PSYC 276 UNIT 3 Study Guide

Question 1

Why is the idea that we only use “10% of our brain” a neuromyth?

Answer 1

We use our entire brain. There is no evidence for unused capacity in the brain, though we do not use all of the brain at the same time (e.g., stoplight)

Extra info:
if you think about development, any neurons that are not used die off. That said, we do not only use all of the brain at the same time (like a stoplight, only some portions are “on” at a time).

Question 2

circuit of brain regions active when we are mentally inactive

Answer 2

Default Mode Network

Extra: This is NOT active when we are intentionally doing something or thinking.

Question 3

surgery that physically removes on hemipshere (primarily the cortex)

Answer 3

hemispherectomy

Extra: Some tissue is still left intact. If young enough, brain plasticity is better able to rewire itself to perform functions of removed hemisphere.

Question 4

new connections are made between active neurons to create alternate neural pathways

different part of brain takes over task that damaged part usually does

Answer 4

Rerouting

Question 5

new axon and dendrite extensions “sprout” and allow existing neurons to form new connections.

Answer 5

Sprouting

Question 6

When would collateral sprouting be considered good, neutral, and negative?

Answer 6

good = replaces broken pathways
neutral = might not do anything
negative = collateral path may result in chronic pain

Question 7

What are two ways the brain rewires itself after injury?

Answer 7

sprouting and rerouting

Question 8

What therapies support the process of the brain rewiring itself after damage?

Answer 8

Physical and cognitive therapies (e.g., video games, exercise, language therapy)

Medication (drugs, esp. stimulants, may accelerate activity in healthy brain regions after stroke)

Question 9

sharp blow to the head that does not puncture the brain

most common brain injury in young adults

Answer 9

closed head TBI

Question 10

Why are closed head brain injuries difficult to treat?

Answer 10

(Coup/contre-coup) Bruising occurs at the site of impact and site of reverberation (where brain hits other side of skull)

Question 11

temporary loss of blood flow of the brain

Answer 11

stroke

Question 12

most common type of stroke resulting from blood clot or obstruction of an artery

nutrient supply is stopped and cannot get to areas of the brain

Answer 12

ischemic stroke

Question 13

less common type of stroke resulting from ruptured artery

neurons at site of rupture are flooded with excess blood, calcium, oxygen, and other chemicals AND neurons at the end of the blood’s intended pathway are deprived of necesary nutrients

Answer 13

hemorrhagic stroke

Question 14

Two effects of a stroke

Answer 14

edema and disruption of NA/K pumps

Question 15

fluid accumulation, increased pressure on brain, can cause cell death

Answer 15

edema

effect of stroke

Question 16

accumulation of NA and K ions cause hypopolarization (reduced polarization, inside of cell becomes less negatively charged and leads to more action potentials) leading to NA build up and cell death

Answer 16

Disruption of NA/K pumps

Question 17

List the main symptoms of stroke.

Answer 17

BEFAST
- Balance (loss of balance)
- Eyes (loss of vision)
- Face (facial drooping)
- Arm (weakness in arm)
- Speech (difficulty with speech, slurred)
- Time (Call 911 ASAP)

Question 18

3 treatments for stroke

Answer 18

• Cooling the brain to minimize damage – theoretically protects brain after ischemia by reducing overstimulation, apoptosis, and inflammation; not a ton of evidence for this but it doesn’t cause harm
• Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) – given within 3 hours (in some cases up to 4.5 hours) to break up blood clots
• Stent – for prevention, done very rarely in high risk people

Question 19

subjective mental state

Answer 19

emotion (scientific definition)

Question 20

Behaviors associated with certain emotions have a(n) ———- basis

Answer 20

evolutionary

Question 21

Main purposes of emotion

Answer 21

• aid in quick decision making
• help communicate needs to others (and understand others’ needs)

Question 22

Theory of Emotion

We experience an emotion in response to a stimulus, then our body responds. (body’s reaction is determined by emotion)

Answer 22

Folk Psychology

Question 23

We experience a physiological pattern of arousal in response to a stimulus BEFORE experiencing the emotion. (emotion is interpreted based on our body’s reaction). This is similar to the facial feedback hypothesis.

Answer 23

James-Lange Theory

Question 24

In response to a stimulus, we experience a particular emotion and general pattern of autonomic arousal simultaneously, BUT these processes happen independently.

Answer 24

Cannon-Bard Theory

Question 25

We use context to cognitively attribute specific emotions to arousal. (the experience of emotion is still attributed to physical arousal, but context of the situation decides which emotion we experience. NEED TO REVISIT VIDEO

Answer 25

Schachter-Singer Theory

Question 26

Why might botox injections impact emotion?

Answer 26

Facial feedback hypothesis;
- By paralyzing facial muscles, we have reduced facial expression. This has been reported to cause some people to experience emotions less intensely.
- This is consistent with the James-Lange Theory or facial feedback hypothesis, which implies that sensory feedback from facial expressions can affect mood.
- Physiological and psychological effects can be bidirectional.

Question 27

When extreme facial expressions were photoshopped onto a body getting piercing versus body winning tennis match, participants’ interpretation of which emotion the photographed person was experiencing depended on:

Answer 27

the context (body positioning, situation)

Question 28

When multiple brain areas contribute to different patterns of behavior

Answer 28

degeneracy

Question 29

the ability to recognize facial expressions even when blind

(person can look at a picture and even though they cannot see it, they can gell what emotion the person is experiencing)

Answer 29

affective blindsight

(person is unable to tell WHO is in the picture still)

Question 30

How is degeneracy different than redundancy?

Answer 30

Degeneracy – different factors and different mechanisms lead to the same outcome (way that system does it is different)
Redundancy – different factors lead to ONE mechanism to the same outcome

Question 31

surgical disconneciton of the prefrontal cortex

Answer 31

prefrontal lobotomy

Question 32

Why were prefrontal lobotomies done?

Answer 32

Initially used in treating schizophrenia and depression with self-harm to minimize impulsivity, aggressive behavior, etc. Later was used on people with less severe mental illnesses.

Question 33

What changes were caused by prefrontal lobotomies?

Answer 33

• While it removed undesirable symptoms, it often also removed emotion entirely (flat affect).
• Apathy
• Lack of ability to plan
• Memory disorders
• Lack of emotional expression

Question 34

behavior intent on causing pain or harm to others

Answer 34

aggression

Question 35

Based on studies in monkeys and humans, we know that aggressive behavior is linked to —————-, but are unsure of the direction of this effect.

Answer 35

low serotonin turnover

Question 36

Post-castration, monkeys show a ——— in aggression. What does this suggest?

Answer 36

decrease; suggests that androgens play an important role in aggression

Question 37

When monkeys were administered testosterone, —————– increased. Further, ——————— until the subjections stopped receiving testosterone.

Answer 37

aggression; aggression behaviors continued

Question 38

In humans, what does increased testosterone at puberty case and what does this suggest?

Answer 38

Puberty and the accompanying increase in testosterone does not affect aggression, indicating that other factors are at play in the testosterone/aggression relationship.

Question 39

For people who scored low on ———– traits, testosterone had no affect on aggression.

Answer 39

dominance

Question 40

People who ———– and ————–, were significantly more likely to be aggressive.

Answer 40

scored high on dominance traits; had high testosterone