Psychology Midterm (MC Ch. 3-4)

Question 1

The part of a neuron that transmits information away from the neuron and toward another neuron is the

synapse.
soma.
dendrites.
axon.

Answer 1

axon.

Question 2

The electrical charge that exists between the inside and the outside of a neuron when the neuron is neither receiving nor sending is approximately

-1,000 millivolts.
+60 to +70 millivolts.
-60 to -70 millivolts.
+1,000 millivolts.

Answer 2

-60 to -70 millivolts.

Question 3

Fiona puts her hands into a sinkful of lukewarm water; Luke puts his hands into a sinkful of ice-cold water. Based on what is known about neural transmission, you could predict that the action potentials will

travel more quickly in Luke’s system because the stimulus is more intense.
be weaker in Fiona’s system because the stimulus is less intense.
be the same in both individuals due to the all-or-none principle.
travel a shorter distance in Luke’s system because the stimulus is more intense.

Answer 3

be the same in both individuals due to the all-or-none principle.

Question 4

What event causes the release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft?

The arrival of the action potential at the postsynaptic neuron.
The arrival of the resting potential at the postsynaptic neuron.
The arrival of the action potential at the terminal buttons.
The arrival of the resting potential at the terminal buttons.

Answer 4

The arrival of the action potential at the terminal buttons.

Question 5

In Parkinsonism, the tremors, muscular rigidity, and reduced control over voluntary movements appears to be a function of

damage to glia cells.
degeneration of neurons that use dopamine as a neurotransmitter.
agonistic chemical action on the receptor sites of the cerebrum.
enzymatic deficiency that does not allow for the proper cleanup of waste products in the nervous system.

Answer 5

degeneration of neurons that use dopamine as a neurotransmitter.

Question 6

Monoamines have been associated with all of the following EXCEPT

aggressive behavior.
pain reduction.
schizophrenia.
depression.

Answer 6

pain reduction.

Question 7

The somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system comprise the

central nervous system.
peripheral nervous system.
skeletal nervous system.
afferent nervous system.

Answer 7

peripheral nervous system.

Question 8

Edmund was walking down a dark street when he heard a car backfire. His heart started to race and he began to perspire in response to this sudden, startling noise. These physical reactions were triggered by Edmund’s

parasympathetic nervous system.
somatic nervous system.
sympathetic nervous system.
cerebellum.

Answer 8

sympathetic nervous system.

Question 9

The central nervous system consists of

the body’s sensory and motor neurons.
the brain and the spinal cord.
the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.
the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

Answer 9

the brain and the spinal cord.

Question 10

The brain-imaging method that uses multiple X-rays to generate a picture of a horizontal slice of the brain is

an electroencephalograph.
computerized tomography.
stereotaxic instrumentation.
EKG.

Answer 10

computerized tomography.

Question 11

In carrying out the “fight or flight” response, the role of supervisor is assigned to the

adrenal gland.
pituitary gland.
hypothalamus.
parasympathetic nervous system.

Answer 11

hypothalamus.

Question 12

Which brain structure appears to play an active role in integrating sensory information?

hypothalamus
limbic system
thalamus
cerebrum

Answer 12

thalamus

Question 13

Amy has lost her senses of sight, hearing, and touch. Her symptoms are found to be caused by pressure applied to the brain by a tumor. Where is the tumor likely to be found?

cerebrum
amygdale
thalamus
medial forebrain bundle

Answer 13

thalamus

Question 14

Olds and Milner (1954) found that rats will endlessly stimulate a pleasure center in the __________ when an electrode is implanted there.

brainstem
corpus callosum
limbic system
frontal lobe of the occipital cortex

Answer 14

limbic system

Question 15

Gilbert suffered a stroke, and even though he has recovered many functions, he finds he is still relatively insensitive to pain signals from his leg. In this case, it is likely that Gilbert’s stroke affected his

parietal lobe.
frontal lobe.
temporal lobe.
occipital.

Answer 15

parietal lobe.

Question 16

Some theorists believe that a sort of “executive control system,” which is responsible for monitoring, directing, and organizing thought processes, is housed in the

corpus callosum.
prefrontal cortex.
hindbrain.
medial forebrain bundle.

Answer 16

prefrontal cortex.

Question 17

Which of the following statements concerning plasticity in the brain is FALSE?

Damage to one area of brain tissue may result in changes in other areas of the brain that compensate for the damage.
Experience can change the features of brain structures.
Older brains show more plasticity than younger brains.
Even adult brains are able to form additional neurons.

Answer 17

Older brains show more plasticity than younger brains.

Question 18

If the left hemisphere of the brain were damaged, which part of the body would be MOST directly affected?

the left half
the right half
the upper portion
the entire body

Answer 18

the right half

Question 19

In both split-brain people and neurologically intact people, the left hemisphere specializes in

verbal processing.
visual recognition.
spatial perception.
verbal processing and spatial perception.

Answer 19

verbal processing.

Question 20

After inhaling a secret substance, John displays more empathy and is more trusting of others. It is likely that the secret substance contained

arsenic.
oxytocin.
endorphins.
melatonin.

Answer 20

oxytocin.

Question 21

A ____ contains thousands of ____.

DNA; genes
DNA; chromosomes
chromosome; genes
gene; chromosomes

Answer 21

chromosome; genes

Question 22

Donavon was adopted at birth by Mr. and Mrs. Erndt. Although neither of his biological parents had much musical ability, Donavon has become an excellent pianist, just like Mr. Erndt. This information could be used as evidence to suggest that

environmental factors have more influence than genetic factors in musical talent.
both genetic and environmental factors contribute equally to musical talent.
genetic factors have more influence than environmental factors in musical talent.
neither genetic nor environmental factors contribute to musical talent.

Answer 22

environmental factors have more influence than genetic factors in musical talent.

Question 23

____ refers to the reproductive success of an individual organism relative to the average reproductive success in the population.

Natural selection
Polygenic transmission
Fitness
Gene flow

Answer 23

Fitness

Question 24

Schizophrenia may be related to abnormalities in neurotransmitter activity, structural defects in the brain, and genetic vulnerabilities. These observations MOST directly relate to the text’s unifying theme that

behavior is determined by multiple causes.
psychology is empirical.
heredity and environment jointly influence behavior.
behavior is shaped by cultural heritage.

Answer 24

behavior is determined by multiple causes.

Question 25

Which of the following statements is MOST accurate? Human beings begin life with an insufficient number of synapses. Human beings begin life with an overabundance of synapses. Synaptic density is associated with intelligence. Brain development is only malleable during the first three years of life.

Answer 25

Human beings begin life with an overabundance of synapses.

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT an aspect of vision associated with cones? a. high visual acuity b. daytime vision c. peripheral vision d. color vision

Answer 26

c. peripheral vision

Question 27

As people age, the lens of the eye loses its ability to accommodate, and it tends to remain flat instead of becoming fat and round. This suggests that as people age, they will a. lose their ability to focus on objects in the distance. b. be less likely to detect differences in light purity. c. be more likely to detect differences in brightness and hue. d. lose their ability to focus on objects that are close.

Answer 27

d. lose their ability to focus on objects that are close.

Question 28

The blind spot in the eye is a. where photoreceptor cells do not “bleach.” b. the point at which ganglion cells synapse with bipolar cells. c. where the optic nerve exits the back of the eye. d. what leads to color blindness.

Answer 28

c. where the optic nerve exits the back of the eye.

Question 29

The fovea is the area of the retina where ____ is best in large part because the fovea contains only ____. a. peripheral vision; cones b. peripheral vision; rods c. visual acuity; cones d. visual acuity; rods

Answer 29

c. visual acuity; cones

Question 30

Researchers investigating feature detectors have found individual neurons that are activated by images of faces. These neurons may be adaptive primarily because they allow us to a. distinguish friends from foes. b. distinguish people from animals. c. distinguish animals from plants. d. distinguish animals from food.

Answer 30

a. distinguish friends from foes.

Question 31

If you project a red, a green, and a blue light into space, the point at which the three lights cross will lead to the perception of a. black light. b. ultraviolet light. c. white light. d. infrared light.

Answer 31

c. white light.

Question 32

After having your picture taken with a yellow flash, you momentarily see blue spots floating before your eyes. This phenomenon is best explained by a. subtractive color mixing. b. opponent-process theory. c. additive color mixing. d. trichromatic theory.

Answer 32

b. opponent-process theory.

Question 33

A visual image the persists after the stimulus is removed is known as a(n) a. post visualization. b. afterimage. c. residual signal. d. aftereffect.

Answer 33

b. afterimage.

Question 34

The process of detecting specific elements in visual input and assembling them into a more complex form is a. accommodation. b. feature analysis. c. feature detection. d. sensation.

Answer 34

b. feature analysis.

Question 35

Rather than provide details about the party she just attended, Patty tried to give her overall impression. Operating on the assumption of ____, that the whole may be greater than the mere sum of its parts. a. psychophysics b. holistic psychology c. Gestalt psychology d. psychodynamics

Answer 35

c. Gestalt psychology

Question 36

When Justin looked up at the night sky, he perceived the three stars that make up the belt in the constellation Orion as a single complete figure, rather than as individual stars. Justin’s perception of the night sky illustrates the Gestalt principle of a. proximity. b. closure. c. similarity. d. figure-ground.

Answer 36

b. closure.

Question 37

Our ability to tell how far away objects are is known as a. depth perception. b. sensory accommodation. c. visual acuity. d. rod-cone refractance.

Answer 37

a. depth perception.

Question 38

Larger images tend to be perceived as closer due to the depth perception cue known as a. accommodation. b. foveal disparity. c. phrenetic search. d. relative size.

Answer 38

d. relative size.

Question 39

Studies that examine the ability of individuals from various cultures to take advantage of pictorial depth cues present in two-dimensional drawings indicate that the application of pictorial depth cues a. is a skill that develops in all cultures. b. is an acquired skill that depends on experience. c. is a skill that develops naturally in early infancy. d. is a skill shown only by adults.

Answer 39

b. is an acquired skill that depends on experience.

Question 40

The moon illusion is that the moon appears ____ when near the horizon than when overhead and is explained by ____. a. larger; size constancy b. larger; texture gradient c. smaller; size constancy d. smaller; texture gradient

Answer 40

a. larger; size constancy

Question 41

The amplitude of sound waves is measured in ____; the frequency of sound waves is measured in ____. a. hertz; wavelengths b. decibels; hertz c. centimeters; nanometers d. wavelengths; hertz

Answer 41

b. decibels; hertz

Question 42

The structure of the ear that conducts sound waves to the middle ear is the a. auditory canal. b. auditory conduction tube. c. auditory tract. d. auditory lineal.

Answer 42

a. auditory canal.

Question 43

Imagine that the basilar membrane in the human ear were longer. Based on place theory, you might expect that humans would be able to a. hear a wider range of sounds. b. hear a narrower range of sounds. c. detect sound waves that had a lower amplitude. d. localize sounds more accurately.

Answer 43

a. hear a wider range of sounds.

Question 44

Which statement about the gustatory system is NOT accurate? a. Taste cells are concentrated in taste buds on the tongue. b. The physical stimulus for taste is any molecular substance. c. Taste cells live only about ten days. d. Taste cells are not distributed evenly across the surface of the tongue.

Answer 44

b. The physical stimulus for taste is any molecular substance.

Question 45

One health disadvantage identified for supertasters is that they respond negatively to the taste of a. most fruits. b. dairy products. c. many vegetables. d. whole-grain products.

Answer 45

c. many vegetables.

Question 46

A variety of physical stimuli including mechanical, thermal, and chemical energy are the stimuli for the sense of a. touch. b. smell. c. taste. d. both taste and smell.

Answer 46

a. touch.

Question 47

Which of the following has NOT been shown to influence the perception of pain in humans? a. culture b. context c. attention d. age

Answer 47

d. age

Question 48

The school of painting that reduces reality to combinations of geometric forms laid out in a flat space is a. cubism. b. surrealism. c. impressionism. d. pointillism.

Answer 48

a. cubism.

Question 49

Roberta and Phil have been arrested for vandalism. Their defense attorney may be able to get a lighter sentence for her clients if she emphasizes that a. this is the first offense for both her clients. b. both her clients are good students who always score at the top of their class. c. her clients are both active in a number of extra-curricular activities at their school. d. other students involved in the incident did much more damage than her clients did.

Answer 49

d. other students involved in the incident did much more damage than her clients did.

Question 50

The fact that we are generally much more aware of the changes in our sensory environments than we are of the constants is the general idea behind a. signal-detection theory. b. sensory adaptation. c. the method of constant stimuli. d. sensory equalization.

Answer 50

b. sensory adaptation.