Which of the following BEST describes the concept of evolution?
a. “Survival of the fittest”
b. “Reproduction of the fittest”
c. “If you don’t use it, you lose it.”
d. “Always look for ways to improve.”
Why are local neurons more difficult to study?
a. There are so few of them that they are difficult to find.
b. They are so small.
c. They exist only in humans, so there are ethical considerations.
d. They die if separated from other neurons.
Damage to the ____ often causes people to lose their social inhibitions and to ignore the
rules of polite conduct.
a. corpus callosum
b. cerebellum
c. prefrontal cortex
d. striate cortex
Which of the following would probably develop as an intersex?
a. a genetic female exposed to more testosterone than normal during early development
b. a genetic male exposed to more estradiol than normal during early development
c. a genetic female deprived of her normal amount of estradiol during early
development
d. a genetic male exposed to a larger than normal amount of testosterone during early
development
Whereas dopamine stimulates sexual activity, the neurotransmitter ___ inhibits it, in
part by blocking dopamine release.
a. testosterone
b. estrogen
c. serotonin
d. estradiol
What does cataplexy involve?
a. Dreamlike experiences that the person has trouble distinguishing from reality
b. An attack of muscle weakness while awake
c. A lack of inhibition of movement during REM sleep
d. Repeated involuntary movement of the legs or arms during sleep
The brain finds out about the degree of stretch of the stomach from:
a. visual feedback.
b. the hormone angiotensin.
c. sensory receptors on the skin of the abdomen.
d. activity of the vagus nerve.
What causes hydrocephalus?
a. Poorly developed skull bones in an infant
b. Interruption of blood flow to the brain around the time of birth
c. Obstruction in the flow of cerebrospinal fluid
d. Damage to one of the cranial nerves
In hypothetical situations, women are more upset than men by ____ infidelity.
a. genetic
b. cultural
c. emotional
d. sexual
Mapping out the relationship between shared bone structures across different species
suggests there is a(n) ____ explanation.
a. ontogenetic
b. evolutionary
c. behavioral
d. physiological
Researchers have had trouble replicating studies that found a particular gene linked to
schizophrenia. According to one recent hypothesis, ____.
a. genes in fact have nothing to do with schizophrenia.
b. the same genes responsible for schizophrenia also produce Huntington’s disease.
c. spontaneous mutations in any of hundreds of genes can cause schizophrenia.
d. most genetic researchers fail to examine the X and Y chromosomes.
PGO waves are associated with which of the following?
a. NREM sleep
b. REM sleep
c. relaxation during wakefulness
d. being awakened from REM sleep
“Female hormones” are referred to as:
a. activating hormones.
b. SRY.
c. androgens.
d. estrogens.
Which of the following provides the strongest rationale for how altruistic genes could
spread in a population?
a. Altruistic behaviors cost very little.
b. Altruistic groups survive better than less cooperative ones.
c. Animals help those who help them in return.
d. Animals feel better when they help others.
Although the following methods may or may not actually work, which one would
theoretically be of potential benefit to stroke victims?
a. increasing activity at glutamate receptors
b. opening sodium channels
c. closing potassium channels
d. blocking glutamate receptors
If you were awakened every time you entered REM sleep for a few days, and then were
permitted to sleep without interruptions, you would:
a. spend about 50 percent more time in REM sleep than usual.
b. get nothing but REM sleep the next night.
c. get little or no REM sleep for the next several nights.
d. spend about the same time in REM sleep as usual.
At the synapse, cocaine:
a. increases the synthesis of dopamine.
b. blocks the breakdown of dopamine.
c. accelerates the breakdown of dopamine.
d. blocks the reuptake of dopamine.
The amygdala send axons to the ____, which in turn sends axons to the pons to control
the startle reflex.
a. midbrain
b. caudate nucleus
c. cingulate gyrus
d. pineal gland
The postcentral gyrus in the parietal lobe is the primary area for which type of
sensation?
a. Touch
b. Vision
c. Hearing
d. Smell
Decreases in ____ levels generally decrease male sexual activity.
a. estrogen
b. oxytocin
c. testosterone
d. estradiol
For a group of individuals, the heritability score for a particular trait = .5. What can be
said about the heredity of this trait?
a. Hereditary differences account for all of the observed differences for this group of
individuals.
b. Hereditary differences account for none of the observed differences for this group of
individuals.
c. Hereditary differences account for some of the observed differences for this group of
individuals.
d. The differences found within this group are mostly due to differences in the
environment.
____ helps compensate for decreased axon input.
a. Axon supersensitivity
b. Disuse supersensitivity
c. Enervation supersensitivity
d. Denervation supersensitivity
What will cause a muscle to relax?
a. electrical stimulation
b. absence of acetylcholine
c. presence of norepinephrine
d. presence of epinephrine
A lesion in the hypothalamus can lead to decreased activity in the cerebral cortex, even
though the cerebral cortex is undamaged. The decreased activity in the cortex because
of the loss of incoming neurons is called:
a. diaschisis.
b. deafferentation.
c. cytotoxicity.
d. hyperpolarization.
Which of the following neurotransmitters is released by active neurons to dilate the
blood vessels and increase blood flow?
a. endorphins
b. glycine
c. nitric oxide
d. acetylcholine
The SCN produces circadian rhythms by altering:
a. blood pressure.
b. production of proteins.
c. action potential velocity.
d. axon myelination.
Processes that reduce any discrepancies from the set point are known as:
a. negative feedback.
b. positive feedback.
c. homeothermic.
d. thermostasis.
In Pavlov’s experiments, he presented a sound followed by meat. Gradually the sound
came to elicit salivation. The meat in this experiment was the:
a. unconditioned stimulus.
b. unconditioned response.
c. conditioned stimulus.
d. conditioned response.
Research suggests that REM is:
a. important for all types of memory.
b. most important for strengthening memories of motor skills.
c. most important for strengthening memories of lists of words.
d. not important for strengthening memories of any kind.
“Second messengers” carry their messages to:
a. the presynaptic membrane.
b. areas within the postsynaptic cell.
c. areas within the presynaptic cell.
d. the surrounding glia.
What is the primary difference between temporal summation and spatial summation?
a. Only spatial summation can produce an action potential.
b. Spatial summation depends on contributions from more than one sensory neuron.
c. Temporal summation produces a hyperpolarization instead of a depolarization.
d. Spatial summation alters the response of more than one postsynaptic cell.