Unit 3 questions

The depolarization of a neural membrane can create a(n)

Action potential

Someone trying to figure out an optical illusion is probably experiencing increased brain waves and bloodflow to which brain structure?

Right hemisphere

Many genes respond to environmental conditions, reacting to different environmental contexts in different ways. This characteristic of genes is called what?

Self regilation

Your ability to experience physical sensations is most likely to be disrupted by damage to yo

Thalamus

The goal of constraint-induced therapy is to

rewire damaged brains by forcing patients to use a nonfunctioning limb.

An axon is

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

Epigenetics refers to the

the study of how the environment triggers genetic expressio

The information carried in a gene is expressed as

A lrotein

Depending on environmental conditions, specific genes can be either

Active or inactive

Some opiate drugs have molecular structures so similar to endorphins that they mimic endorphin's euphoric effects in the brain, making these opiate drugs which kind of molecule?

Agonists

Someone who has difficulty speaking after a stroke is suffering from which of the following?

Aphasia

Neurotransmitters are released from vesicles located on knoblike terminals at the end of the

Axon

A researcher who assesses the heritability of intelligence is most likely a(n)

Behavior geneticist

The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior and personality traits is known as

Behavior genetics

Which type of psychologist most directly investigates the links between biological activity and our thinking and behaviors

Biological psychologist

Professor Seif conducts research on the relationship between the limbic system and sexual motivation. Her research interests best represent the psychological speciality known as

Biological psychology

The reticular formation is located in the

Brainstem

We are usually least consciously aware of the processes and functions of which brain structure

Brainstem

The association areas are located in the

Cerebral cortec

The thin surface layer of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebrum is called the

Cerebral cortex

Which of the following fictional research findings is the best evidence against the idea that "biology is destiny

Cognitive therapy can help people change unwanted personality traits

Someone skilled at word processing thinks several letters ahead while typing, whereas a beginner must focus on one letter at a time. A novice is most likely using _________ to complete the task.

Conscious serial processing

Ellen volunteers during her AP psychology class to try to balance a yardstick on her two fingers. While her eyes are open, she finds the task quite easy. However, when she closes her eyes, she finds the same task almost impossible. Which brain region relies on visual information in coordinating our voluntary movements?

Corebellum

The tremors of Parkinson's disease result from the death of nerve cells that produce the neurotransmitter

Dopamine

Which cognitive neuroscience term reflects the idea that "much of our everyday thinking, feeling, and acting operates outside our conscious awareness"?

Dual processing

Sleep researchers who are interested in brain wave activity are likely to use which kind of brain scan

EEG

The ovaries in females and the testes in males are part of the

Endocrine system

José has just played a long, bruising football game but feels little fatigue or discomfort. His lack of pain is most likely caused by the release of

Endorphins

If a professor accused you of cheating on a test, your adrenal glands would probably release ________ into your bloodstream.

Epinephrine

Professor Archibald suggests that men are more likely than women to initiate recreational sex because this has historically served to be a more successful reproductive strategy for men than for women. The professor's suggestion best illustrates a(n) ________ theory.

Evolutionary

Evolutionary psychologists have suggested that women prefer monogamy and men promiscuity in ensuring the survival of their genetic material. However, monogamous relationships can also be explained using an evolutionary perspective. This best illustrates which of the following criticisms of evolutionary psychology?

Evolutionary psychology works backward to propose an explanation; thus, any behavior can be explained.

An undersupply of the major inhibitory neurotransmitter known as ________ is linked to seizures

GABA

According to evolutionary psychologists, behaviors that promote reproductive success are likely to be

Genetically predisposed

Nerve cells in the brain receive life-supporting nutrients and insulating myelin from

Glial cells

Olds and Milner located reward centers in the brain structure known as the

Hypothalamus

The ability to recognize faces with the right hemisphere but not with the left hemisphere best illustrates

Lateralizarion

If Professor Kosiba lesions the amygdala of a laboratory rat, the rat will most likely become

Less agressive

What is the main difference between an MRI scan and an fMRI scan?

MRI scans show structural details of the brain, fMRI scans show structure and activity levels

Your life would be most immediately threatened if you suffered destruction of the

Medulla

If a genetic predisposition to fear darkness contributes to reproductive success, that trait will likely be passed on to subsequent generations. This best illustrates

Natural selection

Because Marla is the first girl in her fourth-grade class to sexually mature, she is sometimes teased and rejected by her classmates. Marla's sense of social isolation and embarrassment result from the interaction of

Nature and nurture

Which statement best reflects current psychology's understanding of the relationship between nature and nurture?

Nature via nurtur

Dendrites are branching extensions of

Neurons

Which of the following techniques would surgeons use in mapping the areas of the brain responsible for specific activities, such as movement or speech

PET

he concentration of glucose in active regions of the brain underlies the usefulness of a(

PET scan

Which lobes of the brain receive the input that enables you to feel someone scratching your back?

Parietal

The somatic nervous system is a component of the ________ nervous system.

Peripheral

Resting potential is to action potential as ________ is to ________.

Polarization; depolarization

Which region of your brainstem plays a role in arousing you to a state of alertness when someone nearby mentions your name?r

Reticular formation

A picture of a cat is briefly flashed in the left visual field and a picture of a mouse is briefly flashed in the right visual field of a split-brain patient. The individual will be able to use her

Right hand to show she saw mouse

A failure to recognize that one's arm or leg is part of one's self is most likely to be associated with damage to the

Right hemisphere

hich brain structure might be most active when answering the question "What do the following words have in common: plane, butter, insect

Right hemisphere

The parietal lobes are to ________ as the occipital lobes are to ________.

Sensing touch; seeing

Which part of your brain receives information that you are moving your legs?

Sensory cortex

Damage to the left cerebral hemisphere is most likely to reduce people's ability to

Speak fluently

When Mr. Valdez thought his 1-year-old daughter had fallen down the stairs, his heartbeat accelerated, his blood pressure rose, and he began to perspire heavily. Mr. Valdez's state of arousal was activated by his ________ nervous system.

Sympathetic

When the cat's amygdala is electrically stimulated the cat prepares to attack by hissing and arching its back. Which division of the autonomic nervous system is activated by such stimulation?

Sympathetic

The auditory hallucinations experienced by people with schizophrenia are most closely linked with the activation of areas in which brain area?

Temporal lobes

Which brain structure receives information from all the senses except smell

Thalamus

According to opinion polls, how do scientists and nonscientists react differently to the idea of evolution?

There is widespread consensus among scientists that evolution is scientific fact, but half of U.S. adults do not believe in evolution.

When asked to describe a picture that showed two boys stealing cookies behind a woman's back, a patient replied, "Mother is away her working her work to get her better, but when she's looking the two boys looking the other part." Which brain region has most likely been damaged?

Wernicke's area

Which brain area is primarily involved with understanding and producing meaningful speech?

Wernickes area

Alzheimer's disease is most closely linked to the deterioration of neurons that produce

acetylcholine

Why is it incorrect to say that 50 percent heritability of intelligence means that the cause of your intelligence is 50 percent genetic and 50 percent environmental?

because heritability accounts for variations among people, not in specific individuals

The medulla is to the control of ________ as the cerebellum is to the control of ______

breathing; walking

In transmitting sensory information to the brain, an electrical signal travels from the ________ of a single neuron.

dendrites to the cell body to the axon

With regard to the process of neural transmission, a refractory period refers to a time interval in which

dendrites transmit more electrical signals to axons.

Mamie is terrified of spiders. She tells her best friend, "Everybody in my family is afraid of spiders, so it must be genetic." Using the biopsychosocial approach to understanding her behavior, Mamie should

examine additional psychological and social-cultural influences on fear.

In creating more effective treatments for pain, researchers would use which of the following techniques for identifying regions of the brain that handle pain?

fMRI

Research on left-handedness suggests that

genes or prenatal factors play a role in handedness

Neural networks refer to

interconnected clusters of neurons in the central nervous system

Which of the following are located exclusively within the brain and spinal cord?

interneurons

A synapse is a(n)

junction between a sending neuron and a receiving neuron.

While relaxing in a lawn chair enjoying a cool drink, which of the following triggers the "rest-and- digest" response, as your heart rate slows and digestion begins?

parasympathetic nervous system

Motor neurons are an important part of the

peripheral nervous system

Motor neurons are to the ________ nervous system as interneurons are to the ________ nervous system

peripheral; central

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 regulatong

Researchers use dichotic listening tasks to investigate right-left differences in an intact brain. In this task a different verbal stimulus is presented simultaneously to each ear. Findings suggest that participants more quickly recall information heard by the right ear. This suggests that

the left hemisphere is dominant in language processing.

Heritability refers to the extent to which

trait differences among individuals are attributable to genetic variations.