Question 1

The ___evaluates the unlearned emotional value information of basic sensory rewards and internal bodily states.It is responsible for emotional control.

Accepted Answer

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex evaluates the unlearned emotional value of sensory rewards and internal states, playing a key role in emotional control.

Question 2

____is associated with high competition, status-seeking, and sexual motivation. It is most strongly related to status-seeking behavior after social status has bene
Questioned or threatened.

Accepted Answer

Testosterone is associated with behaviors related to competition, status-seeking, and sexual motivation. It plays a significant role in how individuals respond to situations where their social status is challenged or threatened, often driving behaviors aimed at regaining or enhancing status.

Question 3

The ___is the brain's information-processing conflict detector.

Accepted Answer

The anterior cingulate cortex is known for its role in detecting and resolving conflicts in information processing within the brain, making it crucial for tasks that require attention, decision-making, and the regulation of emotional responses.

Question 4

The ___stores and processes reward-related value information of environmental objects and events to formulate preferences and to make choices between options.

Accepted Answer

The orbitofrontal cortex is involved in processing reward-related value information and is crucial for decision-making and preference formulation.

Question 5

______act as chemical messengers within the brain's central nervous system; act as chemical messengers within the body's endocrine system.

Accepted Answer

Neurotransmitters act as chemical messengers within the brain's central system, facilitating communication between neurons. Hormones serve as chemical messengers within the endocrine system, regulating various bodily functions through the bloodstream.

Question 6

People with relatively high activity in their right prefrontal lobes ("right-side asymmetry") show a relatively strong sensitivity to:

Accepted Answer

Individuals with higher activity in their right prefrontal lobes tend to be more sensitive to potential signals of punishment and negative emotionality, reflecting a predisposition towards negative affect and emotional responses to perceived threats or negative stimuli.

Question 7

Wanting (needing something) and liking (experiencing pleasure) typically go hand-in-hand and complement one another.But, the two motivational experiences can
Diverge apart from one another, and that is typically what happens during:

Accepted Answer

In addiction, the phenomena of wanting and liking can diverge significantly. Initially, the substance or behavior may provide pleasure (liking) and create a desire for more (wanting). However, over time, the addicted individual may continue to intensely want the substance or behavior without deriving the same level of pleasure from it, illustrating a divergence between wanting and liking.

Question 8

Which of the following statements about the neural interventions between the frontal cortex and the amygdala is most true?

Accepted Answer

The frontal cortex, involved in higher cognitive functions, sends many projections down to the amygdala, which is crucial for emotional processing. This allows for the regulation of emotional responses through cognitive processes. Conversely, the amygdala sends relatively fewer fibers to the frontal cortex.

Question 9

Give an everyday example in which a day-to-day event activates a specific brain
structure, and also a second example in which an activated brain structure generates a specific motivational or emotional state.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Give an everyday example in which a...

Question 10

Provide one concrete example for each of the following principles in brain functioning:
a. Specific brain structures generate specific motivational states.
b. Day-to-day events stir biochemical agents into action.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Provide one concrete example for each of...

Question 11

____is the so-called stress hormone that is typically released from the adrenal gland to prepare the body for a social-evaluative threat, such as public speaking.

Accepted Answer

Cortisol is known as the stress hormone, which is released by the adrenal glands in response to stress and low blood-glucose concentration. It plays a role in various bodily functions, including metabolism and the immune response. It is particularly known for its involvement in the body's "fight or flight" response to stress, including social-evaluative threats like public speaking.

Question 12

People with relatively high activity in their left prefrontal lobes ("left-side asymmetry") show a relatively strong sensitivity to:

Accepted Answer

Individuals with higher activity in their left prefrontal lobes tend to have a stronger sensitivity to signals of reward and positive emotionality. This is because the left prefrontal cortex is associated with approach-related behavior and positive affect.

Question 13

The ___monitors bodily states (e.g., changes in pain, temperature, heart rate) to produce "gut-felt" feelings.

Accepted Answer

The insular cortex is responsible for monitoring bodily states and producing "gut-felt" feelings, such as changes in pain, temperature, and heart rate.

Question 14

Many antidepressants work by making which of the following more readily available?

Accepted Answer

Many antidepressants, particularly those classified as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), work by increasing the availability of serotonin in the brain, which can help improve mood and reduce symptoms of depression.

Question 15

If you scanned a person's brain activity to find how much more chronic right-side asymmetry was in the activity of the right prefrontal cortex than in that of the left prefrontal cortex, you could expect the person's personality to be characterized as:

Accepted Answer

Chronic right-side asymmetry in the prefrontal cortex is often associated with negative emotions and traits such as anxiety and neuroticism.

Question 16

The ___monitors motivational conflicts.It resolves emotional and decision-making conflicts by recruiting other cortical brain structures for executive control over basic urges and emotions.

Accepted Answer

The anterior cingulate cortex is involved in monitoring motivational conflicts and plays a role in resolving emotional and decision-making conflicts by engaging other brain areas for executive control.

Question 17

The ___is involved in processing both one's own feelings (e.g., intrinsic motivation) as well as the feelings and emotions of other people (e.g., empathy).

Accepted Answer

The insular cortex is known for its role in processing both one's own feelings, such as intrinsic motivation, and the feelings and emotions of others, such as empathy. This area of the brain helps in understanding and relating to the emotions of oneself and others, making it crucial for emotional intelligence.

Question 18

If a person took a personality inventory and scored high on the BAS (Behavior Activating Style) and low on the BIS (Behavior Inhibition System) scales, what sort of personality would you expect from this person?

Accepted Answer

A high score on the BAS scale suggests a person is likely to pursue positive outcomes and experiences, often associated with happiness. A low score on the BIS scale indicates a lower tendency towards anxiety, fear, and avoidance, traits often linked with neuroticism. Thus, such a person would likely be happy but not neurotic.

Question 19

____is the so-called bonding hormone that typically motivates the "tend and befriend" coping response.This hormone raises levels of trust in others.

Accepted Answer

Oxytocin is known as the "bonding hormone" because it plays a significant role in social bonding, sexual reproduction, childbirth, and the period after childbirth. It is associated with behaviors that promote trust and social connection, which is why it is linked to the "tend and befriend" response, especially in contrast to the "fight or flight" response.

Question 20

The brain area most closely associated with the energization and inhibition of movement and motivated action is the:

Accepted Answer

The basal ganglia are a group of structures linked to the thalamus in the base of the brain and involved in coordination of movement. They play a significant role in the control of voluntary motor movements, procedural learning, routine behaviors or "habits", eye movements, cognition, and emotion.

Quiz 3: The Motivated and Emotional Brain