AP Psychology Unit 2 MCQ

Which of the following describes what happens when a neuron sends a signal? A) The neuron goes from being positively charged to briefly being negatively charged, and finally returns to being positively charged again. The magnitude of the negative charge is fixed regardless of the strength of the input signal it receives. B) The neuron goes from being negatively charged to briefly being positively charged, and finally returns to being negatively charged again. The magnitude of the negative charge is fixed regardless of the strength of the input signal it receives. C) The neuron goes from being negatively charged to briefly being positively charged, and finally returns to being negatively charged again. The magnitude of the positive charge varies depending on the strength of the input signal it receives. D) The neuron goes from being positively charged to briefly being negatively charged, and finally returns to being positively charged again. The magnitude of the negative charge varies depending on the strength of the input signal it receives. E) The neuron goes from being negatively charged to being positively charged, and then it remains at that level until it fires again. The magnitude of the positive charge varies depending on the strength of the input signal it receives.

B) The neuron goes from being negatively charged to briefly being positively charged, and finally returns to being negatively charged again. The magnitude of the negative charge is fixed regardless of the strength of the input signal it receives.

A person whose body is not producing enough testosterone is most likely to exhibit A) overly aggressive behavior B) fatigue C) memory loss D) increased hunger E) increased thirst

B) fatigue

Ruth and Debbie are identical twins who were raised by the same family. Vince and Frankie are identical twins who were separated at birth and raised by different families. According to research on the heritability of personality traits, Ruth's and Debbie's personalities are statistically A) more likely to be similar to one another than are Vince's and Frankie's personalities B) likely to be as similar and dissimilar to one another as are Vince's and Frankie's personalities C) more likely to be dissimilar to one another than are Vince's and Frankie's personalities D) less likely to match on the personality dimensions of agreeableness and extraversion than are Vince and Frankie but not on other personality dimensions E) less likely to match on the personality dimensions of openness and neuroticism than are Vince and Frankie but not on other personality dimensions

B) likely to be as similar and dissimilar to one another as are Vince's and Frankie's personalities

Waking up frequently, loud snoring, silent pauses in breathing, and sleepiness during the day are symptoms of A) somnambulism B) sleep apnea C) narcolepsy D) circadian rhythm sleep disorders E) insomnia

B) sleep apnea

A drug that is used to treat seizures functions by preventing inhibitory neurotransmitters from returning to the presynaptic neuron. This slows the rate of neurons firing by increasing the amount of the inhibitory neurotransmitter in the synapse. The drug is most likely to be classified as a A) GABA reuptake inhibitor (GRI) B) selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) C) hallucinogen D) stimulant E) beta blocker

A) GABA reuptake inhibitor (GRI)

The parietal lobe is most involved in A) processing sensory information B) storing information in long-term memory C) coordinating complex motor movements D) regulating emotions E) triggering the fight-or-flight response

A) processing sensory information

Antagonists function by A) mimicking neurotransmitters that bind to neural receptors to cause neural firing B) blocking receptors to prevent other neurotransmitters from binding to the neural receptors C) prompting the production of neurotransmitters D) strengthening the connections between neurons E) raising the threshold at which the neuron will fire

B) blocking receptors to prevent other neurotransmitters from binding to the neural receptors

The hormone most associated with the fight or flight response is A) oxytocin B) epinephrine C) testosterone D) estrogen E) dopamine

B) epinephrine

The fatty casing that helps speed up the neural transmissions of a neuron is called the A) medulla B) myelin sheath C) cerebrum D) soma E) corpus callosum

B) myelin sheath

If a body does not have enough potassium, how might that affect neuronal firing? A) The neurons will fire too easily because there will not be enough negatively charged ions to maintain a negatively charged resting state. B) The neurons will fire too easily because there will not be enough positively charged ions to maintain a positively charged resting state. C) The neurons will struggle to fire because there will not be enough positively charged ions to trigger the firing of the neuron. D) The neurons will struggle to fire because there will not be enough negatively charged ions to trigger the firing of the neuron. E) The neurons will struggle to fire because potassium binds to receptors and inhibits neuronal firing.

C) The neurons will struggle to fire because there will not be enough positively charged ions to trigger the firing of the neuron.

In a study mimicking Roger Sperry's work, Dr. Kornhauser compared the responses of split-brain patients against a control group of neurotypical participants. In his study, participants focused on a dot in the center of a computer screen and objects are presented in either the left or right visual field. After seeing the object, the participants named the object. The results of the experiment are presented below. The figure presents a bar graph with four bars of data. Two categories are listed on the horizontal axis: Split-brain and Control. A key indicates that both categories contain data for the left visual field and right visual field. The vertical axis is labeled, Accuracy, and the numbers 0 through 100, in increments of 10, are indicated. The data represented in the bar graph are as follows. Split Brain, Left Visual Field; Accuracy, 5. Split Brain, Right Visual Field; Accuracy, 90. Control, Left Visual Field; Accuracy, 90. Control, Right Visual Field; Accuracy, 90. What is the most appropriate conclusion Dr. Kornhauser can draw from the results? A) Split-brain patients cannot process objects using the right half of their brain and thus are not able to identify the objects in the right visual field. B) Split-brain patients have a much faster reaction time to objects in the right visual field due to having a more direct connection between the visual cortex and their language center. C) Because the connection between the left visual cortex and language center has been severed, split-brain patients are not able to retrieve the name of objects seen in the right visual field. D) Because the connection between the right visual cortex and language center has been severed, split-brain patients are not able to retrieve the name of objects seen in the left visual field. E) Because accuracy in the control group was low, the objects he used were likely too difficult for the participants.

D) Because the connection between the right visual cortex and language center has been severed, split-brain patients are not able to retrieve the name of objects seen in the left visual field.

Which of the following best describes a major role of the thalamus? A) It regulates body temperature. B) It regulates hunger. C) It regulates the autonomic nervous system. D) It relays most sensory signals to the cortex. E) It relays olfactory signals to the cortex.

D) It relays most sensory signals to the cortex.

The idea that there is a part of the mind that is not directly accessible to awareness but still drives a person's thinking and behavior is most directly attributable to A) William James B) Edward Thorndike C) Margaret Floy Washburn D) Sigmund Freud E) Paul Broca

D) Sigmund Freud

At a synapse, neurotransmitters released by the sending neuron do which of the following? A) They combine with neurotransmitters released by the receiving neuron. B) They combine with neurotransmitters released by other sending neurons. C) They pass through channels into the receiving neuron. D) They bind to receptors at the receiving neuron, which opens ion channels. E) They bind to ions in the synapse, which creates a chemical reaction that causes the receiving neuron to fire.

D) They bind to receptors at the receiving neuron, which opens ion channels.

What effect do agonists have? A) They decrease the likelihood that a person will get a good night's sleep. B) They stimulate the gastric system, leading to increased hunger. C) They decrease the likelihood that a postsynaptic neuron will fire. D) They increase the likelihood that a postsynaptic neuron will fire. E) They lead to a decreased sex drive.

D) They increase the likelihood that a postsynaptic neuron will fire.

Dr. Kovacs is conducting a study of how the brain responds to reading. He records subjects' brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG) while they read sentences. He is looking for the N400 signal, a negative EEG spike that occurs 400 milliseconds after someone processes something semantically surprising. There are two conditions in the study. The two figures below show average EEG activity for the subjects in the two conditions (Condition A on the left; Condition B on the right). The x-axis indicates time in milliseconds; time 0 indicates when the subjects first read the last word in each sentence. The figure presents two line graphs, labeled A and B, each representing the EEG activity for the subjects with two conditions. The horizontal axis indicates the values 400 and 800. The vertical axis indicates the value, 0. A horizontal line extends across the graph at value 0. Negative values appear above the horizontal axis and positive values appear underneath the horizontal axis. In graph A, the EEG result fluctuates slightly above and slightly below the value of 0. In graph B, the EEG result also fluctuates slightly above and slightly below the value of 0, with a spike into the negative range occurring at 400 milliseconds. Which of the following pairs of conditions would produce results such as the ones Dr. Kovacs found? A) Condition A included sentences such as "Strawberries are sweet," and Condition B included sentences such as "Strawberries is sweet." B) Condition A included sentences such as "Strawberries is sweet," and Condition B included sentences such as "Strawberries are sweet." C) Condition A included sentences such as "Strawberries are nervous," and Condition B included sentences such as "Strawberries are sweet." D) Condition A included sentences such as "Strawberries are nervous," and Condition B included sentences such as "Strawberries are furious." E) Condition A included sentences such as "Strawberries are sweet," and Condition B included sentences such as "Strawberries are nervous."

E) Condition A included sentences such as "Strawberries are sweet," and Condition B included sentences such as "Strawberries are nervous."

Michael Gazzaniga is best known for A) showing that cats can learn to escape puzzle boxes B) conditioning Little Albert to be fearful of rats C) studying attachment styles in children D) studying false memories E) studying split-brain patients

E) studying split-brain patients

The medulla oblongata is a part of the A) cerebellum B) prefrontal cortex C) occipital lobe D) brain stem E) corpus callosum

D) brain stem

The psychodynamic theory of dreaming would postulate that A) time spent dreaming helps with problem solving and creativity B) people sleep more after they have engaged in strenuous physical activity C) dreams are the brain's way of making sense of random neural activity D) dreams fulfill unconscious wishes E) lions sleep more than deer

D) dreams fulfill unconscious wishes

Carl Wernicke discovered the region of the brain that is responsible for A) visual perception B) sense of balance C) memory consolidation D) language comprehension E) language production

D) language comprehension

The phenomenon of declining physiological effects of taking a drug after sustained use is referred to as A) endorphin release B) withdrawal C) long-term potentiation D) tolerance E) a relapse

D) tolerance

Johnny often hits his brother even though his brother does not do anything to antagonize him. Johnny's aggression is most likely due to a combination of A) his genetic makeup, the fact that aggression can be evolutionarily adaptive, and a lack of neuroplasticity B) developmental delays, the fact that aggression can be evolutionarily adaptive, and a lack of neuroplasticity C) the environment he grew up in, developmental delays, and the fact that aggression can be evolutionarily adaptive D) his genetic makeup, developmental delays, and a lack of neuroplasticity E) his genetic makeup, the environment he grew up in, and the fact that aggression can be evolutionarily adaptive

E) his genetic makeup, the environment he grew up in, and the fact that aggression can be evolutionarily adaptive

An adult with a healthy sleep cycle is most likely to enter REM sleep A) immediately after falling asleep B) after the dream stage is completed C) after cycling through the NREM sleep stages D) only as necessary to prevent waking E) soon after falling asleep and then remain there for the majority of the night

C) after cycling through the NREM sleep stages

A neuron sends a signal along its A) dendrite B) optic chiasm C) axon D) neurotransmitter E) nucleus

C) axon

Which hormone is released when a person is under stress? A) Progesterone B) Testosterone C) Estrogen D) Oxytocin E) Cortisol

E) Cortisol

Researchers trained monkeys to perform two tasks: an object-matching task and a location task. In the object-matching task, the monkeys are given an object and must choose a matching object from two objects placed in front of them. In the location task, an object is placed near one of two locations, and the monkeys must reach toward the location the object is closest to. Separating the monkeys into two groups, researchers created a lesion in one area of the brains of the monkeys in one group and a lesion in a different area of the brains of the monkeys in the second group. The researchers then tested the monkeys' performance on the two tasks. The figures below show the monkeys' accuracy on the two tasks. The figure presents a bar graph with four bars of data. Two categories are listed on the horizontal axis: Group 1 and Group 2. A key indicates that both categories contain data for object matching and location. The vertical axis is labeled, Accuracy, and the numbers 0 through 1.0, in increments of 0.2, are indicated. The data represented in the bar graph are as follows. Note that all values are approximate. Group 1, Object Matching; Accuracy, 0.95. Group 1, Location; Accuracy, 0.48. Group 2, Object Matching; Accuracy, 0.55. Group 2, Location; Accuracy, 0.90. The lesions were most likely performed in the A) frontal lobe for Group 1 and the occipital lobe for Group 2 B) occipital lobe for Group 1 and the frontal lobe for Group 2 C) temporal lobe for Group 1 and the parietal lobe for Group 2 D) occipital lobe for Group 1 and the parietal lobe for Group 2 E) parietal lobe for Group 1 and the temporal lobe for Group 2

E) parietal lobe for Group 1 and the temporal lobe for Group 2

Madeline has previously been diagnosed with major depressive disorder. She has an identical twin sister, Josephine, and a nonidentical sister, Abigail. Neither of Madeline's sisters have previously been diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Which of the following statements is true of Madeline's sisters? A) Because their sister has been diagnosed, it is highly likely that both sisters will be diagnosed with major depressive disorder at some point in their lives. B) Neither sister is likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder because it is rare for family members to be diagnosed with the same disorder. C) The sisters are equally likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder in response to a stressful or traumatic event. D) Josephine is less likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder than Abigail in response to a stressful or traumatic event. E) Josephine is more likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder than Abigail in response to a stressful or traumatic event.

E) Josephine is more likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder than Abigail in response to a stressful or traumatic event.