Biological Psychology Study Guide
Questions
Course Introduction
Biological Psychology explores the intricate relationship between the brain, nervous system, and behavior. This course examines how biological processes including neuroanatomy, neurotransmission, hormones, and genetics influence perception, emotion, cognition, and mental health. By integrating concepts from psychology and neuroscience, students gain insights into brain function, the biological bases of mental disorders, and the physiological mechanisms underlying everyday experiences such as learning, memory, and motivation.
Recommended Textbook
Biological Psychology 11th Edition by James W. Kalat
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15 Chapters
3327 Verified Questions
3327 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: The Major Issues
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207 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Define the "hard problem" of consciousness according to David Chalmers. Answer: This concerns why and how any kind of brain activity is associated with consciousness.
Q2) Kin selection as an explanation for altruistic behavior would argue that:
A) individuals help others who help them.
B) individuals pick their mates based on how altruistic they are. C) individuals spread their genes by helping their relatives.
D) society benefits as a whole when individuals help each other.
Answer: C
Q3) A person who studies the influence of genetic predisposition to be aggressive in combination with early aggressive experiences is seeking for a(n) ____ explanation. A) physiological B) behavioral C) evolutionary D) ontogenetic
Answer: D
Q4) List the two major categories of careers related to biological psychology. Answer: research and therapy
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Chapter 2: Nerve Cells and Nerve Impulses
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Sample Questions
Q1) One type of glia helps synchronize the activity of axons. They are called:
A) oligodendrocytes.
B) astrocytes.
C) radial glia.
D) Schwann cells.
Answer: B
Q2) What are the two kinds of cells in the nervous system?
A) neurons and glia
B) dendrites and axons
C) ribosomes and lysosomes
D) neurons and axons
Answer: A
Q3) The selectivity of a neuron membrane is analogous to:
A) the blood-brain barrier.
B) the action potential.
C) the resting potential.
D) myelin.
Answer: A
Q4) List the parts of a neuron.
Answer: Dendrites, a soma (cell body), an axon, and presynaptic terminals.
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Chapter 3: Synapses
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Sample Questions
Q1) The "decision" for a neuron to fire is determined by the:
A) number of EPSPs only.
B) spontaneous firing rate.
C) number of IPSPs only.
D) ratio of EPSPs to IPSPs.
Answer: D
Q2) A drug that relaxes a person and makes them less sensitive to pain is most likely a(n):
A) opiate.
B) hallucinogen.
C) stimulant.
D) cannabinoid.
Answer: A
Q3) Transmission of information between neurons occurs in the same way as transmission along the axon.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) List the major types of neurotransmitters.
Answer: Amino acids, neuropeptides, acetylcholine, monoamines, and purines.
Page 5
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Chapter 4: Anatomy of the Nervous System
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Sample Questions
Q1) The hindbrain consists of the medulla, the pons, and the cerebellum.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The postcentral gyrus in the parietal lobe is the primary area for which type of sensation?
A) Touch
B) Vision
C) Hearing
D) Smell
Q3) What is the name given to a cluster of neurons inside the CNS?
A) Lamina
B) Column
C) Nucleus
D) Ganglion
Q4) 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
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Chapter 5: Development and Plasticity of the Brain
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215 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) After loss of sensory input from a limb, the axons representing that limb degenerate and:
A) cause immediate cell death.
B) leave vacant synaptic sites at several levels of the CNS.
C) destroy any leftover synapses.
D) cause no change in the associated neurons.
Q2) What is signaled by nerve growth factor (NGF)?
A) That a target cell has "accepted" an axon
B) Which target cell a growing axon should connect with
C) That axons should elongate as the body grows bigger
D) The need for new neurons to form in brain areas that are lacking in neurons
Q3) If supersensitivity takes place, what can one expect to find regarding the number of receptors?
A) An increased number in the presynaptic cell
B) A decreased number in the presynaptic cell
C) An increased number in the postsynaptic cell
D) A decreased number in the postsynaptic cell
Q4) Define differentiation during neural development.
Q5) Briefly describe how strokes affect the brain.
Q6) Define proliferation during neural development.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Vision
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Sample Questions
Q1) Damage to area V4 would likely cause problems with color constancy.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Why are men more likely to experience color vision deficiency than women?
A) Women have a greater number of cones.
B) Men don't have as much experience matching colors.
C) It is a sex-linked genetic disorder.
D) Testosterone in males affects the activity of the cones.
Q3) Cells in the ____ prevent us from confusing eye movements with object movements.
A) ventral part of area MST
B) dorsal part of area MST
C) motor cortex
D) occipital lobe
Q4) The visual paths in the temporal cortex collectively are referred to as the:
A) ventral stream.
B) dorsal stream.
C) lateral stream.
D) magnoparvocellular pathway.
Q5) Describe the work of Hubel & Wiesel as it relates to simple and complex cells.
Q6) What is prosopagnosia?
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Chapter 7: The Other Sensory Systems
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244 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Adaptation occurs quickly to pheromones.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Small-diameter pain axons:
A) carry sharp pain information.
B) carry dull pain information.
C) do not respond to endorphins.
D) are associated with large cell bodies.
Q3) A tonotopic map refers to:
A) an auditory cortex map of sounds.
B) a diagram of which kinds of sounds are most common in different parts of the world.
C) a diagram comparing the different tones to which different species are sensitive.
D) a map showing connections between the auditory cortex and the visual cortex.
Q4) Doubling the amplitude of sound doubles the perceived loudness.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe the basic mechanisms of taste receptors.
Q6) Briefly describe the behavioral effects of pheromones in humans.
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Chapter 8: Movement
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Sample Questions
Q1) Having an identical twin with Parkinson's disease greatly increases the other twin's likelihood of also getting Parkinson's disease if the:
A) first twin had late-onset Parkinson's disease.
B) first twin had early-onset Parkinson's disease.
C) twins are male.
D) twins are female.
Q2) Describe the relationship of conscious decisions and movements. What may this relationship reveal about consciousness?
Q3) Which type of proprioceptor responds to increases in muscle tension?
A) Golgi tendon organ
B) fast-twitch fiber
C) muscle spindle
D) slow-twitch fiber
Q4) Many of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease apparently relate to:
A) an imbalance between activity in the left and right hemispheres.
B) a decrease in metabolic activity in the cerebellum.
C) loss of arousal in the cortex.
D) increased excitation of neurons in the substantia nigra.
Q5) What is the neuromuscular junction?
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Chapter 9: Wakefulness and Sleep
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following people would be most alert when watching a late-night movie?
A) 40 year old
B) 20 year old
C) 16 month baby
D) a morning person
Q2) Night terrors occur during NREM sleep.
A)True
B)False
Q3) It is possible to determine a person's stage of sleep through which kinds of monitoring?
A) EEG and GSR
B) GSR and eye movements
C) EEG and eye movements
D) body position and carbon dioxide level in the blood
Q4) With each succeeding stage of sleep (from 1 to 4):
A) breathing and heart rates increase.
B) brain activity increases.
C) slow, large-amplitude waves increase in number.
D) brain waves become smaller.
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Internal Regulation
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Sample Questions
Q1) When neuropeptide Y inhibits the paraventricular nucleus, it:
A) leads to extreme undereating.
B) produces extreme overeating.
C) depletes fat stores.
D) interferes with digestion.
Q2) Describe the brain mechanisms involved in shivering, sweating, and changes in blood flow to the skin.
Q3) Damage to the lateral hypothalamus would increase feeding behavior.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Specialized neurons for detecting osmotic pressure are found in the brain areas surrounding which structure?
A) third ventricle
B) nucleus dorsalis
C) pituitary gland
D) Hypothalamus
Q5) The arcuate nucleus receives only hunger signals.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Describe the major brain mechanisms of eating and hunger.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Reproductive Behaviors
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Sample Questions
Q1) Briefly describe the role of the sex hormone oxytocin.
Q2) The sensitive period for human genital formation is approximately:
A) the first three weeks of gestation.
B) the third and fourth months of gestation.
C) the last trimester of gestation.
D) shortly after birth.
Q3) The sexually dimorphic nucleus is part of the:
A) thalamus.
B) Wolffian ducts.
C) anterior hypothalamus.
D) male brain, only.
Q4) Describe activating effects of sex hormones and give specific examples.
Q5) Stimulation of the medial preoptic area increases sexual activity in rodents.
A)True
B)False
Q6) "Male hormones" are referred to as:
A) activating hormones.
B) SRY.
C) androgens.
D) estrogens.
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Emotional Behaviors
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204 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why do certain people suspect that a diet high in corn may lead to an increase in aggressive behavior?
A) Corn is low in tryptophan and high in phenylalanine.
B) Corn contains a chemical similar to testosterone.
C) Corn is deficient in thiamine and other B vitamins.
D) Corn is high in fats and contains no proteins or amino acids.
Q2) Individuals with pure autonomic failure:
A) do not experience emotions.
B) are paralyzed.
C) are always fearful.
D) do not experience much intensity of emotion.
Q3) Which evidence is most detrimental to the James-Lange theory?
A) Patients with pure autonomic failure experience emotions.
B) Sometimes people have trouble reporting what they are feeling.
C) Changes in arousal are reported as changes in emotions.
D) Some people feel stronger emotions than others do.
Q4) Briefly describe the James-Lange Theory of Emotion.
Q5) Temporary increases in cortisol can enhance immune function.
A)True
B)False
Page 14
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Chapter 13: The Biology of Learning and Memory
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Sample Questions
Q1) Studies on ____ help clarify the distinctions among different kinds of memory and enable us to explore the mechanisms of memory.
A) dementia
B) amnesia
C) epilepsy
D) stroke
Q2) If some of the synapses onto a cell have been highly active and others have not, only the active ones become strengthened. This is known as the property of:
A) specificity.
B) cooperativity.
C) associativity.
D) NMDA.
Q3) 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.
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15
Chapter 14: Cognitive Functions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Some drugs that treat epilepsy work by:
A) relaxing the cell membrane.
B) causing apoptosis.
C) preventing the sodium-potassium pump from working.
D) blocking sodium flow across the membrane.
Q2) A small vertical strip down the center of each retina connects to:
A) the right hemisphere.
B) the left hemisphere.
C) both hemispheres.
D) neither hemisphere.
Q3) Patients with Broca's aphasia have a problem with speech production, but not speech comprehension.
A)True
B)False
Q4) More typical of dyslexic people than of other people is:
A) a planum temporale that is larger in the left hemisphere than the right hemisphere.
B) a bilaterally symmetrical cerebral cortex.
C) damage to the posterior portion of the corpus callosum.
D) an overresponsive magnocellular pathway in the visual system.
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Chapter 15: Mood Disorders and Schizophrenia
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Sample Questions
Q1) The dopamine system apparently responsible for the symptoms of schizophrenia projects from the ____ to the ____.
A) midbrain tegmentum; limbic system
B) limbic system; midbrain tegmentum
C) limbic system; hippocampus
D) midbrain tegmentum; basal ganglia
Q2) 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.
Q3) A combination of both antidepressants and psychotherapy benefits only a slightly higher percentage of people than either treatment alone.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Define major depression.
Q5) Discuss some of the leading theories on the neural causes of schizophrenia.
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