Quiz 1: Biopsychology

Question 1

Thiamine-deficient rats display:

a) memory deficits
b) brain damage
c) excessive thirst
d) anxiety
e) both a and b

Answer 1

e) both a and b

Question 2

The main difference between human brains and the brains of their mammalian relatives is that human brains tend to be bigger and…

a) whiter
b) all gray
c) have more cortex
d) have two hemispheres
e) both c and d

Answer 2

c) have more cortex

Question 3

A strength of the neurophysiological approach is that ___________, whereas a weakness of the neurophysiological approach is that ___________

a) it deals with human patients; it focuses on drug treatments
b) it focuses on nonhuman subjects; it focuses on pharmacological manipulations
c) it focuses on human brain-damaged patients; its focus on human patients as subjects usually precludes experiments
d) it focuses on nonhuman subjects; its focus on nonhuman subjects usually precludes experiments

Answer 3

c) it focuses on human brain-damaged patients; its focus on human patients as subjects usually precludes experiments

Question 4

The visual system bases its perception of motion on a comparison between movement of the image on the…

a) two retinas
b) cornea and its movement on the retina
c) retina and the neural commands sent from the brain to the eye muscles
d) retina and the contractions of the eye muscles
e) retina and movement of the eyes

Answer 4

c) retina and the neural commands sent from the brain to the eye muscles

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of a species-specific behaviour?

a) learning and behavioural change
b) feed, drink, and sleep
c) reproductive behaviour
d) playing the guitar
e) detect and interpret sensory signals

Answer 5

d) playing the guitar

Question 6

Which sub-discipline of biopsychology is identified with the measurement of heart rate and performance during a Brain and Behaviour final exam in humans?

a) psychopharmacology
b) physiological psychology
c) psychophysiology
d) neuropsychology
e) experimental psychology

Answer 6

c) psychophysiology

Question 7

In a biopsychology experiment, there is only one systematic difference between the experimental conditions. The difference is manipulated by the experimenter and is called the a) between-subject variable

a) confounded variable
b) dependent variable
c) independent variable
d) within-subject variable

Answer 7

c) independent variable

Question 8

Psychobiology, behavioural biology, and behavioural neuroscience are all approximate synonyms for…

a) behavioural psychology
b) biopsychology
c) neurophysiology
d) neuroscience
e) cognitive behaviour

Answer 8

b) biopsychology

Question 9

The differences between the brains of humans and those of related species are more _________ than _________

a) qualitative; quantitative
b) quantitative; qualitative
c) pronounced; once thought
d) superficial; real

Answer 9

b) quantitative; qualitative

Question 10

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

a) fear/anxiety in rodents can be estimated by specific behavioural tests
b) brain imaging techniques (i.e., fMRI) provide direct, causal evidence for psychological states
c) measures of autonomic nervous system activity can be used to infer emotional states
d) internal psychological processes and emotion states are accessible only by means of some overt behavioural expression

Answer 10

b) brain imaging techniques (i.e., fMRI) provide direct, causal evidence for psychological states

Question 11

The corpus callosum is a…

a) neural pathway that connects the left and right hemispheres
b) part of the neocortex
c) large medical dictionary
d) membership directory of the Society for Neuroscience
e) source of hypothalamic hormones

Answer 11

a) neural pathway that connects the left and right hemispheres

Question 12

Which of the following abilities lies at the core of human behaviour?

a) abstract thought
b) planning
c) reasoning
d) complex movement
e) emotional responsiveness

Answer 12

d) complex movement

Question 13

Tony is testing the effectiveness of a new drug to improve the lives people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). What type of research is this?

a) correlational
b) pure
c) case-study
d) applied
e) beneficial

Answer 13

d) applied

Question 14

The research of a biopsychologist working for a drug company would likely be…

a) largely pure
b) completely pure
c) psychopharmacological
d) applied
e) both c and d

Answer 14

e) both c and d

Question 15

Which behavioural test is used to measure anxiety in rats?

a) the elevated plus maze
b) the water maze
c) the Y maze
d) the elevated A maze
e) none of the above

Answer 15

a) the elevated plus maze

Question 16

Class-common behaviours are:

a) behaviours performed by all humans
b) behaviours performed by rats and humans
c) behaviours performed by all members of a class of animals
d) the only behaviours of interest to biopsychologists
e) a, b, and c are correct
f) all of the above are correct

Answer 16

e) a, b, and c are correct

Question 17

Biopsychology developed into a major neuroscientific discipline in:

a) the 19th century
b) the 21st century
c) the 20th century
d) the 18th century

Answer 17

c) the 20th century

Question 18

Biopsychology is sometimes referred to as:

a) behavioral neuroplasticity
b) psychobiology
c) the evolutionary perspective
d) behavioral psychology

Answer 18

b) psychobiology

Question 19

The field that focuses on the study of interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system is:

a) neurochemistry
b) neurophysiology
c) neuropharmacology
d) neuroendocrinology

Answer 19

d) neuroendocrinology

Question 20

the field that focuses on the study of drugs on neural activity is:

a) neuropharmacology
b) neuroendocrinology
c) neurochemistry
d) neurophysiology

Answer 20

a)neuropharmacology

Question 21

the field that focuses on the study of the functions and activities of the nervous system:

a) neuroendocrinology
b) neurochemistry
c) neurophysiology
d) neuropharmacology

Answer 21

c)neurophysiology

Question 22

the difference between the brains of humans and those of related species are more _________ than ___________:

a) pronounced; once thought
b) qualitative; quantitative
c) quantitative; qualitative
d) superficial; real

Answer 22

c) quantitative; qualitative

Question 23

the experimenter assigns the subjects to conditions, administers the treatments, and measures the outcome in such a way that there is only one relevant difference between the conditions being compared. the difference between the conditions is called the:

a) confounded variable
b) dependent variable
c) variable of interest
d) independent variable

Answer 23

d) independent variable

Question 24

research that aims to translate the findings of pure research into useful applications for humankind is known as:

a) practical research
b) confounded research
c) pure research
d) translational research

Answer 24

d) translational research

Question 25

there is a tradition of __________ in physiological psychology; the emphasis is usually on research that contributes to the development of theories of the neural control of behavior rather than on research of immediate practical benefit

a) translational research
b) applied research
c) practical research
d) pure research

Answer 25

d) pure research

Question 26

the early reports that the prefrontal lobotomy was therapeutically effective were based on the impressions of the individuals who were the least objective:

a) the patients
b) the family members of the patients
c) lima and freeman
d) the physicians who has prescribed the surgery

Answer 26

d) the physicians who has prescribed the surgery

Question 27

when there are several possible interpretations for a behavioral observation, the rule is to give precedence to the simplest one; this rule is called:

a) Morgan’s canon
b) Hebb’s postulate
c) freeman’s Icepick
d) Occam’s sword

Answer 27

a) Morgan’s Canon

Question 28

___________ is a division of biopsychology that investigates the neural bases of human cognition; its major metho is a functional brain imaging:

a) neuropsychology
b) psychophysiology
c) psychopharmacology
d) cognitive neuroscience

Answer 28

d) cognitive neuroscience

Question 29

_________ are biopsychologists who study the genetics, evolution, and adaptiveness of behavior, often by using the comparative approach:

a) cognitive neuroscientists
b) neuropsychologists
c) psychophysiologists
d) comparative psychologists

Answer 29

d) comparative psychologists

Question 30

Thiamine-deficient rats display:

a) memory deficits
b) brain damage
c) excessive thirst
d) both a and b

Answer 30

d) both a and b

Question 31

A strength of the neuropsychological approach is that _______, whereas a weakness of the neuropsychological approach is that _______:

a) it focuses on human brain-damaged patients; it focuses on human patients as subjects usually precludes experiments
b) it deals directly with human patients; it focuses on drug treatments
c) it focuses on nonhuman subjects; it focuses oh pharmacological manipulations
d) it focuses on nonhuman subjects; its focus on nonhuman subjects usually precludes experiments

Answer 31

a) it focuses on human brain-damaged patients; its focus on human patients as subjects usually precludes experiments

Question 32

Biopsychilogists aim to study:

a) psychological states
b) movements and behaviours
c) psychological states through their behavioural expression
d) mental phenomena relevant to human experiences
e) all of the above

Answer 32

e) all of the above

Question 33

the elevated plus maze (EPM) assesses fear by measuring:

a) the release of stress hormones
b) overall activity/ movement levels
c) open arm exploration
d) closed-arm exploration
e) all of the above

Answer 33

c) open arm exploration

Question 34

Diazepam:

a) increases anxiety/fear only in humans
b) reduces anxiety/fear only in humans
c) increases fear in non-human animal models
d) is not effective in rats
e) non of the above

Answer 34

e) none of the above

Question 35

which of the following statements is correct:

a) the rat brain does not contain the primary visual cortex
b) the rat brain is a scaled-down version of the human brain
c) the human and rat brains have similar arrangement of motor and sensory areas
d) the human brain is not more complex than the brain of a rat
e) all of the above are correct

Answer 35

c) human and rat brains have similar arrangement of motor and sensory areas

Question 36

which of the following neurotransmitters are localized in the rat and human brain?

a) acetylcholine
b) serotonin
c) histamine
d) noradrenaline
e) all of the above

Answer 36

e) all of the above

Question 37

class-common behaviours are:

a) behaviours performed by all humans
b) behaviours performed by rats and humans
c) behaviours performed by all members of a class of animals
d) the only behaviours of interest to biopsychologists
e) all of the above are correct
f) a, b, and c are correct

Answer 37

f) a, b, and c are correct