Which of the following would most likely interfere with migration of neurons during
development?
a. altering the chemical paths
b. damaging dendrites
c. loss of myelin
d. increased differentiation
A scientist would be most likely to use which of the following when attempting to
obtain an objective measure of emotion?
a. a self report
b. ratings by independent observers
c. measures of sympathetic nervous system responses
d. measures of parasympathetic nervous system responses
The circadian rhythm is reset by input from special ganglion cells in the retina. These
ganglion cells are unusual in that they:
a. receive input from only cones, not rods.
b. are located only in a doughnut-shaped band surrounding the fovea.
c. respond directly to light, but respond very slowly.
d. become active only at night or in very dim light.
Suppose the highest pitch you can hear is about 20,000 Hz. Under what circumstances
will that limit change?
a. It drops naturally as you grow older.
b. It drops if you go several months without listening to any high pitches.
c. It drops only as a result of injury or disease.
d. It increases with musical training.
Central nervous system axons regenerate much better in fish than in mammals because:
a. fish nerves do not have to travel so far to reach their target.
b. fewer fish nerves are covered with myelin.
c. fish do not produce as much scar tissue.
d. fish generally have a lower body temperature.
Following damage to the ____, a patient has a decrease in facial expressions of emotion
and decreased understanding of the emotional content of other people’s speech.
a. hypothalamus
b. left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex
c. right hemisphere of the cerebral cortex
d. occipital lobe on both sides
People with REM behavior disorder:
a. show intrusions of REM sleep into wakefulness.
b. show bizarre behaviors while awake due to REM deprivation at night.
c. enter REM sleep at unusual and unpredictable times.
d. move vigorously during REM, apparently acting out their dreams.
A(n) ____ investigates the chemical reactions in the brain.
a. neurochemist
b. psychophysiologist
c. comparative psychologist
d. neurologist
If you stimulate the gills of an Aplysia by squirting them with a brief jet of seawater, at
first it will:
a. ignore the water.
b. withdraw its gills.
c. take in the water through the gills.
d. squirt the water in the direction of the source.
An individual with damage to the primary somatosensory cortex would most have
problems with:
a. memory.
b. hearing.
c. ability to locate where someone was touching them.
d. balance.
More than a century ago, researchers had evidence that the human retina contained
three kinds of color-sensitive receptors. What was the basis of their evidence?
a. observations of negative after-images
b. studies of how people adapt to various degrees of light or darkness
c. chemical measurements on the receptors themselves
d. experiments on mixing colors of light together
The stirrup makes the oval window vibrate at the entrance to the:
a. haircells.
b. scala media.
c. eardrum.
d. scala vestibuli.
When Simon LeVay examined interstitial nucleus 3 in 41 people who had died, he
found that in the homosexual males in his sample, this nucleus was:
a. larger, but only in those who had died of AIDS.
b. comparable in size to the heterosexual males who had died of AIDS.
c. comparable in size to the whole group of heterosexual males.
d. comparable in size to the heterosexual females.
A stroke patient might seek the aid of a(n) ____ to increase the functions of daily life.
a. neuroscientist
b. clinical psychologist
c. occupational therapist
d. neurochemist
If you take a melatonin pill in the early afternoon, you will:
a. become very active.
b. be wide awake in a very short period of time.
c. become sleepy within two hours.
d. not sleep well that night.
Compared to the earlier part, the later part of a night’s sleep:
a. includes a larger percentage of REM sleep.
b. includes a lower percentage of REM sleep.
c. is characterized by declining body temperature.
d. has more slow wave sleep.
The highest frequency sounds vibrate hair cells:
a. farther along the membrane.
b. near the base of the membrane.
c. in the middle of the membrane.
d. along the entire length of the membrane.
Strong stimulation anywhere on the skin of an Aplysia excites axons that attach to
receptors and:
a. open potassium channels in the membrane.
b. close potassium channels in the membrane.
c. opens sodium channels in the membrane.
d. close sodium channels in the membrane.
The amygdala appears to be an important part of the brain for experiencing fear. Which
of the following is an example of a functional explanation of fear?
a. Describing the anatomical connections between the amygdala and other parts of the
brain
b. Describing the neurotransmitters involved in the activity of the amygdala
c. Describing why fear improves the chances for survival
d. Describing how fears develop in infancy
What can we learn about human language abilities from the studies of nonhuman
language abilities?
a. Language is totally limited to humans.
b. The only important language advantage of humans is in our vocal apparatus.
c. We may gain some insights into how best to teach language to those who do not learn
it easily.
d. Language is indistinguishable from the forms of communication that other species
use.
Aged people with the highest cortisol levels tend to be those with the:
a. largest hippocampus.
b. greatest memory problems.
c. greatest amount of social support.
d. most cellulose in the diet.
According to the dopamine hypothesis, what causes schizophrenia?
a. excessive activity at dopamine synapses
b. deficient activity at dopamine synapses
c. an unusual point of origin for dopamine fibers in the brain
d. an unusual course and destination of dopamine fibers in the brain
Cocaine is to ____ as nicotine is to ____.
a. dopamine, acetylcholine
b. acetylcholine, dopamine
c. dopamine, serotonin
d. norepinephrine, acetylcholine
Alcohol decreases anxiety by:
a. promoting chloride flow at the GABA-A receptor complex.
b. inhibiting chloride flow at the GABA-A receptor complex.
c. promoting sodium flow at serotonin synapses.
d. inhibiting sodium flow at serotonin synapses.
In humans, which chromosome(s) contain(s) few genes?
a. All human chromosomes contain few genes.
b. Both the X and Y chromosomes contain few genes.
c. The X chromosome contains few genes.
d. The Y chromosome contains few genes.
Mutations are:
a. a common occurrence in most single genes.
b. guided by the needs of the organism in its environment.
c. almost always beneficial to the organism.
d. changes in single genes.
Which plane shows brain structures as they would be seen from the side?
a. Coronal
b. Sagittal
c. Horizontal
d. Commuter
Changes in single genes are called:
a. alterations.
b. mutations.
c. mendelians.
d. enzymes.
What would a neuron in the pons be called that receives information only from other
cells in the pons and sends information only to other cells in the pons?
a. afferent
b. efferent
c. intrinsic
d. inter-synaptic
When an axon releases a transmitter at the nerve-muscle junction, the response of the
muscle is to:
a. always relax.
b. always contract.
c. relax or contract, depending on the transmitter.
d. relax or contract, depending on the duration and amount of transmitter.
In the phenomenon of binocular rivalry, when one eye sees one pattern and the other
eye sees another, what do you perceive?
a. one pattern superimposed on top of the other
b. temporary alternation between one pattern and the other
c. a compromise that doesn”t match either pattern
d. whatever the dominant eye sees