Exam 1 Prep

Question 1

cerebrum (forebrain)

Answer 1

Major structure of the forebrain that consists of two virtually identical hemispheres (left and right) and is responsible for most conscious behavior

Question 2

hemisphere

Answer 2

Literally, half a sphere, referring to one side of the cerebrum

Question 3

Brainstem

Answer 3

Central structure of the brain

responsible for most unconscious behavior

Question 4

central nervous system (CNS)

Answer 4

The brain
and spinal cord that together mediate
behavior.

Question 5

cerebellum

Answer 5

Major structure of the brainstem
specialized for coordinating and learning
skilled movements. In large-brained animals,
the cerebellum may also have a role in
coordinating other mental processes

Question 6

embodied language

Answer 6

Hypothesis that the
movements we make and the movements
we perceive in others are central to
communication with others.

Question 7

neuron

Answer 7

Specialized nerve cell engaged in

information processing

Question 8

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Answer 8

All the
neurons in the body located outside the brain
and spinal cord; provides sensory and motor
connections to and from the central nervous
system.

Question 9

spinal cord

Answer 9

Part of the central nervous
system encased within the vertebrae
(spinal column) that provides most of the
connections between the brain and the rest of
the body.

Question 10

dualism

Answer 10

Philosophical position that holds
that both a nonmaterial mind and a material
body contribute to behavior

Question 11

mentalism

Answer 11

Explanation of behavior as a 
function of the nonmaterial mind

Question 12

psyche

Answer 12

Synonym for mind, an entity once

proposed to be the source of human behavior

Question 13

pineal gland

Answer 13

Descartes
suggested that the mind resides in the pineal
gland, where it directs the flow of fluid through
the ventricles and into the body to investigate
objects and to become informed about their
properties.

Question 14

materialism

Answer 14

Philosophical position that
holds that behavior can be explained as a
function of the brain and the rest of the
nervous system without explanatory recourse
to the mind.

Question 15

mind–body problem

Answer 15

Quandary of
explaining how a nonmaterial mind and a
material body interact

Question 16

natural selection

Answer 16

Darwin’s theory for
explaining how new species evolve and
how existing species change over time.
Differential success in the reproduction of
different characteristics (phenotypes) results
from the interaction of organisms with their
environment.

Question 17

phenotype

Answer 17

Individual characteristics that

can be seen or measured phenomena

Question 18

species

Answer 18

Group of organisms that can

interbreed.

Question 19

epigenetics

Answer 19

Differences in gene expression

related to environment and experience

Question 20

genotype

Answer 20

Particular genetic makeup of an

individual

Question 21

clinical trial

Answer 21

Consensual experiment directed

toward developing a treatment

Question 22

deep-brain stimulation (DBS)

Answer 22

Neurosurgery
in which electrodes implanted in the brain
stimulate a targeted area with a low-voltage
electrical current to facilitate behavior.

Question 23

bilateral symmetry

Answer 23

Body plan in which
organs or parts present on both sides of
the body are mirror images in appearance.
For example, the hands are bilaterally
symmetrical, whereas the heart is not

Question 24

common ancestor

Answer 24

Forebearer from which
two or more lineages or family groups arise
and so is ancestral to both groups.

Question 25

nerve net

Answer 25

Simple nervous system that has
no brain or spinal cord but consists of neurons
that receive sensory information and connect
directly to other neurons that move muscles

Question 26

segmentation

Answer 26

Division into a number of
parts that are similar; refers to the idea
that many animals, including vertebrates,
are composed of similarly organized body
segments.

Question 27

chordate

Answer 27

Animal that has both a brain and a

spinal cord.

Question 28

ganglia

Answer 28

Collection of nerve cells that 
function somewhat like a brain.

Question 29

hominid

Answer 29

General term referring to primates
that walk upright, including all forms of
humans, living and extinct.

Question 30

encephalization quotient (EQ)

Answer 30

Jerison’s
quantitative measure of brain size obtained
from the ratio of actual brain size to expected
brain size, according to the principle of proper
mass, for an animal of a particular body size.

Question 31

radiator hypothesis

Answer 31

Idea that selection for
improved brain cooling through increased
blood circulation in the brains of early
hominids enabled the brain to grow larger.

Question 32

neoteny

Answer 32

Process in which maturation 
is delayed and so an adult retains infant 
characteristics; idea derived from the 
observation that newly evolved species 
resemble the young of their common 
ancestors.

Question 33

species-typical behavior

Answer 33

Behavior that is

characteristic of all members of a species.