Deck 2: The Role of Biology in Psychology

Question 1

The central nervous system is made up of the

A) somatic and peripheral nervous systems.
B) brain and spinal cord.
C) somatic nervous system and the brain.
D) peripheral nervous system and the spinal cord.

Answer 1

brain and spinal cord.

Question 2

During the reception phase of neural communication, the ________ will accept signals from presynaptic neurons.

A) cell body
B) axons
C) myelin sheath
D) dendrites

Answer 2

dendrites

Question 3

During the integration phase of neural communication, the presence of inhibitory signals will ________ firing an action potential.

A) increase the likelihood
B) decrease the likelihood
C) not affect the
D) block the neuron from

Answer 3

decrease the likelihood

Question 4

Which of the following best summarizes the main function(s) of your nervous system?

A) It allows the right side of your brain to communicate with the left side of your brain.
B) It regulates the oxygen in your blood, protects you from pain, and helps your body eliminate waste.
C) It allows you to receive sensory information, process that information, and then respond to it.
D) It produces vital bodily fluids such as bile and regulates the body's secretion of these fluids.

Question 5

Your nervous system allows you to do all of the following EXCEPT

A) receive sensory input.
B) perceive and remember information.
C) make behavioral responses.
D) alter genetic codes.

Question 6

The basic building blocks of the nervous system are the

A) neurons.
B) neurotransmitters.
C) dendrites.
D) axons.

Question 7

Chemical substances that carry messages from one neuron to the next are called

A) agonists.
B) neurotransmitters.
C) hormones.
D) antagonists.

Question 8

Graham went out for a walk on a cool, fall evening. He forgot to bring a sweater and started feeling cold. The ________ nervous system received the sensory information that the temperature outside was too cold.

A) central
B) peripheral
C) sympathetic
D) autonomic

Question 9

In reuptake, neurotransmitters are reabsorbed into the presynaptic neuron, which

A) allows sodium ions to enter the neuron and potassium ions to leave the neuron.
B) signals the cell body to produce an inhibitory signal.
C) creates an electrical charge that triggers an action potential.
D) removes the neurotransmitter from the synapse and stops further stimulation of receptors.

Question 10

The brain and the spinal cord make up the ________ nervous system.

A) central
B) peripheral
C) somatic
D) autonomic

Question 11

In the nervous system, the cells that receive, integrate, and transmit information are the

A) axons.
B) neurons.
C) dendrites.
D) neurotransmitters.

Question 12

The human body's nervous system is built from billions of nerve cells, which are called

A) neurotransmitters.
B) neurons.
C) axons.
D) cell bodies.

Question 13

When inactive, the electrical charge inside a neuron is slightly more negative than the electrical charge outside the neuron. This difference in the electrical charge inside and outside the neuron is the

A) action potential.
B) resting state.
C) inhibitory signal.
D) excitatory signal.

Question 14

The spinal cord is part of the ________ nervous system.

A) parasympathetic
B) peripheral
C) somatic
D) central

Question 15

When a neuron is stimulated enough, it

A) fires an action potential.
B) becomes an agonist.
C) achieves a resting state.
D) becomes an antagonist.

Question 16

The part of the neuron that collects information from other neurons and integrates it is the

A) axon.
B) synapse.
C) cell body.
D) terminal button.

Question 17

The dendrites are the part of the ________, where signals from neighboring neurons are received.

A) terminal buttons
B) axon
C) cell body
D) synapse

Question 18

After an action potential is fired, the neuron returns to its resting state with the help of

A) neurotransmitters.
B) the synapse.
C) reuptake.
D) the sodium potassium pump.

Question 19

The site where communication occurs between neurons through the release of chemicals is called the

A) axon.
B) synapse.
C) cell body.
D) dendrite.

Question 20

In the nervous system, each neuron communicates with

A) one or two other neurons.
B) a random subset of the other neurons in the nervous system.
C) many other neurons in an organized network.
D) all of the other neurons in the nervous system.

Question 21

The parts of the neuron that act like mailboxes because they receive information from other neurons are called the

A) terminal buttons.
B) axons.
C) dendrites.
D) myelin sheaths.

Question 22

One part of the neuron covers and protects it much like insulation protects water pipes so that they do not freeze in winter. In a neuron this protective covering is called

A) the terminal button.
B) the axon.
C) a dendrite.
D) the myelin sheath.

Question 23

Drugs that increase the effects of the neurotransmitter GABA

A) reduce the symptoms of depression.
B) improve motor control.
C) are used to treat anxiety.
D) may cause seizures.

Question 24

Mandy is extremely depressed and is prescribed a drug to alleviate her depression. The drug would likely affect the neurotransmitter

A) dopamine.
B) epinephrine.
C) serotonin.
D) acetylcholine.

Question 25

Because nicotine increases how the neurotransmitter acetylcholine functions, it is an

A) inhibitory neurotransmitter.
B) excitatory neurotransmitter.
C) antagonist.
D) agonist.

Question 26

If a new drug blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from connecting to the receptor sites, then the drug

A) is an agonist.
B) is an antagonist.
C) creates an inhibitory signal.
D) creates an excitatory signal.

Question 27

During the integration phase of neural communication, the type of signal that increases the likelihood that a neuron will fire an action potential is called a(n) ________ signal.

A) excitatory
B) sensory
C) inhibitory
D) enzyme degradation

Question 28

While he was heading home from work one day, Ibrahim was pulled over by a police officer. During the interaction, he was extremely stressed, causing his pulse to accelerate and his pulse and blood pressure to increase. Which neurotransmitter caused these physiological changes?

A) serotonin
B) acetylcholine
C) norepinephrine
D) endorphins

Question 29

Benita is playing a very exciting video game and she finds that she wants to keep playing it more and more. Benita's desire is most likely activating the neurons in her brain that produce more of the neurotransmitter

A) acetylcholine.
B) epinephrine.
C) serotonin.
D) dopamine.

Question 30

Marco has great difficulty walking due to uncontrollable tremors and shakiness. His doctor told him that this was due to a decreasing amount of a neurotransmitter in his brain. Which of the following neurotransmitters would be likely to cause this difficulty?

A) epinephrine
B) norepinephrine
C) glutamate
D) dopamine

Question 31

In the nervous system, the job of the axons is to ________ other neurons.

A) transmit action potentials to
B) integrate information from
C) detect information from
D) release neurotransmitters to

Question 32

A myelin sheath is a fatty layer that protects the axon, so it is most like the

A) remote control for a TV.
B) insulation around a wire.
C) layers of a cake.
D) thermostat of a heater.

Question 33

A neurotransmitter that is important in muscle contraction is

A) epinephrine.
B) norepinephrine.
C) acetylcholine.
D) serotonin.

Question 34

When Lillian gave birth to her first son, she went through a long and painful labor process. Her body helped her cope with the pain of the contractions by releasing

A) norepinephrine.
B) serotonin.
C) dopamine.
D) endorphins.

Question 35

The action of neurotransmitters is ________ by agonists and is ________ by antagonists.

A) increased; decreased
B) decreased; increased
C) increased; not affected
D) not affected; decreased

Question 36

Lionel has Parkinson's disease and has difficulty starting motor movements because the neurons involved with dopamine activity are

A) dying off and decreasing activity.
B) producing too much dopamine.
C) no longer producing dopamine.
D) rapidly multiplying.

Question 37

You are running a 5K race and suddenly you experience an adrenaline rush. Your body releasing the neurotransmitter ________ causes this burst of energy.

A) acetylcholine
B) epinephrine
C) glutamate
D) dopamine

Question 38

Juan is trying to find the exact code he needs to advance to the next level of his video game. He says to his friend, "Hey! Finding this code to open the next level to the game is a lot like

A) the firing of an action potential."
B) how the unique structure of a neurotransmitter must fit a certain receptor site."
C) how a neuron reaches a resting state."
D) the activity log that the nervous system maintains."

Question 39

Neurons are able to communicate when

A) terminal buttons plug into receptor sites on adjacent dendrites.
B) neurotransmitters cross the synapse and bind with receptors on the postsynaptic dendrite.
C) electric signals connect across the synapse to the adjacent neuron.
D) chemical elements released into the synapse are converted to neurotransmitters that bind with receptors.

Question 40

Roberto's grandmother has Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, you would expect to see too ________ of the neurotransmitter ________ in her brain.

A) much; acetylcholine
B) little; acetylcholine
C) much; dopamine
D) little; dopamine

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT a modern method for accurately measuring brain activity?

A) phrenology
B) transcranial magnetic stimulation
C) functional magnetic resonance imaging
D) an electroencephalograph

Question 42

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is the main brain imaging method used in psychological research today. The main goal of fMRI is to

A) determine whether specific regions of the brain are working effectively.
B) record the electrical activity created by the neurons firing in the brain.
C) determine if neurotransmitters are binding to the receptors in the postsynaptic neurons.
D) measure the blood's oxygen level in the brain.

Question 43

Doctors finally understood why a child had difficulty sleeping. They discovered that she had a large tumor located in the part of her hindbrain called the

A) thalamus.
B) hypothalamus.
C) hippocampus.
D) pons.

Question 44

The area of the brain that allows one to initiate voluntary motor activity is the

A) hindbrain.
B) midbrain.
C) occipital lobe.
D) temporal lobe.

Question 45

The spinal cord is composed of two distinct types of tissue. One type of tissue is composed of the cell bodies of neurons, which do not have myelin on their axons. This tissue in the spinal cord is called

A) substantia nigra.
B) gray matter.
C) nucleus accumbens.
D) white matter.

Question 46

Which of the following brain structures plays an important role in how we respond to fearful things?

A) hypothalamus
B) hippocampus
C) amygdala
D) thalamus

Question 47

According to Maguire and colleagues' study on the brain structures of London taxi drivers, which part of a taxi driver's brain is more likely to be larger than normal?

A) frontal lobe
B) hippocampus
C) cerebellum
D) thalamus

Question 48

Damage to the ________ might cause problems with coordination and balance.

A) hippocampus
B) cerebellum
C) amygdala
D) temporal lobe

Question 49

Chung started having trouble with his vision several months after experiencing a concussion. Chung's doctor found nothing wrong with his eyes, so he wanted to explore blood flow to the parts of the brain that process visual information. What modern brain imaging method must the doctor use to achieve this goal?

A) an electroencephalograph (EEG)
B) a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
C) a psychograph
D) a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

Question 50

Lisa has problems sleeping, so she goes to a sleep clinic. At the clinic the researchers measure her brain's electrical activity as she sleeps by using the technique of

A) electroencephalographs (EEGs).
B) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
C) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
D) phrenology.

Question 51

The hypothalamus is a brain structure that is important in

A) regulating bodily functions.
B) regulating emotions.
C) synthesizing incoming information.
D) thinking.

Question 52

Basic survival functions such as heart rate are controlled by the hindbrain structure called the

A) thalamus.
B) cerebellum.
C) hippocampus.
D) medulla.

Question 53

Teresa was out shopping when she suddenly started convulsing. While in the emergency room, her fried Eva explained to the doctor what she had witnessed, so the doctor ordered an electroencephalograph (EEG) to assess if Teresa may have experienced an epileptic seizure, given this test is used to study the ________ in the brain.

A) electrical activity
B) overall functioning
C) blood flow
D) oxygenation

Question 54

Which of the following is the measure of brain activity that temporarily "turns off" parts of the brain to explore which brain regions are necessary for specific psychological functions?

A) phrenology
B) transcranial magnetic stimulation
C) functional magnetic resonance imaging
D) electroencephalograph

Question 55

Yves has been drinking. He has difficulty walking a straight line when asked to do so by a police officer. Apparently, Yves's ________ has been affected by the alcohol.

A) cerebellum
B) thalamus
C) amygdala
D) hippocampus

Question 56

Which of the following is NOT a subcortical structure in the forebrain?

A) substantia nigra
B) amygdala
C) hypothalamus
D) hippocampus

Question 57

Lucy is pregnant and every time she smells cheese she gags and has to fight the urge to throw up. Lucy's response is most strongly related to activity in the

A) pons.
B) cerebellum.
C) medulla.
D) hypothalamus.

Question 58

One's motivations and emotions are controlled by the

A) hindbrain.
B) cerebellum.
C) forebrain.
D) parietal lobe.

Question 59

The brain structure that is associated with the formation of memories is the

A) thalamus.
B) cerebellum.
C) hippocampus.
D) hypothalamus.

Question 60

Which specialized area of the brain is crucial to the production of speech?

A) Broca's area
B) the amygdala
C) the cerebellum
D) the thalamus

Question 61

Mrs. Fine is highly interested in learning about the emotions of her fourth graders. Which of the following journal articles would be a good fit for her interests?

A) "The Tricky Thalamus"
B) "Your Hyped Hypothalamus"
C) "Your Cryptic Cerebellum"
D) "The Amazing Amygdala"

Question 62

The somatic nervous system processes information between the central nervous system and one's

A) glands.
B) internal organs.
C) skin, muscles, and joints.
D) eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

Question 63

Jonas has experienced a relatively severe right hemisphere stroke. As a result, he has been diagnosed with hemineglect, meaning he is unable to notice any touch on the left side of his body. The location of the stroke is most likely within the ________ lobes.

A) frontal
B) parietal
C) temporal
D) occipital

Question 64

Miranda is working in a laboratory and comes across a rat that is grossly overweight and seems unable to stop eating. The researcher tells Miranda that the rat has a brain lesion. Which part of the forebrain most likely has the lesion?

A) amygdala
B) hypothalamus
C) substantia nigra
D) pons

Question 65

A post office receives lots of incoming mail, organizes it, and then sends it out to various locations. Which part of the brain is a lot like a post office?

A) substantia nigra
B) amygdala
C) thalamus
D) cerebellum

Question 66

The part of the brain that is responsible for the sense of touch and for picturing the layout of spaces in the environment is the ________ lobes.

A) frontal
B) parietal
C) temporal
D) occipital

Question 67

Brad has experienced a relatively severe left hemisphere stroke. As a result, he is unable to move his right arm and has a great deal of difficulty with planning and attention. The stroke most likely caused damage to the ________ lobes.

A) frontal
B) parietal
C) temporal
D) occipital

Question 68

Visual information is primarily processed in the ________ lobes of the cerebral cortex.

A) occipital
B) parietal
C) temporal
D) frontal

Question 69

Mario is highly afraid of spiders. Which part of the brain would be activated if he were to enter a room that had a lot of spiders?

A) hypothalamus
B) hippocampus
C) amygdala
D) thalamus

Question 70

The somatic nervous system allows

A) hormones to secrete.
B) movement of the muscles and joints.
C) signals to be transmitted to the body's glands.
D) the body to return to a calm, resting state.

Question 71

Samantha recently became blind and is learning to use her fingers to read in braille. The part of her brain that will be activated by touching the bumps on the page as she reads the braille is the ________ lobes.

A) frontal
B) parietal
C) temporal
D) occipital

Question 72

Sumeeta recently fell down the stairs, injuring her right arm. As a result, her thumb, index, and middle fingers began to numb. The part of the nervous system that may be responsible for this numbness is the ________ nervous system.

A) central
B) somatic
C) autonomic
D) parasympathetic

Question 73

Drs. Gazzaniga and Sperry conducted a series of studies testing the abilities of epilepsy patients who had undergone a split-brain procedure, where the left hemisphere was disconnected from the right. How were the brains of epilepsy patients modified during the split-brain procedure?

A) Their corpus callosums had been severed.
B) Their left hemispheres had been partially removed.
C) Their parietal lobes had been partially removed.
D) Their somatosensory cortexes had been intentionally damaged.

Question 74

The thalamus receives nearly all sensory information before relaying it to the cortex. What is the one sensation that is the exception to this rule?

A) smell
B) vision
C) hearing
D) taste

Question 75

The somatic nervous system is NOT responsible for processing information about

A) feeling sad after learning you did poorly on a test.
B) the tingling sensations from your arm when it falls asleep.
C) sensing where your foot is on the stairs as you climb them.
D) feeling a mosquito when it lands on your neck.

Question 76

Information travels from our sensory receptors to the ________ in the brain, which relays it to the cortex.

A) hippocampus
B) hypothalamus
C) thalamus
D) cerebellum

Question 77

The brain structure that connects the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex is called the

A) split-brain.
B) somatosensory cortex.
C) temporal lobe.
D) corpus callosum.

Question 78

Dolores has severe epilepsy and must undergo a procedure to disconnect the left hemisphere of her brain from the right to prevent the epilepsy from spreading. During this procedure, doctors will surgically cut the fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the brain, which are called the

A) parietal lobe.
B) frontal lobe.
C) corpus callosum.
D) somatosensory cortex.

Question 79

A child gets a severe blow to the head from an accident. Although her eyes are still fully functional, she can no longer see. Based on this information, her doctor determines that the brain area most likely damaged in the accident is the ________ lobes.

A) frontal
B) parietal
C) temporal
D) occipital

Question 80

Auditory information is processed in the ________ lobes of the cerebral cortex.

A) occipital
B) parietal
C) temporal
D) frontal