Deck 4: The Biological Basis of Mind and Behaviour

Question 1

Neuroscience is best defined as

A) The study of the brain and the nervous system
B) The study of the mind and body
C) The study of behaviour and the mind
D) The study of unconscious neurons

Answer 1

A

Question 2

This position on the connection between mind and brain holds that mind and the body are made of different material

A) Materialism
B) Dualism
C) Reductivism
D) Deductivism

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The phrase "ghost in the machine" is most associated with

A) materialism
B) dualism
C) Marxism
D) empiricism

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Jenny believes that the mind and the body are both made of physical matter. Thus, Jenny believes in

A) Materialism
B) Dualism
C) Reductivism
D) Deductivism

Question 5

Evidence for materialism has come from patients in this medical state

A) Aggravated assault state
B) Post-traumatic state
C) Persistent vegetative state
D) Persistent alert state

Question 6

The fact that parts of the brain initiate the process of performing actions before a person is aware of the behaviour is consistent with

A) Dualism
B) Empiricism
C) Behaviourism
D) Materialism

Question 7

The complex biological system designed for electro-chemical communication among specialized cells in the body is called the

A) Circulatory system
B) Nervous system
C) Communicative system
D) Endocrine system

Question 8

The principal cell for communication in the nervous system is the

A) Glia
B) T-cell
C) Lipid
D) neuron

Question 9

Which of the following provides the best description of a neuron?

A) a cell that receives information and transmits it to other cells
B) a cell that encodes information in endocrine copies
C) a cell that supports neuronal health and function
D) a cell that lines the inside of the skull

Question 10

The cells that send information to the muscles and organs of the body are called

A) Sensory neurons
B) Motor neurons
C) interneurons
D) protoneurons

Question 11

The cells that convert physical energy into a form that may be transmitted to the brain are called

A) Sensory neurons
B) Motor neurons
C) interneurons
D) protoneurons

Question 12

These cells vastly outnumber other neurons and function to pass messages between neurons.

A) Sensory neurons
B) Motor neurons
C) interneurons
D) protoneurons

Question 13

These projections reach out from the cell body of a neuron.

A) Dendrites
B) Cell bodies
C) axons
D) Terminal buttons

Question 14

Also called the soma, this part of the cell contains the nucleus, where most of the genetic material for the cell is stored.

A) Dendrite
B) Cell body
C) Terminal buttons
D) Axon receptors

Question 15

This part of a neuron transmits neural impulses from the cell body to other neurons.

A) Dendrite
B) Cell body
C) axon
D) Terminal buttons

Question 16

Bundled axons that form communication channels within the brain and spinal cord are called

A) dendrites
B) tracts
C) sheaths
D) nerves

Question 17

Bundled axons that form communication channels outside the central nervous system are called

A) dendrites
B) tracts
C) sheaths
D) nerves

Question 18

Some axons are wrapped in this fatty layer that allows for faster neural transmission.

A) Fatty acid
B) Myelin sheath
C) Myelin tract
D) Lipid top-layer

Question 19

The small gaps in myelin on an axon are referred to as

A) Nodes of Ranvier
B) Nodes of Radinor
C) Tracts of myelin
D) Tracts of Ranvier

Question 20

Neurotransmitters are released from this part of the neuron

A) Cell body
B) Axon
C) Dendrite
D) Terminal

Question 21

The term for the junction between terminals and dendrites is called the

A) Terminus
B) Cervix
C) Synapse
D) Corpus

Question 22

Neurons are not fused to each other so neurotransmitters must pass across the

A) Synaptic gap
B) Neuronal cliff
C) Fiscal gap
D) Synaptic cliff

Question 23

This type of cell not only assists neural functioning but outnumbers the neuron in the nervous system.

A) Flora
B) Fauna
C) Glia
D) Lipa

Question 24

This is the term for the default "setting" of the energy of a neuron.

A) Action potential
B) Resting potential
C) Activating potential
D) Relaxing potential

Question 25

The flood of sodium neurons leading to an increase of positively charged ions in the cell is called

A) Polarization
B) Depolarization
C) Neutralization
D) Action formation

Question 26

When a drug decreases the effect of a neurotransmitter is called a(n)

A) Agonist
B) Antagonist
C) Interneuron
D) Protagonist

Question 27

Dopamine is an important part of the reward system of the brain but is also very important for

A) Regulating bodily movement
B) Blocking pain signals
C) Bonding between mother and infant
D) Regulating the experience of pain

Question 28

This neurotransmitter operates by inhibiting brain neurons from firing.

A) Dopamine
B) Serotonin
C) Glutamate
D) GABA

Question 29

Grey matter is responsible for collecting and integrating information because it is partly made of

A) Myelinated axons
B) Dendrites and cell bodies
C) Endorphins
D) Spinal reflexes

Question 30

The autonomic nervous system is mainly responsible for regulating

A) Primary visual sensitivity
B) Involuntary actions of muscles, glands, and organs
C) Cellular activity in the spinal cord
D) Voluntary motor actions

Question 31

The somatic nervous system is mainly responsible for regulating

A) Involuntary reflexes
B) Heart and lung function
C) Cellular activity
D) Voluntary motor actions

Question 32

The peripheral nervous system has two divisions called

A) The somatic and autonomic nervous systems
B) The central and somatic systems
C) The autonomic and automatic systems
D) The sensory and motor systems

Question 33

The inferior and superior colliculi are both parts of the

A) Midbrain
B) Hindbrain
C) Forebrain
D) Cerebellum

Question 34

Ken experienced a blow to the back of the head, which resulted in problems coordinating his balance and his sensory input. Which part of Ken's brain has most likely been damaged?

A) Pons
B) Cerebellum
C) Medulla
D) Reticular formation

Question 35

The midbrain structures known as the inferior and superior colliculi are essential for

A) Forming long-term memories of motor information
B) Conveying auditory and visual information to various forebrain structures
C) Conveying sensory information from the cortex to the limbs
D) Converting tactile sensations into emotions

Question 36

Unlike many of the hindbrain and midbrain structures, the structures of the forebrain

A) Generally receive information and send commands to the same side of the body
B) Are composed of relatively simple neural material
C) Are divided into two cerebral hemispheres
D) Are only important for regulating vital bodily functions

Question 37

This structure, severed in so-called "split-brain" patients, allows neurons from separate cerebral hemispheres to communicate directly.

A) Thalamus
B) Corpus callosum
C) Fornix
D) Hypothalamus

Question 38

Which of the following has not been included in the classic descriptions of the so-called "limbic system?

A) Hypothalamus
B) Thalamus
C) Hippocampus
D) Amygdala

Question 39

This lobe houses the auditory cortex, auditory association areas, and Wernicke's area.

A) Occipital
B) Temporal
C) Parietal
D) Frontal

Question 40

Which of the following best describes the functions of the prefrontal cortex?

A) The prefrontal cortex processes all of the sensory information that comes from our skin
B) The prefrontal cortex combines the information from the visual and auditory areas to provide support for the parietal cortex
C) The prefrontal cortex integrates information from the rest of the brain and compares it against our goals for any given situation
D) The prefrontal cortex integrates all the information from the temporal lobe to make decisions about our emotions

Question 41

Which of the following provides the best description of hemispheric specialization in the cortex?

A) The two hemispheres of the cortex are specialized to have identical functions
B) The two hemispheres of the cortex are specialized for different functions, especially in the case of language
C) The two hemispheres of the cortex are specialized to maintain most of the body's vital functions like respiration and heart rate
D) The two hemispheres of the cortex are specialized to compete for the brain's resources, especially the limbic system

Question 42

The human brain is able to reorganize and adapt to environmental input, a concept known as

A) Viscosity
B) Density
C) Plasticity
D) Fluidity

Question 43

This brain imaging technique is the result of a series of radio-frequency images that reveal ongoing changes in the specific portions of the brain.

A) Functional positron emission tomography
B) Function electroencephalography
C) Functional magnetic resonance imaging
D) Functional electrical stimulation imaging

Question 44

This early pseudoscientific theory of brain function held that the physical anatomy of the skull could be analysed to reveal the workings of the human mind.

A) Plasticity
B) Philology
C) Phrenology
D) Plutocracy

Question 45

This lobe contains the primary motor cortex and is also important for many of the higher cognitive functions of the cortex.

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

Question 46

You meet a patient in the hospital who has experienced head trauma that disrupted the function of her primary visual cortex. Which lobe of the cortex has been affected?

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

Question 47

This outer layer of the cerebrum enables humans to interpret sensory information, solve problems, learn, remember, and use language.

A) cerebellum
B) cerebral cortex
C) allocortex
D) hippocortex

Question 48

Seated at the base of the forebrain, this relaying structure is thought of as the "gateway" to the higher functions of the brain.

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

Question 49

Neurons pass along messages to one another to "fire" or "not fire" in a fashion similar to the use of 1s and 0s by computers to represent complex information.

Question 50

The majority of neurons in the central nervous system are sensory neurons.

Question 51

Dendrites are the sending parts of neurons, while axons receive information from other neurons.
Incorrect

Question 52

Most substances in the blood stream are allowed to freely enter the brain through the brain-blood barrier.

Question 53

Research involving split-brain patients revealed support for the notion of equipotentiality of brain tissue.

Question 54

The cerebellum contains between 50 and 70 percent of the total number of neurons in the brain.

Question 55

Axons that make up the white matter of the brain and spinal cord as surrounded by myelin, cells that accelerate the speed of neural communications.

Question 56

Depolarization is an event that signals the inhibition of an action potential in the axon.

Question 57

The somatosensory cortex and primary motor cortex are both located in the parietal lobe to help spatial cognition.

Question 58

Modern neuroscience has largely rejected dualism as a description of the mind and brain.

Question 59

_________is a philosophical view that the mind and brain are made of the same material.

Question 60

_________neurons transmit information toward the spinal cord and brain, while _________neurons transmit information from the spinal cord and brain to the body.

Question 61

Inhibitor and excitatory stimulations received by neurons are collected by the ______, and information is sent to other cells through the_.

Question 62

During an action potential, the cell becomes _________meaning that a flood of sodium (Na⁺) ions enter the cell, raising its electric charge.

Question 63

Neurons communicate through the release of _________like dopamine, serotonin, and GABA.

Question 64

The nerves that enable movement of the limbs and sensation from the skin and muscles are part of the _________nervous system, while the nerves that regulate organ function are part of the _________nervous system.

Question 65

Without a _________your brain would have a reduced ability to relay signals from lower brain areas to specific parts of the cerebral cortex.

Question 66

A _________neuroscientist is most likely to employ brain-imaging techniques like fMRI to examine the mind.

Question 67

The _________lobe houses the somatosensory cortex and the _________lobe is dedicated totally to visual processing.

Question 68

The endocrine system is composed of bodily organs known as _________and the chemicals they synthesize and release into your bloodstream and tissues, called ______.

Question 69

The anatomy of the neuron includes four very important regions: dendrites, cell body, axon, and terminal. Define each region and explain how each region contributes to an action potential.

Question 70

Describe the electrochemical processes that enable the following: polarization, depolarization, and repolarization. In your answer, make sure to mention resting potentials and action potentials.

Question 71

Describe the major divisions in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Be sure to explain spinal grey matter and white matter and the different divisions of the peripheral nervous system.

Question 72

Explain what it means to say that the human cerebral cortex is plastic. In your answer give two examples of how plasticity might be observed in two separate lobes. Also discuss how plasticity is related to hemispheric specialization.