The somatic division of the nervous system carries signals from the _____ to the _____.
a. senses; central nervous system
b. organs; autonomic nervous system
c. organs; sympathetic nervous system
d. senses; peripheral nervous system
One important factor to consider when making judgments about the relative influence
of genetics on schizophrenia is:
a. the role of evolution.
b. the age of the mother.
c. the size of school they attend.
d. the mother’s prenatal environment.
The posterior parietal cortex:
a. is the main area for touch and other body information.
b. keeps track of the position of the body relative to the world.
c. is active during preparations for a movement and less active during movement itself.
d. responds to lights, noises, and other signals for a movement.
Stimulating a receptor leads to either excitation or inhibition of a particular neuron; the
receptor is part of that neuron’s:
a. stimulus field.
b. convergence field.
c. receptive field.
d. bipolar area.
An IPSP represents:
a. the location where a dendrite branches.
b. a gap in a myelin sheath.
c. a subthreshold depolarization.
d. a temporary hyperpolarization.
Certain axons innervating a given neuron are damaged. What compensatory change is
likely to take place in that postsynaptic cell?
a. collateral sprouting
b. removal of toxins
c. denervation supersensitivity
d. decrease in glucose utilization
Why does the level of glucose in the blood vary so little under normal circumstances?
a. Manufacturing glucose is a lengthy process, so the body uses it slowly.
b. Glucose does not leave the blood to enter the cells of the body.
c. Mammals learn to eat only foods that contain glucose.
d. The liver can convert stored nutrients into glucose.
By what means does the brain find out about the nutrient content of food in the
stomach?
a. Hormones
b. activity of the vagus nerve
c. activity of the splanchnic nerves
d. the duodenum
One function served by alpha-fetoprotein in the developing rat fetus is to:
a. prevent estradiol from entering cells.
b. help estradiol to cross the blood-brain barrier.
c. help testosterone to cross the blood-brain barrier.
d. prevent either testosterone or estradiol from being converted into aromatase.
Early in development, the nervous system begins as a:
a. tube surrounding a fluid-filled cavity.
b. spherical structure in the center of the embryo.
c. diffuse system of cells scattered throughout the body.
d. single layer of cells covering the heart and other internal organs.
The study of amnesic patients leads us to the conclusion that people have ____ kind of
memory, and that memory depends on ____ of the brain.
a. one; one specific location
b. one; different parts
c. more than one; one specific location
d. more than one; different parts
An electroencephalograph measures:
a. action potentials in an individual neuron.
b. the electrical resistance of hair.
c. the rate of glucose uptake in active regions of the brain.
d. the average activity of the cells in a given region of the brain.
Brain-intact people are more likely to have increased activity in the ____ hemisphere
when identifying the small letters (A) and increased activity in the ____ when
identifying the overall pattern (X).
A A
A A
A
A A
A A
a. left; right
b. right; left
c. left; left
d. right; right
____ is an influence of recent experience on behavior, even if one does not recognize
that influence.
a. Priming.
b. Explicit memory.
c. Procedural memory.
d. Implicit memory
The primary difference between an EPSP and an action potential is that:
a. the magnitude of an action potential decreases as it travels along the membrane.
b. EPSPs occur without sodium ions entering the cell.
c. action potentials are always hyperpolarizations.
d. EPSPs are subthreshold events that decay over time and space.
Light from the right side of the world strikes the left side of the retina.
Electroconvulsive shock therapy is most likely to be used with patients:
a. with seasonal affective disorder.
b. with brief or mild episodes of depression.
c. with bipolar disorder.
d. who have not responded to drug therapy.
What is one major cause for the resting potential of a neuron’s membrane?
a. a difference in size between axons and dendrites
b. a high permeability of the membrane to water molecules
c. the refractory period of the membrane
d. the sodium-potassium pump
On average, right-handers turned mostly to the left, and ____ turn mostly to the ____.
a. left-handers, left
b. right-handers, right
c. right-handers, left
d. left-handers, right
Patients with damage in area MT have problems with perception of:
a. location of sounds.
b. location of objects.
c. movement of objects and sounds.
d. high frequency sounds.
If a person has difficulty determining which of two rhythms is faster, it is likely that she
suffered damage to the:
a. cerebellum.
b. forebrain.
c. tectum.
d. medulla.
Which of the following is TRUE about taste receptors?
a. Their dendrites extend outside the taste buds.
b. They are located mainly along the outside edge of the tongue.
c. Each taste bud contains only one receptor cell.
d. Humans have hundreds of types of taste receptors, each sensitive to a different set of
chemicals.
What makes nitric oxide unique among neurotransmitters?
a. It is released before the action potential occurs.
b. It is taken back up into the presynaptic neuron.
c. It is a gas.
d. It is composed of amino acids.
Which of the following MOST strongly increases your risk of depression?
a. relatives with early-onset depression
b. relatives with late-onset depression
c. spending time with a depressed person (regardless of being related)
d. living in South America
A person with Broca’s aphasia would have the most difficulty saying which of the
following phrases?
a. The boy is chasing a tall girl.
b. No ifs, ands, or buts.
c. The general commands the army.
d. Two bee oar knot two bee.
When a neuron’s membrane is at rest, which of the following molecules crosses through
it MOST slowly?
a. potassium
b. sodium
c. water
d. carbon dioxide
What is it called when some animals are selectively bred because they possess some
desirable characteristic?
a. Evolution
b. Natural selection
c. Artificial selection
d. Artificial insemination
The theory of evolution through the inheritance of acquired characteristics is known as:
a. Lamarckian evolution.
b. Darwinian evolution.
c. artificial evolution.
d. Huxley’s evolution.
Scar tissue and myelin are similar in that they both:
a. secrete chemicals to restore axons.
b. are produced after brain damage.
c. are formed in normal development of the nervous system.
d. secrete chemicals that inhibit axon growth.
Light energy converts 11-cis-retinal to:
a. opsins.
b. unstable proteins.
c. all-trans-retinal.
d. sodium.
____ was originally called dementia praecox.
a. bipolar disorder
b. schizophrenia
c. dissociative identity disorder
d. Huntington’s disease
A normal, healthy animal never contracts the flexor muscles and the extensor muscles
of the same leg at the same time. Why not?
a. When the interneuron sends excitatory messages to one, inhibitory messages go to
the other.
b. They are mechanically connected in a way that makes it impossible for both to
contract at the same time.
c. Such coordination is learned through prenatal movement.
d. Both muscles are controlled by branches of the same axon.