Course Introduction
Biological Psychology Exam Preparation
Guide
Biological Psychology explores the intricate relationship between biological processes and behavior, examining how the brain, nervous system, hormones, and genetics influence our thoughts, emotions, and actions. Students will gain a foundational understanding of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and the methods used to study the brain. The course covers topics such as sensation and perception, movement, motivation, emotion, learning, memory, and the biological basis of mental disorders. Through an integrative approach, this course highlights how biology shapes psychological processes, providing crucial insights into both normal and abnormal human behavior.
Recommended Textbook
Biological Psychology 12th Edition by James
W. Kalat
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15 Chapters
1794 Verified Questions
1794 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Nerve Cells and Nerve Impulses
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Sample Questions
Q1) Electrical gradients lead to the ____.
A)general movement of ions into the neuron
B)general movement of ions out of the neuron
C)movement of ions to areas having the same electrical charges
D)movement of ions to areas having opposite electrical charges
Answer: D
Q2) When the neuron is at rest,what is primarily responsible for moving potassium ions OUT of the cell?
A)a concentration gradient
B)an electrical gradient
C)both a concentration gradient and an electrical gradient
D)the sodium-potassium pump
Answer: A
Q3) According to the all-or-none law,____.
A)all neurons produce an action potential at the same time or none at all
B)all of the extracellular sodium enters the axon, or none at all
C)once an axon reaches threshold, the amplitude and velocity of an action potential are nearly equal each time
D)neurons are either active all the time or not at all
Answer: C
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Chapter 2: Synapses
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Answer: D
Q2) You are eating a food containing tryptophan.What can you consume with it to increase its entry to the brain?
A)phenylalanine
B)carbohydrates
C)fats
D)thiamine
Answer: B
Q3) Increased permeability to which type of ion would most likely result in an IPSP?
A)sodium
B)potassium
C)calcium
D)bicarbonate
Answer: B
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Anatomy and Research Methods
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Sample Questions
Q1) The only area of the cerebral cortex known to receive input from ALL sensory modalities is the ____.
A)thalamus
B)prefrontal cortex
C)striate cortex
D)parietal lobe
Answer: B
Q2) Which part of the nervous system prepares the body for "fight or flight" activities?
A)sympathetic
B)somatic
C)parasympathetic
D)peripheral
Answer: A
Q3) Damage to the striate cortex of the right hemisphere causes blindness in the left visual field.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 4: Genetics, evolution, development, and Plasticity
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Sample Questions
Q1) Enzymes serve as ____.
A)genetic templates
B)physiological markers of chemical reactions in the body
C)biological catalysts that regulate chemical reactions in the body
D)catalysts for the synthesis of protein molecules
Q2) Chemicals known as ____ and ____ guide neuron migration.
A)immunoglobulins; sodium
B)glia; neurothrophins
C)immunoglobulins; chemokines
D)chemokines; neurothrophins
Q3) The fluid-filled cavity of the developing neural tube becomes the ____.
A)forebrain
B)midbrain
C)spinal cord
D)ventricular system
Q4) Myelination of the brain and spinal cord is complete by the time of birth.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe Lamarckian evolution and the evidence for or against it.
Q6) How is brain development related to adolescent impulsivity?
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Vision
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Sample Questions
Q1) Color constancy is the ability to ____.
A)perceive all wavelengths as the same color
B)see color, even in very faint light
C)differentiate among many colors and hues
D)recognize the color of an object despite changes in lighting
Q2) Chemicals that release energy when struck by light are called ____.
A)photo-optics
B)photopigments
C)opsins
D)kestrels
Q3) According to the trichromatic theory,we can perceive only three colors.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In the visual system,the ____ and ____ constantly feed information back and forth.
A)thalamus; cortex
B)thalamus; inferior geniculate
C)inferior colliculus; thalamus
D)thalamus; lateral colliculus
Q5) Describe the functional and anatomic differences between rods and cones.
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Chapter 6: Other Sensory Systems
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which ability would be most impaired with damage to the vestibular senses?
A)writing
B)hearing
C)visually tracking an object while dancing
D)discriminating salt from sugar
Q2) One hypothesis of synesthesia is that ____.
A)all of the axons from one cortical area have more branches into that cortical area.
B)all of the axons from one cortical area have branches into another cortical area.
C)some of the axons from one cortical area have branches into another cortical area.
D)some of the axons from one cortical area have more branches into that cortical area.
Q3) Olfaction also plays a subtle role in ____.
A)sleeping
B)social behavior
C)touch sensation
D)vestibular sensation
Q4) Briefly describe the behavioral effects of pheromones in humans.
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Chapter 7: Movement
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Sample Questions
Q1) Purkinje cells are ____.
A)proprioceptors
B)flat cells in sequential planes
C)nuclei in the central cerebellum
D)axons parallel to one another
Q2) As an option for treating Parkinson's patients,transplantation of stem cells appears to be ____.
A)the most effective technique
B)more effective in late stages of the disease
C)modestly effective, as with other treatments
D)not at all effective
Q3) People with posterior parietal damage ____.
A)cannot walk toward something they hear
B)have trouble converting vision into action
C)can walk toward something they see but cannot reach out to grasp it
D)cannot accurately describe what they see.
Q4) Describe the areas and major functions of the primary motor cortex (include the relevant areas near to the motor cortex).
Q5) Describe the significance of mirror neurons.
Q6) Briefly describe the cellular organization of the cerebellum.
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Wakefulness and Sleep
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Sample Questions
Q1) Alternation between wakefulness and sleep depends completely on stimuli in the environment.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What is the role of the suprachiasmatic nucleus in circadian rhythms?
A)Its neurons generate a 24-hour rhythm by themselves.
B)Its neurons can reset the biological clock, but they do not generate it.
C)It relays visual information to the biological clock.
D)It relays information from the biological clock to areas that control temperature and activity.
Q3) A person who is taking an antidepressant that increases serotonin or norepinephrine levels in the brain is most likely to have ____.
A)interrupted or shortened REM sleep
B)prolonged wakefulness
C)prolonged NREM sleep
D)enhanced dreaming
Q4) Discuss the leading theories on the biological perspectives on dreaming.
Q5) Blind and deaf animals do not have circadian rhythms.
A)True
B)False
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Internal Regulation
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Sample Questions
Q1) Vasopressin increases blood pressure by constricting the blood vessels.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Why do both high levels and very low levels of insulin lead to increased eating?
A)Glucose leaves the blood to be stored as fat.
B)Fat supplies are being rapidly converted to glucose.
C)Little glucose is reaching the cells to be used as fuel.
D)Activity of the taste buds is directly enhanced.
Q3) What kind of thirst is produced by an increased concentration of solutes in the blood?
A)postprandial
B)hypovolemic
C)non-homeostatic
D)osmotic
Q4) Through what mechanism does insulin affect appetite?
A)It enables stored nutrients to enter the blood stream.
B)It enables glucose in the blood stream to enter the cells.
C)It converts other nutrients into glucose.
D)It converts glucose into other nutrients.
Q5) Describe how bulimia nervosa resembles drug addiction.
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Reproductive Behaviors
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Sample Questions
Q1) What were the findings of a study of CAH girls in adolescence?
A)They read more sports magazines than the average for other teenage girls.
B)They read more glamour magazines than the average for other teenage girls.
C)They show less physical aggression than most other women do as adults.
D)They show more interest in infants than most other women do as adults.
Q2) What would cause a genetic female mammal to develop an anatomical appearance resembling a male's?
A)a lack of estradiol
B)moderate levels of estradiol during an early stage of development
C)a high level of testosterone during an early stage of development
D)a high level of testosterone during the late part of puberty
Q3) The sexually dimorphic nucleus is part of the ____.
A)thalamus
B)Wolffian ducts
C)anterior hypothalamus
D)male brain, only
Q4) There are obvious differences in external anatomy of homosexual humans compared to heterosexual humans.
A)True
B)False
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Emotional Behaviors
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Sample Questions
Q1) A study administering testosterone to women found which of these effects?
A)Testosterone increased their violent dreams.
B)Testosterone increased the amount of time they looked at angry faces.
C)Testosterone caused them to report feeling angry for no apparent reason.
D)Testosterone made them want to play pool, drink beer, and spit.
Q2) Which of the following is characterized by extreme physiological arousal?
A)locked-in syndrome
B)pure autonomic failure
C)panic attack
D)prosopagnosia
Q3) Output from the amygdala to the ____ modifies approach and avoidance responses.
A)brain stem
B)hypothalamus
C)prefrontal cortex
D)basolateral nuclei
Q4) The parasite Toxoplasma gondii is able to reinfect cats when the cats ____.
A)come into close contact with other infected cats
B)are bitten by scared rats
C)eat fearless infected rats
D)are bitten by mosquitos carrying the parasite
Page 13
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Chapter 12: The Biology of Learning and Memory
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Sample Questions
Q1) What memory task would a typical patient with Korsakoff's syndrome be able to do without difficulty?
A)recalling the temporal order of events
B)remembering someone he or she met in the past week
C)an implicit memory task
D)an explicit memory task
Q2) H.M.was unable to form any kind of new memories after his surgery.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In addition to the neurotransmitter glutamate,in order to activate the NMDA receptors,the neuron requires ____.
A)serotonin
B)dopamine
C)increased release of magnesium ions from the presynaptic neuron
D)removal of magnesium ions from sodium and calcium channels
Q4) Korsakoff's patients best remember a list of short sentences by ____.
A)reading and rereading them
B)testing themselves on each sentence before going on to the next
C)creating an elaborate story integrating the content of the sentences
D)relating each sentence to a past personal experience
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Cognitive Functions
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Sample Questions
Q1) The training of Kanzi differed from the earlier language studies using other chimpanzees in that Kanzi ____.
A)observed his mother being trained while he was an infant
B)was given food reinforcements for associating arbitrary symbols with meanings
C)was given only verbal praise
D)was raised from birth in a human family, in total isolation from other animals
Q2) Several months after split-brain surgery,the number of incidents of conflicts between the two hemispheres diminishes because ____.
A)portions of the corpus callosum grow back
B)the right hemisphere begins to control all body muscles
C)the hemispheres learn ways of cooperating with each other D)the cerebellum assumes the former functions of the corpus callosum
Q3) The point of origin of an epileptic seizure is called the ____.
A)scope
B)target
C)focus
D)heart
Q4) Nearly all current philosophers and neuroscientists reject monism.
A)True
B)False
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Psychological Disorders
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following characterizes the total brain activity,as measured by the rate of glucose metabolism,in those suffering from mood disorders?
A)high in both mania and depression
B)low in both mania and depression
C)low in mania and high in depression
D)high in mania and low in depression
Q2) On average,those with the short form of the ____ transporter gene and a history of stressful experiences reported more than average symptoms of depression.
A)acetylcholine
B)dopamine
C)serotonin
D)calcium
Q3) Which of the following increases the probability that someone will develop schizophrenia?
A)having an older than average father
B)having at least one older brother
C)being the only child in the family
D)having a mother who is older than the father
Q4) What are the key symptoms of autism spectrum disorders?
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Chapter 15: Appendix A: Brief, basic Chemistry
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Sample Questions
Q1) A person who believes that hormones released at different stages of the menstrual cycle affect a person's mood is using a(n)____ explanation.
A)functional
B)ontogenetic
C)physiological
D)evolutionary
Q2) A(n)____ explanation describes why a structure or behavior evolved as it did.
A)functional
B)ontogenetic
C)physiological
D)evolutionary
Q3) A psychiatrist is most likely to ____.
A)help people with emotional distress
B)perform brain surgery
C)treat people with brain damage
D)relate behaviors to the functions they have served in their evolutionary past
Q4) The mind-body problem refers to how the mind controls the body.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Discuss the four biological explanations of behavior.
Page 17
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