test bank

Dr. Wolski does research on the potential relationship between neurotransmitter deficiencies and mood states. Which psychological specialty does Dr. Wolski's research best represent?

biological psychology

The function of dendrites is to

receive incoming signals from other neurons

An axon is

the extension of a neuron that carries messages away from the cell body

A brief electrical charge that travels down the axon of a neuron is called the

action potential

The minimum level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse is called the

threshold

A synapse is a(n)

junction between a sending neuron and a receiving neuron

The chemical messages released into the spatial junctions between neurons are called

neurotransmitters

Reuptake refers to the

reabsorption of excess neurotransmitter molecules by a sending neuron

Transferring messages from a motor neuron to a leg muscle requires the neurotransmitter known as

acetylcholine

The central nervous system consists of

brain and spinal cord

Sensory neurons are located in the

spinal cord

The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls glandular activity and the muscles of internal organs is called the

autonomic nervous system

You come home one night to find a burglar in your house. Your heart starts racing and you begin to perspire. These physical reactions are triggered by the

sympathetic nervous system

A simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus is called a(n)

reflex

Hormones are the chemical messengers of the

endocrine system

Endocrine glands secrete hormones directly into

the bloodstream

The master gland of the endocrine system is the

pituitary gland

The part of the brainstem that controls heartbeat and breathing is called the

medulla

The "little brain" attached to the rewr of the brainstem is called the

cerebellum

The best way to detect enlarged fluid-filled brain regions in some patients who have schizophrenia is to use a(n)

MRI

A brain tumor caused extensive damage to Mr. Thorndike's hypothalamus. It is most likely that he may suffer a loss of

sexual motivation (?)

Addictive drug cravings are likely to be associated with reward centers in the

limbic system

Your conscious awareness of your own name and self-identity depends primarily on the normal functioning of your

cerebral cortex

The surgical removal of a large tumor from Dane's occipital lobe resulted in extensive loss of brain tissue. Dane is most likely to suffer some loss of

visual perception

Auditory stimulation is first processed on the * lobes

temporal

The motor cortex is located in the * lobes

frontal

Which of the following body parts is associated with the greatest amount of brain tissue in the motor cortex?

face (?)

The association areas are located in the

cerebral cortex

An impaired use of language is known as

aphasia

The benefits of brain plasticity are most clearly demonstrated in

children who have had a cerebral hemisphere surgically removed

Neurosurgeons have severed the corpus callosum in human patients in order to reduce

epileptic seizures

If a picture of a comb is briefly flashed in the left visual field of a right-handed split-brain patient, she would most likely be able to

use her left hand to draw a picture of the comb

Twin studies suggest that Alzheimer's disease is influenced by

heredity

An infant's temperament refers most directly to its

emotional excitability

Who are likely to show the greatest similarity in temperament?

Ruth and Ramona, identical twins

An African butterfly that is green in the summer turns brown in the fall thanks to a temperature-controlled genetic switch. This best illustrates that genes are

self-regulating

A random error in gene replication is known as a

mutation

An evolutionary psychologist would suggest that people are genetically predisposed to

do all of these answers

Those who defend evolutionary psychology against criticism are most likely to suggest that evolutionary principles

generate testable predictions (?)

Lacking any exposure to language before adolescence, a person will never master any language due to the * of unemployed neural connections

pruning

Children raised in the same family are not especially likely to have similar personalities. This most clearly implies that we should be cautious about attributing personality to

parental influences

A collectivist culture is especially likely to emphasize the importance of

social harmony

Compared with many Asian and African parents, today's Westernized parents are more likely to teach their children to value

personal dependence

Gender role refers to

a set of expected behaviors for males and females

It has been suggested that our sensitivity to peer influence is genetically predisposed because it has facilitated the process of human mating. This suggestion best illustrates

an evolutionary perspective

Kids choose peers who share their own attitudes and interests as their friends. This best illustrates

a selection effect

Cultural diversity best illustrates our

adaptive capacities

The preservation of innovation best illustrates the survival value of

culture

Those who study cultural influences on behavior are most likely to highlight the importance of

norms

Frans avoids talking with food in his mouth because other people think it is crude and inappropriate. This best illustrates the impact of

norms

Personal space refers to

the distance we like to maintain between ourselves and other people

Studies indicate that

North Americans prefer more personal space than do Latin Americans

Compared with northern Europeans, people from Mediterranean cultures are

more likely to be emotionally expressive and less likely to be punctual

Since 1960, Americans have experienced a(n)

increase in the incidence of depression and an increase in work hours (?)

A willingness to switch jobs and move from one part of the country to another best illustrates one of the consequences of

individualism

People living in a culture that promotes collectivism are more likely than those in individualist cultures to report experiencing

family loyalty

Professor Shankar believes that her students' most important personal characteristics are those that distinguish them as uniquely different from most other people. Her attitude best illustrates one of the consequences of

individualism

Compared to people in individualist cultures, those in collectivist cultures are

more likely to display signs of humility and less likely to report that they find it easy to manipulate people

The importance of romance in marriage relationships is most strongly emphasized in cultures characterized by

individualism

Parents in Asian cultures are more likely than parents in Westernized cultures to encourage children to

participate in household activities (?)

Cross-cultural research on human development indicates that

person-to-person differences within cultural groups are larger than differences between groups

In considering gender differences, it is helpful to remember that

genetic similarities between the genders are much greater than genetic differences

Men and women are most likely to differ in their

aggressiveness

Which of the following would you most likely observe on extended visits to foreign countries?

more men than women engaged in fighting and aggressive encounters

In everyday behavior, men are less likely than women to

smile at others

During the course of a conversation between Lola, Martha, and Gus, which of the following events is most likely to occur?

Gus interrupts Lola

As people progress through adulthood, women become

more assertive and men become more empathic

Girls typically play in * groups than do boys and, during their teens, girls spend * time with friends than do boys

smaller; more

When looking for someone to whom they can confide their personal worries, women usually turn to * and men usually turn to *.

women; women

Women are more likely than men to

tend and befriend

A human egg contains * chromosome and a human sperm contains * chromosome

an X; either an X or a Y

Prenatal testosterone secretions exert one of their earliest influences on

brain organization

Gender differences in verbal fluency are consistent with evidence that part of the

frontal lobes is thicker in women than in men

Behaviors expected of those who occupy a particular social position define a

role

When teased by his older sister, 9-year-old Waldo does not cry because he has learned that boys are not expected to. Waldo's behavior best illustrates the importance of

gender roles

The social roles assigned to women and men

differ widely across cultures

Gender identity refers to

sense of being male or female

A boy who consistently exhibits traditionally masculine interests and behavior patterns demonstrates

gender-typing

Ten-year-old Migdalia insists on wearing very feminine-looking clothes because she wants to appear ladylike. This best illustrates the impact of

gender-typing

Social learning theorists emphasize that

observation and imitation play a crucial role in the gender-typing process

Mr. Eskenazi frowns when his son cries but hugs his daughter when she cries. Mr. Eskenazi's contribution to the gender typing of his children would most likely be highlighted by

social learning theorists

Children's tendency to classify behavior and personality traits in terms of masculine and feminine categories is of most direct relevance to

gender schema theory

Those who suggest that choices we make today determine what our future will be like are emphasizing the importance of

human responsibility

Professor Smith emphasizes that gender similarities and differences are products of a continuous interplay among genetically predisposed traits, culturally shaped roles, and personally constructed expectations and assumptions. The professor's emphasis best illustrates

a biopsychosocial approach

Which of the following correctly describes the firing of neurons?

an all-or-none response

Activation of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system results in

an increase in respiratory rate

The primary effect of the myelin sheath is to

increase the velocity of conduction of the action potential along the axon

Which of the following occurs when a neuron is stimulated to its threshold?

the movement of sodium and potassium ions across the membrane creates an action potential

The role of the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system is to

establish homeostasis after a fight-or-flight response

Which of the following are most involved in the action potential of a neuron?

sodium and potassium

Painkilling substances produced by the brain are known as

endorphins

Dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine are all

neurotransmitters that excite or inhibit a neural signal across a synapse

Which of the following is considered the fundamental building block of the nervous system?

neuron

The occipital lobes contain

the primary visual cortex

Which of the following allows the examination of living brain tissue visually without performing surgery?

computerized axial tomography (CAT)

For most people, which of the following is an activity based in the right hemisphere of the brain?

simple spatial reasoning

Which of the following is true of the reticular activating system?

it regulates levels of arousal

The thalamus processes information for all of the following senses EXCEPT

smell

Which of the following parts of the brain is most active in decision-making?

cerebral cortex

Which of the following is a brain-imaging technique that produces the most detailed picture of brain structure?

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)