Intro to Psychology - Chapter 2: The Biological Perspective

How many neurons are contained in the brain?

100 billion

Dizygotic twins:

are more likely to occur in women taking fertility drugs. or come from two fertilized eggs.

Adoption studies have:

confirmed what twin studies have shown about genetic influences on personality

A __________ will always be expressed in the observable trait.

dominant gene

Which of the following techniques analyzes blood oxygen levels to examine the functioning of the brain?

fMRI

The majority of the brain is composed of:

glial cells

Behavioral genetics is the __________.

study of determining how much of behavior is the result of genetic inheritance (nature) and how much is due to personal experience (nurture)

In the study of human development, the term nature refers to:

the influence of our inherited characteristics on our personality, physical growth, intellectual growth, and social interactions.

Humans have a total of __________ chromosomes in each cell of their bodies.

46

How many main structures, or groups of structures, make up every neuron?

5

Which neurotransmitter stimulates muscle cells to contract but slows contractions in the heart?

Acetylcholine (ACh)

__________ studies the issue of nature versus nurture.

Behavioral genetics

For which of the following reasons would a researcher prefer to study the brain through brain stimulation over lesioning?

Brain stimulation is a less harmful technique

Special types of glial cells generate a protective fatty substance called:

Myeline

A trait such as strawberry blonde hair may be explained by the inheritance of the recessive gene for blonde hair and the recessive gene for red hair, or __________ inheritance.

Polygenic

Which statement most accurately explains the difference in functioning between the right hemisphere of the brain and the left hemisphere?

The right processes information all at once, whereas the left breaks things down into parts

The neurons of the sensory pathways contain...

Afferent neurons

Heroin mimics the actions of endorphins, inhibiting pain signals and creating a "high" feeling. Heroin is an example of a(n):

Agonist

The venom of a black widow spider acts like a(n) ___________ by mimicking the effects of acetylcholine.

Agonist

The venom of a black widow spider is an example of a(n) __________, which mimics or enhances the effects of neurotransmitters.

Agonist

If you were to develop a rare condition in which you were not able to remember to be afraid of certain situations, animals, or events, which part of the brain would most likely be damaged?

Amygdala

Involuntary muscles are controlled by the _______ nervous system.

Autonomic

The sympathetic system, which controls response to emergency or otherwise stressful situations, is a subdivision of the _______ nervous system?

Autonomic

Which part of the neuron carries messages to other cells?

Axon

Although the brain works largely as a whole, which of the following is not a correct pairing of hemisphere and function? A. Left; control of right-handed motor functions B. Right; control of right-handed motor functions C. Right; recognition of faces D. Left; reading

B. Right; control of right-handed motor functions

Why is it that fraternal twins share only 50 percent of their genes in common, while identical twins share 100 percent of their genes?

Because fraternal twins come from two separate zygotes, while identical twins come from the same zygote that split into two.

What are the two primary divisions of the nervous system?

Central and Peripheral

Down syndrome is __________.

a chromosome disorder

Alexis and Theresa are synchronized swimmers for their college swim team. They often work long hours to ensure the movements in their routine are perfectly timed. What part of their rains must Alexis and Theresa rely most upon?

Cerebellum

Handedness is generally associated with functions of the ______.

Cerebral Hemispheres

ADHD is most commonly diagnosed in __________.

Children

Genes are located on:

Chromosomes

If your roommate has a problem paying attention, it may be due to damage to his part of the limbic system.

Cingulate Cortex

Of the following, which is NOT one of the stages of general adaptation system?

Compensation

What structure connects the two hemispheres of the brain?

Corpus Callosum

Most pictures of the brain simply display the outermost covering. This part of the brain is called the ________.

Cortex

What part of the brain can sometimes be referred to as the "rind" or outer covering?

Cortex

Which of the following neuroimaging techniques would be best used for investigating conditions such as dementia and schizophrenia?

DTI

In the structure of the neuron, the ___________ receives messages from other cells.

Dendrite

Genes that actively control the expression of a trait are referred to as:

dominant

Researchers have looked for evidence of genetic influences on personality by comparing identical twins to:

fraternal twins

Genes that tend to fade into the background when paired with a more dominant gene are called __________.

recessive

The view of most psychologists regarding the relationship between heredity and environmental factors in determining development is that all we are and all we become is the result of:

the interaction between nature and nurture

Dr. Roll is conducting a research study. She wants to measure the connectivity in the research participants' brain by imaging their white matter. Which of the following methods will she use?

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)

If you were suffering from neurological problems and your neurologist wanted to have a study done of your brain and its electrical functioning, which of the following techniques would involve placing metal or sponge-like electrodes directly onto your scalp?

EEG

Which of the following techniques involves passing a mild current through the brain to activate certain structures without damaging them, and has become an important technique in psychology?

Electrical stimulation of the brain (ESB)

__________ is carried by recessive genes and inherited when a child inherits two recessive genes.

Cystic fibrosis

Neurons fire:

Either at full strength or not at all

Greater amounts of corticalization, or wrinkling, in the cortex is associated with:

Increases in brain size and complexity

When a neuron is in the resting state, the neuron is negatively charged on the ______ and positively charged on the _____.

Inside; Outside

Jaime's grandfather recently suffered a stroke and has had difficulty with language production ever since. Most likely, he has experienced damage to the ____________ area of his brain.

Left Frontal

The thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and cingulate cortex are all part of the ______.

Limbic System

Yvonne's ability to reach for and pick up her book is largely due to the functions of the _________ pathway of the _________ nervous system.

Motor; Somatic

Which of the following may surround a neuron's axon as well as help to speed along electrical impulses?

Myelin Sheath

Part of the human immune system is the presence of ___________ cells, whose primary function is to suppress viruses and destroy tumor cells.

Natural Killer (NK)

When a neuron's resting potential is occurring, the neuron is _________ charged on the inside

Negatively

When a neuron is at rest, the ions inside the cell are mostly _______ and the ions outside the cell are mostly _______.

Negatively charged; Positively charged

A branch of the life sciences that deals with the structure and functioning of the nervous system is called ________.

Neuroscience

Bailey is a subject in a stud on memory and problem solving. The researcher is applying magnetic pulses to her brain through copper wire coils positions directly above her scalp. Bailey's study would best be described as a(n)...

Noninvasive Stimulation Technique

Your friend Melissa has suffered from diabetes for her entire life. She regularly tests her blood to make sure her sugar levels are not too high or low. Which glad in her endocrine system is responsible for regulating her blood sugar?

Pancreas

As you take notes, your heart beats at a normal rate. Your breathing is normal and your stomach slowly digests your earlier meal. What division of the peripheral nervous system is currently in action?

Parasympathetic

The ability to detect changed in temperature, pressure, and body position is due in part to the functions of the __________ lobe.

Parietal

The autonomic nervous system, responsible for involuntary activities such as breathing, is a division of the ________ nervous system?

Peripheral

Robert has had difficulty sleeping for the past 6 months and his body seemingly no longer differentiates between night and day. His doctor believes that the problem lies with Robert's endocrine system. What gland will Robert's physician focus on?

Pineal

Which gland(s) is/are known to influence all other glands within the endocrine system?

Pituitary Gland

Broca's aphasia is the inability to ______ language, whereas Wernicke's aphasia is the inability to _______ language.

Produce; Understand

According to the textbook, scientists are investigating the use of stem cells to:

Repair damaged or diseased brain tissue

Maria often sleeps soundly and rarely awakens to any outside noise. However, the cries of Maria's baby can awaken her immediately. What part of the brain is responsible for this reaction?

Reticular Formation

Which part of the brain tends to process information globally?

Right Hemisphere

Which of the main structures of a neuron contains the nucleus?

Soma

When people are walking, raising their hands in class, or smelling a flower, they are using the:

Somatic Nervous System

A work-related accident left Bob with a paralyzed left arm and an inability to recognize the left side of his visual field. Bob's condition is called:

Spatial Neglect

Neurotransmitters must pass from an axon terminal to the next dendrite by crossing a fluid-filled space called the...

Synaptic Gap

The sac-lie structures that are found at the end of a neuron's axon and that contain neurotransmitters are called:

Synaptic Vesicles

Which of the main structures of a neuron releases the signals used to communicate with other neurons or cells?

Terminal Buttons

Your psychology professor refers to this as the great sensory relay station of the brain. What part is he or she referring to?

Thalamus

Oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells generate a fatty substance known as...

Myelin

What is the process whereby the structure and function of brain cells change in response to trauma, damage, or even learning?

Neuroplasticity

Damage to the medulla could likely cause problems with which of the following functions?

Swallowing

Which of the following could be active if you have just had an automobile accident?

Sympathetic Division

Which of the three primary divisions of the brain is responsible for sensory and motor functions?

The Midbrain

Peter was in a coma for several days after falling from a ladder. The doctor indicated that he suffered damage to an area of his brain. Which area of Peter's brain was most likely damaged?

The Reticular formation

Neurons are separated from each other by a small, fluid-filled spaced called __________.

The Synapse

Jessica has suffered a severe blow to the back of her head when she was thrown from her horse. Subsequently, her occipital lobe has been injured. Which of her senses has the highest chance of being affected?

Vision

You have a dream in which you wake up to find that people around you are using words that make no sense. What's more, your friends don't seem to understand when you speak. At one point in your dream, your mom tells you that you almost forgot your tree limb today. When you give her a puzzled look, she holds up your lunchbox and repeats, "You know, your tree limb." Your predicament in your dream is most like which of the following disorders?

Wernicke's Aphasia

Felicia is recovering from a brain injury. She is able to speak fluently but often uses incorrect words in a sentence. In one instance at a friend's birthday party, she said, "I would like something to drink. Can I have some battery?" Felicia's problem is known as...

Wernicke's aphasia

The sex chromosomes for a female are:

two X chromosomes

The cell resulting from fertilization is called a(n) __________.

zygote

In which of Selye's stages is death a possible outcome?

Exhaustion

When action potential gets to the end of the axon:

The message gets transmitted to another cell

Which of the following is associated with pain relief?

Endorphins

A lack of which neurotransmitter has been linked to depression and anxiety?

GABA

Which one of the following is NOT a function of glial cells? A. getting nutrients to the neurons B. generating action potentials C. cleaning up the remains of dead neurons D. providing insulation

Generating action potentials

Which of the following describes the relationship between heredity and environmental factors in determining development?

Genes and experience can affect each other

_______ was the founder of the field of research concerning stress and its effects on the human body.

Hans Selye

Which part of the brain is involved in the creation of memories and is often linked to Alzheimer's disease?

Hippocampus

If the pancreas secretes too much insulin, it results in a condition known as:

Hypoglycemia

Following his involvement in a car accident, Kendall was told that he may experience problems performing mental or motor tasks as result of damage to his brain. Which area of Kendall's brain was most likely damaged?

The frontal lobes

If you touch a hot stove, your spinal cord can prompt you to withdraw your hand without having to send the message all the way to the brain. This is due to what scientists call...

The reflex arc

Andrew has always been thin. In fact, he often seems to be able to eat whatever he wants without gaining weight. The doctor told his parents that Andrew's ________ gland is the cause of his fast metabolism.

Thyroid