Question 1

The "cafeteria diet effect" is the well-documented tendency for college students to lose weight if they eat in the campus or dormitory cafeteria.

Accepted Answer

This statement is false. The cafeteria diet effect actually refers to the tendency for rats to gain weight and become obese when they are fed a diet of highly palatable, energy-dense foods that are often found in human cafeteria settings.

Question 2

Cross-cultural comparisons have found that some of the highest rates of obesity occur in the world's least developed counties.

Accepted Answer

Obesity rates are generally higher in more developed countries due to factors like increased availability of high-calorie foods and sedentary lifestyles, while less developed countries often face issues of undernutrition.

Question 3

According to the PET scan study comparing dopamine brain receptors in obese and normal weight individuals, obese people may engage in compulsive or binge eating to stimulate brain dopamine pathways and pleasurable sensations.

Accepted Answer

The PET scan study found that obese individuals had lower levels of dopamine receptors, which may lead them to compulsively engage in behaviors like binge eating to stimulate the brain's dopamine pathways and experience pleasurable sensations.

Question 4

On average, men have a metabolic rate that is 3 to 5 percent lower than that of women.

Accepted Answer

This statement is false. On average, men have a metabolic rate that is 5 to 10 percent higher than that of women. This is due to several factors, including a higher percentage of muscle mass and larger body size in men.

Question 5

The term weight cycling refers to the use of exercise, such as working out on a stationary bicycle, to maintain weight loss.

Accepted Answer

Weight cycling actually refers to the pattern of losing weight and then gaining it back repeatedly, often through dieting or other weight loss methods. It is not specifically related to exercise or stationary bicycles.

Question 6

William Masters is the American physician who, along with Virginia E. Johnson, conducted pioneering research in the field of human sexuality and sex therapy.

Accepted Answer

This is correct. William Masters and Virginia E. Johnson conducted pioneering research in the field of human sexuality and sex therapy.

Question 7

In obese people, leptin levels are high in the blood but low in the cerebrospinal fluid.

Accepted Answer

This is true. Obesity is characterized by resistance to the hormone leptin, which is produced by adipose tissue (fat) and acts in the brain to regulate appetite and energy expenditure. In obese individuals, leptin levels in the blood are typically high, indicating an excess of fat mass, but leptin levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (which bathes the brain and spinal cord) are low, suggesting a reduced ability of leptin to signal in the brain. This phenomenon is thought to contribute to the development and maintenance of obesity.

Question 8

According to research described in the Critical Thinking box "Has Evolution Programmed Us to Overeat?" people in food-rich societies eat because they are motivated by the positive incentive value of highly palatable foods.

Accepted Answer

The research described in the Critical Thinking box supports the statement that people in food-rich societies eat because they are motivated by the positive incentive value of highly palatable foods. Therefore, the statement is true.

Question 9

Dopamine brain pathways are involved in the reinforcing feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.

Accepted Answer

Dopamine is known to play a role in the brain's reward system, and is involved in the experience of pleasure and reinforcement of behaviors that lead to it.

Question 10

Studies have shown that reducing the amount a person sleeps has no effect on blood levels of the hormones leptin and ghrelin.

Accepted Answer

Studies have actually shown that reducing the amount a person sleeps can affect blood levels of the hormones leptin and ghrelin, which regulate appetite and hunger. Sleep deprivation can lead to lower levels of leptin and higher levels of ghrelin, increasing the likelihood of overeating and weight gain.

Question 11

When a food with a high positive incentive value is readily available, we eat until we are satiated by that specific taste, which is termed sensory-specific satiety.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Sensory-specific satiety refers to the phenomenon where consuming a particular type of food leads to a decrease in the incentive value of that specific taste, resulting in a decreased desire to eat more of that food.

Question 12

One of the most frustrating obstacles faced by people who diet to lose weight is that the human body is much more effective at vigorously defending against weight loss than it is at protecting against weight gain.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. The human body has evolved efficient mechanisms to prevent starvation, making it easier to gain weight than to lose it. These mechanisms include slowing down metabolism in response to reduced calorie intake and increasing hunger hormones to drive food intake.

Question 13

According to the evolutionary perspective, many wild animals overeat when food is available because this reduces food available to other animals, who then die, reducing competition.

Accepted Answer

The evolutionary perspective does not suggest that animals overeat to reduce competition. Rather, animals may overeat when food is available as a survival mechanism to store energy for times when food is scarce. Some animals may also overeat as a result of learned behaviors, such as habitually consuming excess amounts of food that is regularly provided by humans.

Question 14

There is more variability to the female sexual response than the male sexual response.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that there is more variability in the types and patterns of female sexual response than in male sexual response. This is likely due to the complex interactions between physiological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that can influence female sexual arousal and desire.

Question 15

On average, about four of 10 U.S. adults reports that they never exercise, play sports, or engage in physically active hobbies.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true according to various surveys and studies conducted on physical activity levels among adults in the United States.

Question 16

On average, women have a metabolic rate that is 3 to 5 percent lower than that of men.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Women generally have a lower metabolic rate than men, which means they burn fewer calories at rest and during activity. This is mainly due to differences in body size, composition, and hormonal factors. However, each person's metabolic rate varies based on a range of individual factors including age, genetics, diet, and physical activity levels.

Question 17

The famous sex research pioneers, William Masters and Virginia Johnson, developed their model of the human sexual response based on observations of sexual interactions among the bonobos, a rare species of chimplike apes.

Accepted Answer

Masters and Johnson did not base their model of the human sexual response on observations of bonobos. They conducted direct observation and measurement of human sexual response through laboratory studies with volunteers.

Question 18

PET scan studies have shown that obese people have fewer dopamine brain receptors than normal-weight individuals.

Accepted Answer

PET scan studies have indeed shown that obese people have fewer dopamine brain receptors than normal-weight individuals, which may contribute to their difficulty in regulating food intake and experiencing pleasure from food.

Question 19

When a person cuts back on sleep, increased feelings of hunger will occur, especially for foods with high carbohydrate content.

Accepted Answer

The hormones that regulate appetite and hunger, such as leptin and ghrelin, are disrupted by sleep deprivation, leading to an increase in hunger and cravings for high-carbohydrate foods. Studies have shown that individuals who consistently get less than 6 hours of sleep per night have an increased risk of developing obesity and related health issues.

Question 20

According to research described in the Critical Thinking box "Has Evolution Programmed Us to Overeat?" people in food-rich societies overeat because eating is a ritualized behavior that helps individuals communicate hierarchies.

Accepted Answer

The research described in the Critical Thinking box "Has Evolution Programmed Us to Overeat?" actually suggests that people in food-rich societies overeat because evolution has programmed us to crave high-calorie foods as a survival mechanism, rather than because eating is a ritualized behavior that helps individuals communicate hierarchies.

Quiz 8: Motivation and Emotion