PSY2001 Flashcards

1
Q

What happens when you see an object?

A

Light reflected from the object strikes your eyes

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2
Q

The optic nerve comes from what type or types of cells?

A

Ganglion cells

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3
Q

Where do the rods and cones of the retina send their input?

A

To bipolar cells within the eyeball

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4
Q

Where do the bipolar cells of the retina send their input?

A

To ganglion cells

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5
Q

Where does light from the right side of the world go?

A

To the left half of each retina

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6
Q

What causes the blind spot of the retina?

A

The optic nerve exits the eye at that point

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7
Q

What is one reason why you don’t notice the blind spot of the eye in everyday life?

A

Anything in the blind spot of one eye is visible to the other eye

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8
Q

What is the fovea?

A

The center of the retina

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9
Q

In which of these ways is a hawk’s eye specialized?

A

It has more receptors on the top half of the retina than the bottom

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10
Q

Why is vision less detailed in the periphery?

A

In the periphery, many receptors converge onto each bipolar cell

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11
Q

Why does vision in the periphery have high sensitivity to faint light?

A

Toward the periphery, the retina has more convergence of input

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12
Q

What are the effects from having so many receptors converge their inputs onto the bipolar cells in the periphery of the eye?

A

Good perception of faint lights, but poor perception of detail

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13
Q

In which of these ways does foveal vision differ from peripheral vision?

A

Foveal vision has better acuity but less sensitivity to dim light

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14
Q

According to the trichromatic theory, or Young-Helmholtz theory, how do we perceive color?

A

Each wavelength elicits a unique ratio of responses by three kinds of cones

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15
Q

What is color constancy?

A

The ability to recognize an object’s color after a change in lighting

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16
Q

In humans, what crosses to the contralateral hemisphere at the optic chiasm?

A

Half of each optic nerve, the part representing the nasal half of the retina

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17
Q

What function does lateral inhibition serve in the visual system?

A

It sharpens contrast at borders

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18
Q

Why do ganglion cells have larger receptive fields than bipolar cells do?

A

Ganglion cells receive input from several bipolar cells

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19
Q

Where is the primary visual cortex?

A

Occipital cortex

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20
Q

What do people lose after damage to area V1?

A

All conscious vision

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21
Q

When you close your eyes and imagine a visual scene, where does the activity start?

A

In the memory and language areas of the cortex

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22
Q

Which of these is another term for the ventral stream in the visual system?

A

The “what” pathway

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23
Q

The inferior temporal cortex is especially important for which of the following?

A

Recognizing familiar objects

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24
Q

What might cause someone to be unable to perceive visual motion?

A

Damage to brain area MT

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25
Q

The fusiform gyrus responds most strongly to which of the following?

A

Faces

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26
Q

The ganglion cells in the human fovea, each connected to just one cone, are called _____ ganglion cells.

A

midget

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27
Q

The type of visual receptor found in the fovea is a _____.

A

cone

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28
Q

The Young-Helmholtz theory of color vision is also known as the _____ theory.

A

trichromatic

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29
Q

The theory devised to explain color constancy is the _____ theory.

A

retinex

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30
Q

The type of neuron that inhibits bipolar cells to produce lateral inhibition is a _____ cell.

A

horizontal

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31
Q

The “what” pathway and the “where” or “how” pathways for vision are called the _____ stream and the _____ stream.

A

ventral; dorsal

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32
Q

Damage to area MT (also called V5) causes _____ blindness.

A

motion

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33
Q

Explain how we see images from the external world.

A

When we see a tree, for example, our perception is not in the tree. It is in our brain. We see something only when light from it alters our brain activity. Even if we did send out rays from our eyes—and we don’t—when they struck some object, we wouldn’t know about it, unless they bounced back and returned to our eyes.

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34
Q

You sometimes find that you can see a faint star on a dark night better if you look slightly to the side of the star. Why?

A

When you look slightly to the side, the light falls on an area of the retina with more rods and more convergence of inputs. The result is greater sensitivity to faint light.

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35
Q

Describe the route for visual information, from the retinal receptors to the cortex.

A

Receptors connect to bipolar cells, which connect to ganglion cells, whose axons form the optic nerve. The optic nerves from the two eyes cross at the optic chiasm. Most of each optic nerve goes to the thalamus, which sends information to the visual cortex.

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36
Q

According to the trichromatic theory, how do we perceive color?

A

The retina has three types of cones, sensitive to short-, medium-, and long-wavelength light. The relative rate of response by the three types determines the color.

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37
Q

Explain lateral inhibition.

A

When light shines on a group of receptors, they excite bipolar cells, but they also excite horizontal cells. Horizontal cells inhibit all the bipolar cells around them, regardless of whether those cells had been excited or not. A bipolar cell that is stimulated by light but surrounded by other stimulated cells will have its response somewhat reduced. A bipolar cell that is next to stimulated cells on only one side will be inhibited less. A bipolar cell that is not stimulated, but is next to stimulated cells, is inhibited without being excited. The result is to enhance the contrast at edges.

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38
Q

What is blindsight, and what is a probable explanation?

A

Some people with damage to area V1 can respond to visual stimuli that they do not perceive consciously, by moving their eyes toward something, reaching for it, imitating an expression, or indicating an object’s shape, color, or direction of movement, while insisting that they are just guessing. In many if not all cases, connections are intact between visual areas of the thalamus and cortical areas outside V1.

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39
Q

What are the specializations of the ventral and dorsal visual streams?

A

The ventral stream responds to the shape of an object, identifying faces, objects, scenes, and movement. The dorsal stream attends primarily to the location of an object, guiding movement on the basis of visual information.

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40
Q

Under what condition do normal people become briefly motion blind, and what causes this?

A

While making a voluntary eye movement (a saccade), people become briefly motion-blind because area MT and part of the parietal cortex decrease their activity and receive less than usual blood flow.

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41
Q

The frequency of a sound corresponds to which aspect of perception?

A

Pitch

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42
Q

Why do different musical instruments sound different when they play the same note?

A

They differ in timbre

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43
Q

What is the function of the pinna?

A

It helps us locate the source of a sound

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44
Q

What is the function of the three tiny bones of the inner ear?

A

They amplify vibrations onto the oval window

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45
Q

What stimulates the auditory receptors (hair cells)?

A

Vibrations in the fluid in the cochlea

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46
Q

Which of the following limits the applicability of the frequency theory of pitch perception?

A

The refractory period of axons

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47
Q

According to the place theory, how do you identify the pitch of a sound?

A

By a traveling wave that peaks at one point on the basilar membrane

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48
Q

The traveling wave that peaks at a particular point along the basilar membrane enables us to perceive which aspect of a sound?

A

Pitch

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49
Q

What is one way in which areas A1 and V1 differ?

A

V1 damage causes blindness, but A1 damage doesn’t produce deafness

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50
Q

Legion has experienced damage to area A1, which of the following could Legion still do?

A

Localize a sound

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51
Q

Most neurons in the primary auditory cortex (A1) respond best to what?

A

A dominant tone and its harmonics

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52
Q

Most neurons in the secondary auditory cortex respond best to what?

A

Meaningful sounds, such as music or speech

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53
Q

A difference between your ears in time of arrival of a sound helps you identify what type of sound?

A

A sound with a sudden onset

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54
Q

A difference between your ears in loudness of a sound helps you identify what type of sound?

A

A high-frequency sound

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55
Q

A phase difference of a sound between your ears helps you identify what type of sound?

A

A low-frequency sound

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56
Q

What structure enables us to localize sounds in the up–down axis?

A

The pinna

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57
Q

What causes conductive deafness?

A

Impairment of the bones of the middle ear

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58
Q

Which of the following could cause nerve deafness?

A

Damage to the hair cells

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59
Q

Hearing improves if the listener watches the:

A

speaker’s face

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60
Q

What does the vestibular system enable you to do?

A

Read while jiggling your head

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61
Q

Which of the following does your vestibular system tell your brain?

A

Which direction you are moving

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62
Q

To what extent does the nervous system maintain separate representations of touch, heat, pain, and other aspects of somatic sensation?

A

Different types remain separate even in the cortex

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63
Q

The anterior cingulate cortex and the insular cortex respond to what aspect of skin sensations?

A

Pleasantness or unpleasantness

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64
Q

Where are the taste buds in adult humans?

A

Along the edge of the tongue

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65
Q

The saccule, utricle, and the three semicircular canals produce _____ sensation.

A

Vestibular

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66
Q

Someone who perceives each letter and number as having a particular color has the condition known as _____.

A

Synesthesia

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67
Q

What is the frequency theory of pitch perception, and why does it apply to lower frequencies and not to higher frequencies?

A

According to the frequency theory, the basilar membrane vibrates in synchrony with sound waves, causing the auditory nerve to produce action potentials at that frequency. This theory works for lower frequencies, but people can hear up to 20,000 Hz, and the refractory period of the axon prevents action potentials from approaching that level.

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68
Q

What is a major way in which the primary visual cortex differs from the primary auditory cortex?

A

After damage to the primary visual cortex, people become blind. Damage to the primary auditory cortex impairs perception of speech, music, and other meaningful sounds, but it does not make one totally deaf.

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69
Q

Why is it harder to read while jiggling a page than while jiggling your head?

A

When you move your head, the vestibular system monitors the head movements and makes compensatory movements of your eyes. It can’t help when you jiggle the page.

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70
Q

If you had a cut through the left or right half of your spinal cord, why would it affect touch sensations and pain differently?

A

The axons conveying pain cross immediately to the opposite side of the spinal cord, whereas the axons conveying touch travel up the ipsilateral side of the cord until they reach the medulla. Therefore, a cut through half of the spinal cord would destroy touch information from that side of the body, and pain information from the opposite side.

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71
Q

What factors contribute to individual differences in olfactory sensitivity?

A

People differ in olfactory sensitivity because of genetics, age, illness, and gender.

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72
Q

For a small animal, seeing a predator can activate mainly the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system, depending on what?

A

Distance to the predator

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73
Q

Other things being equal, which of the following would increase your probability of feeling angry?

A

Standing instead of lying down

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74
Q

Which of the following increases (slightly) your rating of a cartoon as being funny?

A

Holding a pen with your teeth

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75
Q

Which of the following would be a test of the facial-feedback hypothesis?

A

Does holding a pen with your teeth make you feel happier?

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76
Q

Can you identify someone’s emotion by measuring autonomic activities? If so, how?

A

No, you cannot.

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77
Q

Which of the following is part of the limbic system?

A

Amygdala

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78
Q

When researchers recorded brain activity during emotions, what conclusion resulted?

A

The activity evoked by any emotion varies among studies

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79
Q

The insula, an area important for taste, is also especially important for which type of emotion?

A

Disgust

80
Q

The behavioral activation system tends to be associated with which emotions?

A

Happiness and anger

81
Q

The behavioral activation system tends to be associated with which part of the nervous system?

A

Left hemisphere

82
Q

People with greater right-hemisphere than left-hemisphere activity tend to be what?

A

Withdrawn and cautious

83
Q

What evidence indicates that some human emotional expressions are partly built-in?

A

People blind since birth have many expressions like sighted people

84
Q

Researchers who doubt the idea of six basic emotions prefer what alternative?

A

Emotions vary along one or more continuous dimensions

85
Q

The gene that is most widely studied with regard to human violent behavior regulates the production of what chemical?

A

Monoamine oxidase A

86
Q

What brain area is most responsible for the danger and safety signals that raise or lower anxiety?

A

Amygdala

87
Q

What does amygdala research tell us about the concept of fear?

A

What we call fear is a combination of independent reactions

88
Q

Which of the following is true of SM, the woman with damage to her amygdala?

A

She seldom makes eye contact

89
Q

Why do people with amygdala damage have trouble recognizing expressions of fear?

A

They fail to make eye contact

90
Q

Response of the amygdala correlates most strongly with which of these?

A

Frequency of laughing

91
Q

The behavioral activation system is associated mostly with activity of the _____ hemisphere.

A

left

92
Q

What type of studies have researchers conducted to test the facial-feedback hypothesis?

A

They induced a smile by asking people to hold a pen with their teeth, or they prevented a smile by asking people to hold a pen with their lips. Then they asked people to rate how funny certain cartoons were.

93
Q

Many studies reported that people throughout the world can recognize six facial expressions of emotion. What aspect of those studies led to overestimating people’s accuracy?

A

People were given the emotion labels and they were asked to match them to six expressions. They did not have the option of saying that an expression matched none of the labels. If they know one of the expressions, such as happiness, they improve their guessing chance for the others. If they know five of the expressions, they get the sixth one for sure by process of elimination.

94
Q

How does instrumental conditioning differ from classical conditioning?

A

In instrumental conditioning, the learner’s behavior affects the outcome

95
Q

According to Pavlov, what happened as a result of classical conditioning?

A

The animal reacted to the CS as if it were the UCS

96
Q

Lashley’s search for the engram was an attempt to test whose theory of learning?

A

Pavlov

97
Q

Why did Lashley make cuts in rats’ cerebral cortex?

A

He was trying to interrupt CS-US connections

98
Q

What evidence led Lashley to draw his conclusions of equipotentiality and mass action?

A

Impairment of learning depended on the amount of damage rather than the location

99
Q

In what brain area did Thompson and colleagues localize the engram for conditioned eyeblinks?

A

Cerebellum

100
Q

Thompson and colleagues conducted classical conditioning training while one brain area was temporarily inactivated. Which would be evidence that the brain area was necessary for this type of learning?

A

No responses during training, and later learning equal to untrained animals

101
Q

When an animal made no responses during training but showed conditioned responses after brain recovery, what conclusion followed?

A

That brain area relays the response but does not produce the learning

102
Q

How did Thompson test whether the red nucleus was necessary for learning a conditioned eyelid response?

A

They suppressed the red nucleus during training and tested the response later

103
Q

Because Hebb couldn’t imagine a rapid yet stable chemical process in the brain, he proposed what distinction?

A

Short-term memory vs. long-term memory

104
Q

How did Hebb propose that we store a short-term memory?

A

By a reverberating circuit

105
Q

Why did researchers have to revise the original concept of memory consolidation?

A

Some long-term memories form much faster than others

106
Q

Patient H. M. showed memory deficits after damage to what?

A

His hippocampus

107
Q

What is meant by anterograde amnesia?

A

Inability to form new memories

108
Q

What is meant by retrograde amnesia?

A

Loss of memory for previous events

109
Q

What is meant by a semantic memory?

A

Memory of factual information

110
Q

The delayed matching-to-sample task assesses what type of memory in laboratory animals?

A

Declarative memory

111
Q

How does the hippocampus contribute to the contextual aspect of episodic memory?

A

It coordinates representations in cortical areas, in order

112
Q

As time passes after an event, how does an episodic memory change?

A

It becomes more “gist”-like, and it depends more on the cerebral cortex

113
Q

As time passes after an event, how does representation of an episodic memory change?

A

Representation in the hippocampus fades, and the cortical representation remains

114
Q

How does memory storage in the hippocampus relate to memory storage in the cortex?

A

They develop in parallel from the start

115
Q

What is a general way to describe hippocampal function?

A

It encodes ordered sequences

116
Q

What brain area is most specialized for probabilistic learning? —i.e., learning what will probably happen when the outcome is not certain?

A

Striatum

117
Q

The striatum is primarily responsible for which type of learning?

A

Gradually learning habits

118
Q

Strengthening a memory and making it a long-term memory is called ____________________.

A

consolidation

119
Q

What does endogenous mean?

A

Self-produced

120
Q

How do migratory birds know when to fly north for the spring?

A

They have an endogenous circannual rhythm.

121
Q

When an animal awakens at almost the same time every day in an unchanging environment, it provides evidence for which of the following?

A

Endogenous circadian rhythms

122
Q

Workers on submarines with 18-hour cycles, what happens to their circadian rhythms?

A

It continues to average a bit more than 24 hours

123
Q

Who would have the greatest difficulty keeping their alertness in phase with the clock?

A

Persons who are blind

124
Q

What is the disruption of circadian rhythms after crossing time zones known as?

A

Jet lag

125
Q

What does the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) do?

A

It generates the circadian rhythm

126
Q

What evidence strongly indicates that the SCN produces the circadian rhythm itself?

A

SCN cells produce a circadian rhythm of activity after being isolated from the body

127
Q

What is unusual about the visual input to the SCN?

A

It does not depend on rods or cones

128
Q

What information about light does the SCN record?

A

The average amount of light over time

129
Q

What hormone does the pineal gland release?

A

Melatonin

130
Q

What is characteristic of a minimally conscious state?

A

Brief periods of purposeful actions and limited speech comprehension

131
Q

What is characteristic of brain death?

A

No brain activity at all

132
Q

What do alpha waves (8–12 per second) on an EEG indicate?

A

Relaxation

133
Q

Sleep spindles are associated with which of the following?

A

Memory consolidation

134
Q

What do large, slow waves on an EEG indicate?

A

A low level of brain activity

135
Q

Which would indicate that neuronal activity is highly synchronized?

A

Large, slow waves on the EEG

136
Q

Paradoxical sleep is synonymous with what?

A

REM sleep

137
Q

What does the EEG show during REM sleep?

A

Irregular, low-voltage fast waves

138
Q

In terms of brain activity, REM sleep is most similar to what?

A

Stage 1 sleep

139
Q

In what way might REM sleep be considered “deep” sleep?

A

Inhibited postural movements

140
Q

Why are postural muscles least active during REM sleep?

A

Inhibition from the pons and medulla

141
Q

The onset of increased REM depends mainly on what?

A

The time

142
Q

Which part of the reticular formation contributes to cortical arousal?

A

Pontomesencephalon

143
Q

When is the locus coeruleus most active?

A

During memorable or stressful events

144
Q

What does the neurotransmitter histamine do?

A

It increases arousal and alertness

145
Q

The transmitter orexin is important for which function?

A

Staying awake

146
Q

What happens to someone who lacks orexin?

A

Alternation between brief periods of waking and sleeping

147
Q

Why are we unconscious during sleep?

A

GABA inhibits synaptic spread of information

148
Q

What happens to people’s body temperature during sleep?

A

It decreases by 1 or 2 degrees

149
Q

When is the best time to memorize something?

A

Right before sleep

150
Q

What process occurs during sleep to strengthen a memory?

A

The hippocampus replays a pattern that occurred during learning

151
Q

Knowledge storage depends on highly synchronized _____?

A

Sharp wave ripples

152
Q

What is one important way that memories strengthen during sleep?

A

The brain weakens or removes ineffective synapses

153
Q

During REM sleep, where does brain activity increase?

A

Areas important for emotional processing

154
Q

During REM sleep, postural muscles are inhibited by cells in the _____?

A

Pons and medulla

155
Q

Axons from the locus coeruleus release what neurotransmitter?

A

Norepinephrine

156
Q

PGO waves are an abbreviation for _____?

A

Pons-geniculate-occipital

157
Q

During sleep, synaptic activity spread is blocked by increased release of _____?

A

GABA

158
Q

What evidence indicates humans have an internal biological clock?

A

People who live in an environment with a light-dark schedule much different from 24 hours fail to follow that schedule and instead become wakeful and sleepy on a 24-hour basis. People working on a submarine with an 18-hour work schedule are one example.

159
Q

Why do people in east Germany prefer to wake up and go to sleep earlier than west Germany?

A

The sun rises about half an hour earlier at the eastern edge of Germany than at the western edge. Even when people try to follow the same work schedule, the sun continues to influence the timing of the circadian rhythm.

160
Q

How does light reset the timing of the circadian rhythm in the SCN?

A

Light excites a special population of ganglion cells that have their own photopigment, enabling them to respond to light even if they receive no input from rods or cones. These ganglion cells respond slowly and decline slowly when light ceases, and therefore, they provide information about the average amount of light over a period of time, rather than instantaneous changes.

161
Q

The left hemisphere of the brain sees which of the following?

A

The right side of the visual field

162
Q

For which type of sensation does the left hemisphere receive input from both sides of the body equally?

A

Taste

163
Q

What is an example to illustrate that sleep can be local within the brain?

A

1) In sleepwalking, the motor cortex and a few other areas are aroused while the rest of the brain is asleep. 2) During lucid dreaming, activity is high enough in the frontal and temporal cortex to enable conscious monitoring of dreams. 3) Sometimes people wake up but find they are temporarily unable to move their limbs due to cells in the pons remaining in REM sleep state.

164
Q

What does the corpus callosum do?

A

It passes information between the hemispheres

165
Q

Why don’t rabbits and humans have the same eye-hemisphere connections?

A

Both human eyes face forward

166
Q

Where do half the axons from the eye cross to the opposite hemisphere?

A

Optic chiasm

167
Q

What does the right hemisphere see?

A

The left visual field, by means of the right half of each retina

168
Q

The split-brain operation was performed to relieve what condition?

A

Epilepsy

169
Q

What can a split-brain person do that others cannot?

A

Move the hands at different speeds at the same time

170
Q

What would be difficult/impossible for a split-brain person?

A

Pointing with the right hand to what the right hemisphere saw

171
Q

Can a split-brain person name objects felt with hands?

A

Only with the right hand

172
Q

What did Gazzaniga mean by the “interpreter”?

A

The way the left hemisphere invents explanations for actions

173
Q

Increased right-hemisphere activity is associated with what emotion?

A

Depression

174
Q

What happened when the right hemisphere was temporarily inactivated?

A

They described their past experiences without emotion

175
Q

Why was the discovery of Broca’s area important?

A

It showed that a brain area could have a distinct function

176
Q

People with Broca’s aphasia are most impaired with which words?

A

Prepositions and conjunctions

177
Q

What characterizes Wernicke’s aphasia?

A

Difficulty remembering the names of objects

178
Q

How is the speech of people with Wernicke’s aphasia?

A

Speech is fluent and grammatical, but it omits most nouns

179
Q

How did researchers demonstrate consciousness in unresponsive people?

A

By using fMRI after asking people to imagine playing tennis

180
Q

How did posterior parietal cortex cells respond to click counting?

A

One set counted the clicks on the left, and another counted clicks on the right

181
Q

How did prefrontal cortex cells respond to click counting?

A

One set responded when the left side was ahead, and another when the right side was ahead

182
Q

How does the ventromedial prefrontal cortex function in learning choices?

A

It learns about new information quickly

183
Q

How do the basal ganglia function in learning choices?

A

They gradually learn over many trials which choice is usually better

184
Q

What brain area isn’t working if someone bets the same regardless of probability?

A

Prefrontal cortex

185
Q

What brain area isn’t working if someone changes bets based only on last outcome?

A

Basal ganglia

186
Q

How would prefrontal cortex damage affect decision-making?

A

Decisions based on habits more than current information

187
Q

Looking at pictures of loved ones activates same brain areas as what?

A

Addictive drugs

188
Q

Which hormones intensify love relationships?

A

Oxytocin and vasopressin

189
Q

How did split-brain patients answer questions about left visual field?

A

The left (speaking) hemisphere took a guess, either yes or no. The right hemisphere, which knew the correct answer, frowned if the guess was wrong. The left hemisphere felt the frown and corrected the guess. Both hemispheres can control and feel the facial muscles.

190
Q

In most left-handed people, speech production depends on which hemisphere?

A

Left hemisphere

191
Q

What is Gazzaniga’s concept for left hemisphere’s tendency to explain actions?

A

Interpreter

192
Q

Understanding emotional tone depends mainly on which hemisphere?

A

Right hemisphere

193
Q

Which cortex acts as scorekeeper for click counting?

A

Prefrontal cortex

194
Q

Which cortex updates decisions with new information?

A

Prefrontal or ventromedial prefrontal cortex

195
Q

What does right hemisphere contribute to language?

A

More responsive to emotional tone of communication, expressed by gestures or tone of voice

196
Q

How did researchers infer consciousness in unresponsive people?

A

In response to an instruction to imagine playing tennis, these people activated the same areas that other people activate when imagining the same activity. When told to imagine walking through the house, a different set of brain areas became active, which were again the same ones active for other people imagining a walk through the house.