Origins of Brain and Behavior (Ch. 1)

Question 1

About half of our brains are made of ___ cells that ___. The other half are ___ cells that ___.

Answer 1

• Neurons
• Specialized nerve cells that are interconnected with each other and other muscles and organs. These cells help in information processing
• Glial cells
• support the functioning of neurons

Question 2

The brain and spinal cord make up the ___, the part of our nervous system that is encased in ___. It is given its name because it is both the nervous system’s physical __ and core structure mediating ___.

Answer 2

• central nervous system
• encased in bone
• physical core
• mediating behavior

Question 3

All processes that occur outside of the ___ and brain constitute the ___.

Answer 3

• spinal cord
• peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Question 4

The ___ (forebrain) has two symmetrical hemispheres. It is responsible for most of our ___. It also enfolds the ___, the set of structures responsible for most of our unconscious behaviors.

Answer 4

• cerebrum
• conscious behaviors
• brainstem

Question 5

A major structure of our brainstem that coordinates movements and learning is the ___.

Answer 5

cerebellum

Question 6

What is the embodied behavior argument? What does it say about our understanding of ourselves and others?

Answer 6

• movements that we make and movements we perceive in others are central to our behavior
• we understand not only through listening to words but also through overt gestures and body language

Question 7

In locked-in syndrome, the brain is __ and ___ and sensitive to the external world but its nerve fiber pathways that produce movement are ___.

Answer 7

• intact and functioning
• inactive

Question 8

Being in a minimally conscious state means that the individual is able to ___ and occasionally ___. Those in this state sometimes undergo ___ which sometimes results in much improvement of the patient’s behavior and ability to ___.

Answer 8

• communicate with single words
• follow very simple commands
• deep brain stimulation
• follow commands

Question 9

In a persistent vegetative state, individuals show signs of ___ but they are unable to ___.

Answer 9

• wakefulness
• communicate

Question 10

Irenaus Eible-Eibesfeldt bagin his class textbook “The Biology of Brain and Behavior” by stating that, “Behavior ___”

Answer 10

• “Behavior consists of patterns in time”

Question 11

Most behavior consists of a mix of ___ and __ actions and involve a brain that is __ and __ through experience.

Answer 11

• inherited and learned actions
• preorganized and modifiable through experience

Question 12

Animals with smaller, simpler nervous systems exhibit a narrow range of behaviors that mainly are the result of being ___, whereas animals with more complex nervous systems have more behavioral options that depend on ___.

Answer 12

• inherited
• learning

Question 13

Aristotle argued that the __ is responsible for life and its departure from __ results in death. To Aristotle, the __ is independent of ___, but is responsible for human __, ___, ___, and a range of other processes.

Answer 13

• psyche
• the body
• the psyche
• independent of the body
• responsible for human consciousness, perceptions, emotions, etc.

Question 14

Someone like Aristotle who believes in mentalism would believe that __.

Answer 14

a person’s mind (psyche) is nonmaterial and responsible for behavior

Question 15

Descartes believed in ___ and held the belief that the __ instructed the __ which lies beside fluid-filled cavities called ___ to direct fluid through the nerves and muscles. In this way, when ___, the body would __. Dualism believed that behavior is controlled by __ entities, a __ and a __, where the __ received information from __ through the brain, and the mind directed the brain through __.

Answer 15

• dualism
• the mind instructed
• the body
• ventricles
• when the fluid expanded
• the body would move
• controlled by both entities
• a mind
• a body
• the mind received information from the body through the brain
• the mind directed the brain through the body

Question 16

The mind-body problem is an issue about the __ view and questions how ___.

Answer 16

• dualism view
• a nonmaterial mind can interact or influence a material brain

Question 17

Descartes theory of mind also has a problem in its view of the mind as found in the examples of __ or __ who often fail to reason properly so they must ___.

Answer 17

• children or mentally ill individuals
• lack a mind

Question 18

Materialism was pioneered by ___ who advanced the idea that the __ and the ___ fully explain behavior.

Answer 18

• Darwin
• the brain and the rest of the nervous system alone

Question 19

Natural selection explains the process of how species __ and __ over time. A species is a group of organisms that can ___. Individuals within species can vary in their ___, which are __.

Answer 19

• evolve and change over time
• can breed with each other
• phenotype
• characteristics we can observe or measure

Question 20

Gregor Mendel found that heritable factors which we now call __, govern __. A particular genetic make-up is a ___. Therefore, Mendel developed principles of ___.

Answer 20

• genes
• govern various physical traits
• genotype
• principles of inheritance

Question 21

The field of epigenetics studies how ___, and how the environment and experience can influence __ through their effects on __.

Answer 21

• gene expression is turned on or off at different times
• can influence behavior
• effects on genes

Question 22

To summarize materialism…
1. Because all animal species are __, their __ must be related.
2. Because all animal species are __, their __ must be related.
3. Brains and behaviors in complex animals (like humans) evolved from __.

Answer 22

1. related, their brains must be related
2. related, their behavior must be related
3. evolved from simpler animals’ brains and behaviors

Question 23

Hebb’s believed that learning is enabled by small groups of neurons forming new connections with one another to form ___, which is the substrate for __. These interact and become connected and __ to one another which links __. Hebb’s believed that this is what explains our ___.

Answer 23

• a cell assembly
• a memory
• linked
• memories
• complex behavior

Question 24

Hebb’s explanation of eliminative materialism states that if __ can be described __, then the __ explanation should be eliminated.

Answer 24

• behavior
• without recourse to the mind
• mental explanation

Question 25

We trace evolution of the human brain and behavior by
1. animals first developed a __ and __ to move.
2. the __ grew more complex as the brain evolved to mediate behavior.
3. how the __ evolved to its present __.

Answer 25

1. nervous system and muscles
2. nervous system
3. human brain

Question 26

A common ancestor is a __ from which __ lineages or family groups arise.

Answer 26

• forebear
• 2 or more

Question 27

Humans and other apes evolved from a common ancestor, but we do not know ___.

Answer 27

exactly who those relatives were

Question 28

Evolution of the nervous system in animals follows 7 steps which are:
1. __ & __
2. __
3. __ symmetry
4. __
5. __
6. __
7. __

Answer 28

1. neurons & muscles
2. nerve net
3. bilateral symmetry
4. segmentation
5. ganglia
6. spinal cord
7. brain

Question 29

A chart called a cladogram displays __ of related organisms as __.

Answer 29

• groups
• tree branches

Question 30

Variation exists among all chordates, but common to all is the basic structural pattern of ___, ___, and a __ & __ encased in cartilage or bone.

Answer 30

• bilateral symmetry
• segmentation
  -spinal cord and brain

Question 31

A nerve net resembles the assembly of a brain, but is only made up of __ that receive ___ and connect to other __ that __.

Answer 31

• neurons
• sensory information
• neurons
• move muscles

Question 32

When the nervous system on one side of the animals mirrors that t=on the other side.

Answer 32

bilateral symmetry

Question 33

What is segmentation?

Answer 33

• Division into parts that are similar
• the vertebrae contain similar repeating segments of the spinal cord

Question 34

Ganglia are clusters of __ that resemble primitive __ and function somewhat like them because they are __.

Answer 34

• neurons
• brains
• command centers

Question 35

Chordates are animals that have both a __ and a __.

Answer 35

brain and a spinal cord

Question 36

Increased brain __ and __ are pronounced in primates. Primates are animals with __ relative to their body size. They have excellent __ because of their eye positions located __ to enhance __.

Answer 36

• folds and size
• large brains
• color vision
• at the front of the face
• enhance depth perception

Question 37

Among apes, we are most closely related to __.

Answer 37

chimpanzees

Question 38

What are hominids?

Answer 38

primates that walk upright

Question 39

The first fossilized human ancestors to be discovered were __. Another group, the Homo Floresiensis lived about 13,000 years ago, meaning our solo experience of being humans is relatively __.

Answer 39

• neanderthals
• new/recent

Question 40

To estimate relative brain size, Harry Jerison used the ratio of __. This quantitative measure became known as the __.

Answer 40

• actual brain size to expected brain size
• encephalization quotient

Question 41

Topographic maps represent ___ whereas connectome maps represent __.

Answer 41

• functional areas
• the connections through each of the regions that influence each other

Question 42

What climate change began changes in human anatomy? What did this do to populations in the west vs east?

Answer 42

• tectonic event
• wet jungle climate in the west where apes remained unchanged
• dry and hot climate in the east and rapidly evolved the apes to upright hominids

Question 43

Robin Dunbar argues that a primate’s ___ is a cornerstone of lifestyle that predicts brain size.

Answer 43

social group size

Question 44

Katharine Milton documented the relationship between __ and __. Harvesting __ requires good __ skills such as __ to see it, __ to reach and manipulate it, and good __ skills to find it. It is also beneficial to have good __ to return to the same spot and good __ to fight off predators.

Answer 44

• fruit and brain size
• fruit
• sensory skills
• color vision to see it
• motor skills to reach and manipulate it
• good spatial skills to find it
  -good memory to return to the same spot
• good friends to fight predators

Question 45

The use of __ allowed for cooking which is a cooperation tasks in food gathering and cooking, a major characteristic of the __ lifestyle.

Answer 45

• fire
• hominid

Question 46

What are some changes in physiology of hominids that aided evolution?

Answer 46

• changes in the morphology (form) of the skull
• Brain cooling techniques with dispersed blood flow

Question 47

Heterochrony is the study of the processes that regulate the __ and __ stages and their developmental __ and __.

Answer 47

• onset
• end-of-life
• speed
• duration

Question 48

Neoteny helps explain evolution through exemplifying that juvenile stages of predecessors become ___ of their __. For instance, domesticated __ are neotonic to __.

Answer 48

• adult features
• descendants
• domesticated dogs
• wolves

Question 49

Apes and modern humans have about ___ of their genes in common, but each of these genes have many small differences.

Answer 49

96%

Question 50

Species typical behavior

Answer 50

behavior expressed by all members of the species

Question 51

Alex Mesoudi concluded that cultural elements, ideas, and behaviors that spread from person-to-person are __. He proposes that individuals differences in __ favor the development of __.

Answer 51

• memes
• brain structure
• memes