Chapter 3: The Biological Bases of Behavior

Question 1

minimum length of the time after action potential during another action potential cannot begin

Answer 1

Absolute Refractory Period

Question 2

a brief change in a neuron’s electrical charge

Answer 2

Action Potential

Question 3

an inherited characteristic that increased in a population because it helped solve a problem of survival or reproduction during the time it emerged

Answer 3

Adaption

Question 4

research studies that assess hereditary influence by examining the resemblance between adopted children and both their biological and their adoptive parents

Answer 4

Adoption Studies

Question 5

axons that carry information inward to the central nervous system from the periphery of the body

Answer 5

Afferent Nerve Fibers

Question 6

a chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter

Answer 6

Agonist

Question 7

a chemical that opposes the action of a neurotransmitter

Answer 7

Antagonist

Question 8

partial or total loss of the ability to articulate ideas or comprehend written or spoken language

Answer 8

Aphasia

Question 9

the system of nerves that connect to the heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles, and glands

Answer 9

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

Question 10

a long, thin fiber that transmits signals away from the neuron cell body to other neurons,or to muscles or glands

Answer 10

Axon

Question 11

where plasma regions of cell body (soma) generate nerve impulses

Answer 11

Axon Hillock

Question 12

any overt (observable) response or activity by an organism

Answer 12

Behavior

Question 13

an interdisciplinary field that studies the influence of genetic factors on behavioral traits

Answer 13

Behavioral Genetics

Question 14

the brain and the spinal cord

Answer 14

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Question 15

the convoluted outer layer of the cerebrum

Answer 15

Cerebral Cortex

Question 16

the right and left halves of the cerebrum

Answer 16

Cerebral Hemispheres

Question 17

a solution that fills the hollow cavities of the brain and circulates around the brain and spinal cord

Answer 17

Cerebrospinal Fluid (CFS)

Question 18

threadlike strands of DNA molecules that carry genetic information

Answer 18

Chromosomes

Question 19

the structure that connects the two cerebral hemispheres

Answer 19

Corpus Callosum

Question 20

a limited time span in the development of an organism when it is optimal for certain capacities to emerge because the organism is especially responsive to certain experiences

Answer 20

Critical Period

Question 21

branchlike parts of a neuron that are specialized to receive information

Answer 21

Dendrites

Question 22

a gene that is expressed when paired genes are heterozygous (different)

Answer 22

Dominant Gene

Question 23

axons that carry information outward from the central nervous system to the periphery of the body

Answer 23

Efferent Nerve Fibers

Question 24

sending weak electric currents into a brain structure to stimulate (activate) it

Answer 24

Electrical Stimulation of the Brain (ESB)

Question 25

a device that monitors the electrical activity of the brain over time by means of recording electrodes attached to the surface of the scalp

Answer 25

Electroencephalograph (EEG)

Question 26

a group of glands that secrete chemicals into the bloodstream that help control bodily functioning

Answer 26

Endocrine System

Question 27

the entire family of internally produced chemicals that resemble opiates in structure and effects

Answer 27

Endorphins

Question 28

theoretical perspective that examines behavioral processes in terms of their adaptive value for a species over the course of many generations

Answer 28

Evolutionary Psychology

Question 29

an electric potential that increases the likelihood that a postsynaptic neuron will fire action potentials

Answer 29

Excitatory PSP

Question 30

people who tend to be interested in the external world of people and things

Answer 30

Extraverts

Question 31

scientific studies in which researchers assess hereditary influence by examining blood relatives to see how much they rememble each other on a specific trait

Answer 31

Family Studies

Question 32

a physiological reaction to threat in which the autonomic nervous system mobilizes the organism for attacking (fight) or fleeing (flight) an enemy

Answer 32

Fight-or-Flight Response

Question 33

the reproductive success of an individual organism relative to the average reproductive success of the population

Answer 33

Fitness

Question 34

the largest and most complicated region of the brain, encompassing a variety of structures, including the thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebrum

Answer 34

Forebrain

Question 35

twins that result when two eggs are fertilized simultaneously by different sperm cells, forming two separate zygotes

Answer 35

Fraternal Twins; Dizygotic Twins

Question 36

DNA segments that serve as the key functional units in hereditary transmition

Answer 36

Genes

Question 37

the process of determining the location and chemical sequences of specific genes on specific chromosomes

Answer 37

Genetic Mapping

Question 38

a person's genetic makeup

Answer 38

Genotype

Question 39

the situation that occurs when two genes in a specific pair are different

Answer 39

Heterozygous Condition

Question 40

the part of the brain that includes the cerebellum and two structures found in the lower part of the brainstem: the medulla and the pons

Answer 40

Hindbrain

Question 41

the situation that occurs when two genes in a specific pair are the same

Answer 41

Homozygous Condition

Question 42

the chemical substances released by the endocrine glands

Answer 42

Hormones

Question 43

a structure found near the base of the forebrain that is involved in the regulation of basic biological needs

Answer 43

Hypothalamus

Question 44

twins that emerge from one zygote that splits for unknown reasons

Answer 44

Identical Twins; Monozygotic Twins

Question 45

the sum of an individual's own reproductive success plus the effects the organism has on the reproductive success of related others

Answer 45

Inclusive Fitness

Question 46

an electric potential that decreases the likelihood that a postsynaptic neuron will fire action potentials

Answer 46

Inhibitory PSP

Question 47

a relatively durable change in behavior or knowledge that is due to experience

Answer 47

Learning

Question 48

destroying a piece of the brain

Answer 48

Lesioning

Question 49

a densely connected network of structures roughly located along the border between the cerebral cortex and deeper subcortical areas

Answer 49

Limbic System

Question 50

the segment of the brain stem that lies between the hindbrain and the forebrain

Answer 50

Midbrain

Question 51

a mating system in which one male and one female mate exclusively, with each other

Answer 51

Monogamy

Question 52

a spontaneous, heritable change in a piece of DNA that occurs in the individual organism

Answer 52

Mutation

Question 53

insulating material, derived from glial cells, that encases some axons of neurons

Answer 53

Myelin Sheath

Question 54

principle stating that heritable characteristics that provide a survival reproductive advantage are more likely than alternative characteristics to be passed on to subsequent generations and thus come to be selected over time

Answer 54

Natural Selection

Question 55

bundles of neuron fibers (axons) that are routed together in the peripheral nervous system

Answer 55

Nerves

Question 56

individual cells in the nervous system that receive, integrate, and transmit information

Answer 56

Neurons

Question 57

chemicals that transit information from one neuron to another

Answer 57

Neurotransmitters

Question 58

periodic gaps in myelin sheath that speed information travel along the axon

Answer 58

Nodes of Ranvier

Question 59

the branch of the autonomic nervous system that generally conserves bodily resources

Answer 59

Parasympathetic Division

Question 60

what each sex contributes in terms of time, energy, survival risk, and forgone opportunities to produce and nurture offspring

Answer 60

Parental Investment

Question 61

left-right imbalances between the cerebral hemispheres in the speed of visual or auditory processing

Answer 61

Perceptual Asymmetries

Question 62

all those nerves that lie outside the brain and spinal cord

Answer 62

Peripheral Nervous System

Question 63

the ways in which a person's genotype is manifested in observable characteristics

Answer 63

Phenotype

Question 64

the "master gland" of the endocrine system; it releases a great variety of hormones that fan out through the body, stimulating actions in the other endocrine glands

Answer 64

Pituitary Glands

Question 65

a mating system in which each female seeks to mate with multiple males, while each male mates with only one female

Answer 65

Polandry

Question 66

characteristics that are influenced by more than one pair of genes

Answer 66

Polygenic Traits

Question 67

a mating system in which each male seeks to mate with multiple females, while each female mates with only one male

Answer 67

Polygyny

Question 68

the larger collection of animals or people from which a sample is drawn and that researchers want to generalize about

Answer 68

Population

Question 69

a voltage change at the receptor site on a postsynaptic cell membrane

Answer 69

Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)

Question 70

the sexual structures necessary for reproduction

Answer 70

Primary Sex Characteristics

Question 71

the period of early adolescence marked by rapid physical growth and the development of sexual maturity

Answer 71

Puberty

Question 72

a gene whose influence is masked when paired genes are different (heterozygous)

Answer 72

Recessive Gene

Question 73

time a neuron cannot fire

Answer 73

Refractory Period

Question 74

the stable, negative charge of a neuron when it is inactive

Answer 74

Resting Potential

Question 75

a process in which neurotransmitters are sponged up from the synaptic cleft by the presynaptic membrane

Answer 75

Reuptake

Question 76

physical features that are associated with gender by that are not directly invovled in reproduction

Answer 76

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Question 77

the cell body of a neuron; it contains the nucleus and much of the chemical machinery common to most cells

Answer 77

Soma

Question 78

the system of nerves that connect to voluntary skeletal muscles and to sensory receptors

Answer 78

Somatic Nervous System

Question 79

a procedure in which the bundle of fibers that connects the cerebral hemispheres is cut to reduce the severity of epileptic seizures

Answer 79

Split-Brain Surgery

Question 80

the branch of the autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the body's resources for emergencies

Answer 80

Sympathetic Division

Question 81

a junction where information is transmitted from one neuron to the next

Answer 81

Synapse

Question 82

a microscopic gap between the terminal button of a neuron and the cell membrane of another neuron

Answer 82

Synaptic Cleft

Question 83

small knobs at the end of axons that secrete chemicals called neurotransmitters

Answer 83

Terminal Buttons

Question 84

a structure in the forebrain through which all sensory information (except smell) must pass to get to the cerebral cortex

Answer 84

Thalamus

Question 85

a research design in which hereditary influence is assessed by comparing the resemblance of identical twins and fraternal twins with respect to a trait

Answer 85

Twin Studies

Question 86

a one-celled organism formed by the union of a sperm and an egg

Answer 86

Zygote

Question 87

identified natural selection as the mechanism that orchestrates the process of evolution

Answer 87

Charles Darwin

Question 88

unlocked the secret of the neural impulse

Answer 88

Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley

Question 89

discovered "pleasure centers" in the limbic system

Answer 89

James Olds and Peter Milner

Question 90

showed that morphine works by binding to specific receptors

Answer 90

Candace Pert and Solomon Snyder

Question 91

one of the leading behavior genetics researchers in the last decade

Answer 91

Robert Plomin

Question 92

known for their work with the split-brain

Answer 92

Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga

Question 93

discovered the motor speech center of the brain and did pioneering work in brain surgery; his study of brain lesions contributed to the understanding of the origins of aphasia; discovered Broca's area of the brain

Answer 93

Paul Broca

Question 94

related nerve diseases to specific parts of the brain and known for studies in aphasia; discovered Wernicke's area of the brain

Answer 94

Carl Wernicke