Chapter 2: The Role of Biology in Psychology

When Andrew proposes to Heidi, her heartbeat quickens, her pupils dilate, and her breath quickens. *Which nervous system divisions are activating these responses?*

- peripheral - sympathetic - autonomic

When Andrew proposes to Heidi, her heartbeat quickens, her pupils dilate, and her breath quickens. *Which nervous system divisions are activating these responses?*

- sympathetic - autonomic - peripheral

Alicia is being aggressively tickled by her older sister. Which divisions of the nervous system are involved in processing the nerve signals?

- sympathetic - somatic - central

connects left and right hemisphere

corpus callosum

connects left and right hemispheres

corpus callosum

receives chemicals from other neurons

dendrites

critical thinking and planning

frontal lobes

euphoria and insensitivity to pain

high levels of endorphins

energy burst

high levels of epinephrine

takes up less space in somatosensory cortex

knee

sends information to right hemisphere

left side of body

takes up more space in somatosensory cortex

lips

epileptic seizures

low levels of GABA

Parkinson's disease

low levels of dopamine

sadness, aggression, food cravings

low levels of serotonin

chemicals that are released into the synapse

neurotransmitters

visual processing

occipital lobes

*NOT* Alicia is being aggressively tickled by her older sister. Which divisions of the nervous system are involved in processing the nerve signals?

parasympathetic

pressure and touch

parietal lobes

integrating information

postsynaptic neuron cell body

receiving information

postsynaptic neuron dendrites

sending information

presynaptic neuron

sends information to left hemisphere

right side of body

Broca linked a loss of function in his patients to lesioned areas in the left hemisphere of their brains. *What is the function of Broca's area?*

speaking

auditory processing

temporal lobes

holds and releases chemicals into the synaptic cleft

terminal buttons

Jeanne is watching the sunset over the ocean, listening to the evening bird calls and feeling a cool breeze on her face. *Which brain structure will organize and relay all this sensory information to the cortex?*

thalamus

How do neurons communicate? Place in order the sequence of events that occurs when a neuron fires.

*1.* The presynaptic neuron receives excitatory input, moving it closer to producing an action potential. *2.* An action potential is set off and travels through the cell and down the axon. *3.* The action potential excites the terminal buttons to release their chemicals into the synaptic cleft. *4.* The neurotransmitters released have either excitatory or inhibitory effects on the postsynaptic neuron.

Once a neurotransmitter is received by a postsynaptic neuron's receptors, what happens?

- An inhibitory message will keep the neuron from firing. - The cell body integrates the messages. - With an excitatory message, the neuron will be more likely to fire.

When Cara is two, her parents learn that she has severe epilepsy that requires the removal of the right hemisphere of her brain. *Given the research, which of the following is likely true?*

- Cara's seizures will diminish. - Cara will eventually regain most of the use of her limbs.

*NOT* Once a neurotransmitter is received by a postsynaptic neuron's receptors, what happens?

- Dendrites release neurotransmitters. - The cell body releases neurotransmitters.

A person is suffering from a debilitating anxiety. What sorts of drugs would help with this?

- GABA agonist - serotonin agonist

If a person suffers from a traumatic brain injury in the prefrontal cortex, similar to that of Phineas Gage, what changes might occur?

- He would be more impulsive. - He would be difficult to get along with. - His personality would change.

How is the primary somatosensory cortex organized?

- More cortex space is given to sensitive areas - Right side of the body is in the left hemisphere - Nearby body parts are grouped together - Left side of the body is in the right hemisphere

Given the organization of the primary somatosensory cortex, why does a slap in the face hurt more than a slap on the back?

- Sensitive areas on the body take up more space in the cortex. - The cortex has more space devoted to the face than to the back.

A person suffers from uncontrollable tremors. What type of drug would a doctor prescribe for relief?

- agonist for dopamine - antagonist for acetylcholine

*NOT* A person suffers from uncontrollable tremors. What type of drug would a doctor prescribe for relief?

- antagonist for norepinephrine - agonist for serotonin

fraternal twins

- dizygotic twins - two sperm and two eggs

identical twins

- monozygotic twins - one sperm and one egg

*NOT* When Andrew proposes to Heidi, her heartbeat quickens, her pupils dilate, and her breath quickens. Which nervous system divisions are activating these responses?

- parasympathetic - somatic

*NOT* Which nervous system divisions are activating when Andrew proposes to Heidi, her heartbeat quickens, her pupils dilate, and her breath quickens.

- parasympathetic - somatic

What parts of the nervous system would carry messages from a person's sore knee to alert him or her to stop running and rest?

- peripheral - somatic

The corpus callosum connects the *two halves* of the cerebral cortex with each other. Studying patients who have had the corpus callosum severed—for instance, to treat *epilepsy*—has helped researchers understand the hemispheres' different functions: The *left* hemisphere normally handles most tasks related to language and reasoning, while the *right* hemisphere normally handles most tasks related to emotion and spatial cognition.

...

The spinal cord is composed of two types of tissue. In *gray* matter, neural axons *do not* have myelin sheaths and only communicate with other neurons nearby. In *white* matter, axons *do* have myelin sheaths and transmit signals over long distances. At the base of the skull, the spinal cord ends in a set of structures called the *hindbrain*, which includes the *medulla*, the pons, and the cerebellum.

...

Twin studies document similarities and differences between twins. When two *identical* twins raised under very *different* circumstances display similar personality traits, that suggests a strong *genetic* influence on personality. Critics of twin studies suggest that some documented similarities between twins are *coincidental*

...

Jason is in middle school and is well below normal height for his age. *Which hormone might be in short supply in Jason's body?*

GH

A drug that enhances the effects of a neurotransmitter is called what?

agonist

conducts electrical impulse

axon

integrates and stores information

cell body

What brain structure enables this water polo player to *coordinate* his swimming and throwing motions, while with another part of his brain he plans his next move?

cerebellum