Deck 3: Biological Psychology

Question 1

A physiological explanation describes the mechanisms that produce a behavior.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A postsynaptic neuron will likely produce an action potential if it receives more excitation than inhibition at any given moment.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

When the axon is not stimulated,its membrane has a resting potential.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Each neurotransmitter regulates one,and only one,important type of behavior.

Question 5

Mirror neurons are active when you make a movement,and also when you watch someone else make a similar movement.

Question 6

Glia support the neurons in many ways such as by insulating them,synchronizing activity among neighboring neurons,and removing waste products.

Question 7

Damage to the prefrontal cortex is likely to produce poor performance on a delayed-response task,which indicates a difficulty in remembering what has just happened.

Question 8

The central nervous system consists of the brain and the spinal cord.

Question 9

Action potentials are sent according to the all-or-none law.

Question 10

The basic function of the axon is to receive information from other neurons.

Question 11

Exactly five chemicals are used as neurotransmitters in the human brain.

Question 12

The occipital lobe is specialized for hearing.

Question 13

Parkinson's disease is thought to be caused by a deficiency in the activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Question 14

Narcotics are drugs that produce drowsiness,insensitivity to pain,and decreased responsiveness.

Question 15

The action potential remains equally strong along the entire length of the axon,no matter how long the axon is.

Question 16

Neurons are able to communicate with each other by "skipping" action potentials across the synapse.

Question 17

Hormones and neurotransmitters are similar in that each is carried through the body by our blood.

Question 18

The outer covering of the forebrain is known as the cerebral cortex.

Question 19

Stimulants are drugs that increase energy,alertness,and activity.

Question 20

People with Parkinson's disease have trouble in inhibiting emotional outbursts.

Question 21

The three parts of a neuron are the cell body,the ____________________,and the ____________________.
dendrites,axon or
axon,dendrites

Question 22

The order of how information is processed in a neuron goes from ____________________ to ____________________ to ____________________.
dendrite,cell body,axon

Question 23

The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)technique can indicate which brain areas are the most active while the person performs some mental activity.

Question 24

Neurotransmitter molecules are stored in packets within the cell called ____________________.
synaptic vesicles

Question 25

An action potential takes place by the movement of ____________________ ions across the membrane.
sodium

Question 26

Brain volume tends to get smaller in old age.

Question 27

Parkinson's disease can be helped by taking pills that contain ____________________.
L-DOPA

Question 28

In a typical neuron,during the resting potential the inside of the axon has an electrical charge of around ____________________.
-70 mV

Question 29

____________________ is caused by a deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain.
Parkinson's disease

Question 30

Research on the cerebral cortex has failed to find any one "master area" or "central processor" that pulls together all the current activity of the brain.

Question 31

A ____________________ is a junction where one neuron communicates with another.
synapse

Question 32

LSD produces hallucinogenic experiences by attaching mainly to brain receptors sensitive to the neurotransmitter ____________________.
serotonin

Question 33

____________________ support the neurons in many ways such as by insulating them,synchronizing activity among neighboring neurons,and removing waste products.
Glia

Question 34

At the synaptic level,the effects of alcohol are most similar to those of ____________________.
tranquilizers

Question 35

Nearly all medical and recreational drugs that modify people's experiences exert their effects at ____________________.
synapses

Question 36

Nicotine is classified as a ____________________.
stimulant

Question 37

The resting potential of an axon is due to different distributions inside and outside the cell of ____________________ and ____________________.
sodium,potassium or
potassium,sodium

Question 38

Brain researchers now believe that humans grow new neurons just as routinely as new skin cells or blood cells.

Question 39

During the resting potential,an axon's interior has a ____________________ charge relative to the outside of the cell.
negative

Question 40

The peripheral nervous system is made up of the ____________________ nervous system,which controls muscles,and the ____________________ nervous system,which controls the organs.
somatic,autonomic

Question 41

Where would you expect to find myelin?

A)in skin cells near the surface of the skin
B)in the nucleus of a neuron
C)in the nucleus of a glia
D)covering an axon

Question 42

Janet suffers from severe epileptic seizures that are untreatable with medicine.Her doctor decides to perform a callostomy (severing of the corpus callosum).Following surgery,her neuropsychologist conducts some tests to assess the effects of the surgery.During a divided visual field study,Janet is flashed words to both of her visual fields and asked to read the words.When some of the images are flashed,Janet experiences difficulty stating the word that was flashed.Explain which visual field presentation likely causes Janet the most difficulty when asked to state the word that was flashed and why.

Question 43

A/An __________ explanation would attempt to understand migration by examining mechanisms that produce migratory behavior whereas a/an __________ explanation would attempt to explain migratory behavior by understanding how that behavior has survived in the species over time.

A)physiological;ecological
B)ecological;evolutionary
C)mechanistic;ecological
D)physiological;evolutionary

Question 44

A glial cell is

A)a cell of the nervous system that conveys information to other cells.
B)a cell of the nervous system that does not convey information to other cells.
C)a part of a cell of the nervous system.
D)a cluster of cells in the nervous system.

Question 45

Otto Loewi conducted an experiment in which he answered a key question about the nature of signaling across the synapse.Briefly describe the hypothesis,method,results,and interpretation of Loewi's study.

Question 46

The structure of a neuron,in terms of the shape of its axon and dendrites,

A)remains constant throughout life.
B)is flexible during infancy,and then becomes constant.
C)is flexible until puberty,and then becomes constant.
D)is flexible throughout life.

Question 47

The nervous system is made up of two types of cells called __________ and __________.

A)cell bodies...axons
B)dendrites...glia
C)neurons...cell bodies
D)glia...neurons

Question 48

Cells in the nervous system that support neurons by insulating them and removing waste products are called

A)glia cells.
B)mitochondria.
C)support cells.
D)cell bodies.

Question 49

Stimulants,depressants and narcotics are types of drugs that have varied effects on an individual.Briefly describe the effects associated with each class of drugs and give a specific example of a drug in each class (e.g.opiates).

Question 50

The ____________________ is the set of fibers that connect the left hemisphere of the brain to the right hemisphere.
corpus callosum

Question 51

Damage to the____________________ tends to cause an impairment in planning and organizing movements.
prefrontal cortex

Question 52

The numerous short,widely branching fibers of a neuron that receive input from other neurons are known as

A)dendrites.
B)somas.
C)axons.
D)glia.

Question 53

A neuron is

A)a cell of the nervous system that conveys information to other cells.
B)a cell of the nervous system that does not convey information to other cells.
C)a part of a cell of the nervous system.
D)a cluster of cells in the nervous system.

Question 54

The three parts of a neuron are the cell body,the __________,and the __________.

A)glia...dendrites
B)action potential...membrane
C)glia...axon
D)dendrites...axon

Question 55

If a researcher wants to measure the electrical activity of the brain on a millisecond-by-millisecond basis,the best available technique would be ____________________.
electroencephalograph or
EEG

Question 56

The single,long,straight fiber that extends from the cell body of a neuron and conducts impulses toward another neuron is called the

A)soma.
B)synapse.
C)axon.
D)dendrite.

Question 57

Neurons are cells in the nervous system that function to process information.Each neuron consists of three parts.Name and describe each of the three parts.

Question 58

Alex has been in a bicycling accident and has suffered a concussion.He is presenting to his doctor with a variety of symptoms.Please describe at least one symptom that you might expect to see if damage occurred to the following locations;prefrontal cortex,temporal lobe,and parietal lobe.

Question 59

Comparing neurons and glia,we find that __________ carry information to other cells;__________ are more numerous.

A)glia...neurons
B)neurons...glia
C)both...neurons
D)both...glia

Question 60

A single nerve cell,which sends and receives information,is called a

A)neuron.
B)glia.
C)myelin.
D)medulla.

Question 61

During the action potential,just after __________ ions enter the axon,__________ ions leave,restoring the original charge.

A)sodium...potassium
B)potassium...hydrogen
C)sodium...other sodium
D)potassium...other potassium

Question 62

What purpose does the myelin covering an axon serve?

A)It prevents action potentials from occurring.
B)It speeds up transmission along the axon.
C)It prevents resting potentials from occurring.
D)It helps neurons to divide and reproduce.

Question 63

In comparison to other cells of the body,neurons are highly distinctive because of their

A)lack of metabolic activity.
B)higher temperature.
C)ability to synthesize vitamins.
D)varied shapes.

Question 64

The information transmitted from an axon to another neuron can be either

A)electrical or mechanical.
B)excitatory or inhibitory.
C)hot or cold.
D)light or dark.

Question 65

It is now known that neurons

A)have a fixed anatomy that never changes.
B)constantly grow new branches and lose old branches.
C)show continued growth only in non-human animals.
D)are only formed before birth or shortly after.

Question 66

The dendrites of a neuron

A)receive information from other neurons.
B)conduct information toward muscles or other neurons.
C)contain the chromosomes.
D)are the main site for synthesizing new proteins.

Question 67

The normal state of an axon (when no impulse is present)is called the

A)action potential.
B)resting potential.
C)reticular formation.
D)neutral state.

Question 68

The __________ is a single,long,thin,straight fiber with branches near its tip.Some are covered with __________,an insulating sheath that speeds up the transmission of impulses along an axon.

A)myelin;axon
B)axon;dendrite
C)axon;myelin
D)dendrite;myelin

Question 69

A single neuron can have many

A)dendrites.
B)cell bodies.
C)cones.
D)axons.

Question 70

The strength of an action potential

A)decreases as the action potential travels down an axon.
B)remains constant as the action potential travels down an axon.
C)increases as the action potential travels down an axon.
D)decreases if the action potential is moving away from the cell body,but increases if it is moving toward the cell body.

Question 71

The advantage of an action potential over electrical conduction is that the action potential

A)is faster.
B)does not require sodium ions.
C)does not diminish in strength.
D)does not involve a change in electrical polarization.

Question 72

An action potential takes place by the movement of __________ ions across the membrane.

A)calcium
B)hydrogen
C)oxygen
D)sodium

Question 73

The part of a neuron that receives messages from other cells is called the __________.The part that sends messages to other cells is the __________.

A)mitochondrion...endoplasmic reticulum
B)glia...soma
C)dendrites...axon
D)neurotransmitter...membrane

Question 74

When an axon is at rest,positively charged sodium ions are

A)more concentrated inside the axon than outside.
B)equally concentrated inside and outside the axon.
C)more concentrated outside the axon than inside.
D)trapped inside small channels in the axon's membrane.

Question 75

In a typical neuron,during the resting potential the inside of the axon has an electrical charge of around

A)+100 mV.
B)+50 mV.
C)0 mV.
D)-70 mV.

Question 76

As an action potential travels along an axon from the skin to the brain,

A)the strength of the action potential remains constant.
B)the strength of the action potential gradually weakens.
C)the strength of the action potential gradually increases.
D)the strength of the action potential gradually decreases.

Question 77

Action potentials follow the all-or-none law,which means

A)an action potential is either sent or not sent.
B)action potentials are either sent forward or backward.
C)action potentials either travel the axon or the dendrite.
D)the neuron either releases neurotransmitters or hormones.

Question 78

The all-or-none law applies to

A)nervous system arousal.
B)the release of neurotransmitters.
C)whether a person has neurons or glia.
D)the sending of an action potential.

Question 79

During the resting potential,an axon's interior has

A)a positive charge relative to the outside of the cell.
B)a negative charge relative to the outside of the cell.
C)no electrical charge.
D)a positive charge for cells in the central nervous system,and a negative charge for cells in the peripheral nervous system.

Question 80

The resting potential of an axon is due to different distributions inside and outside the cell of

A)glia.
B)myelin.
C)acetylcholine and epinephrine.
D)sodium and potassium.