Deck 3: Biological Psychology

Question 1

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

Answer 1

True

Question 2

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

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The occipital lobe is specialized for hearing.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

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

Question 5

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

Question 6

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

Question 7

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

Question 8

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

Question 9

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

Question 10

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 11

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

Question 12

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

Question 13

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

Question 14

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

Question 15

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

Question 16

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

Question 17

A physiological explanation describes the mechanisms that produce a behavior.

Question 18

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

Question 19

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

Question 20

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

Question 21

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

Question 22

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

Question 23

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

Question 24

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

Question 25

Nicotine is classified as a ____________________.

Question 26

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

Question 27

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 28

Brain volume tends to get smaller in old age.

Question 29

The order of how information is processed in a neuron goes from ____________________ to ____________________ to ____________________.

Question 30

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

Question 31

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

Question 32

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

Question 33

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

Question 34

____________________ is caused by a deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain.

Question 35

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

Question 36

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

Question 37

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

Question 38

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

Question 39

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

Question 40

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

Question 41

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 42

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 43

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 44

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

Question 45

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 46

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 47

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 48

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 49

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 50

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 51

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 52

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 53

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 54

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

Question 55

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 56

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 57

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

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

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 60

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

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

Question 61

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 62

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 63

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 64

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 65

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 66

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

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

Question 67

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 68

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 69

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 70

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 71

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 72

A single neuron can have many

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

Question 73

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 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

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 76

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 77

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.

Question 78

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 79

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 80

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.