The speed at which a neural impulse travels is increased when the axon is encased by a(n)
pituitary gland.
myelin sheath.
synaptic vesicle.
endocrine gland.
sympathetic nerve.
Compared with identical twins, fraternal twins are
less likely to be the same sex and more likely to be similar in extraversion.
less likely to be the same sex and less likely to be similar in extraversion.
more likely to be the same sex and more likely to be similar in extraversion.
more likely to be the same sex and less likely to be similar in extraversion.
less likely to be the same sex and equally likely to be similar in extraversion.
Resting potential is to action potential as ________ is to ________.
sensory neuron; motor neuron
dendrite; axon
polarization; depolarization
temporal lobe; occipital lobe
adrenal gland; pituitary gland
While relaxing in a lawn chair enjoying a cool drink, which of the following triggers the “rest-and-digest” response, as your heart rate slows and digestion begins?
sympathetic nervous system
parasympathetic nervous system
limbic system
motor cortex
somatic nervous system
The reticular formation is located in the
motor cortex.
brainstem.
limbic system.
sensory cortex.
cerebellum.
Circadian rhythm refers to
a pattern of biological functioning that occurs on a roughly 24-hour cycle.
the pattern of emotional ups and downs we routinely experience.
a pattern of brain waves that occur during sleep.
the experience of sleep apnea following an extensive transoceanic flight.
the cycle of five distinct stages that we experience during a normal night's sleep.
Stimulated digestion is to inhibited digestion as the ________ nervous system is to the ________ nervous system.
autonomic; somatic
somatic; autonomic
central; peripheral
parasympathetic; sympathetic
sympathetic; parasympathetic
The surgical removal of a large tumor from Dane's occipital lobe resulted in extensive loss of brain tissue. Dane is most likely to suffer some loss of
language comprehension.
muscular coordination.
visual perception.
speaking ability.
pain sensations.
Dendrites are branching extensions of
myelin.
endorphins.
endocrine glands.
neurotransmitters.
neurons.
Which of the following is most accurate about a typical night's sleep?
During REM sleep the muscles are tense and brain waves reveal deep relaxation.
Most of a night's sleep is spent in REM.
As sleep progresses, NREM-3 sleep diminishes while REM sleep increases.
Everyone needs 8 hours of sleep per night.
The sleep cycle repeats itself every 60 minutes.
In transmitting sensory information to the brain, an electrical signal travels from the _______ of a single neuron.
dendrites to the axon to the cell body
cell body to the axon to the dendrites
axon to the cell body to the dendrites
axon to the dendrites to the cell body
dendrites to the cell body to the axon
Heritability refers to the extent to which
genetic mutations can be transmitted to one's offspring.
nurture controls a trait rather than nature.
adult personality is determined by infant personality.
trait differences among individuals are attributable to genetic variations.
unrelated individuals share common genes.
As you are reading this question, the cells in your eyes are firing in response to the light coming from this paper. Which type of neuron is carrying this message to the brain?
presynaptic
efferent
motor
interneuron
sensory
To demonstrate that brain stimulation can make a rat violently aggressive, a neuroscientist should electrically stimulate the rat's
reticular formation.
amygdala.
cerebellum.
thalamus.
medulla.
REM sleep is called paradoxical sleep because
our heart rate is slow and steady, while our breathing is highly irregular.
we are deeply asleep but can be awakened easily.
it leads to highly imaginative dreams that are perceived as colorless images.
our nervous system is highly active, while our voluntary muscles hardly move.
our brain and nervous system are less active and our muscles are very active.
Motor neurons are an important part of the
peripheral nervous system.
motor cortex.
brainstem.
limbic system.
reticular formation.
If a genetic predisposition to fear darkness contributes to reproductive success, that trait will likely be passed on to subsequent generations. This best illustrates
behavior genetics.
self-regulation.
natural selection.
epigenetics.
nurture.
A person with schizophrenia may have an overactive dopamine system. Drugs used to treat this disorder prevent the action of dopamine by keeping it from binding to its receptors. These drugs are
agonists.
selectively permeable.
antagonists.
somatic.
sympathetic.
The depolarization of a neural membrane can create a(n)
neural network.
myelin sheath.
interneuron.
action potential.
lesion.
At 3 o'clock in the morning, John has already slept for 4 hours. As long as his sleep continues, we can expect an increasing occurrence of
sleep talking.
NREM-3 sleep.
hypnagogic sensations.
REM sleep.
muscle tension.
Neurotransmitters are released from vesicles located on knoblike terminals at the end of the
synapse.
cell body.
axon.
dendrites.
myelin sheath.
Which brain structure receives information from all the senses except smell?
pons
hippocampus
amygdala
medulla.
thalamus
To identify which specific brain areas are most active during a particular mental task, researchers would be most likely to make use of a(n)
hemispherectomy.
ACh agonist.
fMRI.
MRI.
brain lesion.
Which of the following sleep disorders would have the most negative impact for a commercial bus driver?
insomnia
sleep apnea
narcolepsy
night terrors
sleepwalking
Direct stimulation of the motor cortex would be most likely to result in
movement of the hand.
feelings of anger.
a sensation of being touched on the arm.
acceleration of heartbeat.
intense pain.
Thinking about sex (in your brain's cerebral cortex) can stimulate a region of the limbic system to secrete hormones. These hormones trigger the pituitary gland to influence hormones released by other glands in the body. Which brain region influences the endocrine system?
hypothalamus
thalamus
amygdala
hippocampus
reticular formation
Surgical destruction of brain tissue is called a(n)
endorphin.
MRI.
EEG.
lesion.
synapse.
When Mr. Valdez thought his 1-year-old daughter had fallen down the stairs, his heartbeat accelerated, his blood pressure rose, and he began to perspire heavily. Mr. Valdez's state of arousal was activated by his ________ nervous system.
central
sympathetic
sensorimotor
parasympathetic
somatic
Within a single neuron the action potential
depends on the movement of charged calcium atoms.
is generated in the dendrites.
will be slower if myelin is present.
travels in one direction toward the axon terminals.
crosses the synapse to the adjacent neurons.
When looking at a flying bird, we are consciously aware of our cognitive processing (“It's a bird!”) but not of our subconscious processing of the bird's form, color, distance, and movement. This illustrates what psychologists call
serial processing.
selective attention.
dual processing.
cognitive neuroscience.
brain plasticity.
A picture of a cat is briefly flashed in the left visual field and a picture of a mouse is briefly flashed in the right visual field of a split-brain patient. The individual will be able to use her
right hand to indicate she saw a mouse.
left hand to indicate she saw a mouse.
left or right hand to indicate she saw a cat.
left or right hand to indicate she saw a mouse.
right hand to indicate she saw a cat.
Sleep researchers who are interested in brain wave activity are likely to use which kind of brain scan?
PET
CT
MRI
fMRI
EEG
Hormones are the chemical messengers of the
peripheral nervous system.
central nervous system.
autonomic nervous system.
endocrine system.
action potential.
The spatial junctions where impulses are chemically transmitted from one neuron to another are called
axons.
synapses.
neurotransmitters.
neural networks.
thresholds.
José has just played a long, bruising football game but feels little fatigue or discomfort. His lack of pain is most likely caused by the release of
dopamine.
endorphins.
acetylcholine.
insulin.
glutamate.
The minimum level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse is called the
action potential.
refractory period.
reflex.
synapse.
threshold.
If a blind person uses one finger to read Braille, the brain area dedicated to that finger expands as the sense of touch invades the visual cortex. This is an example of
positron emission training.
neural prosthetics.
hemispheric specialization.
brain plasticity.
integrated association areas.
Your life would be most immediately threatened if you suffered destruction of the
hippocampus.
angular gyrus.
amygdala.
corpus callosum.
medulla.
Chromosomes are composed of
deoxyribonucleic acid.
neurotransmitters.
synapses.
nuclei.
hormones.
How do evolutionary psychologists explain why pregnant women from cultures across the world tend to avoid bitter, strongly flavored foods?
Bitter tastes can be an indication of foods toxic toward a developing baby, so this preference developed through natural selection.
Pregnant women tend to associate with one another and they acquire similar food preferences through social conformity.
Most cultures educate women about the dangers of certain foods on a developing fetus.
Women and men have genetic differences in taste preferences.
Historical preferences toward or against certain tastes tend to change as cultures change.