Last Try... Flashcards
A psychologist studies the effect of sex hormones on aggressive behavior. Another compares the brain waves of depressed persons with those of schizophrenics. A third studies the effects of brain surgery on the eating behavior of laboratory rats. Despite the differences in their research, all three are probably evolutionary psychologists. structural psychologists. physiological psychologists. personality psychologists. developmental psychologists.
The correct answer is C. Physiological psychologists seek information about the structure and functioning of the brain—its influence on our nervous system and emotions, and our behavior.
Sigmund Freud turned his interests from medical to psychological processes after encountering patients suffering from schizophrenia. tuberculosis. lung cancer. severe depression. hysterical conversion.
The correct answer is E. Freud became interested in patients suffering from hysteria, a disorder in which psychological factors cause physical symptoms.
Which of the following represents the correct order of transmission of a neural impulse?
The message is received by the cell body, passed down the axon, where it jumps across the synaptic gap and activates the dendrite.
The message is received by the dendrite, is passed to the axon, and then jumps across the synaptic gap to the cell body.
The message is received by the axon, and is passed to the cell body and then to the Dendrite.
The message avoids axons altogether, and passes from cell body to dendrite back to cell body.
The message is received by the dendrite, jumps across the synaptic gap to the axon, and is then passed to the cell body.
The correct answer is A. The communication between neurons is a never-ending chain. Any point on the neuron could be considered the starting point as long as: a) dendrites always receive messages, b) the cell body always decodes information gathered by the dendrite, c) the axon always receives and forwards messages from the cell body, and d) the axon sends messages – via neurotransmitters – to the dendrites of the next neuron.
A neuron usually fires when
it is malfunctioning.
it receives multiple messages at one time or in quick succession.
it receives a single message from another neuron.
messages arrive very slowly and are spaced far apart.
messages to inhibit are very strong.
The correct answer is B. Neurons accumulate information and fire – or send a message – when they receive multiple messages from other neurons at one time or in quick succession.
Folds and creases within the brain are most evident in the cerebral cortex. right hemisphere. midbrain. hypothalamus. medulla.
The correct answer is A. The surface of the cerebral cortex has many folds and creases; this effectively increases the total surface area of the cortex.
Coordination of breathing and heart rate is controlled primarily in a part of the brain stem called the reticular formation. pons. medulla. cerebrum. hypothalamus.
The correct answer is C. The medulla controls breathing and heart rate.
The association cortex monitors sensations. is located in the brainstem. controls body movement. controls protective reflexive reactions. is the seat of intellectual processes.
The correct answer is E. The association cortex controls higher intellectual functioning, while the sensory cortex monitors sensation and the motor cortex generates physical movement.
The optic nerve leaves the retina at the fovea. blind spot. macula. iris. optic chiasm.
The correct answer is B. The optic nerve leaves the eye and travels to the brain. Information from the right and left fields of vision cross over to the other side of the brain at the optic chiasm; this crossing over creates a slight blind spot.
The opponent-process theory suggests that color vision is determined by
three color receptors in the retina.
rods and cones directly opposite each other on the retina.
cells for blue-yellow, red-green, and white-black in the thalamus.
the variable transmission of light waves to the brain.
the angle at which the image falls on the retina.
The correct answer is C. According to the opponent-process theory of color vision, our visual sensation of color results from three types of cones and rods. Each pair is turned on by one color and turned off by the opposite color. It is the particular pattern of impulses that determines what we see.
Jackie has an inner ear infection. The sense that she is MOST likely to notice because of its impairments is selectivity. hearing. equilibrium. kinesthesis. adaptation.
The correct answer is C. Equilibrium is the sense of the position of our body, as well as our ability to maintain it in space. Equilibrium is maintained by a combination of gravity and the position of the fluid in the inner ear.
A cartoonist sketches characters in brief outline, yet people recognize them. The perceptual process by which we fill in gaps in order to "see" a complete object is convergence. perceptual constancy. closure. proximation. interposition.
The correct answer is C. Closure is our tendency to fill in the gaps if an image is incomplete.
Pheromones are
receptor cells for vision.
receptor cells for taste and smell.
odor chemicals produced by animals.
devices for measuring sound loss in humans.
chemical substances that help neurons communicate.
The correct answer is C. Pheromones are odorous chemical secretions that are sexually attractive to members of the same species. They are important in animal sexual behavior but contribute little to human sexual behavior.
REM sleep typically begins approximately how long after one falls asleep?
within a half-hour 70-90 minutes 90-120 minutes 120-180 minutes anytime after 180 minutes
The correct answer is B. REM sleep occurs towards the end of each sleep cycle. Each sleep cycle lasts approximately 90 minutes.
During a typical night's sleep, most people experience about \_\_\_\_\_ complete cycles of sleep. two or three four or five seven or eight ten or more the number varies with each individual.
The correct answer is B. One sleep cycle is 90 minutes and most people sleep eight hours.
In behavioral terms, a reflex action would be called a(n) conditioned stimulus. unconditioned stimulus. conditioned response. unconditioned response. paired association
The correct answer is D. An unconditioned response does not have to be learned. It reflexively occurs in the presence of an unconditioned stimulus. A dog does not need to learn to drool (UCR) when presented with meat (UCS).
In classical conditioning, the stimulus that does NOT initially produce a conditioned response is the
unconditioned stimulus. unlearned stimulus. conditioned stimulus. orienting stimulus. positive reinforcer.
The correct answer is C. In classical conditioning, a previously neutral stimulus comes to have meaning (becomes a conditioned stimulus) only after repeated pairings with the unconditioned stimulus.
If you salivate at the sight of McDonald's "Golden Arches," you are showing an unconditioned response. a reflex action. a conditioned stimulus. a conditioned response. learned helplessness.
The correct answer is D. A conditioned response is a learned response. It occurs after exposure to the conditioned stimulus and mimics the unconditioned response. In Pavlov’s experiment, the dogs learned to drool to the sound of the bell (CS) after the bell had been repeatedly paired with food (UCS).
In Watson's experiment with Albert, the unconditioned response was fear of the rat. fear of John Watson. a loud noise. a white rat. fear of the loud noise.
The correct answer is E. An unconditioned response is a behavior that occurs automatically. People are reflexively afraid of loud noises.
A concept primarily related to operant but not to classical conditioning is reinforcement. shaping. stimulus discrimination. spontaneous recovery. stimulus generalization.
The correct answer is B. Operant conditioning explains the role of reinforcement in learning. Shaping a behavior incrementally is a form of reinforcement. It does not have a comparable counterpart in classical conditioning.
If, three hours after the event, a two-year-old child is rewarded for “going potty,” this delayed reward will probably
extinguish all bowel behavior.
cause him not to mess his pants again.
cause him to expect a reward whenever he uses the toilet.
make the child want to “go potty” more often.
have no effect on the child’s behavior.
The correct answer is E. Delayed rewards or punishments are ineffective reinforcers for animals or young children; they cannot make the connection between the event and the reinforcement because of the time lapse.
