Biopsych midterm Flashcards
What is the monistic view of the mind-body problem?
The mind is generated through the physical actions of the brain.
What is the mind-body problem?
- asks about the nature of the mind and the body.
- was originally posed by philosophers.
- has not been solved.
- usually involves deciding between a monistic or a dualistic view.
Blindsight suggests that some parts of the brain may play a special role in what system?
consciousness
How do humans compare with other animals with regards to the relation between brain size and body size?
Human brains are larger than other species when expressed relative to total body weight.
What type of neurons function to contract muscles?
Motor
What kind of metabolic rate do neurons have?
High
What are key functions of an astrocyte?
- provide physical support of nerve cells.
- provide nourishment to neurons.
- clean up debris within the brain.
- regulate the chemicals in the fluid surrounding neurons.
What is an important advantage associated with saltatory conduction?
Myelin speeds up the velocity at which an axon can conduct an action potential.
Communication of neural signals across the synapse involves
- the opening of voltage-gated channels in the axon terminal.
- voltage changes that open calcium channels in the presynaptic membrane.
- vesicles that release transmitter molecules into the synapse.
- the binding of transmitter at postsynaptic receptors triggering membrane potentials.
Autoreceptors are located on the ________ and detect ________ .
presynaptic membrane; the transmitter released by that neuron
The term “dorsum” means
Back
ventrum means
Belly
Assume that electrical stimulation of the right motor cortex elicits limb movements on the left side of the body. In this instance, we would describe this as a ________ organization of motor cortex and the muscles of the body.
contralateral
_______ consists of the pons and medulla oblongata.
Metencephalon
Neurogenesis in the adult brain is stimulated by
a learning experience.
What would be expected as a result of damage to the somatosensory association cortex?
Difficulty in naming an object the person can touch (but not see).
Damage to portions of the limbic cortex would be expected to alter
- emotion.
- the ability to recognize emotion in others.
- long-term memory.
- the ability to learn and retain new information
The structures that comprise the basal ganglia include the
- putamen.
- globus pallidus.
- caudate nucleus
A function attributed to the cerebellum is the
coordination of motor movements.
The ________ comprise the autonomic nervous system.
sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions
________ refers to the capacity of a drug molecule to bind to a key site of action.
Affinity
What is true of the therapeutic index?
More caution is required for a drug with a low therapeutic index.
A drug that binds with a postsynaptic receptor, but does not open ion channels would be termed a(n)
direct antagonist.
Which transmitter is the primary excitatory transmitter in the brain?
glutamate
Which transmitter is the primary inhibitory transmitter in the brain?
GABA
What is important to know about acetylcholine (ACh)?
- ACh was the first transmitter to be identified within the body.
- ACh controls muscle movements,
- ACh is released at the neuromuscular junction.
- ACh is involved in the autonomic nervous system.
An ionotropic receptor produces a a postsynaptic potential that is
rapid and short in duration.
What is Serotonin synthesized from?
tryptophan
Glutamate, GABA, and glycine are important because these are
the most common neurotransmitters in the CNS.
What is important to know about stereotaxic surgery?
- A stereotaxic instrument usually requires coordinates from a brain atlas.
- The carrier arm can be manipulated in three dimensions.
- The head holder is designed to fix the skull in a rigid position.
- The stereotaxic instrument is useful for implanting electrodes or cannulae into brain
What is an advantage of the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique?
The fMRI scan has a higher resolution relative to the PET scan.
Rods in the retina are more or less sensitive to light than cones?
More sensitive
The modules of primary visual cortex project their information mostly to
Extrastriate cortex.
The ventral visual stream projects to the ________ and is involved in ________.
inferior temporal cortex; the perception of form
The receptor potential of a hair cell is triggered by movements that
open a channel to potassium in the insertional plaque.
is the belief that natural phenomena such as winds and tides are caused by spirits.
Animism
The notion that natural phenomena can be explained by spirits is termed
animism
A scientist who holds a monism philosophy would be comfortable with which of the following statements?
Everything is made of matter and energy.
________ is the belief that the mind and body are separate entities.
Dualism
Which of the following statements is consistent with the monistic view of the mind-body problem?
The mind is generated through the physical actions of the brain
The mind-body problem
a. asks about the nature of the mind and the body.
b. was originally posed by philosophers.
c. has not been solved.
d. usually involves deciding between a monistic or a dualistic view.
Which of the following is consistent with the meaning of “consciousness”?
a. Being awake.
b. The capacity to detect stimuli from the outside world.
c. The ability to control the movement of our body.
d. The ability to communicate our thoughts and feelings to others.
Which of the following is consistent with the proposition that consciousness is a physiological function?
Consumption of ethanol changes our ability to communicate.
Damage to the brain can alter our self-awareness.
Inhalation of certain gases renders us unaware of the environment.
Our awareness levels change with the activity of our brains.
The text author suggests that a key aspect of human self-awareness is related to
our ability to communicate with others using language.
The phenomenon of “blindsight” suggests that
consciousness is localized to some but not all parts of the brain
The ability of Natalie J.’s grandfather to touch the end of a cane held by his doctor after becoming blind after a stroke
was made possible because his primitive visual system was intact
Blindsight suggests that some parts of the brain may play a special role in
consciousness
Which of the following is true of blindsight?
Humans appear to have dual visual systems
Transection of the ________ may be useful for reducing the symptoms of ________.
corpus callosum; epilepsy
Epilepsy can be controlled by
cutting the corpus callosum
Which of the following neurological conditions involves the excessive firing of nerve cells in the brain?
epilepsy
A person whose corpus callosum has been sectioned would be expected to show which of the following?
Making obscene gestures with his left hand
An important function of the corpus callosum is to
interconnect the cerebral hemispheres
Surgical sectioning of the corpus callosum is intended to
reduce the severity of epileptic seizures
In most persons, a key function of the left hemisphere
is the control of language
Imagine that your corpus callosum has been sectioned to minimize your epileptic seizures. Suppose that your left nostril is plugged with cotton and that a fresh rose has been placed near your right nostril. Under these conditions, the rose would
not generate a verbal report of this experience
A key function of the right hemisphere relates to the
motor control of the left side of the body.
Imagine that your corpus callosum has been sectioned to minimize your epileptic seizures. Suppose that your left nostril is plugged with cotton and that a fresh rose has been placed near your right nostril. Under these conditions, you would be most likely to
use your left hand to select a hidden plastic flower
Unilateral neglect involves
the inability to notice objects placed to the left side of a person.
A person who sustains damage within her right parietal cortex would be expected to
experience unilateral neglect
A person suffering from unilateral neglect would be unable to
accurately label the hours of a clock drawing
The author of the first psychology text was ________ and the text was entitled ________
Wilhelm Wundt; Principles of Physiological Psychology
Your textbook author asserts that the primary function of the brain is to
control movement
________ represent explanations used by all scientists
Generalizations
Imagine that you now experience such an overly strong fear of dogs that you refuse to leave your house for fear of encountering a dog. A learning theorist would suggest that the roots of your fear can be attributed to classical conditioning in which you associated the sight and sound of a dog with some aversive experience. This type of explanation would involve the process of
generalization
A scientific explanation of a complex phenomenon that is cast in terms of a simpler one involves the process of
reduction
You notice that your roommate has difficulty sleeping after consuming heavily caffeinated drinks. You know from your courses that caffeine can stimulate brain neurons that produce arousal (and that such arousal disturbs sleep function). If you suggest to your roommate that his/ner insomnia reflects the action of caffeine on brain function, your explanation would involve the process of
reduction
Is it true that scientists only use reductionistic explanations?
No
Ancient Greek culture before Hippocrates considered the ________ to be the seat of thought and emotion.
heart
The philosopher ________ attributed thought and emotion to the brain, whereas ________ considered the function of the brain as important for cooling the heart.
Hippocrates; Aristotle
Which of the following comments on brain function would be most likely to be made by Aristotle?
The brain serves to cool the passions of the heart.
Rene Descartes asserted that
animals are mechanical creatures controlled by environmental stimuli
Rene Descartes would be considered to hold a ________ view of the mind-body problem
dualist
A reflex is considered to be a(n)________ movement elicited by a(n) ________
involuntary; external stimulus
Descartes’s view of the mind-body was unique in that he argued that
the mind controls the movements of the body.
________ is considered the father of modern philosophy.
Rene Descartes
Descartes argued that
nerves produce bodily movements by inflating muscles with fluid
A(An) ________ is a simple system that works on known principles that can be used to explain a complex system
model
In a simple experiment, Galvani disproved the hydraulic nerve-muscle model proposed by Descartes. Galvani removed a nerve and its attached muscle fibers from a frog and showed that ________ of the nerve caused ________ of the muscle.
In a simple experiment, Galvani disproved the hydraulic nerve-muscle model proposed by Descartes. Galvani removed a nerve and its attached muscle fibers from a frog and showed that ________ of the nerve caused ________ of the muscle.
Galvani’s experiment involving a frog leg proved that
the muscles are activated by electrical nerve signals
Galvani’s experiment involving a frog leg disproved
Descartes’s model of muscle operation by the brain
Which of the following statements is NOT consistent with Descartes’ explanation of the mind-body problem?
Electrical stimulation of a nerve evokes contraction of a detached muscle.
________ was a physiologist who proposed the doctrine of specific nerve energies
Johannes Müller
What is the doctrine of specific nerve energies?
a. Electrical stimulation of a sensory nerve can evoke a specific sensation.
b. All nerves carry similar electrical messages.
c. Exerting pressure on the eyeball can evoke a sensation of light flashes.
d. Nerves can be activated by mechanical stimuli.
Which scientist was among the first to advocate the use of experimental techniques in the study of physiology?
Johannes Müller
Johannes Müller proposed
that the brain is divided into different functional areas with each receiving signals from a different set of nerves
Pierre Flourens is known
for his use of the experimental ablation technique to examine brain function.
The technique of experimental ablation involves
assessment of behavioral changes after the intentional damage to a portion of the brain
Paul Broca performed an autopsy of the brain of a patient who had been unable to speak after suffering a stroke. Broca concluded that
the control of speech is a function of the left hemisphere
In 1870, Fritsch and Hitzig reported that electrical stimulation of the ________ in dogs resulted in muscle contractions of ________
primary motor cortex; the opposite side of the body
Hermann von Helmholtz is known for
a. his contributions to the study of physics.
b. his contributions to the study of physiology.
c. his invention of the ophthalmoscope.
d. measuring the conduction speed of the action potential.
In his studies of nerve conduction velocity, Hermann von Helmholtz noted that
In his studies of nerve conduction velocity, Hermann von Helmholtz noted that
Hermann von Helmholtz estimated that nerve conduction velocity is about
90 feet/second
Charles Darwin proposed the principle(s) of
Evolution
The belief that the natural characteristics of an organism exert useful effects is termed
functionalism
The physiological mechanisms of an organism that give rise to certain behaviors
can be understood in terms of whether the behaviors produce useful functions.
Which of the following is consistent with Blest’s study of the impact of background pattern on consumption of worms by birds?
e.Backgrounds that contained eyespot patterns were avoided by the birds.
The principle of natural selection proposes that certain characteristics that ________ will become more prevalent in a species.
c.increase reproductive success
Mutations involve
b.accidental changes in the genetic information of the chromosomes.
Genetic mutations
d.are usually deleterious.
The key benefit of genetic diversity for a species is that
a.diversity allows the species to adapt to different environments.
Traits that can be altered via genetic mutations
c.are physical.
The process of evolution
d.refers to a gradual change in the structure and function of a species.
Most scientists believe that the ________ allowed certain mammals to survive the mass extinction produced by dust clouds some 65 million years ago.
b.capacity to maintain their body temperature
________ is thought to be an advantage associated with the development of color vision in primates.
c.The capacity to discriminate ripe from unripe fruit
With regard to the surviving members of the primate family tree,
b.members of the family tree share 98.8% of their DNA.
Which of the following is true of the hominid species?
d.Modern humans are known as Homo sapiens.
Which of the following is correct with regard to the relation between brain size and body size?
a.Human brains are larger than other species when expressed relative to total body weight.
What characteristics of humans allowed them to effectively compete with other species?
a. Color vision allows for the detection of ripe fruit and game.
b. Mastery of fire allowed for provision of warmth in shelters.
c. Agile hands allow for the creation and use of tools.
d. Mastery of fire allowed food to be cooked.
________ refers to the concept that human maturation takes a long time relative to other species.
Neoteny
Which of the following is an argument made by the text author regarding the use of animals by humans?
c.More suffering occurs with pet owning than research.
Nicholl and Russell’s research indicates that animal rights activists are most concerned with the
e.use of animals as subjects for research
Your textbook author views ________ as an indispensable use of animals.
a.research for the treatment of human disease
Research involving animals is currently the most effective means to study and treat which of the following human diseases?
a. Drug addiction
b. Stroke
c. Schizophrenia
d. Obesity
________ is the original name for the field that involves the study of the physiology of behavior.
d.Physiological psychology
________ are physicians trained to diagnose and to treat central nervous system diseases.
Neurologists
