Module 2A

Question 1

What is biological psychology also known as?

Answer 1

Behavioral neuroscience

Question 2

What does biological psychology study?

Answer 2

The reciprocal connections between the structure and activity of the nervous system and behavior and mental processes

Question 3

Name a historical belief about the source of mental activity.

Answer 3

Aristotle believed that the heart, not the brain, was the source of mental activity

Question 4

What did phrenologists believe?

Answer 4

That reading the bumps on a person’s head could tell about a person’s character

Question 5

What technology records electrical activity in the brain?

Answer 5

Electroencephalographs (EEGs)

Question 6

What is the function of positron emission tomography (PET)?

Answer 6

Provides a high-resolution picture of brain activity using radioactive chemicals

Question 7

What does functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measure?

Answer 7

The amounts of hemoglobin and oxygen in different areas of the brain

Question 8

What are the major divisions of the nervous system?

Answer 8

Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system

Question 9

What does the central nervous system consist of?

Answer 9

The brain and the spinal cord

Question 10

How long is the spinal cord in men and women?

Answer 10

18 inches (45 cm) in men and 17 inches (43 cm) in women

Question 11

What protects the brain and spinal cord?

Answer 11

Meninges and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

Question 12

What is hydrocephalus?

Answer 12

A condition caused by the buildup of cerebrospinal fluid

Question 13

What does the somatic nervous system communicate with?

Answer 13

The skin and muscles

Question 14

What does the autonomic nervous system control?

Answer 14

Involuntary actions of the heart, stomach, and other organs

Question 15

List the cranial nerves and their functions.

Answer 15

• I. Olfactory – smell
• II. Optic – vision
• III. Oculomotor – eye movements
• IV. Trochlear – eye movements
• V. Abducens – eye movements
• VI. Trigeminal – touch, pain, jaw muscles
• VII. Facial – face muscles, taste
• VIII. Auditory – hearing, balance
• IX. Glossopharyngeal – taste, muscles of throat and larynx
• X. Vagus – internal organs, parasympathetic
• XI. Spinal accessory – neck muscles
• XII. Hypoglossal – tongue movements

Question 16

What is the outer covering of the forebrain called?

Answer 16

Cerebral cortex

Question 17

What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 17

• Occipital
• Parietal
• Temporal
• Frontal

Question 18

What does the occipital lobe specialize in?

Answer 18

Interpreting visual sensory information

Question 19

What is the primary somatosensory cortex responsible for?

Answer 19

Body senses and awareness of the location of body parts

Question 20

Which lobe contains areas for language processing?

Answer 20

Left temporal lobe

Question 21

What is the function of the hypothalamus?

Answer 21

Regulates emotional and motivated behavior

Question 22

What is the primary motor cortex important for?

Answer 22

Control of fine movements

Question 23

What does the reticular activating system regulate?

Answer 23

Levels of arousal in the brain

Question 24

What is the role of the cerebellum?

Answer 24

Coordination and timing, as well as shifting attention

Question 25

What is a reflex?

Answer 25

A rapid, automatic response to a stimulus

Question 26

What does the autonomic nervous system consist of?

Answer 26

Sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric nervous systems

Question 27

What is the function of the sympathetic nervous system?

Answer 27

Crisis management, increases heart and respiration rate

Question 28

What is the role of the enteric nervous system?

Answer 28

Consists of nerve cells embedded in the gastrointestinal lining

Question 29

What does the endocrine system regulate?

Answer 29

Release of hormones into the bloodstream

Question 30

What are neurons?

Answer 30

Cells that receive and transmit information electrochemically

Question 31

What is the estimated number of neurons in the human nervous system?

Answer 31

Nearly 100 billion

Question 32

What are the three basic parts of neurons?

Answer 32

* Cell body * Dendrites * Axon

Question 33

What is an action potential?

Answer 33

A signal that travels along the axon at a constant strength

Question 34

What happens during depolarization of an axon?

Answer 34

Sodium enters the axon, making the charge inside positive

Question 35

What is synaptic transmission?

Answer 35

Communication between neurons at the synapses

Question 36

What are neurotransmitters?

Answer 36

Chemicals stored in neurons that activate receptors on other neurons

Question 37

What happens to neurotransmitters after a message is sent?

Answer 37

They detach from the receptors and may undergo reuptake

Question 38

What is a neurotransmitter?

Answer 38

A chemical stored in the neuron that activates special receptors of other neurons.

Question 39

How do neurotransmitters affect postsynaptic neurons?

Answer 39

They diffuse to the surface of the postsynaptic neuron and attach to receptors on the dendrite/cell body, exciting or inhibiting it.

Question 40

What happens to neurotransmitters after they send a message?

Answer 40

They detach from the receptors and may be reabsorbed by the axon (reuptake), diffuse away, be metabolized, or remain in the synapse.

Question 41

What has revolutionized the health sciences regarding neurotransmitters?

Answer 41

A new understanding of the role of neurotransmitters in behavior and health.

Question 42

What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease?

Answer 42

Trouble with voluntary movements, including tremors, rigidity, and depressed mood.

Question 43

Which neurotransmitter is related to Parkinson's disease?

Answer 43

Dopamine.

Question 44

What role does dopamine play in the nervous system?

Answer 44

It promotes activity levels and facilitates movement.

Question 45

How can mild symptoms of Parkinson's disease be managed?

Answer 45

With a drug called L-dopa, which is synthesized into dopamine by neurons.

Question 46

What symptoms are associated with attention-deficit disorder (ADHD)?

Answer 46

Impulsive, agitated behavior and a short attention span.

Question 47

What neurotransmitter is suggested to be in oversupply in ADHD symptoms?

Answer 47

Dopamine.

Question 48

Is there a clear relationship between dopamine and ADHD?

Answer 48

No, there appears to be no relationship between dopamine and ADHD.

Question 49

What does the binding problem refer to?

Answer 49

The lack of understanding of how different parts of the brain produce a unified experience of objects or events.

Question 50

What is a fascinating aspect of vision loss?

Answer 50

People can lose just one aspect of vision, such as color, motion, or the ability to recognize faces.

Question 51

True or False: The neurotransmitter supply can be over, under, or normal, and is part of a complex system.

Answer 51

True.

Question 52

Fill in the blank: The neurotransmitter that promotes activity levels and facilitates movement is _______.

Answer 52

dopamine.