Psychology Unit 1 Test: Biological Bases (hw and collegeboard)
The fatty casing that helps speed up the neural transmissions of a neuron is called the
myelin sheath
Which sentence most closely describes neural transmission?
A chemical change occurs within the cell, the change causes an electric charge to be produced, and the charge jumps the gap between the nerve cells
A drug that is used to treat seizures functions by preventing inhibitory neurotransmitters from returning to the presynaptic neuron. This slows the rate of neurons firing by increasing the amount of the inhibitory neurotransmitter in the synapse. The drug is most likely to be classified as a
GABA reuptake inhibitor
Madeline has previously been diagnosed with major depressive disorder. She has an identical twin sister, Josephine, and a nonidentical sister, Abigail. Neither of Madeline's sisters have previously been diagnosed with major depressive disorder. How will Madeline's sisters be affected?
Josephine is more likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder than Abigail in response to a stressful or traumatic event
Dr. Dahad, a brain researcher, is investigating the connection between certain environmental stimuli and brain processes. Which type of brain scans is he most likely to use?
PET & EEG
The hormone most associated with the fight or flight response is
epinephrine
The idea that there is a part of the mind that is not directly accessible to awareness but still drives a person's thinking and behavior is most directly attributable to
Sigmund Freud
In right-handed individuals, which of the following abilities is predominantly a function of the right hemisphere of the brain? a) spacial reasoning b) speech c) writing d) language comprehension
a
Which type of scan uses X-ray technology to examine the structure of the brain? a) CT b) MRI c) fMRI d) EEG
a
You eat some bad sushi & feel that you are slowly losing control over your muscles. The bacteria you ingested from the bad sushi most likely interferes with the use of
acetylcholine
A neuron sends a signal along its
axon
A person whose body is not producing enough testosterone is most likely to exhibit
fatigue
The medulla oblongata is a part of the
brain stem
Johnny often hits his brother even though his brother does not do anything to antagonize him. Johnny's aggression is most likely due to a combination of
his genetic makeup, the environment he grew up in, and the fact that aggression can be evolutionarily adaptive
Which part of the brain is most important in regulating an animal's sex drive?
hypothalamus
Mr. Spam is a 39 year old male who has been brought into your neurology clinic by his wife. She has become increasingly alarmed by her husband's behavior over the last 4 months. You recommend a CAT scan to look for tumors in the brain. Which two parts of the brain would you predict are being affected by the tumors? (List of the symptoms: vastly increased appetite, body temperature fluctuations, decreased sexual desire, jerky movements, poor balance when walking & standing, inability to throw objects, and exaggerated efforts to coordinate movements in a task)
hypothalamus and cerebellum
Which chemicals pass along the synaptic gap & increase the possibility the next neuron in the chain will fire?
potassium & sodium
The parietal lobe is most involved in
processing sensory information
An image projected to the left visual field of a split-brained person will be processed in the
right visual cortex
In a crisis, the adrenal glands of the body secrete "emergency" hormones, while the body prepares for "flight-or-fight" directed by
sympathetic nervous system
Physiological reactions to surprise or shocks are most controlled by which of the following parts of the nervous system?
sympathetic nervous system
The space between the dendrites on one neuron and the terminal buttons of another is the
synapse
f a body does not have enough potassium, how might that affect neuronal firing?
the neurons will struggle to fire because there will not be enough positively charged ions to trigger the firing of the neuron
At a synapse, neurotransmitters released by the sending neuron do which of the following?
they bind to receptors at the receiving neuron, which opens ion channels
What effect do agonists have?
they increase the likelihood that a postsynaptic neuron will fire
The phenomenon of declining physiological effects of taking a drug after sustained use is referred to as
tolerance
Damage to a small part of the occipital lobe would most likely result in
visual deficit
Which of the following describes what happens when a neuron sends a signal? a) The neuron goes from being positively charged to briefly being negatively charged, and finally returns to being positively charged again. The magnitude of the negative charge is fixed regardless of the strength of the input signal it receives. b) The neuron goes from being negatively charged to briefly being positively charged, and finally returns to being negatively charged again. The magnitude of the negative charge is fixed regardless of the strength of the input signal it receives. c) The neuron goes from being negatively charged to briefly being positively charged, and finally returns to being negatively charged again. The magnitude of the positive charge varies depending on the strength of the input signal it receives. d) The neuron goes from being positively charged to briefly being negatively charged, and finally returns to being positively charged again. The magnitude of the negative charge varies depending on the strength of the input signal it receives. e) The neuron goes from being negatively charged to being positively charged, and then it remains at that level until it fires again. The magnitude of the positive charge varies depending on the strength of the input signal it receives.
b
Antagonists function by
blocking receptors to prevent other neurotransmitters from binding to the neural receptors
A doctor examining a car crash victim in order to determine whether the crash caused structural damage to the brain would use what kind of brain scan? a) PET b) EEG c) MRI d) fMRI
c
Which of the following kinds of brain scans would be most useful for disproving the statement, "most people only use 10% of their brain." a) CAT b) MRI c) PET d) CT
c
Which of the following parts of the brain is most active in decision-making? a) reticular formation b) pituitary gland c) cerebral cortex d) hypothalamus
c
Your knowledge of skills, such as how to tie your shoes or ride a bike, is thought to be stored in which part of the brain?
cerebellum
An individual with damage to Wernicke's area is most likely to have difficulty
comprehend a spoken request for info
Which hormone is released when a person is under stress?
cortisol
Damage to the cerebellum would most likely result in which of the following problems? a) aphasia b) increased aggression c) loss of vision d) loss of motor coordination
d
Which of the following is a hormone? a) dopamine b) GABA c) endorphins d) insulin
d
Which of the following best describes a major role of the thalamus?
it relays most sensory signals to the cortex
Carl Wernicke discovered the region of the brain that is responsible for
language comprehension
For most people, speech functions are primarily localized in the
left cerebral hemisphere
Ruth and Debbie are identical twins who were raised by the same family. Vince and Frankie are identical twins who were separated at birth and raised by different families. According to research on the heritability of personality traits, Ruth's and Debbie's personalities are statistically
likely to be as similar and dissimilar to one another as are Vince's and Frankie's personalities (based on research)
People who have experienced severe damage to the frontal lobe of the brain seldom regain their ability to
make and carry out plans
When a neuron initially depolarizes
sodium ions flow into the cell
Gonzo raised his hand to answer his teacher's question. Which part of the nervous system most directly allowed him to perform this behavior?
somatic
Michael Gazzaniga is best known for
studying split-brain patients
