Psyc201 Test 1, Week 1

Question 1

Aristotle

Answer 1

Believed the heart was responsible for sensations and thought, not the brain.

Question 2

Galen (150-200 AD)

Answer 2

Attributed the “rational soul” to the brain’s ventricles, the “passionate soul” to the heart, and the “appetitive soul” to the liver.

Question 3

Andreas Vesalius (1500-1540)

Answer 3

Detailed anatomist who placed the brain as the seat of all thought, feeling, and action.

Question 4

Luigi Galvani (1737-1798)

Answer 4

Discovered that the brain uses electricity to function.

Question 5

Franz Gall (1758-1828)

Answer 5

Developed phrenology, the idea that different brain areas have different functions and grow with use, creating bumps on the skull. (Incorrect, but introduced the concept of localization)

Question 6

Phineas Gage (1848)

Answer 6

Survived a traumatic brain injury that significantly changed his personality, providing early evidence for brain localization of function.

Question 7

Pierre Paul Broca (1824-1880)

Answer 7

Identified Broca’s area, a region in the brain responsible for language production, through patient studies.

Question 8

Dualism (Descartes)

Answer 8

The belief that the brain and mind/soul are separate entities.

Question 9

Monism/Materialism

Answer 9

The belief that the brain and mind are two manifestations of the same physical substance.

Question 10

Functionalism

Answer 10

The mind carries out functions, which are implemented by the brain (brain as hardware).

Question 11

Wilhelm Wundt (1879)

Answer 11

Established the first psychology lab.

Question 12

Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885)

Answer 12

Conducted the first studies of memory.

Question 13

William James (1890)

Answer 13

Wrote the first psychology textbook.

Question 14

Localized Processing

Answer 14

The idea that different parts of the brain perform distinct functions.

Question 15

Distributed Processing

Answer 15

The concept that cognitive functions involve networks of brain regions working together.

Question 16

Default Mode Network (DMN)

Answer 16

A functional brain network active during internally focused thought and rest.

Question 17

Genetic Influence on Brain

Answer 17

Genes play a crucial role, but most mental disorders involve genetic variations that increase risk, not single gene mutations.

Question 18

Prenatal Factors

Answer 18

Factors like maternal infections during pregnancy can influence fetal brain development and increase the child’s risk of mental health disorders.

Question 19

Pre-Prenatal Factors

Answer 19

Environmental exposures across generations (e.g., maternal alcohol use) can affect offspring brain development and behavior.

Question 20

Environmental Influences on Brain

Answer 20

Numerous factors like pollution, urbanicity, peer support, nutrition, and socioeconomic status shape brain development.

Question 21

Neurotransmitters

Answer 21

Chemical substances that neurons use to communicate with each other.

Question 22

Cerebellum

Answer 22

A brain region containing a large number of neurons, important for motor control and cognition.

Question 23

Number of Neurons in Brain

Answer 23

The brain contains 86 billion neurons (estimate), 16 billion in the cerebrum, 69 in the cerebellum, 1 in the brain stem