Grace's Unit 3: Biological Bases Of Behavior Flashcards
Multiple sclerosis is a result of degeneration in the:
Myelin sheath
Junita does not feel like getting out of bed, has lost her appetite, and feels tired for most of the day. Which of the following neurotransmitters likely is in short supply for Junita?
Serotonin
Which neurotransmitters inhibits CNS activity in order to calm a person down during stressful situations?
GABA
Phrenology has been discredited, but which of the following ideas has its origins in phrenology?
Brain function localization
When there is a negative charge inside an axon and a positive charge outside it, the neuron is:
said to have a resting potential
Morphine elevates mood and eases pain, and is most similar to which of the following?
Endorphins
Neurotransmitters cross the ________ to carry information to the next neuron.
Synaptic gap
What neurotransmitters are most likely in undersupply in someone who is depressed?
Serotonin and norepinephrine
Which of the following carries the information necessary to activate withdrawal of the hand from a hot object?
Motor neuron
Hormones are the _______ released into the ________.
chemical messengers; bloodstream
Which division of the nervous system produces the startle response?
Sympathetic
Which of the following endocrine glands may explain unusually tall height in a 12-year-old (Joe)?
Pituitary
Which of the following communicates with the pituitary, which in turn controls the endocrine system?
Hypothalamus
Which branch of the nervous system calms a person?
Parasympathetic
Epinephrine and norepinephrine increase energy and are released by the:
Adrenal glands
Interneurons are said to:
Transmit and process information within the brain and spinal cord
Computer-enhanced X-rays used to create brain images are known as:
computed tomography scans
What part of the brain triggers the release of adrenaline to boost heart rate when you’re afraid?
Hypothalamus
A gymnast falls and hits her head on the floor. She attempts to continue practicing, but has trouble maintaining balance. What part of her brain has probably been affected?
Cerebellum
Which of the following scanning techniques measures glucose consumption as an indicator of brain activity?
PET
Which of the following is sometimes referred to as the brain’s train hub, because it directs incoming sensory messages (with the exception of smell) to their proper places in the brain?
Thalamus
Which of the following brain areas is responsible for regulating thirst?
Hypothalamus
The hypothalamus is a(n) ______ center for the brain.
Reward
Which of the following’s primary function is processing memories?
Hippocampus
Damage to which of the following could interfere with the ability to plan for the future?
Frontal lobe
In general, damage to the ______ disrupts speaking, while damage to the ______ disrupts understanding of language.
Broca’s Area; Wernicke’s Area
Stimulation at a point on which of the following may cause a person to report being touched on the knee?
Somatosensory cortex
George can move his hand to sign a document because the ______, located in the _______ love of the brain, allows him to activate the proper muscles.
motor cortex; frontal
The most noticeable difference between human brains and other mammalian brains is the size of the:
association areas
Cognitive neural prosthetics are placed in the brain to help control parts of the:
motor cortex
A split-brain patient has a picture of a dog flashed to his right hemisphere and a cat to his left hemisphere. He will be able to identify the:
cat using his right hand.
You are aware that a dog is viciously barking at you, but you are not aware of the type of dog. Later, you are able to describe the type and color of the dog. This ability to process information without conscious awareness best exemplifies which of the following?
Dual processing
Which of the following is most likely to be a function of the left hemisphere?
Speech
The dual-processing model refers to which of the following ideas?
Incoming information is processed by both conscious and unconscious tracks.
Human genome (DNA) researchers have discovered that:
Nearly every other human is your genetically identical twin.
One reason that identical twins might show slight differences at birth is:
one twin’s placenta may have provided slightly better nourishment.
Generally speaking, heritability is the extent to which:
Differences among people are accounted for by genes.
Which of the following is most closely associated with the idea of epigenetics? Eye color, gene display based on environmental factos, IQ as a function of educational experiences, height at birth, or shoe size?
Gene display based on environmental factors
Which of the following is an example of gene-environment interaction? Yeh Lin experiences flushing syndrome, which mostly occurs in those of Asian heritage; Alfonso gets food poisoning from eating undercooked meat; Ted gets diabetes, which runs in his family, because he eats too much sugary food; Samantha has a food allergy to shellfish; or Jordan has an autoimmune disorder that causes him to lose hair?
Yeh Lin experiences flushing syndrome, which mostly occurs in those of Asian heritage
Which of the following refers to an effect of life experience that leaves a molecular mark that affexts gene expression? Epigenetics, adaptation, evolution, natural selection, or universal moral grammar?
Epigenetics
Which of the following best describes genetic mutation? Random errors in gene replication, the study of the mind’s evolution, the study of behavioral evolution, passing on successful, inherited traits, or survival of the genetically successful?
Random errors in gene replication
Which of the following is true regarding the initiation of sexual activity? Men are more likely to initiate sexual activity than women, women are more likely to initiate sexual activity than men, the initiation of sexual activity for both men and women correlates with how many television sitcoms they viewed as children, men and women are equally likely to initiate sexual activity, or who initiates sexual activity is largely determined by culture?
Men are more likely to initiate sexual activity than women.
Why do researchers study the brains of nonhuman animals?
The same principles govern neural functioning in all species.
What is the brief electrical charge that travels down an axon called?
Action potential
An individual is having trouble with cognitive tasks related to learning and memory. Which of the following neurotransmitters is most likely to be involved with the problem?
Acetylcholine
Which is the most influential of the endocrine glands? (Pituitary gland, adrenal glands, dendrites, threshold glands, parasympathetic)
Pituitary gland
What is the purpose of the myelin sheath?
Speed the transmission of information within a neuron
The peripheral nervous system…
is the part of the nervous system that does not include the brain and the spinal cord.
To walk across a street, a person would rely most directly on which division of the nervous system?
Central nervous system
Opiate drugs such as morphine are classified as what?
Agonists, because they mimic other neurotransmitters’ pain-diminishing effects
Which region of the brain controls our breathing and heartbeat?
Medulla
Which of the following does a PET scan best allow researchers to examine?
The functions of various brain regions
A researcher interested in determining the size of a particular area of the brain would be most likely to use what kind of test?
MRI
Damage to the hippocampus would result in what?
Memory problems
Surgical stimulation of the somatosensory cortex might result in the false sensation of what?
Someone tickling you
During which task might the right hemisphere of the brain be most active? (Solving a mathematical equation, reading, making a brief oral presentation to the class, imagining what a dress would look like on a friend, or solving a logic problem)
Imagining what a dress would look like on a friend
Brain plasticity refers to which of the following? (Healthy human brain tissue, the ability of the brain to transfer information from one hemisphere to the other, how a brain gets larger as a child grows, a wide variety of functions performed by the human brain, the ability of brain tissue to take on new functions)
The ability of brain tissue to take on new functions
When Kluver and Bucy surgically lesioned the amygdala of a rhesus monkey’s brain, what was the impact on the monkey’s behavior?
Became less aggressive
An individual experiences brain damage that produces a coma. Which part of the brain was probably damaged?
Reticular formation
Evolutionary psychologists seek to understand how traits and behavioral tendencies have been shaped by what?
Natural selection
Which is one of the major criticisms of the evolutionary perspective in psychology?
It analyzes after the fact using hindsight
What was one of the major findings of Thomas Bouchard’s study of twins?
He discovered almost unbelievable similarities between adult identical twins who had been separated near birth
Which of the following statements has been supported by the research of evolutionary psychologists? (Women are attracted to men who appear virile, men are attracted to women who appear fertile and capable of bearing children, the connection between sex and pleasure is mostly determined by culture, the same factors determine sexual attraction in both males and females, and most adults are attracted to partners that in some way remind them of their parents)
Men are attracted to women who appear fertile and capable of bearing children
