psych unit 3 questions

Who are likely to show the greatest similarity in personality?

Ruth and Ramona, identical twins

Which brain area is primarily involved with understanding and producing meaningful speech?

Wernicke's area

Depending on environmental conditions, specific genes can be either

active or inactive.

Which neural center in the limbic system plays a central role in emotions such as aggression and fear?

amygdala

Increasing excitatory signals above the threshold for neural activation will not affect the intensity of an action potential. This indicates that a neuron's reaction is

an all-or-none response.

Someone who has difficulty speaking after a stroke is suffering from which of the following?

aphasia

Research suggests that young men prefer older women, mid-twenties men prefer women their own age, and older men prefer younger women. Based on this finding, evolutionary psychologists suggest that men

are attracted to women with peak fertility.

An evolutionary psychologist would be likely to suggest that human preferences for sweet-tasting foods

are genetically predisposed.

Nerves are neural cables containing many

axons.

Which psychological perspective most directly addresses questions about the relative influences of nature and nurture?

biopsychosocial perspective

Ellen volunteers during her AP psychology class to try to balance a yardstick on her two fingers. While her eyes are open, she finds the task quite easy. However, when she closes her eyes, she finds the same task almost impossible. Which brain region relies on visual information in coordinating our voluntary movements?

cerebellum

A brain lesion refers to ________ of brain tissue.

destruction

Which cognitive neuroscience term reflects the idea that "much of our everyday thinking, feeling, and acting operates outside our conscious awareness"?

dual processing

The ovaries in females and the testes in males are part of the

endocrine system.

José has just played a long, bruising football game but feels little fatigue or discomfort. His lack of pain is most likely caused by the release of

endorphins.

Neurosurgeons have severed the corpus callosum in human patients in order to reduce

epileptic seizures.

To identify which specific brain areas are most active during a particular mental task, researchers would be most likely to make use of a(n)

fMRI.

According to evolutionary psychologists, behaviors that promote reproductive success are likely to be

genetically predisposed.

The chemical messengers of the endocrine system are called

hormones.

The secretions of the pituitary gland are most directly regulated by the

hypothalamus.

The unique personalities of children evoke predictable responses from their caregivers. This best illustrates the ________ of nature and nurture.

interaction

Neural networks refer to

interconnected clusters of neurons in the central nervous system.

Information travels from the spinal cord to the brain via

interneurons

The localization of a function such as speech production to the right or left side of the brain is called

lateralization.

Compared with identical twins, fraternal twins are

less likely to be the same sex and less likely to be similar in extraversion.

Your life would be most immediately threatened if you suffered destruction of the

medulla.

An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements is called the

motor cortex.

A random error in gene replication is known as a

mutation.

The speed at which a neural impulse travels is increased when the axon is encased by a(n)

myelin sheath.

If a genetic predisposition to fear darkness contributes to reproductive success, that trait will likely be passed on to subsequent generations. This best illustrates

natural selection.

Because Marla is the first girl in her fourth-grade class to sexually mature, she is sometimes teased and rejected by her classmates. Marla's sense of social isolation and embarrassment result from the interaction of

nature and nurture.

The strengthening of synaptic connections facilitates the formation of

neural networks

By simply thinking about a move, which activates their brain cells, people may be able to move a robotic arm. This best illustrates

neural prosthetics.

Recent brain research contradicts previously held beliefs, indicating that new neurons are actually formed in the brain. What is this process called?

neurogenesis

Dendrites are branching extensions of

neurons.

The chemical messengers released into the spatial junctions between neurons are called

neurotransmitters.

The somatic nervous system is a component of the ________ nervous system.

peripheral

After Terry lost a finger in an industrial accident, the area of his sensory cortex devoted to receiving input from that finger gradually became very responsive to sensory input from his adjacent fingers. This best illustrates

plasticity.

Evolutionary psychologists are most likely to be criticized for

providing hindsight explanations for human behaviors.

Reuptake refers to the

reabsorption of excess neurotransmitter molecules by a sending neuron.

Prozac, a drug commonly prescribed to treat depression, prevents the sending neuron from taking in excess serotonin. Which process does this drug prevent from taking place?

reuptake

As you are reading this question, the cells in your eyes are firing in response to the light coming from this paper. Which type of neuron is carrying this message to the brain?

sensory

The knee-jerk reflex is controlled by interneurons in the

spinal cord.

Which brain structure relays information from the eyes to the visual cortex?

thalamus

Heritability refers to the extent to which

trait differences among individuals are attributable to genetic variations.

Researchers found that women rated men higher as potential long-term mates when they spent more time looking at baby pictures. This finding suggests that

women prefer men who express interest in caring for joint offspring.