AP Psych: Biological Bases of Behavior
A common psychological effect of alcohol intake is
reduced inhibition
Dr. Naum is studying the function of the medial temporal lobe of the brain by examining the case study of J.S., an individual who incurred damage in this area during a motor vehicle accident. Dr. Naum administers a battery of tasks multiple times over the course of several weeks to assess J.S.'s cognitive abilities. The graph below shows J.S.'s performance on three different tasks. The bar on the left shows his accuracy forming new memories in a lab context, the middle bar shows his accuracy on a driving course, and the bar on the right shows his accuracy on a third task.
remembering events that occurred shortly before his accident
The process by which neurotransmitters are reabsorbed into the neuron after it fires is called
reuptake
The right occipital lobe receives visual information from the
right half of both retinas
An image projected to the left visual field of a split-brained person will be processed in the
right visual cortex
Dr. Frishkoff is studying how participants' brain activity changes when they read sentences in which the last word is either expected ("The pizza was too hot to eat") or unexpected ("The pizza was too hot to cry"). While participants are reading, Dr. Frishkoff measures their brain activity. The results of her experiment are shown below.
showed a negative-going peak in brain wave activity approximately 400 milliseconds after the unexpected word was presented that the participants did not show in response to the expected word
Which part of the nervous system is most immediately activated by sudden fear?
Sympathetic
Which of the following are NOT part of a neuron?
Synapses
What hormone seems to be most closely linked with aggressive behavior?
Testosterone
Reuptake of a neurotransmitter refers to
absorption of the neurotransmitter into the terminal buttons of the sending neuron
The network of structures involved in emotion, motivation, and memory is the
limbic system
People who have experienced severe damage to the frontal lobe of the brain seldom regain their ability to
make and carry out plans
The result of the evolutionary process that preserves traits that enhance the adaptation of an organism and suppresses traits that do not is called
natural Selection
The brain's ability to adapt after it is damaged is known as
plasticity
Malia is 10 years of age, and her grandmother, Anna Rosa, is 60 years old. Which statement is likely to be true concerning their sleep patterns?
Anna Rosa sleeps fewer hours per day than Malia does.
Which of the following brain structures is most associated with the emotion of fear?
Amygdala
Which of the following correctly describes the firing of neurons?
An all-or-none response
The function of dendrites is to
receive information from other neurons
Which of the following correctly pairs subdivisions within the major divisions of the human nervous system?
Autonomic . . sympathetic and parasympathetic
The area labeled X in the drawing above denotes which of the following structures?
Axon terminals
Which of the following neurotransmitters has been linked to Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia?
Dopamine
Which of the following neurotransmitters is most closely associated with schizophrenia?
Dopamine
After an electrode implanted in a cat's brain stimulates the cat's amygdala, the cat will most likely do which of the following?
Immediately withdraw in fear
Significant damage to which of the following parts of the brain will most likely cause a person to fall into a deep coma from which the person will be unable to awaken?
Reticular formation
Which of the following assertions is best supported by empirical evidence?
The two cerebral hemispheres are specialized to process different types of cognitive tasks.
Which of the following is an explanation of why travelers suffer from jet lag?
There is a disruption in their circadian rhythm.
Treating a patient for Parkinson's disease includes administering a chemical that will lead to increases in the patient's
dopamine
The limbic system is most closely associated with
emotions
The diagram above depicts the human body's
endocrine system
Painkilling substances produced by the brain are known as
endorphins
A child's sex is genetically determined by the
father
The hypothesis that intelligence is in part inherited is best supported by the fact that the IQ correlation for
pairs of identical twins is greater than for pairs of fraternal twins
Joseph has blue eyes and brown hair and is tall. These characteristics are best described as
phenotypic traits
The sequence of shifts in the electrical charge of a neuron is called
the action potential
During neuronal firing, the part of the neuron that acts as an insulator and conductor to speed the electrical impulse as it travels down the axon is
the myelin sheath
Abnormalities in calcium regulation are most likely to arise from problems with
the parathyroid gland
The occipital lobes contain
the primary visual cortex
Damage to the occipital lobe would most likely affect a person's
vision
The occipital lobe of the human brain contains the centers for
vision
Damage to a small part of the occipital lobe would most likely result in a
visual deficit
Getting a headache from not having a morning coffee after substantial daily coffee consumption for several months is most likely due to
withdrawal
The painful experience associated with termination of the use of an addictive substance is known as
withdrawal
Information is relayed to the spinal cord or the brain by
afferent neurons
Lucid dreaming occurs when people
have dreams in which they are aware that they are dreaming
Stimulation of portions of the left temporal lobe of the brain during surgery will cause the patient to
hear sounds
The area of the brain stem that is important in controlling breathing is the
medulla
Dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine are all
neurotransmitters that excite or inhibit a neural signal across a synapse
Metabolic activity in different areas of the brain can best be visualized by means of
positron emission tomography (PET)
Damage to the cerebellum would most likely result in which of the following problems?
A loss of motor coordination
During the high-wire act, Grace walks along a rope suspended 30 feet above the circus floor. Which of the following is most involved in helping Grace coordinate her movements and maintain her balance during the performance?
Cerebellum
Caffeine and nicotine are in the same class as which of the following drugs?
Cocaine
Which letter indicates the synaptic cleft?
D
REM sleep, generally an "active" state of sleep, is accompanied by which of the following paradoxical characteristics?
Lowered muscle tone
Which of the following brain regions is the part of the cerebral cortex that is most responsible for the processing of visual stimuli?
Occipital lobe
The person most strongly associated with identifying deficits in the motor speech area and in the ability to produce speech is
Paul Broca
Item 17 An individual who drinks alcohol daily finds it necessary to drink increasing amounts to achieve the state of well-being attained in the past. This individual is showing
alcohol tolerance
Which chemical is most closely associated with sleep?
Melatonin
Assume that R represents a dominant gene in rats for normal running and that r represent a recessive gene in rats for an abnormal gait called waltzing. Mating a female Rr rat with a male RR rat will produce offspring that are
100% runners
Which of the following is a circadian rhythm?
A cycle of biological functioning that lasts about 25 hours
Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system results in which of the following?
A decrease in heart rate
Which of the following would most likely result from an injury to the medulla?
A life-threatening disruption of heartbeat and breathing
Which scenario best exemplifies Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection?
A mutation in a species of lizards that allows them to better blend into their surroundings leads to greater survival and more offspring possessing this mutation in a later generation.
Sally says that her dream about going to a circus is just her brain attempting to make sense of random stimulation from the brain stem. Sally's explanation is consistent with which of the following theories of dreaming?
Activation-synthesis
Electrically stimulating a rat's amygdala would most likely produce which of the following?
Aggression
Which letter indicates the postsynaptic membrane?
C
James was born with a condition that makes it impossible for him to metabolize certain proteins. Due to early screening and a special diet, he was able to avoid developing potentially serious symptoms. Which of the following disorders does James have?
Phenylketonuria (PKU)
Which of the following are involved in regulating circadian rhythms?
Photoreceptors, hypothalamus, pineal gland
In the figure above, a patient has been asked to draw a slash through each circle. The pattern of responses suggests that the patient has most likely experienced damage in which of the following areas?
Right hemisphere
If an individual has lost the ability to feel pain in the left arm, there is most likely damage to what area of the brain?
Right parietal lobe
The drugs that block the reabsorption of neurotransmitters in the synapse during neural transmission are
SSRIs
Professor Janeja is studying which brain regions are involved in learning to correctly navigate a maze task. She randomly assigns half of a group of mice to get a lesion in one area of the brain. The other half does not get a lesion. Based on the following graph, where in the brain is the most likely site of the lesion?
The hippocampus
An individual was admitted to the hospital after experiencing a mild tingling on the right side of the face and a sudden inability to speak. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a doctor would likely find
an abnormality in the brain tissue of the left hemisphere
Activation of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system results in
an increase in respiratory rate
The autonomic nervous system is most directly involved in
digesting food
When people consume large amounts of alcohol, they are often unable to recall what they did and said while they were drinking. This occurs because alcohol interferes with the brain's ability to form new memories in the
hippocampus
Ben was enjoying a walk in the woods on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. As he went around a curve, he noticed a bear walking toward him. Immediately his pupils dilated, he began to perspire, and his heart accelerated. These changes are most closely related to the function of the
sympathetic nervous system
Nervousness can result in faster and more shallow breathing as well as a racing heart. This is due to activation of the
sympathetic nervous system
Which of the following brain regions is indicated by the arrow?
Pons (same as 121)
Which of the following is classified as an antagonist?
A tricyclic antidepressant, because they block serotonin and norepinephrine transporters.
Researchers looking to create a drug to reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease would most likely focus their efforts on which of the following neurotransmitters?
Acetylcholine
The depletion of which of the following neurotransmitters is most closely associated with the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease?
Acetylcholine
A certain drug reduces the activity of the central nervous system, including the hippocampus and cerebellum. It affects several neurotransmitters, most notably gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Which of the following is most like the drug in question ?
Alcohol
Damage to which of the following brain structures may cause the inability to detect the emotional significance of facial expressions, especially those demonstrating fear?
Amygdala
Which of the following will NOT increase behavioral and mental activity?
Barbiturates
Areas that have a large prevalence of malaria, such as Africa, have a high frequency of children who have sickle cell anemia or are carriers of the trait. What role does the concept of natural selection play in this trend?
Being a carrier of, or having sickle cell anemia is adaptive in this region, because it protects against malaria. Subsequently, children born with sickle cell anemia are less likely to die from malaria.
Brain damage that leaves a person capable of understanding speech but with an impaired ability to produce speech most likely indicates injury to which of the following?
Broca's area
In the figure above, where do selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have their initial effect?
C
Which of the following parts of the brain is most active in decision-making?
Cerebral cortex
Which of the following psychoactive drugs increases nervous system activity?
Cocaine
Which of the following allows the examination of living brain tissue visually without performing surgery?
Computerized axial tomography
In terms of the effect on the central nervous system, alcohol is most accurately classified as which of the following types of drug?
Depressant
A person with damage to Broca's area would most likely demonstrate which of the following symptoms?
Difficulty with speech production
Which of the following is reduced during a fight-or-flight reaction?
Digestion
Cocaine blocks the reuptake of which neurotransmitter?
Dopamine
Which of the follow scenarios is the best example of natural selection?
During a drought, the foliage in a region turns brown. More brownish moths than whitish moths from a particular breed survive predation and produce more offspring. Subsequent generations of moths have a higher percentage of brownish moths than the generation before.
In the figure above, where does the neurotransmitter dopamine have its effect?
E
Joel's pupils become dilated, his digestion is reduced, and his skin becomes cold. Which system is controlling his bodily changes?
Sympathetic
Most glands in the human body are a part of which system?
Endocrine
Which of the following systems produces, circulates, and regulates levels of hormones in the body?
Endocrine system
In extreme cases, surgically severing the corpus callosum is a treatment for which of the following conditions?
Epilepsy
Which of the following regions of the body has the largest area of sensory cortex devoted to it?
Face
Which of the following groups of characteristics best describes the REM sleep stage?
Fast breathing, relatively high heart rate, relatively high blood pressure
Which of the following brain structures has the strongest influence on hunger and satiety?
Hypothalamus
Which of the following structures is most closely associated with communication between the central nervous system and the endocrine system?
Hypothalamus
Which of the following statements concerning sleep is valid?
Individuals do not typically act out their dreams.
The nature-nurture issue is best exemplified by which of the following questions?
Is level of intelligence the result of one's environment and specific learning, or is it a result of biological maturation?
Which of the following statements best describes the effect of alcohol on human functioning?
It depresses the central nervous system.
In adult humans, which of the following is typically true of REM sleep?
It is correlated with dreaming.
Which of the following is true about the pons?
It is the region of the brain that is most closely associated with sleep and arousal.
Which of the following is true of the reticular activating system?
It regulates levels of arousal.
Juana accidentally touched a hot iron. She immediately drew back her hand. Which of the following is true about the withdrawal of her hand?
It was initiated in the spinal cord.
Which of the following areas of the body has the largest number of sensory neurons?
Lips
Which of the following is brain-imaging technique that produces the most detailed picture of brain structure?
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Which of the following is a disease in which the immune system attacks the myelin of neurons in the central nervous system?
Multiple sclerosis
Rafael has a sleep disorder for which he takes medically prescribed amphetamines. For which of the following sleep disorders is Rafael most likely being treated?
Narcolepsy
Which of the following is a genetic disorder that results in a deficiency of a liver enzyme which, if not treated soon after birth, may eventually lead to profound mental retardation?
Phenylketonuria (PKU)
It is well established that certain autonomic responses such as heart rate, perspiration, and respiration change under stress. In view of the fact that people generally have stronger autonomic responses when lying than when telling the truth, it follows that the polygraph would be a foolproof approach to lie detection. Which statement best explains why the polygraph is not more widely used in courtrooms and in testing of job applicants?
Physiological arousal is much the same for several emotions, so the polygraph cannot always reliably distinguish guilt from other reactions.
Which of the following provides information regarding brain function by monitoring the brain at work through metabolism of glucose?
Positron emission tomography (PET)
In which of the following techniques do researchers inject a harmless, radioactive substance into the living human brain to examine activity?
Positron-emission tomography (PET)
Which of the following is the correct sequence of the neural chain of events set in motion by an environmental stimulus?
Receptors, afferent neurons, interneurons, efferent neurons, effectors
For most people, which of the following is an activity based in the right hemisphere of the brain?
Simple spatial reasoning
A patient reports constant sleepiness. A series of tests reveal that the patient's sleep is frequently disrupted by periods of interrupted breathing and brief awakenings. Which of the following diagnoses would account for such symptoms?
Sleep apnea
During the night, Alicia stops breathing repeatedly, frequently gasps for air, and snores loudly at regular intervals. Alicia is most likely suffering from which of the following conditions?
Sleep apnea
What is the primary function of the brain region indicated by the arrow?
Sleeping, waking, and dreaming
Which part of the brain represented above is indicated by A?
Somatosensory cortex
In right-handed individuals, which of the following abilities is predominantly a function of the right hemisphere of the brain?
Spatial reasoning
Which of the following characteristics is generally associated with the use of hallucinogens?
The experience of vivid, distorted images that are not based on sensory input
Which of the following is true of a neuron in the resting state?
The inside of the cell membrane is negative compared to the outside.
Which of the following occurs when a neuron is stimulated to its threshold?
The movements of sodium and potassium ions across the membrane creates an action potential.
George was involved in an accident and experienced head trauma. Although his eyes were functioning normally, he was unable to see. Which area of the brain was most likely affected by the accident?
The occipital lobe
Which of the following biological systems is most likely responsible for an increase in heart rate while experiencing anxiety?
The sympathetic nervous system
Neurotransmitters are typically stored in which of the following parts of a neuron?
The terminal buttons
A person will most likely develop aphasia as a result of damage to which of the following parts of the brain?
Wernicke's area
After sustaining a traumatic injury, Russ is having difficulty comprehending the meaning of words. Which of the following parts of his brain has most likely been damaged?
Wernicke's area
The biological clock that operates in human beings to adjust their functioning to night-and-day periodicity is referred to as
a circadian rhythm
The part of the neuron that is responsible for receiving signals from other neurons is called
a dendrite
Based on its effects on the central nervous system, alcohol can be classified as
a depressant
A person accidentally touches a hand to a hot stove and quickly pulls the hand away, even before sensory information about the hot stove reaches the brain. The person's reaction is most directly enabled by
a spinal reflex
The explanation that holds that dreams are merely the brain's attempt to make sense of meaningless patterns of brain activity during sleep is called the
activation-synthesis theory
A drug that has the effect of intensifying or mimicking a particular neurotransmitter can be characterized as
an agonist, because it intensifies the effects of a particular neurotransmitter
When a person is suffering from severe pain, the type of drug that will best help alleviate that pain is
an opiate
Curare blocks action at acetylcholine synapses and causes paralysis. This drug is an example of an
antagonist
A polygraph machine is often called a "lie detector," although it does not detect lies. Instead, it responds to changes in
autonomic arousal
Difficulty in typing smoothly on a keyboard would most likely result from damage to the
cerebellum
An individual with damage to Wernicke's area is most likely to have difficulty
comprehending a spoken request for information
During a psychology experiment, a researcher uses a probe to lesion the ventromedial nucleus of a rat's hypothalamus. After the procedure the rat most likely will
eat more and gain weight
A participant in a study of music perception listens to music with electrodes attached to her scalp while data are collected on the activity of her brain. This technique is called
electroencephalography (EEG)
The role of the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system is to
establish homeostasis after a fight-or-flight response
Sigmund Freud believed that dream analysis was a useful device for
gaining insight into unconscious motives
The brain scans of people with amnesia are most likely to show damage to the
hippocampus
The part of the endocrine system that is responsible for overseeing and regulating the release of hormones across the entire body is the
hypothalamus
The pituitary gland is controlled by the
hypothalamus
Sleep paralysis typically occurs in people who are
in REM sleep
Brain lateralization refers to the
inclination for certain cognitive processes to be specialized to one hemisphere of the brain or the other
The primary effect of the myelin sheath is to
increase the velocity of conduction of the action potential along the axon
Mary participates in an exercise program because she experiences an increase in energy and feelings of well-being at the end of each exercise session. The best explanation for Mary's perseverance in the program is that exercise
increases her level of endorphins
For most people, speech functions are primarily localized in the
left cerebral hemisphere
Immediately after firing, a neuron is incapable of responding to stimulation. This condition is referred to as
the absolute refractory phase
The time shortly after a neuron fires is referred to as
the refractory period
Damage to Wernicke's area is most likely to be associated with difficulty in
understanding language