Week 3 Homework Multiple Choice Question and Answers (Psychology)

Which 2 neurotransmitters are found at most synapses in the brain, and are responsible for most information transfer within the brain. Options are: GABA and serotonin, Glutamate and oxytocin, GABA and glutamate, Serotonin and dopamine, or Acetylcholine and dopamine

GABA and glutamate

In general, species are generally considered to be more intelligent if they have: Options are: A larger cerebellum, A larger brain stem, More myelin in the subcortical structures, A more convoluted (wrinkly) cortex, or Better connections between the amygdala and hippocampus

a more convoluted (wrinkly) cortex

You work at the zoo, and your group recently acquired a new wallaby (similar to a kangaroo). This wallaby was actually caught and removed from the wild in Australia because it was acting very strangely. It was continuously getting injured because it was showing no fear of things that are usually scary to wallabies, like dingoes and crocodiles, and so it had a number of close encounters with these deadly predators, managing to barely escape each time. Because this wallaby is so unique, some researchers at the zoo decide to do a brain scan to see if they can find anything unusual. Before the results even come back, you guess that this wallaby might have damage to the ________ in its brain compared with other wallabies just based on the fearless behavior it has shown. Options are: Thalamus, Hypothalamus, Hippocampus, Amygdala, or Nucleus accumbens

amygdala

If someone has damage in the __________, it will lead to problems such as Tourette Syndrome or Parkinson's disease, where a patient either has extraneous, unwanted movements, or they have difficulty initiating movement. Options are: Cerebellum, Basal ganglia, Hippocampus, Amygdala, or Hypothalamus

basal ganglia

You're studying the action potentials of a neuron in a petri dish when one of your lab mates accidently spills some of his neurotransmitter in your dish. Looking at the neurotransmitter, you know that this is likely to hyperpolarize the membrane of your neuron. You: Options are: Become aggravated, since that means that your neuron is less likely to fire, or thank your lab mate, because this means your neuron is closer to the threshold of excitation, and is more likely to fire.

become aggravated, since that means that your neuron is less likely to fire

What part of the neuron receives information from other neurons? Options are: Dendrite, Axon, Soma, Terminal buttons, or Myelin sheath

dendrite

What happens to the cell membrane at the start of an action potential? Options are: Nothing, because both Na+ and K+ leave the cell simultaneously, Depolarization because K+ enters the cell, Depolarization because Na+ enters the cell, or Hyperpolarization because Na+ leaves the cell, and then and K+ enters the cell

depolarization because Na+ enters the cell

A friend of yours was recently in a car accident. Ever since the accident, she seems fairly normal in many ways, except she seems to be unable to control her impulses. She works at a retirement home, and has been reprimanded many times for insulting the clients (this was never a problem before). This makes you think that the accident must have done damage to her _________ lobe. Options are: Frontal, Parietal, Temporal, Occipital, or Association

frontal

What will happen if a neuron receives many excitatory signals from neighboring neurons? Options are: It probably won't fire, since signals from only one other neuron are the ones that count with regard to whether a neuron will fire or not, or It's hard to say. The same neuron could also be receiving inhibitory signals, and it depends if the number of inhibitory signals cancel out the excitatory signals

it's hard to say. The same neuron could also be receiving inhibitory signals, and it depends if the number of inhibitory signals cancel out the excitatory signals

Where in a neuron does saltatory conduction take place? Options are: Node of Ranvier, Terminal buttons, Soma, dendrites, or nucleus

node of ranvier

Cake is your favorite food. After you take a big bite of cake, if I were to do a brain scan on you, I'd see lots of activity in your ______________. Options are: Thalamus, Cerebellum, Nucleus accumbens, Amygdala, or Hippocampus

nucleus accumbens

While visiting a nursing home, you notice one resident who seems to ignore everything on her left. She only eats the food off the right side of her plate, and only puts makeup on the left side of her face. In which lobe do you think she likely has brain damage? Options are: Frontal, Pangolin, Occipital, Parietal, or Temporal

parietal

The _______ nervous system allows us to sense things in our environment, and controls voluntary movement. It's part of the _______ nervous system. Options are: Automatic; peripheral, Somatic; peripheral, Somatic; central Sympathetic; peripheral, or Parasympathetic; central

somatic; peripheral

You were recently talking to a co-worker who is having a hard time. He's recently been reprimanded at work and is in danger of being fired, plus he and his wife just got divorced. He's mentioned that he's feeling kind of sick lately as well. Given what you know about the nervous system, you think he might be feeling sick due to an overactive ___________ nervous system. Options are: Parasympathetic, Somatic, Central, Sympathetic, or Parietal

sympathetic

You're looking through old medical journals when you read about a case study of a person that suddenly started having difficulty with all senses except the sense of smell. The authors suggest that this was likely due to damage to the ________, which is a relay station in the brain for all senses except smell. Options are: Hypothalamus, Hippocampus, Neocortex, Thalamus, or Cerebellum

thalamus

When a person has had a commissurotomy, it means: Options are: That the frontal lobe of the brain has been separated from the temporal lobe, That a person's midbrain has been separated from the hindbrain, That a person's thalamus has be removed, That the person has had their amygdala removed on both sides of the brain, or That the connections between the 2 halves of the brain have been cut

that the connection between the 2 halves of the brain have been cut

What is the hypothalamus involved in? Options are: Fear responses, Decision making, The recognition of faces and other objects, Memory, or The four F's of fighting, feeding, fleeing, and .... mating

the four F's of fighting, feeding, fleeing, and ... mating

You started working in a lab on campus, and on your first day, you were introduced to a group of lab rats that have had their hippocampus removed. What sort of behavior do you expect from them? Options are: They'll probably be more aggressive compared with similar rats without brain damage, They probably won't remember who are you, even if you work with them every day for months, or They'll probably have a lot of problems with balance, and will fall down a lot.

they probably won't remember who you are, even if you work with them every day for months

What would you expect from someone with damage to Broca's area? Options are: They'll have a hard time following directions, They'll have a hard time speaking, They won't be afraid of things that are usually scary, They won't be able to identify emotional facial expressions in others, or They will have a hard time initiating movements

they'll have a hard time speaking

You overheard your neighbor talking about a friend of hers that was recently diagnosed with a disease that cause myelin degeneration just in the sensory part of her brain. Your neighbor asks you if you know what that means, and what her symptoms might be. Knowing the function of myelin, you tell her: Options are: Your friend will likely experience difficulty with her sensory perception, since myelin degeneration will cause signals to be sent more slowly between neurons, or Your friend will probably have difficulty with vision, since myelin primarily affects neurons pertaining to vision.

your friend will likely experience difficulty with her sensory perception, since myelin degeneration will cause signals to be sent more slowly between neurons