Psychology Midterm

Which of the following is the best definition of the limbic system?

A set of brain structures that play important roles in regulating emotion and memory

Which is the condition of being prevented from obtaining desired or needed amounts of sleep?

Sleep deprivation

Which theory proposes that dreams are how brains process the random electrical discharges of REM sleep?

Activation-synthesis hypothesis

What is the most definitive characteristic of a psychoactive drug?

Any substance that can alter a person's state of consciousness

Which of the following forms of drug abuse is popular among college students but still quite dangerous in its ability to inhibit brain development in young adults?

Binge drinking

Which of the following best describes the function of the autonomic nervous system?

Carries information to and from internal organs and glands

How are children, and the ways in which they think, characterized within the context of Piaget's theory of cognitive development?

Children tend to base their understanding on particular objects that they can see.

The left and right sides of the cerebral cortex are connected by what structure?

Corpus callosum

Which one of the following is the most accurate representation of the dynamic relationship of a mother and her child?

Difficult children may elicit more negative parenting.

Which of the following refers to a network of glands that release hormones into the bloodstream?

Endocrine system

Which of the following is a psycho-social dilemma faced by people in young adulthood (20-34 years) according to Erikson?

Intimacy vs. isolation

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the characteristics of non-rapid eye movement sleep?

It is deepest early in the night during the first four stages of sleep.

Joe found a wallet on the ground in a department store parking lot. He turned the wallet in only after noticing a fellow shopper had seen him pick it up. Which statement best describes what happened?

Joe exhibited ethical behavior to preserve his self-image of him being an ethical person.

What is the name of the drug that can produce hallucinations, mystical-type experiences, and psychotic-like disturbances in thinking and perception?

LSD

Which of the following are the most definitive examples of the effects of meditation?

Meditation can give you energy and improve digestion.

Why does cocaine withdrawal cause depression?

Prolonged use of cocaine causes a chemical imbalance in the brain that leads to anhedonia, which is the inability to feel pleasure.

What is the effect that explains why alcoholics have horrible nightmares after they quit drinking?

REM rebound

Which of these theories proposes that the reduction of the body's metabolism and brain activity during sleep may help improve the body's function and energy levels during waking hours?

Repair theory of sleep

What refers to the electrical charge of an inactive neuron?

Resting potential

The teacher has made suggestions to the students to help them with their homework but has not given them the answer. Which type of guidance does this best illustrate?

Scaffolding

Research has shown that somnambulism occurs during non-REM stages 3 and 4. Which of the following best describes what is occurring during this disorder?

Sleep walking and talking without memory for the behavior

Which of the following is a network linking the spinal cord with the body and sense organs?

Somatic nervous system (SNS)

What kind of nerves carry sensory and motor messages in and out of the column that transmits information between the brain and the peripheral nervous system?

Spinal nerves

Which of the following are the psychoactive chemicals in cannabis?

THC and CBD

How is consciousness defined in the field of psychology?

The awareness of one's internal thoughts and external surroundings

According to Baumrind, which one of the following is a characteristic of the parenting style of authoritarian parents?

The parents tend to discipline their children through power assertion.

Which of the following is a clear definition of meditation?

The practice of training one's mind to alter its state of consciousness

What is the state of awareness of external events in the environment and mental processes, including one's thoughts, memories, and feelings about his or her experiences and the self?

Waking consciousness

Meth is a more potent variation of _______.

amphetamine

Amphetamines can have a severe impact on a user's consciousness, and its prolonged use can even damage the brain to the point where the user suffers paranoid delusions, becomes violent, or becomes even suicidal. This condition is called ________.

amphetamine psychosis

In which exercise does one attend to a single focal point, such as an object, a thought, or one's breathing?

concentrative meditation

The study of how and why human beings experience transformations in behavior that occur during every stage of life from conception to death is known as

developmental psychology

Which of the following terms refers to progressive decrease in a person's responsiveness to a drug?

drug tolerance

Which of the following is Piaget's fourth stage of cognitive development, characterized by the ability to engage in thinking that includes abstract, theoretical, and hypothetical ideas?

formal operation stage

Which of the following brain areas is responsible for movement, sense of self, and higher mental functions?

frontal lobes

Which of the following is a treatment approach to drug addiction that seeks to reduce the negative consequences of addiction without necessarily requiring drug abstinence?

harm reduction strategy

During sleep, what is the term used to describe a brief shift in the pattern of brain waves?

microsleep

According to Kohlberg, in the conventional moral reasoning level:

moral thinking is based on a desire to please others or to follow accepted authority, rules, and values.

The capacity of the brain to generate new brain cells

neurogenesis

The capacity of the brain to change in response to experience

neuroplasticity

A chemical that moves information from one neuron to the next through the synaptic gap

neurotransmitter

Withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous and present in violent flu-like symptoms, like vomiting, sweating, and cramps, which highlight the impact that the particular drug had on the user's body and the user's _________.

physical dependence

When practicing meditation, the body undergoes certain physiological changes that the researcher Herbert Benson calls the __________.

relaxation response

When infants have a stable and positive emotional bond and are upset by the mother's (or caregiver's) absence and seek to be near her when she returns, they are said to develop

secure attachment

Which of the following is the prefrontal cortex responsible for?

sense of self, executive functions, and planning

Which one of the following sleep disorders is characterized by short silences during sleep followed by loud gasps of breath or snorts?

sleep apnea

A neuron is a cell in the nervous system that is made up of by several parts. Which of the following DOES NOT make up part of a neuron?

synapses

Which of the following refers to the chemical process that carries information from one neuron to another?

synaptic transmission

Which of the following refers to the general pattern of attention, arousal, and mood that is evident from birth?

temperament

Which of the following is a Freudian belief that many dreams express unconscious desires?

wish fulfillment