Evolution and Heritability
The argument over the relative contributions of heredity and environment in the development of various behaviors and personality traits is known as which of the following controversies?
(A) Continuous versus discrete
(B) Nature versus nurture
(C) Active versus passive
(D) Critical period versus sensitive period
(B) Nature versus nurture
The autonomic nervous system is most directly involved in
(A) driving a car
(B) sensing painful stimuli
(C) digesting food
(D) experiencing pain
(C) digesting food
The sequence of shifts in the electrical charge of a neuron is called
(A) neural integration
(B) refraction
(C) synaptic transmission
(D) the action potential
(D) the action potential
Hunger and eating are primarily regulated by which of the following?
(A) Androgens
(B) Estrogens
(C) The hypothalamus
(D) The medulla oblongata
(C) The hypothalamus
Damage to the cerebellum would most likely result in which of the following problems?
(A) Aphasia
(B) Increased aggression
(C) A loss of motor coordination
(D) A change in personality
(C) A loss of motor coordination
The result of the evolutionary process that preserves traits that enhance the adaptation of an organism and suppresses traits that do not is called which of the following?
(A) Habituation
(B) Accommodation
(C) Natural selection
(D) Eugenics
(C) Natural selection
Dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine are all
(A) hormones excreted by the endocrine glands
(B) secretions of the exocrine glands
(C) drugs used in the therapeutic treatment of memory disorders
(D) neurotransmitters that excite or inhibit a neural signal across a synapse
(D) neurotransmitters that excite or inhibit a neural signal across a synapse
A neuron receives an excitatory neurotransmitter and fires an action potential. Which of the following is the correct term for the time shortly after a neuron fires and before it fires again?
(A) the refractory period
(B) the reticular formation
(C) depolarization
(D) the neurotransmitter
(A) the refractory period
Teo suffered a concussion after getting hit in the head during a game. Since his injury, Teo cannot plan or follow instructions as well as he could before. Which of the following brain lobes is most associated with these abilities?
(A) Temporal lobes
(B) Occipital lobes
(C) Frontal lobes
(D) Parietal lobes
(C) Frontal lobes
The area of the brain stem that is important in controlling breathing is the
(A) cerebellum
(B) limbic system
(C) medulla
(D) hippocampus
(C) medulla
Of the following, an evolutionary psychologist will most likely investigate the
(A) age of children when they speak their first words
(B) speed of an action potential
(C) reason why many people have an innate fear of the dark
(D) factors that make a person feel accepted by others
(C) reason why many people have an innate fear of the dark
Holly was injured in a car accident. Her doctor prescribed a medication that increases the action of endorphins to decrease pain. Which of the following statements best describes this medication?
(A) It functions as an agonist.
(B) It produces aphasia.
(C) It accelerates sensory interaction.
(D) It acts as an antagonist
(A) It functions as an agonist.
When excitatory neurotransmitters stimulate a single neuron, the neuron
(A) becomes more likely to produce an action potential
(B) becomes less likely to produce an action potential
(C) produces a stronger action potential
(D) becomes more polarized
(A) becomes more likely to produce an action potential
Damage to which of the following brain structures may cause the inability to detect the emotional significance of facial expressions, especially those demonstrating fear?
(A) Hippocampus
(B) Thalamus
(C) Hypothalamus
(D) Amygdala
(D) Amygdala
A person with damage to Broca's area would most likely demonstrate which of the following symptoms?
(A) Forgetfulness
(B) Hearing difficulties
(C) Difficulty controlling balance and coordination
(D) Difficulty with speech production
(D) Difficulty with speech production
Which of the following findings provides the strongest evidence for the role of heredity in intellectual performance?
(A) Identical twins reared together have more similar intelligence test scores than do identical twins reared apart.
(B) Identical twins reared apart have more similar intelligence test scores than do fraternal twins reared together.
(C) Non-twin siblings reared together have more similar intelligence scores than do nontwin siblings reared apart.
(D) Fraternal twins reared together have more similar intelligence test scores than do fraternal twins reared apart.
(B) Identical twins reared apart have more similar intelligence test scores than do fraternal twins reared together.
Kara thinks she sees a spider on the floor of her bathroom. She is extremely afraid of spiders. Which of the following nervous systems would be responsible for her fearful reaction to the spider?
(A) Somatic nervous system
(B) Parasympathetic nervous system
(C) Sympathetic nervous system
(D) Central nervous system
(C) Sympathetic nervous system
Betty was just diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Which of the following effects is she most likely to experience?
(A) The neurons in her body will not be able to reach threshold, leading to fatigue.
(B) Depolarization in her neurons will not occur, causing sensory impairment.
(C) Neurotransmitters will remain in the synapse for an extended period, causing memory loss.
(D) Neural messages will travel slowly down the axon, leading to motor impairment.
(D) Neural messages will travel slowly down the axon, leading to motor impairment.
The limbic system is most closely associated with
(A) logic and reasoning
(B) decision making
(C) emotions
(D) sensory sensitivity
(C) emotions
A team of investigators discovered that taxi drivers who had memorized all the streets in their city had a larger hippocampus than bus drivers who did not have the streets memorized. This type of difference between these two groups most likely reflects
(A) brain plasticity
(B) split-brain phenomenon
(C) parasympathetic nervous system activation
(D) the Flynn effect
(A) brain plasticity
A psychologist is writing a textbook chapter on the interaction of nature and nurture on human behavior. Which of the following examples should she include to emphasize the role that nurture plays on behavior?
(A) Pari’s parents read to her in infancy, so she easily and quickly learns to read when she starts school at age five.
(B) Sammi is six inches taller than his parents and siblings in his adoptive family.
(C) Linda is a supertaster and intensely experiences the bitterness in certain foods.
(D) Rosie has dichromatism and has difficulty distinguishing between red and green.
(A) Pari’s parents read to her in infancy, so she easily and quickly learns to read when she starts school at age five.
Johanna, a high school senior, starts experiencing disruptions in her movement when she cannot contract certain muscles. Which of the following neurotransmitters is most likely involved in this disruption of the muscle contraction?
(A) Acetylcholine
(B) GABA
(C) Serotonin
(D) Endorphins
(A) Acetylcholine
Dr. Dimou is involved in groundbreaking research on specific brain cells that were once thought to be nonfunctioning but are now known to provide structure to the nervous system and assist in waste transport. She conducts experiments using specially bred mice that lack these cells in various parts of their brains and compares their behavior to that of mice in a control group. Which of the following types of cells is Dr. Dimou studying?
(A) Glial cells
(B) Sensory neurons
(C) Motor neurons
(D) Photoreceptors
(A) Glial cells
Dr. Lanier studies brain structures associated with sight in mice. She removes parts of the mice’s occipital lobes at birth to determine what features of the environment they cannot see based on which part of the lobe was removed. Her research was approved by the Animal Care Committee at her institution. Researchers like Dr. Lanier are using which of the following methods as described in the scenario to explore damaged brain areas with specific behaviors?
(A) Meta-analysis
(B) Lesioning
(C) fMRI
(D) Shaping
(B) Lesioning
Split-brain research has illustrated which of the following?
(A) The right hemisphere of the brain is responsible for language in most people.
(B) The left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for language in most people.
(C) The prefrontal cortex is responsible for thinking, planning, and decision making.
(D) The brain functions normally after the corpus callosum is cut.
(B) The left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for language in most people.