psych ap classroom questions

Metabolic activity in different areas of the brain can best be visualized by means of

positron emission tomography (PET)

A common psychological effect of alcohol intake is

reduced inhibition

The process by which neurotransmitters are reabsorbed into the neuron after it fires is called

reuptake

The division of the nervous system that most directly allows voluntary muscle movement is the

somatic

The network of structures involved in emotion, motivation, and memory is the

limbic system

The result of the evolutionary process that preserves traits that enhance the adaptation of an organism and suppresses traits that do not is called

natural Selection

Dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine are all

neurotransmitters that excite or inhibit a neural signal across a synapse

Which scenario best exemplifies Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection?

A mutation in a species of lizards that allows them to better blend into their surroundings leads to greater survival and more offspring possessing this mutation in a later generation.

Damage to the cerebellum would most likely result in which of the following problems?

A loss of motor coordination

Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system results in which of the following?

A decrease in heart rate

Hunger and eating are primarily regulated by which of the following?

The hypothalamus

The part of the endocrine system that is responsible for overseeing and regulating the release of hormones across the entire body is the

hypothalamus

The pituitary gland is controlled by the

hypothalamus

The function of dendrites is to

receive information from other neurons

The depletion of which of the following neurotransmitters is most closely associated with the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease?

Acetylcholine

Damage to which of the following brain structures may cause the inability to detect the emotional significance of facial expressions, especially those demonstrating fear?

Amygdala

Which of the following will NOT increase behavioral and mental activity?

Barbiturates

Brain damage that leaves a person capable of understanding speech but with an impaired ability to produce speech most likely indicates injury to which of the following?

Broca's area

Which of the following parts of the brain is most active in decision-making?

Cerebral cortex

A person with damage to Broca's area would most likely demonstrate which of the following symptoms?

Difficulty with speech production

Which of the following neurotransmitters has been linked to Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia?

Dopamine

A person with a severe head injury subsequently acts irresponsibly, does not seem to be able to plan effectively, and is easy to anger. Which of the following brain areas is most likely injured?

Frontal lobe

Which of the following is true about the pons?

It is the region of the brain that is most closely associated with sleep and arousal.

Significant damage to which of the following parts of the brain will most likely cause a person to fall into a deep coma from which the person will be unable to awaken?

Reticular formation

In right-handed individuals, which of the following abilities is predominantly a function of the right hemisphere of the brain?

Spatial reasoning

Joel's pupils become dilated, his digestion is reduced, and his skin becomes cold. Which system is controlling his bodily changes?

Sympathetic

Split-brain research has illustrated which of the following?

The left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for language in most people.

Which of the following biological systems is most likely responsible for an increase in heart rate while experiencing anxiety?

The sympathetic nervous system

A person accidentally touches a hand to a hot stove and quickly pulls the hand away, even before sensory information about the hot stove reaches the brain. The person's reaction is most directly enabled by

a spinal reflex

The fight-or-flight response is most closely associated with the

adrenal glands

A drug that has the effect of intensifying or mimicking a particular neurotransmitter can be characterized as

an agonist, because it intensifies the effects of a particular neurotransmitter

A polygraph machine is often called a "lie detector," although it does not detect lies. Instead, it responds to changes in

autonomic arousal

An individual with damage to Wernicke's area is most likely to have difficulty

comprehending a spoken request for information

A participant in a study of music perception listens to music with electrodes attached to her scalp while data are collected on the activity of her brain. This technique is called

electroencephalography (EEG)

Which of the following regions of the body has the largest area of sensory cortex devoted to it?

face

The primary effect of the myelin sheath is to

increase the velocity of conduction of the action potential along the axon

Immediately after firing, a neuron is incapable of responding to stimulation. This condition is referred to as

the absolute refractory phase

Damage to a small part of the occipital lobe would most likely result in a

visual deficit