus.
B)facilitate LTP.
C)encourage dendritic growth.
D)are beneficial for both encoding and retrieval.

Question 60

Which of the following has been suggested as a mechanism by which the hippocampus affects fear learning in the amygdala?

A)The hippocampus receives signals from the central nucleus,and returns contextual information to the basolateral nucleus.
B)The hippocampus receives signals from the central nucleus,and returns contextual information to the lateral nucleus.
C)The hippocampus receives signals from the basolateral nucleus,and returns contextual information to the lateral nucleus.
D)The hippocampus receives signals from the basolateral nucleus,and returns contextual information to the central nucleus.

Question 61

What is the therapeutic technique in which successive approximations of a feared stimulus are presented while a patient learns to stay relaxed?

A)conditioned avoidance
B)perseveration
C)piloerection
D)systematic desensitization

Question 62

The research on learned helplessness suggests that depression may be prevented by:

A)encouraging people to think about the good things in their lives.
B)encouraging people to smile even when they feel sad.
C)exposing people to adversities that they can overcome.
D)preventing people from experiencing even minor challenges.

Question 63

As a child,Eva had a nightmare about clowns,and she now feels fearful on seeing clowns as an adult.One explanation for her fear is that:

A)the nightmare was a CS that produce the CR of fear.
B)clowns are a CS that produce the UR of fear.
C)the nightmare was a US that produce the CR of fear.
D)clowns are a CS that produce the CR of fear.

Question 64

Drugs that interfere with epinephrine appear to:

A)reduce the likelihood of developing PTSD.
B)increase the likelihood of developing PTSD.
C)cause people to forget traumatic episodes.
D)cause enhanced memory for traumatic episodes.

Question 65

The psychological syndrome that can develop after a person is exposed to a horrific event is called:

A)conditioned avoidance.
B)learned helplessness.
C)a phobia.
D)posttraumatic stress disorder.

Question 66

The case of "Little Albert" fearing a white rat demonstrates that:

A)phobias can arise through classical conditioning.
B)people have a natural fear of certain animals,such as rats.
C)blocking epinephrine can suppress a biological response to fear.
D)virtual reality technology can be successful in treating phobias.

Question 67

Cameron's heart begins to beat rapidly right before he has to deliver an important sales pitch to a client.This is an example of:

A)a physiological response.
B)an overt behavior.
C)a conscious feeling.
D)perseveration.

Question 68

Oliver was furious when he learned that his brother had stolen money from him.His heart rate and blood pressure increased,and he started to breathe more rapidly.According to the James-Lange theory of emotion:

A)Oliver determined that his physiological changes were a result of the theft,and he labeled the changes as "anger".
B)Oliver felt angry,which led to the physiological changes he experienced.
C)Oliver took into account both his physiological changes and the theft in determining that the emotion he felt was "anger".
D)Oliver's physiological changes led him to consciously experience "anger".

Question 69

PTSD appears to be:

A)extremely common in people who have experienced traumatic events.
B)dependent on individual factors that influence vulnerability to PTSD.
C)reduced in nearly everyone who is the recipient of an intervention after a traumatic event.
D)common even in people who have not experienced traumatic events.

Question 70

Which of the following is an example of a conditioned emotional response?

A)A girl's heart rate increases upon entering the theater where she had previously seen a horror movie.
B)A boy is startled by a sudden loud noise outside his window on a stormy night.
C)A woman screams when she nearly steps on a snake during a mountain hike.
D)A child smiles on hearing a funny joke.

Question 71

An excessive and irrational fear of an object,place,or situation is called:

A)depression.
B)a phobia.
C)learned helplessness.
D)post-traumatic stress disorder.

Question 72

One difference between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)and phobias is that:

A)with PTSD,the fear is triggered by a specific stimulus,whereas with phobias the fear is triggered by a wide variety of stimuli.
B)with phobias,the fear is triggered by a specific stimulus,whereas with PTSD the fear is triggered by a wide variety of stimuli.
C)PTSD,but not phobias,can be explained by classical conditioning.
D)Phobias,but not PTSD,can be explained by classical conditioning.

Question 73

Experimental studies of emotion in animals have focused mainly on the emotion of:

A)anger.
B)happiness.
C)surprise.
D)fear.

Question 74

Studies using MRI and twins have suggested that:

A)PTSD causes the hippocampus to become larger.
B)PTSD causes the hippocampus to become smaller.
C)people with a larger hippocampus are predisposed to developing PTSD.
D)people with a smaller hippocampus are predisposed to developing PTSD.

Question 75

Rats with lesions to the medial prefrontal cortex will:

A)extinguish a conditioned response more quickly than normal rats.
B)take longer to extinguish a conditioned response than normal rats.
C)take the same amount of time as normal rats to extinguish a conditioned response.
D)be unable to extinguish a conditioned response.

Question 76

A classical conditioning explanation for PTSD suggests that the:

A)traumatic event is a CS.
B)stimuli that occur with the traumatic event are CSs.
C)fear that occurs once the trauma is gone is a UR.
D)stimuli that occur with the traumatic event are USs.

Question 77

Although Cooper tried to learn to play chess,other players easily beat him.Now Cooper refuses to try playing chess again.This is an example of:

A)a conditioned emotional response.
B)learned helplessness.
C)mood-congruency of memory.
D)perseveration.

Question 78

Autonomic arousal involves:

A)a decrease in blood pressure.
B)increased sexual arousal.
C)diverting energy away from the large muscles.
D)decreased pain sensitivity.

Question 79

A classical conditioning explanation for PTSD suggests that PTSD patients:

A)take longer to extinguish a CR.
B)fail to acquire CS-US associations.
C)extinguish the CR more quickly.
D)are slower to acquire CS-US associations.

Question 80

Which of the following is true regarding phobias?

A)People with phobias are particularly likely to have had a bad experience with the object or situation that they fear.
B)Humans are equally likely to develop a phobia to just about any stimulus.
C)A person can develop a phobia without directly experiencing the feared object or situation.
D)Drugs that enhance epinephrine can help people learn to overcome phobias.