McGrawHill Recharge | Chapter 2

Why might a psychologist use an electroencephalogram (EEG)?

To explore the possibility of abnormal electrical activity within the brain

The cluster of fibers at one end of a neuron that receive messages from other neurons are referred to as

dendrites.

Which part of the brain is most closely linked to the control of sexual behavior?

Hypothalamus

The messages that travel through a neuron are ______ in nature.

electrical

When absorbed by receptor sites, what type of message does a neurotransmitter deliver?

Either an excitatory or inhibitory message

Behavior is most often concurrently influenced by several structures within the brain acting interdependently. True or false?

True

The fight-or-flight response is controlled by the ______ division of the autonomic nervous system, a branch of the peripheral nervous system.

sympathetic

Of the following behaviors, which is most directly tied to the cerebellum?

Balance

The ________ relays sensory information about the senses

thalamus

The branch of genetics that studies the effects of heredity on behavior is called _________ genetics.

behavioral

Which of the following are FALSE of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)?

It is used to graph the electrical wave patterns of the brain.

The dominance of one hemisphere of the brain in specific functions, such as language, is called

lateralization.

The human body contains as many as 1 ______ neurons.

trillion

The ______ contain(s) hereditary material that determines how a cell will function.

nucleus

The most distinctive feature that neurons have is the ability to

communicate with other cells

The terminal button is where a neuron

sends messages to other neurons.

The myelin sheath covers ______, insulating them.

axons

What does the all-or-none law indicate?

That neurons are either on or off. There are no intermediate states.

The study of the effects of heredity on behavior is called

behavioral genetics.

Magnetic fields are used by ______ to produce an understanding of the functioning of the brain.

TMS

A neuron has a negative electrical charge of about 70 millivolts when it is

in a resting state.

What moves from one end of the axon to another like a flame along a fuse?

the action potential

Which part of the brain is most responsible for regulating basic biological needs?

The hypothalamus.

Neurotransmitters are responsible for

communication between neurons.

The primary means for transmitting messages between the brain and the rest of the body is the ______.

spinal cord.

The ______ nervous system is composed of the autonomic and somatic nervous systems.

peripheral

The endocrine system conveys information in the form of chemical messengers known as

hormones.

Which of these techniques provides detailed three-dimensional computer-generated images of the brain?

fMRI

Neuroplasticity results in the ability of the brain to change in response to experience. In this manner, it functions

throughout the lifetime.

The brain-scanning technique that records electrical activity from electrode sensors on the outside of the skull is called Blank______

electroencephalogram.