PSYC 101 : Chapter 02 Test Prep: Biological Foundations of Behavior

Jenny bought a right-handed baseball glove for her pre-born daughter. What are the chances that her pre-born daughter will need a left-handed baseball glove instead?

10 percent

Nevon has an imaging study scheduled by her doctor to determine if she has a tumor in her brain. Which of the following neuroimaging techniques would be most appropriate for the doctor to schedule for Nevon?

A computed tomography scan

Which type of study provides the best way to separate the influences of genes and the environment to investigate the nature-nurture question?

Adoptee study

Dr. Waile needs to take a look at the activity in his patient's brain. He prepares a set of electrodes and places them on the patient's head. Which of the following neuroimaging procedures is Dr. Waile likely using?

An electroencephalograph

Penelope is a body builder and takes anabolic steroids to help her build up her muscle mass. Which behavior change will she most likely experience?

An increase in aggressive and belligerent behavior

Which of the following is associated with the hindbrain?

Basic life-support functions such as breathing and heart rate

After falling off a ladder and hitting the back of her head, Gretel is now experiencing the loss of some of her visual abilities. Based on this description of her injuries, which portion of Gretel's cerebral cortex was probably damaged in the fall?

Occipital lobes

Olive just had a baby and is struggling with the release of her milk for nursing. Which hormone is most likely involved with Olive's difficulties?

Oxytocin

Liam's brain registers the sights, sounds, smells, and air temperature of the holiday parade he is attending through his senses. Through which nervous system are these sensations relayed to the brain?

Peripheral

Aleah experienced a stroke in the midbrain region of her brain. She reports to the doctor that she is feeling overwhelmed by the large amount of unimportant sensory stimuli that she is experiencing. Which brain structure is Aleah most likely having difficulty with?

Reticular formation

Gardenia just underwent split-brain surgery and the hemispheres of her brain are now divided. Which of the following outcomes is she most likely to experience?

She will have trouble naming objects that appear in her left visual field.

Rita is preparing for a trip to Mexico and is listening to podcasts to learn the Spanish language. Based on this description, which portion of her brain is Rita most likely using to process the podcast?

Temporal lobes

Sanchi reports to the doctor that he is feeling images, seeing sounds, and hearing colors. Which brain structure is Sanchi most likely having difficulty with?

Thalamus

You open the door of your apartment and are greeted with a loud and sudden "SURPRISE!!" shouted out from friends and family that gathered to celebrate your birthday. You're startled, your breathing and heartrate increase, and you feel an increase of adrenaline in your body. Which part of the nervous system causes your body's reaction to the surprise greeting?

The autonomic nervous system

Your anatomy professor states that today's lecture will be about the components of the central nervous system. Which characteristic is shared by the brain and the spinal cord?

The brain and spinal cord are protected by bone.

Which of the following best describes brain function?

The brain regulates life processes and is the center for coordinating thinking, planning, and creating.

Bailey takes two Valium pills every morning. In terms of neurotransmission, what is happening in Bailey's body?

Valium acts as an agonist by making the receptor sites of the next neuron more susceptible to the inhibitory effects of GABA and suppressing the activity in the nervous system.

A person with a hemispheric separation or "split brain" has

a corpus callosum that was severed for medical reasons.

The "all or none law" is the principle stating that

a neuron will fire if enough stimulation is received, or it will not fire at all.

Ardell is given an injection of a radioactive tracer. Next, she is scanned to determine how the radioactive tracer is metabolized in the brain. Ardell is receiving

a positron emission tomography scan.

A synapse is best described as

a tiny gap that separates one neuron from another through which neural messages are transmitted.

The activation relationship between the hypothalamus and pituitary gland is best described as

a traffic officer and automobile driver.

When the messages being received by a neuron are strong enough, the neuron abruptly changes its electrical state and the cell membrane depolarizes. This depolarization generates a/an

action potential.

You are giving a presentation to your psychology class and need to describe why reflexes are so important for a person to have. If you really wanted the class to appreciate the importance of reflexes, you would tell them that reflexes allow you to

avoid harm by improving your responsiveness to threats.

French surgeon Paul Broca inferred that the area bearing his name in the left hemisphere of the brain was associated with speech production

because that area of the brain in a man who could understand speech, but not produce speech, was found to have deteriorated.

The hypothalamus secretes releasing factors to help the

body maintain homeostasis.

Damage to the nerve connections between Wernicke's area and Broca's area

can lead to various forms of aphasia.

Emily is planning to perform a balancing beam routine for her gymnastics competition. She wants to train a specific area of her brain that will allow her to perform at her best. The area of the brain she should focus on is her

cerebellum.

Shaylana can solve abstract problems, use complex language, and express her emotions far more clearly than her pet rhesus monkey. This is because, when compared to her pet, she has a larger and more developed

cerebral cortex.

An investigator is studying genetic factors in the expression of defensive behaviors by testing identical twins and fraternal twins. The investigator will look to compare

concordance rates.

The system in the body that uses chemicals to communicate through the bloodstream is known as the

endocrine system.

The purpose of all neurotransmitters is to

excite or inhibit an action potential in the receiving neuron.

Methods used to study the brain such as lesioning and electrical stimulation are considered

experimental methods

The presence of which of the following characteristics is best explained through genetic transmission?

eye color

Denise believes that generosity is a trait that was passed down to her from her father and paternal grandparents. One way she could investigate this claim is with a

familial association study.

Consumer psychologists determined that the regions in the brain stimulated just before people make a decision to buy something are part of the reward circuitry that produce

feelings of pleasure

Darren and Aaron are identical twins. What is the likelihood that they share the same hand preference?

four in five

When Ulysses was born, his parents were both diagnosed with clinical depression. Due to genetic inheritance, it is likely that Ulysses will experience depression. However, Ulysses is well adjusted emotionally, had a stable childhood, and has never had a depressive episode. Ulysses' experiences indicate that

if he carries genes that increase his risk of depression, whether those genes become active or not depends on his life experiences.

Leland, who is genetically predisposed to addiction, is considering experimenting with opioid drugs. One thing we know is that

if he has strong parents, good parenting may reduce or even negate the influence of his genetic predisposition.

Neurogenesis occurs

into late adulthood

Research in neuro-marketing is searching for "whispers in the brain" in order to

learn which advertisements evoke strong attention and emotions.

An invasive method used to investigate brain functioning by destroying parts of the brain in experimental animals and then observing the effects is known as

leisoning

Lamia is playing a video game that mimics military battle scenarios and suddenly throws her hands up to cover her face when she sees a character in the game throw its hands up to its face when protecting itself from an attack. Research suggests that Lamia's self-protecting movements may be activated by

mirror neurons

Kalleen is unsure whether her brother's depression is due to the stressful influences of college or because their father experiences episodes of depression. Kalleen's uncertainty reflects the ongoing impact of the

nature-nurture debate.

Neurons are typically made up of

one axon and many dendrites.

India is a person who has irregularity in her glucose levels. India is likely experiencing trouble with her

pancreas.

Ashley immediately recognizes when she enters her office that it is a few degrees warmer than the hallway. Her ability to notice temperature differences is due to the functioning of her

parietal lobes.

Dante is a researcher examining the effects of nutrition during childhood and adult height. Dante's research is related to the extent to which genes are expressed, also known as

phenotypes

A geneticist informs parents expecting the arrival of a baby that their child's potential for success in sports is likely influenced by a number of different genetic variations. This observation refers to the influence of

polygenic traits.

Myron fell while rock climbing and severely hit the lower back of his head on a large rock. The damage to Myron's brain caused him to have difficulty falling asleep and waking up. The part of Myron's brain that was most likely injured by the fall is the

pons

Though still in development, a brace that uses neural activity to move paralyzed limbs is called a/an

powered exoskeleton

Theodora is interested in identifying parts of the endocrine system related to symptoms that include anxiety, depression, irritability, weight gain from fluid retention, and abdominal discomfort. Theodora is most likely studying

premenstrual syndrome.

Geno experienced a stroke to the parietal lobe on the left side of his brain. Geno is most likely having difficulty with

processing touch sensations on the right side of his body.

Dendrites help a neuron

receive messages from neighboring neurons.

While walking through the park, Kira steps awkwardly and twists her ankle. Almost immediately she feels pain in her ankle and begins soothing her ankle by gently rubbing it with her fingers. Which of the following is the correct order of events regarding the activation of neurons?

sensory neurons, interneurons, motor neurons.

Doctors have reduced the damaging effects of seizures in severe cases of epilepsy by

severing the corpus callosum and removing the connection between the two cerebral hemispheres.

Lateralization in the brain is best described as

specialists working together because the hemispheres of the brain work as a whole system.

At summer math camp, you made friends with a student with a severe form of epilepsy who had a medical procedure to help prevent periodic seizures. You suspect that your new friend underwent

split-brain surgery.

Juan can easily tell the difference between the bark of his pet chihuahua and that of his pet shih tzu thanks to the functioning of his

temporal lobes.

Steve has no difficulty staying asleep even though he lives next to a busy fire station. However, he awakens to the sound of his newborn daughter's cries. The part of the brain that screens auditory information and allows important information to reach his higher brain is the

thalamus

Doctors are stimulating the surface of a patient's brain during a surgery. The electrical stimulus is applied, and the patient raises a finger on the right hand. The section of the brain being stimulated is most likely

the motor cortex on the left hemisphere of the brain.

The experience of Phineas Gage may be considered an example of plasticity in the brain because

the traumatic brain injury changed his personality; however, the effects diminished over time.

Wernicke's area is responsible for our ability

to comprehend speech.

A positron emission tomography scan reveals different levels of activity and the location of the activity in the brain

when active areas in the brain metabolize greater amounts of the radioactive tracer than less active areas.

Saladin is reviewing the results of adoptee studies examining the effects of a certain gene on the development of alcoholism. What form of data is he most likely to pay special attention to?

Concordance rates

Jamie is trying to decide which shoes to wear with a new outfit. After trying on five different pairs of shoes, Jamie decides to wear a pair of sandals. Based on this description, which portion of the brain is Jamie most likely using to decide on the best footwear?

Frontal lobes

Which method for studying the brain uses specialized equipment to take pictures of the activity in the brain while the person is performing tasks?

Functional magnetic resonance imaging

Which of the following statements regarding handedness preferences is most accurate?

Handedness preferences begin to develop before birth.

Henrietta experienced a head injury during her rugby team's playoff game. She has recently started to show signs of memory loss. Since the injury, Henrietta is also more agitated and fearful. Which areas of Henrietta's brain should doctors look into?

Her amygdala and hippocampus

Winston is having increasing difficulty forming new memories. Doctors ordered a CAT scan and discovered that Winston has a tumor growing in the limbic system. Which brain structure is most likely being affected by the tumor?

Hippocampus

A researcher implanted an electrode into the brain of a laboratory animal. When the electrode is activated, the laboratory animal begins to search for food. Which brain structure is most likely being stimulated by the activation of the implanted electrode?

Hypothalamus

Which of the following is an example of a reflex?

Jerking your head to the side to avoid a fast-moving object

A construction worker is experiencing a neurological disease that involves inadequate amounts of myelin. Which disease would their doctor most likely diagnose?

Multiple sclerosis

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

The endocrine system communicates at a rate that is much less rapid than the nervous system.

The instructor should pop a balloon behind a group of volunteers to startle them and demonstrate how spinal reflexes cause us to move suddenly when facing a potential threat.

The instructor should pop a balloon behind a group of volunteers to startle them and demonstrate how spinal reflexes cause us to move suddenly when facing a threat.

A neurotransmitter is released into a synapse. Which of the following BEST describes the possible outcomes?

The neurotransmitter can go through reuptake, it can be broken down by enzymes, or it can lock into a receptor site on the dendrites of the next neuron.

Terry is late for class and runs several flights of stairs in an effort to be seated before class begins. Several moments after being seated, Terry's heart and breathing rate decrease. What aspect of the nervous system has responded now that Terry is seated in class?

The parasympathetic nervous system

Leif is seeing a sleep specialist because he is having trouble falling asleep at night. Which of the following glands should the sleep specialist be concerned with?

The pineal gland

Which of the following responds when you receive a puff of air in your eyes and blink reflexively?

The spinal cord

While pinned in the vehicle after a car accident a driver is complaining that he cannot feel his legs. Which part of his nervous system should first responders be very careful to protect while removing the driver from the vehicle? Correct answer.

The spinal cord