psych chapter 2 learning curves

Which of these is NOT a characteristic of how the body responds to imminent danger?

The thick band of nerve fibers connecting the right and left cerebral hemispheres is cut.

Christina Santhouse suffered from Rasmussen's encephalitis, which was causing her to have uncontrollable seizures. She underwent a _____, which is a surgery that removes nearly half of the brain.

hemispherectomy

Gracen learned something new yesterday in class. She had always thought that adults could not grow new brain cells. However, her instructor described research on the limbic system that has found that the _____ is one of the few places in the brain known to give birth to new neurons throughout life.

hippocampus

Neurotransmitters that are not reabsorbed into the axon buds, drift out of the _____ through diffusion.

synaptic gap

Professor Wú is trying to help her students understand the difference in transmission speeds between myelinated and unmyelinated axons. Which of the following should she use as an example of the fastest speed of an action potential in an unmyelinated axon?

The pace of a beginning jogger, about 4.5 mph.

Using brain scan technology, what have researchers found about language dominance and handedness?

around 4% of right-handed and 27% of left-handed participants have language dominance in the right hemisphere

Eliyada is taking an introductory psychology class. During the third week of the semester, her instructor begins the class period talking about the nervous system. He also discusses the _____, which he notes orchestrates behavior and houses thoughts, emotions, and personality.

brain

Professor Walsh is trying to explain the spinal cord to her class. She tells her students to imagine a bundle of neurons that shuttles information back and forth between the _____ and the _____ nervous system.

brain; peripheral nervous system

The peripheral nervous system includes all the neurons that are not in the:

central nervous system

Last night in class, Natalya saw a short video on the brain. She knows that the two hemispheres are able to share information, and she recalls that the _____ is the principal structure for this sharing.

corpus callosum

Last night in class, Wyoming was learning about the various types of cells that make up the human nervous system. She had heard of neurons before, but was unfamiliar with other cells her instructor was describing. For example, Wyoming had never heard of _____, even though they outnumber neurons in the human brain by approximately 50 to 1.

glial cells

Leon is learning about the human nervous system. He had heard of neurons before, but was surprised to learn about another important type of cell. _____ serve as the "glue" of the nervous system, providing cohesion and support for neurons.

glial cells

Dr. Ivanov is reading about research that observed neurons as they were stimulated by an electrode. The experiments found that the electrodes caused sparse strings of neurons to fire across the brain. Dr. Ivanov realizes that the implications for these findings are that:

he finding suggests that brain surgeons and the designers of neural prosthetics have a much smaller margin of error than previously thought

Mia is trying to understand how the brain functions as a whole. She read that regardless of the type of information coming in or being processed, the _____ of the cerebrum are constantly integrating and sharing information.

hemispheres

Regardless of the type of information coming in or being processed, the cerebral _____ are constantly integrating and sharing information.

hemispheres

Professor Strand studies the part of the brain that excels in language processing. He does research on the

left hemisphere

Buried beneath the cortex is the _____, a group of interconnected structures that play an important role in our experiences of emotion, motivation, and memory.

limbic system

Last night, Daran was reading about how neurons communicate. He learned that not all axons have the same transmission speeds. Axons that are enclosed with a _____, are insulated and therefore have _____ transmission of the impulse.

myelin sheath; faster

Neurons are _____ that communicate with each through electrical and chemical signals.

nerve cells

Sarah has just had an insight while studying for an exam in psychology. She realizes that the body has two main systems of communication, including one that is fast and another that is slow. The fast acting system is the _____ and the slower one is the _____.

nervous system; endocrine system

Parris is studying for her psychology class, and she is trying to memorize the three basic parts of a typical cell called a _____. She arranges them in alphabetical order, and repeats them to herself several times: axon, cell body, dendrites.

neuron

Brandon Burns reports that because of his injury, one third of his brain tissue was destroyed. Despite this, he is still able to talk, think, and feel emotions, although he has some paralysis and loss of sensation on the right side of his body. And there is no doubt that he lost a substantial number of _____, or the specialized cells that communicate through electrical and chemical signals.

neurons

Okana has been enjoying his psychology class, because they are exploring neuroscience. The first thing his instructor discussed was _____, the building blocks of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.

neurons

Research using a new type of optical imaging to study brain cells has found that shifting an electrode even slightly can activate an entirely different set of:

neurons

_____ is the brain's ability to heal, grow new connections, and reorganize in order to adapt to the environment

neuroplasticity

Dr. Jacobs has been a researcher studying the brain and nervous system for many years. He collaborates with computer scientists, engineers, and psychologists on a variety of topics. His field of study is called:

neuroscience

Keisha is considering many career choices. Her advisor explains that she might look into _____, because it involves the study of the brain and nervous system from a variety of perspectives, including computer science and engineering.

neuroscience

Yesterday at the library, Baba was reading about possible careers related to psychology. She has always loved computers and learning about the brain and the nervous system. She was delighted to learn more about _____, because it includes these favorite topics as well as a variety of other disciplines like engineering.

neuroscience

_____ that are not reabsorbed drift out of the synaptic gap through diffusion.

neurotransmitters

Following a horrific accident, Phineas Gage suffered extensive damage to his left and right frontal lobes. According to those who knew him, this damage led to extreme changes in his _____, which is associated with the function of the frontal lobes.

personality

Wayne is learning about the lateralization of the cerebral hemispheres. He is surprised to learn that the _____ generally excels at visual spatial tasks.

right hemisphere

The tiny gap between a terminal bud of one axon and a neighboring dendrite of the next neuron is called the:

synapse

Last night Gaylen studied hard for his psychology exam. He feels very confident today about being able to describe how neurons communicate. One of the last processes he learned about was what happens after neurotransmitters are released. Those that are not reabsorbed can drift out of the _____ through diffusion.

synaptic gap

Otto is learning about the limbic system. He reads about how sensory information is processed and relayed to appropriate parts of the cortex via the _____, which is at the center of the limbic system.

thalamus

Last night Tabitha was reading a history of psychology book. She learned that a German doctor named Karl Wernicke noticed that patients suffering from damage to a small tract of tissue in the left temporal lobe struggled to make sense of:

what others were saying

The _____ prepares the body for action by increasing heart rate and respiration, slowing digestion and other bodily functions.

sympathetic nervous system

Basil is studying for a psychology test on neurotransmitters, and is trying to memorize their various functions. First on the list is the neurotransmitter _____, which enables movement by relaying messages from motor neurons to muscles.

Acetylcholine

Low levels of acetylcholine in the brain have been linked to:

Alzheimer's disease

How does the split-brain operation disconnect the right and left hemispheres?

By cutting the corpus callosum.

Esteban read about a study that found that the number of "friends" on Facebook is associated with the density of gray matter in areas of the brain important for social interaction. But Esteban knows that one can't say the number of friends causes changes in brain structure because:

Correlation cannot establish cause-and-effect links.

Which statements BEST describes Broca's area?

It is a region of the cortex that is critical for speech production

Which statement BEST describes a neuron?

It is a specialized cell that communicates through electrical and chemical signals.

Which statement BEST describes a typical neuron?

It has three basic parts, including the cell body, dendrites, and an axon.

Which statement BEST characterizes neuroscience?

It incorporates disciplines like engineering, computer science, and psychology.

Which statement is NOT a characteristic of the right hemisphere?

It plays a key role in controlling appetite, aggression, and mood

How is the hypothalamus involved in the regulation of appetite?

Neurons from the digestive system send signals to it, resulting in signals being sent to higher regions of the brain.

Meghan is taking an introductory psychology class. Today her instructor was discussing how a myelin sheath covers many axons. Meghan also found out that _____ are a type of glial cell that produce the myelin that envelops axons.

Schwann cells

Which statement about neurogenesis is true?

Studies have shown that some areas of the brain are constantly getting new neurons.

What does severing the corpus callosum allow researchers to see?

The functional differences between the two sides of the brain.

What happens to visual sensations received by each eye?

The information is sent to the opposite hemisphere

Which statement about the parietal lobes is false?

They are responsible for the initial processing of visual information.

Which statement about the frontal lobes is false?

They are specialized for receiving information about the environment and transmitting this information to brain for further processing.

North American neurosurgeon _____ created a map showing which points along the motor cortex corresponded to various parts of the body.

Wilder Penfield

Botox is a(n) _____ because it blocks the release of acetylcholine.

antagonist

Why do people sometimes "see stars" when they have suffered a severe blow to the rear of the head?

because activity in the occipital lobes was disrupted

Saul is thinking about how to summarize what he has learned about the human nervous system. He tells a classmate that commanding and coordinating the activity of the entire nervous system is the _____, whose various regions excel in performing certain tasks.

brain

Lars is studying a model of the brain. He is looking at the structures of the limbic system, and can see that beneath them is the _____, which includes the midbrain, pons, and medulla.

brainstem

Stasia is thinking of giving up coffee. Because of her continued use of _____, she can expect to feel anxious, restless, and have headaches if she reduces her consumption.

caffeine

Maurie read that people who learned to play a musical instrument early in life generally score higher on language, auditory, and overall IQ tests than those without such training. However, Maurie knows these findings are based on correlational studies and that the only way to determine a _____ between music training and cognitive abilities is to use the experimental method.

cause-and-effect link

Behind the brainstem sits the _____, important for muscle coordination and balance.

cerebellum

The outermost layer of the cerebrum is called the:

cerebral cortex

Lala is taking an introductory psychology class this semester. Her instructor has posted a photograph in their course shell. The photo is of the largest and most conspicuous part of the brain, which is called the:

cerebrum

What did Wernicke notice about patients struggling to make sense of what others were saying?

damage to a small tract of tissue in the left temporal lobe

Dr. Kim studies neural communication. In particular she does research on the processes occurring in the synaptic gap. She has been describing her findings to a colleague, explaining that neurotransmitters that are not reabsorbed can drift out of the synaptic gap through:

diffusion

Neurons communicate with each other through _____ signals.

electrical and chemical

The human nervous system is a communication network that conveys messages throughout your body using:

electrical and chemical signals

Dr. Pereyra is preparing for class and is thinking about how to explain the movement of oppositely charged ions. The way she explains it is that _____ causes similarly charged ions to spread apart and oppositely charged ions to move toward each other.

electrostatic pressure

Professor Tran studies human behavior and how it is influenced by biology. His specific field of interest is the communication system that uses glands to convey messages. He studies the _____, which involves the release of hormones into the bloodstream.

endocrine system

A preliminary study found that the number of "friends" on Facebook is associated with the density of gray matter in areas of the brain important for social interaction. To determine that the number of friends causes changes in brain structure, one would have to conduct a study using the _____ method.

experimental

Nita has heard from some friends that music training is associated with cognitive abilities. But the findings are from correlational studies. Nita learned in her psychology class that the only way to determine a cause-and-effect link between music training and cognitive abilities is to use a(n):

experimental method

The sympathetic nervous system mobilizes the _____ response to stressful or crisis situations.

fight-or-flight

Haig is reading about the human brain in his psychology textbook. He learns that the cortex is separated into different sections and that the major function of the _____ lobes is to organize information among the other lobes of the brain.

frontal

Chemical messengers released into the blood stream that influence mood, cognition, appetite, and many other processes and behaviors are called:

hormones

Arne is learning about the limbic system and its involvement in appetite. Meanwhile, he notices that he is getting a little hungry. In all likelihood, neurons from his digestive system have sent signals to his _____, which then sent signals to the higher regions of his brain.

hypothalamus

Danielle is studying to be a nurse. She is taking a psychology class this semester and is enjoying learning about how the brain functions. Today she was reading about the limbic system and how the _____ is involved in regulating sleep-wake cycles and appetite.

hypothalamus

Neurons from the digestive system send signals to the _____, which then sends signals to higher regions of the brain.

hypothalamus

A type of nerve cell that resides exclusively in the brain and spinal cord and acts as a bridge connecting sensory and motor neurons are called:

interneurons

_____ reside exclusively in the brain and spinal cord and act as bridges connecting sensory and motor neurons.

interneurons

Nancy is thinking about what she learned in class today. Her instructor was discussing the cerebral hemispheres, and he stated that each hemisphere processes certain types of information and excels in certain activities, which is known as:

lateralization

The neurotransmitter dopamine plays a key role in:

learning through reinforcement

Broca performed autopsies on two men who were not able to talk and found that both sustained damage to the same area on the side of the:

left frontal lobe

The amygdala processes basic emotions like fear and aggression and the _____ associated with them.

memories

When the brain is injured, _____ multiply and secrete substances to defend the brain from infection and inflammation.

microglia

Areas in the lobes that are home to networks of neurons that specialize in directing movement.

motor areas

Shunichi is trying to memorize some of the structures of the brain for his psychology test tomorrow. He remembers that located behind the brainstem is the cerebellum, which is a structure that it is responsible for:

muscle coordination and balance

Schwann cells produce the _____ that envelops axons.

myelin

Wesley is studying for his final exam in psychology. The chapter on biology and behavior has a lot of terms to remember. He thinks he can remember the nodes of Ranvier, because he has a clear mental image of the gaps between the segments of the _____ on axons.

myelin sheath

Sutherland has a niece who has had a brain injury. But Sutherland knows that she has a good chance to recover because she is young. He knows that _____ will help her brain heal, grow new connections, and reorganize in order to adapt to the environment.

neuroplasticity

In one study, researchers removed the eyes of newborn opossums and found that brain tissue normally destined to become visual processing centers became areas that specialize in processing:

other types of sensory stiumli

Naval is reading about Albert Einstein's brain. Researchers have reported that although Einstein's brain did not weigh more than the average, a region of his _____ believed to be important for visual-spatial processing was 15% larger than those of the control groups. This makes sense to Naval because he can understand how this type of processing could be important in mathematical thinking.

parietal lobe

The _____ helps regulate sleep-wake cycles and coordinates movement between the right and left sides of the body.

pons

Yesterday, Ricky was studying the human nervous system. He realized that without the peripheral nervous system, the brain would have no means of communicating with the _____, just like an uninhabited island in the middle of an ocean.

rest of the body?

Timothy just finished watching a short video on neurotransmitters. He learned that neurotransmitters can be reabsorbed by the sending terminal bud. He imagines this _____ process to be similar to uneaten food being pulled back into the refrigerator for later use.

reuptake

Research suggests that the _____ is important for our ability to recognize faces.

right hemisphere

The _____ is important for our ability to recognize faces.

right hemisphere

Trip is reading about research using two split-brain patients. The findings of this study suggest that Trip's _____ is more proficient in some visual tasks, such as recognizing faces, than his left hemisphere.

right hemisphere

Iwan is preparing for his psychology class, because tomorrow they will be discussing the lobes of the brain. He understands that some areas of the lobes are home to networks of neurons that specialize in certain activities. He can apply this to himself, because as he is studying, the _____ in his brain are in receiving stimuli from his environment.

sensory areas

Gigi is studying with a classmate, preparing for an exam in psychology. She quizzes her classmate, asking her which type of nerve cell is specialized for receiving direct information about the environment and transmitting this information to brain for further processing. Which answer should her classmate choose?

sensory neurons

An fMRI study found that certain regions of the parietal cortex, the amygdala, and hypothalamus were _____ in women, while areas of the parietal cortex, the amygdala, and hypothalamus were _____ in men.

smaller; larger

Hearing and language comprehension are largely handled by the:

temporal lobes

_____ release chemical messengers that transmit messages to other neurons.

terminal buds

What structure commands and coordinates the activity of the nervous system?

the brain

Waleed is examining a model of the brain. He is looking at the largest part of the brain, which includes the cerebral cortex and the limbic system. Which part of the brain is Waleed examining?

the forebrain

Bronwyn is examining a drawing of the brain. She looks at the top of the brainstem and identifies the structure that plays a role in levels of arousal. Which structure is she looking at?

the midbrain

What are the two main systems of communication within the body?

the nervous system and the endocrine system

Professor Domínguez is planning for his lecture tomorrow. He will be discussing a structure of the brain that is an intricate web of neurons. He will tell his students it is a part of the brain responsible for levels of arousal. What is the topic of Professor Domínguez' lecture?

the reticular formation

After brain injuries, _____ have better outcomes than do _____; their brains show more plasticity.

younger children; adults