Deck 3: B: Biological Psychology

Question 1

Discuss how we study heritability.

Answer 1

Answers will vary but should contain the following for full credit.
--Behaviour genetic designs allow us to estimate the heritability of traits and diseases.By heritability,we mean the extent to which genes contribute to differences in a trait among individuals.Some traits,like height,are highly heritable.In contrast,other traits,like the accent in our speech,are due almost entirely to environment.That's because our accents are almost entirely a product of the dialect spoken in the community in which we're raised.
--Heritability isn't as simple a concept as it seems,and it confuses even some psychologists.The first misconception is that heritability applies to a single individual rather than differences among individuals.That's because heritability is a statistic that applies only to groups of people.Heritability tells us about the causes of differences among people,not within a person.A second misconception is that heritability tells us whether a trait can be changed.Many laypeople believe that if a trait is highly heritable,then by definition we can't change it.Yet,logically speaking,heritability says little or nothing about how malleable or alterable a trait is.In fact,a trait can,in principle,have a heritability of 100 percent,yet still be extremely malleable.
--Scientists estimate heritability by means of one of three behavioural genetic designs: family studies,twin studies,and adoption studies.In such studies,scientists note the presence or absence of a behavioural trait or a psychological disorder among different relatives.These studies determine how much genetics contributes to the expression of that trait or disorder.In a family study,researchers examine the extent to which a trait "runs" or goes together in intact families,those in which all family members are raised in the same home.We can study correlations in a trait between two types of twins.Consequently,if identical twins are more alike on a psychological characteristic,such as intelligence or extraversion,than are fraternal twins,we can infer that this characteristic is genetically influenced.Nevertheless,twin studies hinge on the "equal environments assumption"-the assumption that the environmental influences on the characteristic we're studying are the same on identical as on fraternal twins.Adoption studies,which examine the extent to which children adopted into new homes resemble their adoptive as opposed biological parents.Children adopted into other homes are genetically similar to their biological relatives,but they don't share the same environment with their biological relatives.As a consequence,if adopted children resemble their biological parents on a psychological characteristic,we can typically assume that it's genetically influenced.

Question 2

Discuss the popular notion that people are either left-brained or right-brained.

Answer 2

Answers will vary but should contain the following for full credit.
--Despite the great scientific contribution of split-brain studies,the notion that normal people are either "left-brained" or "right-brained" is a myth.According to this myth,left-brained people are scholarly,logical,and analytical,and right-brained people are artistic,creative,and emotional.Yet these claims are vast oversimplifications.After reviewing numerous studies,one researcher concluded that we use both sides of our brains in a complementary way.Furthermore,the corpus callosum and other interconnections ensure that both hemispheres are in constant communication.
--We can trace the myth of exaggerated right-brain versus left-brain differences to misinterpretations of what scientists reported.Self-help books incorporating the topic flourished.Robert E.Ornstein was among those to promote the idea of using different ways to tap into our creative rights brain versus our intellectual left brains in his 1997 book The Right Brain: Making Sense of the Hemispheres.Right brain-oriented educational programs for children sprang up that deemphasized getting the correct answers on tests in favour of developing creative ability.For a mere $195,"whole brain learning" supposedly expanded the mind in new ways using "megasubliminal messages," heard only by the right or the left brain.
--Although there's nothing wrong with trying to be more creative by using our minds in different ways,using both hemispheres in tandem works far better.

Question 3

Describe four of the common neurotransmitters and what their major functional roles are.

Answer 3

Answers will vary but should contain any four of the following points for full credit.
--Glutamate: rapidly excites neural activity,relay of sensory information and learning
--GABA: inhibits neurons,related to many anti-anxiety drugs
--Acetylcholine: involved with muscle contraction,cortical arousal,and learning/memory
--Norepinephrine: involved in cortical arousal,may play a role in disorders
--Dopamine: linked to motor function and reward systems,involved with disorders
--Serotonin: important for mood regulation,aggression,temperature regulation,and sleep/wake cycles
--Endorphins: involved in pain reduction,natural opiates in body
--Anandamide: involved with eating,motivation,memory,and sleep (as well as pain reduction),binds to same receptors as the THC in marijuana

Question 4

Discuss the various types of neuroimaging techniques,including strengths and weaknesses of each type.

Question 5

Describe the process of how an action potential occurs and what happens to the cell during the action potential.

Question 6

Identify any three of the four main components of the limbic system and briefly describe what each is responsible for.

Question 7

Identify and describe the main hormones and functions associated with the following parts of the endocrine system: the pituitary gland,adrenal gland,and sexual reproductive glands.

Question 8

Discuss how stem cells offer three novel ways of treating neurodegenerative diseases,and why stem cell research is controversial.

Question 9

You are walking in the woods when,suddenly,you see a snake in your path.It looks dangerous.Upon closer examination,you realize it is harmless.Explain the order of activation of the peripheral nervous system and the associated physiological reactions that occurred during this process.

Question 10

Discuss the lobes of the cortex,including their roles.Name the cortical areas most strongly associated with language and describe the two language deficits associated with damage to these areas.