Much of biological psychology concerns:
a. chemistry.
b. brain functioning.
c. neurology.
d. anatomy.
Reuptake is the absorption of:
a. neurotransmitters by the postsynaptic neuron.
b. neurotransmitters by the presynaptic neuron.
c. nutrients and waste products by glial cells.
d. neurotransmitters by glial cells.
The enhanced startle reflex in the presence of a feared stimulus would be reduced by all
of the following methods EXCEPT:
a. stimulating GABA-A receptors.
b. opening chloride channels.
c. damaging the amygdala.
d. stimulating CCK receptors in the amygdala.
Various types of ____ cells refine the input to ganglion cells, enabling them to respond
specifically to shapes, movement, or other visual features.
a. receptors
b. geniculate cells
c. amacrine cells
d. optic nerves
A group of forebrain structures that appear to be critical for emotion are known as the:
a. pyramidal system.
b. sympathetic nervous system.
c. parasympathetic nervous system.
d. limbic system.
Some XY males have poorly developed genitals as a result of:
a. a mutation in the SRY gene.
b. low body temperature during prenatal development.
c. too much testosterone.
d. too much estrogen.
The nuclei for cranial nerves I through IV are located in the:
a. midbrain and forebrain.
b. hindbrain.
c. pons and medulla.
d. spinal cord.
Inhibitory neurotransmitters used by the hunger-sensitive neurons of the arcuate nucleus
that inhibit the PVN include:
a. alpha-MSH and leptin.
b. NPY and insulin.
c. insulin and glucagon.
d. NPY and AgRP.
The somatosensory system involves sensation of:
a. sight and sound.
b. sound and touch.
c. the body and its movements.
d. the head and movements of the eyes.
Which effect is consistently associated with a ‘second messenger”?
a. ionotropic
b. metabotropic
c. inhibitory
d. excitatory
A mild degree of pain releases the neurotransmitter ____. A more intense pain also
releases ____.
a. glutamate, substance P
b. GABA, substance P
c. glutamate, dopamine
d. GABA, dopamine
Early symptoms of Huntington’s disease usually include:
a. paralysis.
b. jerky arm movements and body tremors.
c. rapid fatigue.
d. difficulty coordinating the left hand with the right hand.
To date, the most effective laboratory method minimizing the damage resulting from
stroke in nonhuman animals has been to:
a. use drugs which trap free radicals.
b. use drugs which effect cannabinoids.
c. use neurotrophins which block apoptosis.
d. cool the brain.
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a dendrite?
a. It tapers as it gets further from the cell body.
b. It is in contact with the dendrites of other neurons.
c. Its surface may be lined with synaptic receptors.
d. It receives information from other neurons or the environment.
Why is morphine NOT used to suppress pain during an operation?
a. It is only effective while a person is conscious.
b. Its effects are local.
c. It inhibits dull pain, but not sharp pain.
d. Its effects would be too temporary.
Of the following, which is considered LEAST promising as a treatment for Parkinson’s
disease?
a. high-frequency electrical stimulation of the globus pallidus
b. adrenal gland transplants
c. antioxidants
d. neurotrophins
Fructose, used in corn syrup as a sweetener, may lead to increased obesity by:
a. failing to trigger satiety.
b. having more calories than other sugars.
c. slowing fat digestion.
d. enhancing PVN activity.
The second messenger communicates to areas:
a. outside the cleft
b. in the cleft
c. within the cell
d. outside the cell
After entering stage 4 for the first time each evening, the sleeper typically:
a. returns immediately to stage 1.
b. enters REM.
c. cycles back through stages 3 and 2.
d. wakes up.
Which of the following factors is one explanation for the difference in the prevalence of
schizophrenia across cultures?
a. amount of time spent outdoors
b. life expectancy
c. amount of aluminum exposure
d. record keeping differences
Gray matter in the brain and spinal cord is mainly composed of what structures?
a. cell bodies and dendrites
b. myelinated axons
c. unmyelinated axons
d. ganglia
Releasing hormones are synthesized in the ____ and released in the ____.
a. anterior pituitary; bloodstream
b. hypothalamus; anterior pituitary
c. hypothalamus; posterior pituitary
d. posterior pituitary; hypothalamus
MPTP and some chemicals in herbicides:
a. can damage cells of the substantia nigra.
b. can cause Huntington’s disease.
c. are illegal designer drugs.
d. are effective treatments for Parkinson’s disease.
Most auditory information is sent to which hemisphere of the brain?
a. the ipsilateral side
b. the contralateral side
c. the left hemisphere
d. It depends on whether the individual is dominant for audition in the right or the left
hemisphere.
What happened when Weiss grafted an extra leg onto a salamander adjacent to one of
the hindlegs?
a. The new leg gradually took over for the old.
b. The new leg withered and died.
c. Nerves from the old leg attached to the new in a random fashion.
d. Branches of axons from the old leg attached to corresponding muscles in the new.
A group of forebrain structures is important for motivated and emotional behavior.
What is the name given to this group of structures?
a. Limbic system
b. Reticular formation
c. Tegmentum
d. Basal ganglia
Set points for temperature and body fat:
a. are fixed.
b. change with time of year only.
c. only change due to varying internal conditions.
d. change depending on many conditions.
Visual stimuli in the left visual field stimulate:
a. the right half of each retina.
b. the left half of each retina.
c. the right hemisphere.
d. both hemispheres.
Two major classes of sex hormones are:
a. luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone.
b. dopamine and serotonin.
c. steroids and thyroid hormones.
d. androgens and estrogens.
By both neural and hormonal pathways, the hypothalamus regulates activity of the:
a. pituitary gland.
b. thalamus.
c. retina.
d. ventricles.
To say that there is a “gene for blue eyes”:
a. means that a gene directly produces blue eyes.
b. suggests dominance, since you only need one gene to express the trait.
c. suggests that other genes might produce blue eyes also.
d. means that a gene indirectly produces blue eyes through a complex process of protein
synthesis and environmental input.
Antihistamine drugs tend to ____ itching, and opiates tend to ____ itching.
a. reduce, increase
b. reduce, reduce
c. increase, increase
d. increase, reduce
People with damage in the anterior and inferior regions of the temporal lobe suffer:
a. cingulate dementia.
b. implicit dementia.
c. lexical dementia.
d. semantic dementia.
In some cases of Alzheimer’s disease that run in families, the cause of the disease
appears to involve which gene(s)?
a. a gene on the X chromosome
b. a gene on the Y chromosome
c. a series of genes on chromosome 4
d. genes on several different chromosomes
The results of several studies of facial expressions in people who were born blind
suggest:
a. a minor role for genetics in the control of facial expressions.
b. a major role for genetics as well as environment in the control of facial expressions.
c. no role of genetics in the control of facial expressions.
d. no role of genetics but a major role of environment in the control of facial
expressions.
Shapes are more easily identified with peripheral vision than foveal vision.
Please list two arguments in favor of animal research and two arguments against animal
research.
Physical exercise is important for increased dendrite growth and branching.
An ontogenetic explanation is one that describes the development of a structure or
behavior.
It is possible to predict (with moderate accuracy) people’s political attitudes toward the
use of the military, the death penalty, and so forth by monitoring which of the
following?
A differences in fMRI response between the left and right hemispheres
B size of the hippocampus
C amygdala responses to a sudden loud noise
D fluctuations in testosterone levels between morning and evening
Briefly describe glial cells.
Describe the basic functions and components of the autonomic nervous system.
Answer:
Answers will vary.
Experimenters present stimuli very briefly under conditions where people sometimes
perceive them consciously and sometimes not. How, if at all, do the brain responses
differ?
A When something is conscious, its representation spreads to much of the cortex.
B When something is conscious, it evokes a release of pituitary hormones.
C When something is conscious, it produces PGO waves.
D Brain responses do not differ between conscious and unconscious items.
Donald Hebb (1949) distinguished between two types of memory that he called
A implicit and explicit.
B declarative and procedural.
C short-term and long-term.
D repressed and unrepressed.
The lateral interpositus nucleus in the cerebellum is essential for learning.
The main advantage of psychotherapy over drug-therapy in the treatment of depression
is that psychotherapy:
A shows benefits more quickly.
B is usually less expensive.
C has no effect on the brain.
D produces longer-lasting effects.
Briefly describe the role of the HPA axis and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in
the stress response.
The prefrontal cortex plans movements according to their probable outcomes.
Cranial Nerve II is called the optic nerve.