Deck 1: Introduction: Building the Minds Machine

Question 1

Behavioral neuroscience is

A) concerned with how the structure and function of the brain underlies behavior.
B) concerned with human behavior rather than animal behavior.
C) a very discrete scientific discipline with little overlap with other fields.
D) not concerned with the treatment of behavioral problems.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

All of the following are terms for behavioral neuroscience except

A) physiological imaging.
B) biological psychology.
C) brain and behavior.
D) physiological psychology.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The scientific method is

A) a protocol for use of animals in laboratory testing.
B) a formal system of testing hypotheses to answer scientific questions.
C) the testing of an established theory to back it up.
D) the comparison of different scientific tests in order to choose the most probable.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

_______ compared the nervous system to a machine and proposed the concept of _______ and a neural pathway for them.

A) Da Vinci; thoughts
B) Galen; neurons
C) Descartes; spinal reflexes
D) Willis; synaptic transmission

Question 5

The concept that different brain regions specialize in specific behaviors is called _______, and it developed out of the pseudoscientific fad called _______.

A) split-brain; dualism
B) ontology; phrenology
C) neuroplasticity; dualism
D) localization of function; phrenology

Question 6

Many modern neuroscientists are interested in the concept of _______ synapses, which may change in strength through use.

A) Lashley
B) Hebbian
C) electrical
D) methylated

Question 7

Michelangelo's painting in the Sistine Chapel has been shown to resemble the

A) ventricular system.
B) limbic system.
C) midsagittal view of the brain.
D) circulatory system

Question 8

The early nineteenth-century field of _______ claimed to discern an association between personality traits and specific bumps on the skull.

A) ontogeny
B) dualism
C) epigenetics
D) phrenology

Question 9

The first researcher to propose the idea that memory is not localized to only one region of the brain was

A) Roger Sperry.
B) Karl Lashley.
C) Thomas Mann.
D) René Descartes.

Question 10

The observation that learning and memory abilities in monkeys increase over the first years of life is consistent with the _______ perspective.

A) life span development of the brain and behavior
B) evolution of brain and behavior
C) biological mechanisms of behavior
D) systematic description of behavior

Question 11

The publication of Principles of Psychology by _______ heralded the modern era of biological psychology.

A) William James
B) Donald Hebb
C) Hermann Ebbinghaus
D) Henry James

Question 12

The ability of the nervous system to change in response to experience or the environment is called

A) epigenetics.
B) correlation.
C) neuroplasticity.
D) dualism.

Question 13

Which question derives from the systematic description of behavior?

A) How does mating depend on hormones in different species?
B) How are the sounds of speech patterned?
C) How do specialized patterns of behavior contribute to mating and care of offspring?
D) How do reproductive behaviors develop over the life span?

Question 14

Which question reflects a perspective from the field of evolutionary psychology?

A) Which hormonal treatments can alleviate sexual problems in mice?
B) How do reproductive behaviors change during the human life span?
C) How does wing span length affect mate selection in birds?
D) How does aging affect people's hormone levels?

Question 15

"How" types of questions reflect the biopsychological perspective that focuses on the

A) evolution of brain and behavior.
B) development of brain and behavior.
C) description of behavior.
D) biological mechanisms of behavior.

Question 16

The five major perspectives of biological psychology are the _______, the evolution of brain and behavior, life-span development of the brain and behavior, the _______, and applications of behavioral neuroscience discoveries.

A) phrenological aspects of behavior; physiological insights of behavior
B) dualistic approach to behavior; behavioral views of biopsychology
C) systematic description of behavior; biological mechanisms of behavior
D) comparative views of behavior; plasticity impacts on behavior

Question 17

At this time, close to _______ million people globally are suffering from some form of anxiety disorder.

A) 50
B) 100
C) 300
D) 400

Question 18

Which statement about the prevalence of neurological disease in the United States today is false?

A) There are more people diagnosed with stroke than with epilepsy.
B) There are more people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease than with traumatic brain injury.
C) There are fewer people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis than with epilepsy.
D) There are more people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease than with stroke.

Question 19

In 2016 in the U.S., _______ in five people had a mental illness, and the prevalence of mental disorders appears to be _______.

A) one; increasing
B) two; decreasing
C) three; increasing
D) four; decreasing

Question 20

A researcher in the field of _______ would be interested in what type of effect winning a game of chess has on a man's testosterone levels.

A) neuroeconomics
B) evolutionary psychology
C) social neuroscience
D) epigenetics

Question 21

"Methylation" refers to a

A) process that causes the lasting activation of a gene.
B) process that causes the lasting inactivation of a gene.
C) mutation due to evolutionary pressure.
D) process that causes gene expression.

Question 22

Postmortem brains of suicide victims with childhood histories of abuse show

A) methylation of a gene that regulates stress hormone responses.
B) methylation of a gene that regulates mood.
C) methylation of a gene for suicidality.
D) a failure of methylation of genes for stress and suicidality.

Question 23

Which field of biological psychology investigates the biological factors underlying behaviors of dominance or submissiveness in social interactions?

A) Neuroeconomics
B) Social neuroscience
C) Evolutionary psychology
D) Consciousness studies

Question 24

A researcher studying the neural mechanisms associated with displays of compassion in tasks involving decision-making is working in the field of

A) neuroeconomics.
B) social neuroscience.
C) evolutionary psychology.
D) consciousness studies.

Question 25

Rats neglected by their mothers when they are pups show a heightened stress response throughout their lives. This is an example of a(n) _______ effect.

A) ontogenetic
B) epigenetic
C) somatic intervention
D) reductionist

Question 26

Which question reflects the "evolutionary" perspective in biological psychology?

A) To what extent can different species see color?
B) What environmental experiences in early life are required for vision to develop normally?
C) What kind of treatments can correct faulty vision?
D) How are the visual areas of the brain organized?

Question 27

Studies in biopsychology that address questions about subjective experience and the brain mechanisms that account for it are interested in explaining

A) epigenetics.
B) language localization.
C) consciousness.
D) sensation and perception.

Question 28

Which research question would best provide answers to the problem of consciousness?

A) Can we localize a particular pattern of brain activity that, when activated, consistently produces a novel subjective experience across subjects?
B) What is the underlying functional brain activity while one is experiencing a sunset?
C) Can physiological activity (including heart rate) predict the timing of one's changes in brain activity?
D) What are the similarities between self-reports from a large sample of individuals who have recently taken a cocktail of hallucinogens?

Question 29

A common myth/misconception about the brain activity of a person as they go about the activities of a normal day is that

A) 10% of the brain is active, when in fact the entire brain is active most of the time.
B) 10% of the brain is active, when in fact 50% of the brain is active most of the time.
C) 10% of the brain is active, when in fact 25% of the brain is active most of the time.
D) brain activity is extremely variable throughout the day.

Question 30

In studying brain-damaged patients exhibiting speech difficulties, Paul Broca discovered that a particular region in the _______ part of the brain appears to be especially important.

Question 31

The costs for treatment of _______ alone exceed the costs of treating cancer and heart disease combined.

Question 32

The process by which an individual changes over the life span is called _______.

Question 33

The study of factors that affect gene expression without making any changes in the nucleotide sequence of the genes themselves is called _______.

Question 34

Outline the steps of the scientific method as used in scientific research.

Question 35

What does the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel have to do with biological psychology?

Question 36

Explain the relationship between phrenology and early neuroscience.

Question 37

Compare and contrast Karl Lashley and Donald Hebb.

Question 38

What do evolutionary psychologists study?

Question 39

Define behavioral neuroscience with respect to its subject matter and applications, and discuss the major theoretical viewpoints that guide research in behavioral neuroscience.

Question 40

Provide a historical sketch of some of the major advances in understanding the organization of the human brain that have occurred during the last 500 years.

Question 41

Discuss the prevalence of neurological and psychiatric disorders in the United States, citing statistics to support your statements.

Question 42

Discuss the importance of neuroplasticity as it relates to the reciprocal relationship between the brain and body.

Question 43

Describe two major principles that characterize evolutionary perspectives on behavior, and explain the advantages of using both perspectives in studying neural function across different species of animals.