Pysch 100 Exam 1 review Biology and Behavior

While hiking in the mountains in Alaska, Pete encountered a giant grizzly bear. He immediately felt his heart rate increase, his breathing become rapid, and sweat drip down his back. These events were most likely due to effects of the neurotransmitter called

a.

dopamine.

b.

epinephrine.

c.

norepinephrine.

d.

GABA.

b. epinephrine.

A child's brain looks and behaves very differently than an adult's brain due to changes in the structure of the brain over the lifetime. This phenomenon is due to a property known as:

A. neural networking.

B. sociobiological influence.

C. neural plasticity.

D. developmental restructuring.

C. neural plasticity.

Sarah is conducting research on the function of part of the brain. For each participant she first gets a detailed image of the brain's structure using a(n) __________. Based on the image, she locates the area she is interested in, and then she uses a strong magnet to temporarily interrupt brain activity in the area by using a(n) __________.

a. MRI; TMS

b. PET; TMS

c. PET; fMRI

d. MRI; fMRI

a. MRI; TMS

Psychologists know that the brain rewires itself throughout life. Which of the following is true about how this occurs?

a.

Most neural pathways do not disappear, and few neural pathways are created. However, the arrangement of neural pathways changes dramatically.

b.

The "rewiring" is really a change in the strength of existing connections, rather than the elimination of some or the growth of others.

c.

When the brain "rewires," it completely rewires. New neural pathways are forged, and old ones are largely eliminated.

d.

Rewiring occurs later in life and only after someone experiences significant physical trauma.

b. The "rewiring" is really a change in the strength of existing connections, rather than the elimination of some or the growth of others.

To feel pain, there must be sufficient __________ of a neuron to create __________, which is the first step in neural communication.

a.

stimulation; an action potential

b.

inhibition; a response

c.

suppression; propagation

d.

reception; transmission

a. stimulation; an action potential

Ellie and Samantha are monozygotic twins who were raised in different families and have never met. What trait could one expect them to have in common?

a. scores on IQ tests

b. all of the answer options are correct

c. career achievement

d. likelihood to start fights

b. all of the answer options are correct

Which of the following is true about the functions of dendrites and axons?

a.

Dendrites transmit information from neighboring neurons, whereas axons integrate information.

b.

Dendrites detect information from neighboring neurons, whereas axons transmit information.

c.

Dendrites integrate information from neighboring neurons, whereas axons detect information.

d.

Dendrites transmit information from neighboring neurons, whereas axons detect information.

b. Dendrites detect information from neighboring neurons, whereas axons transmit information.

The probability of an action potential being propagated from neuron to neuron is increased when the __________ neuron's signal is __________.

a.

presynaptic; inhibitory

b.

postsynaptic; excitatory

c.

postsynaptic; inhibitory

d.

presynaptic; excitatory

d.presynaptic; excitatory

Zhara has suffered damage to her forebrain and now has great difficulty forming new memories. Which subcortical structure of the forebrain has most likely been damaged?

a. basal ganglia

b. hippocampus

c. thalamus

d. amygdala

b. hippocampus

Seven-year-old Samantha suffered trauma to the language centers in the left hemisphere of her brain as a result of a bicycle accident. Although she did have some language deficits after the trauma, she eventually was able to recover much of what she had lost because new growth in unaffected areas of the brain made up for the damage. The ability to recover from brain trauma in this fashion is an example of

a.

plasticity.

b.

therapeutic effectiveness.

c.

the difference between male and female brains.

d.

a healthy genotype.

a. plasticity.

Jessie suffered damage to her brain and has difficulty forming new memories. Jessie's injury was most likely to the __________, which is a structure located in the brain region called the __________.

a.

amygdala; parietal lobe

b.

thalamus; hindbrain

c.

basal ganglia; midbrain

d.

hippocampus; forebrain

d. hippocampus; forebrain

When Elaine's hand accidentally touched the hot stove, she quickly pulled it away. She did not even have to think about it; moving her hand seemed to occur automatically. It is unlikely that this could have been possible without the effective operation of which nervous system?

a. autonomic

b. sympathetic

c. somatic

d. parasympathetic

c. somatic

While on spring break in Acapulco, May decided to do some cliff diving. As she stood at the edge of a 50-foot cliff, her heart raced, her respiration increased, and she sweat profusely. Which of the following divisions of May's autonomic nervous system was activated by this experience?

a.

sympathetic

b.

peripheral

c.

somatic

d.

parasympathetic

a. sympathetic

If you breed a brown mouse with a white mouse and four out of the five offspring are brown, you would guess that the gene for brown is __________ and the gene for white is __________.

a.

the genotype; the phenotype

b.

the phenotype; the genotype

c.

recessive; dominant

d.

dominant; recessive

d. dominant; recessive

Sammy is doing research that involves placing objects in the visual fields of visually impaired elderly men. He wants to discover what specific neurons fire in response to the features of the objects. The study requires electrodes to be implanted in the men's brains. In which part of the brain would you suggest Sammy place the electrodes?

a.

frontal lobe

b.

parietal lobe

c.

temporal lobe

d.

occipital lobe

d. occipital lobe

Norman was in a car accident, and now all of his hormones are malfunctioning. Norman probably damaged his

a.

gonads.

b.

pituitary gland.

c.

pineal gland.

d.

pancreas.

b. pituitary gland.

To get out of bed in the morning, which of the following must occur at the neural level?

a. The terminal buttons have to release neurotransmitters.

b. The parasympathetic nervous system has to release control.

c. The brain must release glucose.

d. The axons have to release adrenaline.

a. The terminal buttons have to release neurotransmitters.

Which of the following accurately describes the most likely effect of acetylcholine antagonists?

a. improved short-term memory

b. memory deficits

c. symptoms similar to those found in schizophrenia

d. increased motor behavior

b. memory deficits

A medication that blocks the reuptake of serotonin would lead to:

A. more serotonin in the synapse.

B. less serotonin in the axon.

C. more serotonin in the axon.

D. less serotonin in the synapse.

A. more serotonin in the synapse.

All of the following statements about differences between men's and women's brains are true except

a.

women's brains are less bilateralized.

b.

men's brains are slightly larger.

c.

men use more spatial-related brain regions for complex tasks.

d.

women use more language-related brain regions for complex tasks.

a. women's brains are less bilateralized.

After a very stressful midterm exam, Sherri needed to relax. As she lay on her bed, she felt her breathing slow and her heart rate decrease. Which of the following divisions of Sherri's autonomic nervous system was likely in control of her organs?

a. somatic

b. peripheral

c. sympathetic

d. parasympathetic

d. parasympathetic

A gene is:

A. the same as a chromosome.

B. a segment of RNA that carries out specific cellular building tasks.

C. programmed to produce protein irrespective of the environment.

D. a segment of DNA that is involved in producing proteins that carry out specific tasks.

D. a segment of DNA that is involved in producing proteins that carry out specific tasks.

Janna and Sarah are identical twins who were raised apart. Lisa and Shirley are nonrelated adopted siblings who were raised in the same home. Which pair would you expect to be more similar in personality traits such as intelligence and shyness?

a.

Lisa and Shirley

b.

The sibling pairs will have similar intelligence levels, but the degree of shyness cannot be predicted.

c.

This question cannot be answered without knowing how intelligent or shy the people who raised these siblings are.

d.

Janna and Sarah

d. Janna and Sarah

Which region of the brain regulates basic bodily functions, such as heart rate and breathing, and in which division is it located?

a.

cerebellum, located in the midbrain

b.

brain stem, located in the hindbrain

c.

basal ganglia, located in the hindbrain

d.

hippocampus, located in the midbrain

b. brain stem, located in the hindbrain

Jordain is walking across campus and hears a noise. When she looks up, she sees a runaway truck heading straight for her. Immediately, the __________ in her nervous system sends a signal to the __________ in her endocrine system to release hormones and prepare her to move out of the way.

a.

amygdala; pineal gland

b.

hypothalamus; pineal gland

c.

amygdala; pituitary gland

d.

hypothalamus; pituitary gland

d. hypothalamus; pituitary gland