Deck 2: The Neuroscience of Learning and Memory

Question 1

The largest structure of the human brain is the:

A)cerebral cortex.
B)frontal lobe.
C)cerebellum.
D)temporal lobe.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

If a friend pats you on the back,the neurons that carry the information from the touch receptors on your back to your brain are part of the:

A)central nervous system.
B)peripheral nervous system.
C)left hemisphere.
D)right hemisphere.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which brain structure is involved in helping you learn the coordinated movements necessary for learning to ride a bike?

A)temporal lobe
B)brainstem
C)thalamus
D)cerebellum

Answer 3

D

Question 4

If you fall and injure the back of your head,which of the following will you MOST likely experience?

A)difficulty understanding speech
B)difficulty seeing your friend's face
C)difficulty remembering names
D)difficulty feeling the difference between silk and sandpaper

Question 5

Mary is having trouble hearing her friends when they speak to her.Which part of her brain might be damaged?

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

Question 6

What is the usual function of dendrites?

A)receiving signals from other neurons
B)transmitting information to other neurons
C)transferring oxygen from the blood to neurons
D)wrapping neurons in myelin

Question 7

In vertebrates,the nervous system is divided into the:

A)brain and neurons.
B)parietal lobe and the occipital lobe.
C)central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
D)cerebellum and the brainstem.

Question 8

Which of the following would be MOST likely to involve the amygdala?

A)remembering the details of your first date
B)remembering how you felt when you graduated from high school
C)remembering how to perform an intricate sequence of gymnastic moves
D)remembering the definition of new terms in your psychology class

Question 9

When you reach to catch a basketball,the neurons that carry the message from your brain to the muscles in your arms and hands are part of the:

A)central nervous system.
B)peripheral nervous system.
C)left hemisphere.
D)right hemisphere.

Question 10

Four people failed a difficult exam and are trying to forget about the experience.Which person will be MOST successful?

A)Manny,who has been staying awake for the past three nights
B)Jacob,who keeps thinking about how important this test was
C)Joan,who has taken up meditation
D)Bree,who enjoys listening to music,watching TV,and talking to her friends all at once

Question 11

Which part of the brain helps regulate autonomic functions such as breathing?

A)cerebellum
B)brainstem
C)hippocampus
D)temporal lobe

Question 12

Which of the following brain structures receives sensory information from the peripheral nervous system and relays this information to other parts of the brain?

A)thalamus
B)basal ganglia
C)amygdala
D)hippocampus

Question 13

Studying invertebrate nervous systems is useful because invertebrates:

A)have more simple nervous systems than vertebrates do.
B)have clearly defined central and peripheral nervous systems.
C)are incapable of learning,making it easier to study their other behaviors.
D)do not have any neurons in their nervous systems .

Question 14

The central nervous system is made up of the:

A)nerves and muscles.
B)sensory organs.
C)sensory and motor neurons.
D)The brain and the spinal cord.

Question 15

The nervous system:

A)is mainly involved in cooling the blood.
B)has always been considered the seat of learning and memory.
C)is a relatively simple anatomical system.
D)is devoted to the distribution and processing of information.

Question 16

Which part of a neuron transmits information to other neurons?

A)dendrites
B)cell body
C)axon
D)glia

Question 17

Which of the following brain structures is especially important for remembering your eighth birthday party?

A)thalamus
B)basal ganglia
C)amygdala
D)hippocampus

Question 18

Which of the following is true?

A)Animals must have both a central and peripheral nervous system in order to be able to learn.
B)Animals with larger brains have higher intelligence than animals with smaller brains.
C)Only vertebrates have both a central and a peripheral nervous system.
D)The cerebral cortex takes up about the same percentage of total brain volume in humans as it does in other vertebrates.

Question 19

The structure that sits at the base of the brain is known as the:

A)cerebral cortex.
B)parietal lobe.
C)brainstem.
D)frontal lobe.

Question 20

Early learning and memory researchers focused on behavior,rather than brain function,because:

A)they did not think the brain was involved in learning and memory.
B)they were not interested in how the brain was involved in learning and memory.
C)technology wasn't yet available for studying the complexities of the brain.
D)none of them knew how to study physiology.

Question 21

Which of the following is true regarding the computed tomography (CT)scan method of brain imaging?

A)It uses changes in magnetic fields to create images of the internal structure of the brain.
B)Multiple scans must be taken at different angles in order to determine the depth of a structure.
C)It is used more commonly today than the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)technique.
D)Brain structures usually show up more clearly than do bones and tumors.

Question 22

Which of the following would occur if the sensory fibers in your arm were cut?

A)You would still automatically jerk your hand away from a hot stove.
B)You would have a limited range of motion in your arm.
C)You would not be able to move your arm at all.
D)You would not be able to feel a sharp poke on your arm.

Question 23

Phrenology was a systematic study of the brain that was pursued by:

A)Galen.
B)Aristotle.
C)Paul Broca.
D)Franz Joseph Gall.

Question 24

If you put your hand on a hot stove,you will automatically pull it away before realizing what you've done.This is an example of a(n):

A)reflexive behavior.
B)voluntary behavior.
C)learned behavior.
D)intentional behavior.

Question 25

When you open a door,which part of the brain is responsible for sending signals to your arm muscles,causing you to open the door?

A)V1 (visual cortex)
B)frontal cortex
C)M1 (motor cortex)
D)basal ganglia and cerebellum

Question 26

Imagine a parent who has two children.The first child has a very large forehead,and the second child's head is very large at the back.According to the system of phrenology,the first child would excel at _______ and the second would excel at _______.

A)planning and performing actions;remembering
B)remembering;seeing the world
C)seeing the world;planning and performing actions
D)planning and performing actions;seeing the world

Question 27

According to the Bell-Magendie law of neural specialization:

A)reflexes are caused by spirits flowing from the brain into the muscles.
B)the brain plays a major role in reflexes like the "knee-jerk" response to a doctor's rubber mallet.
C)the spinal cord has one nerve system for sensing and another nerve system for responding.
D)spinal reflexes can be combined into complex sequences of movements that are the basis of all behavior.

Question 28

Which cells provide functional and structural support to neurons?

A)pyramidal cells
B)stellate cells
C)interneurons
D)glia

Question 29

Which of the following is an example of a reflexive behavior?

A)Pavlov's dog salivating in response to a sound that has predicted food
B)a dog that has learned to sit to obtain a treat
C)a newborn sucking when encountering a nipple
D)a rat pressing a bar to obtain a drink of water

Question 30

The motor cortex (M1)sends its output signals to the:

A)frontal lobes.
B)basal ganglia.
C)cerebellum.
D)brainstem.

Question 31

Incoming sensory information is passed from the thalamus to the:

A)spinal cord.
B)muscles.
C)primary motor cortex.
D)primary sensory cortices.

Question 32

Which of the following is true?

A)There are more neurons than glia in the brain.
B)Neurons are all the same shape and size.
C)Some neurons have no axons.
D)Glia are not necessary for normal brain functioning.

Question 33

The study of the relationship between the size and shape of different parts of people's skulls and their personalities and abilities is called:

A)equipotentiality.
B)comparative brain anatomy.
C)phrenology.
D)neuropsychology.

Question 34

The primary sensory cortices:

A)process the outputs that control movements.
B)are responsible for processing the more complex characteristics of stimuli.
C)are specialized for processing particular sensory stimuli.
D)send most of their output to the peripheral nervous system.

Question 35

Which part of the brain is involved in the high-level planning of the movements involved in picking up and using a pencil?

A)frontal lobes
B)basal ganglia
C)cerebellum
D)brainstem

Question 36

Which brain imaging method is especially useful for studying the connections between brain regions?

A)diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
B)magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
C)computed tomography (CT)
D)lesions

Question 37

Which neuroimaging technique uses changes in magnetic fields to generate images of internal brain structure?

A)single-cell recording
B)lesions
C)computed tomography (CT)
D)magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Question 38

Many basic reflexes:

A)do not require the brain's involvement.
B)use only the sensory neurons.
C)involve the pumping of spirits or fluids into the muscles.
D)end with input to the sensory neurons.

Question 39

The primary motor cortex is located in the:

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

Question 40

Most sensory information enters the brain through the:

A)thalamus.
B)occipital lobe.
C)primary motor cortex.
D)primary sensory cortices.

Question 41

Which neurotransmitter increases attention and concentration?

A)serotonin
B)epinephrine
C)histamine
D)glycine

Question 42

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI):

A)directly measures neural activity.
B)usually picks up more areas of brain activation than does positron emission tomography (PET).
C)requires injecting radioactive materials into the participant's bloodstream.
D)is faster than positron emission tomography (PET).

Question 43

Neurotransmitters that affect activity in entire brain areas,rather than just at a single synapse,are called:

A)neuromodulators.
B)refractory transmitters.
C)glia.
D)reuptake transmitters.

Question 44

What is the name of the narrow gap across which neurons pass chemical messages to each other?

A)axon
B)dendrite
C)synapse
D)cell body

Question 45

The most prevalent excitatory neurotransmitter is:

A)glutemate.
B)dopamine.
C)GABA.
D)acetylcholine.

Question 46

In functional neuroimaging,a difference image is used for determining:

A)how long it takes a person to complete a memory task.
B)what percentage of the brain is being used at any given moment.
C)how much neural activity has changed relative to a baseline.
D)how much neural activity occurs while a person is relaxed.

Question 47

After a neuron fires,there is a brief period during which it is unable to fire again.What is this period called?

A)refractory period
B)inactivation period
C)postsynaptic period
D)reuptake period

Question 48

Glycine:

A)connects motor neurons and muscles.
B)contributes to long-lasting memories.
C)regulates mood.
D)decreases neural activity.

Question 49

Which neuroimaging technique involves injecting a radioactive chemical into the bloodstream in order to measure the amount of activity in different brain regions?

A)positron emission tomography (PET)
B)functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
C)single-cell recording
D)event-related potentials (ERP)

Question 50

One of the reasons Karl Lashley was unable to find evidence for the engram was that:

A)he used too simple a task for assessing memory.
B)he limited his lesions to the cerebral cortex.
C)he was unable to lesion rat brains due to ethical constraints.
D)the memories of rats are too different from the memories of humans.

Question 51

The idea that memories are stored across the brain as a whole is called the:

A)engram theory.
B)theory of equipotentiality.
C)localization theory.
D)phrenology theory.

Question 52

What is an engram?

A)a measure of the amount of electrical activity on a person's scalp
B)a change in synaptic transmission as a result of recent activity
C)a physical change in the brain that forms the basis of a memory
D)a map that shows which part of the body each region of M1 controls

Question 53

Molecules on the surface of the postsynaptic cell that bind with and respond to neurotransmitters are called:

A)synapses.
B)receptors.
C)neuromodulators.
D)glia.

Question 54

Laci is trying to teach her toddler to use his manners.She gives him a cookie whenever he remembers to say "please".Which neurotransmitter regulates the toddler's use of manners to obtain the cookie?

A)glutemate
B)dopamine
C)GABA
D)acetylcholine

Question 55

Inactivation and reuptake are mechanisms for:

A)inhibiting neurons from responding.
B)removing dead neurons from the brain.
C)increasing the amount of neurotransmitter that is released.
D)clearing neurotransmitters from the synapse.

Question 56

Which field involves the study of patients with specific types of brain damage in order to learn about the relation between brain function and behavior?

A)neurophysiology
B)functional neuroimaging
C)neuropsychology
D)synaptic plasticity

Question 57

Most neurons can produce and release _______ and can receive ________.

A)many different neurotransmitters;many different neurotransmitters
B)just one neurotransmitter;just one neurotransmitter
C)just one neurotransmitter;many different neurotransmitters
D)many different neurotransmitters;just one neurotransmitter

Question 58

Most neural connections are between the:

A)axons of the presynaptic and the postsynaptic neurons.
B)dendrites of the presynaptic and the postsynaptic neurons.
C)axons of the presynaptic neuron and the dendrites of the postsynaptic neuron.
D)dendrites of the presynaptic neuron and the axons of the postsynaptic neuron.

Question 59

The basic idea behind functional neuroimaging is:

A)researchers can learn about brain structures by removing them and observing any changes in behavior.
B)brain structures change color when they are active.
C)structures that are more active use more oxygen.
D)structures that are more active use less oxygen.

Question 60

Neurotransmitters are:

A)chemical substances that carry messages between neurons.
B)the part of a neuron that receives signals from other neurons.
C)types of neurons that connect other neurons together.
D)types of neurons that have pyramid-shaped cell bodies.

Question 61

Mitsy is a dog whose owners work long hours.She spends most of her day in her kennel with a blanket and a bone.Max is a dog who lives with a large family.He spends his days playing with the children and neighbors and the variety of dog toys they bring him.If you could look at the brains of these two dogs,which of the following you would expect to see?

A)You wouldn't expect any differences.
B)Mitsy's brain would be heavier than Max's.
C)Max's brain would have more synapses than Mitsy's.
D)Max's brain would have fewer dendrites than Mitsy's.

Question 62

Drugs are able to:

A)change the behavior of the presynaptic neuron.
B)change the behavior of the postsynaptic neuron.
C)change the rate at which neurotransmitters are cleared from the synapse.
D)All of the answers are correct.

Question 63

What technique can be used to determine whether a single neuron responds better to a red light or to a green light?

A)positron emission tomography (PET)
B)functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
C)electroencephalography (EEG)
D)single-cell recording

Question 64

Single-cell recordings:

A)are very uncomfortable for animals when electrodes are implanted into their brains.
B)have been used to demonstrate cells that are "tuned" to particular body movements.
C)are taken from the surface of an animal's brain.
D)are used to determine the activity in large regions of the brain.

Question 65

The idea that "neurons that fire together,wire together," was proposed by:

A)Santiago Ramón y Cajal.
B)Camillo Golgi.
C)Donald Hebb.
D)Ivan Pavlov.

Question 66

Which of the following is false?

A)The influence of drugs on learning and memory is usually a side effect.
B)A given drug usually affects just one neurotransmitter system.
C)Drugs can alter the ability of postsynaptic receptors to receive neurotransmitters.
D)Drugs affect the brain by altering synaptic transmission.

Question 67

The technique in which researchers activate parts of the brain by placing a magnet on the skull is called:

A)single-cell recording.
B)transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
C)functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
D)electroencephalography (EEG)

Question 68

If a researcher uses an EEG to measure the brain's response to a visual stimulus,neurons other than those that respond to visual stimuli will also be active.How do researchers determine which neurons are responding only to the visual stimulus?

A)They present the visual stimulus at a very high intensity.
B)They measure the activity of just one neuron at a time.
C)They make sure to present only a visual stimulus and nothing else.
D)They take the average of several EEGs.

Question 69

Which of the following has NOT been proposed as a mechanism of LTP?

A)Postsynaptic receptors become more responsive to inputs.
B)Presynaptic neurons are changed by a retrograde messenger.
C)New synapses are built.
D)Postsynaptic neurons release more neurotransmitters.

Question 70

Compared to rats raised in a standard laboratory environment,rats raised in an enriched environment:

A)show the same ability to learn a maze.
B)have more and longer dendrites .
C)have fewer synapses.
D)have brains that weigh less.

Question 71

One study showed that taxi drivers in London had a_____ than age-matched controls:

A)larger hippocampus
B)larger cortex
C)smaller hippocampus
D)smaller cortex

Question 72

Which of the following has been shown to clearly improve memory in healthy individuals?

A)drugs that increase levels of acetylcholine in Alzheimer's patients
B)drugs that improve attention
C)drugs that treat sleep disorders
D)None of the answers is correct.

Question 73

Long-term potentiation has been shown to occur:

A)in the hippocampus,but not in other brain areas.
B)only when the presynaptic neuron is stimulated.
C)in all brain areas,except for the hippocampus.
D)when the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons are active at the same time.

Question 74

An event-related potential (ERP)is:

A)the average of many EEGs across repetitions of an event.
B)a measure of the amount oxygen being used by brain structures.
C)a measure of the activity of a single neuron.
D)the electrical activity emitted from the scalp,recorded on a single trial.

Question 75

What is synaptic plasticity?

A)the ability of synapses to change as a result of experience
B)the finding that neurons are not rigid,but can bend to connect with nearby neurons
C)the ability of neurons to absorb a stain of silver chromate
D)the finding that drugs can impact the release of neurotransmitters by the presynaptic neuron

Question 76

If you stub your toe,the painful sensation is carried to the brain by neurons in the:

A)occipital lobe.
B)frontal lobe.
C)central nervous system.
D)peripheral nervous system.

Question 77

Long-term potentiation is when:

A)neurons continue to respond long after a stimulus has been removed.
B)a recent strong stimulus causes a neuron to overrespond to a subsequent stimulus.
C)neurons respond in the absence of a stimulus.
D)a strong stimulus leads to a weaker-than-normal response in a neuron.

Question 78

When synaptic transmission becomes less effective as a result of recent activity,it is known as:

A)long-term potentiation.
B)inhibition.
C)retrograde potentiation.
D)long-term depression.

Question 79

Which neuroimaging technique uses electrodes to record electrical activity emitted from a person's scalp?

A)positron emission tomography (PET)
B)functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
C)electroencephalography (EEG)
D)computed tomography (CT)

Question 80

In comparison to the fMRI and the PET,the EEG technique:

A)is less expensive.
B)gives less precise information about rapid changes in the brain.
C)has better spatial precision.
D)is better at measuring metabolic activity in the brain.