Module 1

Question 1

What are neurons?

Answer 1

Cells that receive and transmit electrochemical signals.

Question 2

What is neuroscience?

Answer 2

The scientific study of the nervous system.

Question 3

Thinking ___________ (thinking in productive, unconventional ways) is the cornerstone of any science.

Answer 3

Creatively.

Question 4

Define clinical.

Answer 4

Pertaining to illness or treatment.

Question 5

What are the two aspects to the clinical implications theme in biopsychology?

Answer 5

1) much of what biopsychologists learn about the functioning of a healthy brain comes from studying dysfunctional brains; and

2) many of the discoveries of biopsychologists have relevance for the treatment of brain dysfunction.

Question 6

What is the evolutionary perspective approach to biopsychology?

Answer 6

Thinking of the environmental pressures that likely led to the evolution of our brains and behavior often leads to important biopsychological insights.

(although the events that led to the evolution of the human species can never be determined with certainty).

Question 7

What is an important component of the evolutionary perspective?

Answer 7

The comparative approach.

(Trying to understand biological phenomena by comparing them in different species).

Question 8

True or False?

The adult brain is a static network of neurons.

Answer 8

False.

In the past four decades, research has clearly demonstrated that the adult brain is not a static network of neurons: It is a plastic (changeable) organ that continuously grows and changes in response to an individual’s environment and experiences. (Neuroplasticity)

Question 9

The discovery of __________ is arguably the single most influential discovery in modern neuroscience.

Answer 9

Neuroplasticity.

Question 10

True or False?

The plasticity of the human brain is not always beneficial.

Answer 10

True.

Contrary to popular belief, the plasticity of the human brain is not always beneficial. For example, it also contributes to various forms of brain dysfunction.

Question 11

What is the study of epigenetics?

Answer 11

Genes are only a small part of what determines who you are. Instead, you are the product of ongoing interactions between your genes and your experiences—such interactions are at the core of a field of study known as epigenetics.

Question 12

Define consciousness.

Answer 12

The perception or awareness of some aspect of one’s self or the world.

Question 13

Define biopsychology.

Answer 13

The scientific study of the biology of behavior.

(Some refer to this field as psychobiology, behavioral biology, or behavioral neuroscience; but we prefer the term biopsychology because it denotes a biological approach to the study of psychology rather than a psychological approach to the study of biology: Psychology commands center stage in this text.)

Question 14

Define psychology.

Answer 14

The scientific study of behavior—the scientific study of all overt activities of the organism as well as all the internal processes that are presumed to underlie them (e.g., learning, memory, motivation, perception, emotion).

Question 15

Although it is not possible to specify the exact date of biopsychology’s birth, the publication of _________________ in 1949 by Donald Hebb played a key role in its emergence

Answer 15

The Organization of Behavior.

Question 16

List the six fields of neuroscience that are particularly relevant to biopsychological inquiry.

Answer 16

1) Neuroanatomy. The study of the structure of the nervous system.

2) Neurochemistry. The study of the chemical bases of neural activity.

3) Neuroendocrinology. The study of interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system.

4) Neuropathology. The study of nervous system dys- function.

5) Neuropharmacology. The study of the effects of drugs on neural activity.

6) Neurophysiology. The study of the functions and activities of the nervous system.

Question 17

What are some advantages that humans have over other animals as experimental subjects of biopsychological research?

Answer 17

1) They can follow instructions

2) They can report their subjective experiences

3) Humans are often cheaper (he cost of maintaining an animal laboratory can be prohibitive)

4) They have human brains (which is obviously optimal in a field aimed at understanding the intricacies of human brain function haha)

Question 18

What are three advantages that nonhuman animals have over humans as subjects in biopsychological research?

Answer 18

1) The brains and behavior of nonhuman subjects are simpler than those of human participants. (which often more likely to reveal fundamental brain–behavior interactions.)

2) Insights frequently arise from the comparative approach, the study of biological processes by comparing different species. (Ie: comparing the behavior of species that do not have a cerebral cortex with the behavior of species that do can provide valuable clues about cortical function.)

3) It is possible to conduct research on laboratory animals that, for ethical reasons, is not possible with human participants. (There are fewer ethical constraints on the study of laboratory species than on the study of humans.)

Question 19

Nonhuman animal ethics committees emphasize consideration of the so-called “three R’s”. What are the the “three R’s”?

Answer 19

1) Reduction (efforts to reduce the numbers of animals used in research)

2) Refinement (refining research studies or the way animals are cared for, so as to reduce suffering. Providing animals with better living conditions is one example of refinement.)

3) Replacement (replacing of studies using animal subjects with alternate techniques, such as experimenting on cell cultures or using computer models. Ie: crash test dummy)

Question 20

What are two common types of nonexperimental studies in biopsychological research?

Answer 20

Quasiexperimental studies and case studies.

Question 21

What is an experiment?

Answer 21

The method used by scientists to study causation, that is, to find out what causes what.

Question 22

In an experiment, what is the difference between “between-subjects design” and “within-subjects design”?

Answer 22

Between-subjects design = a different group of subjects is tested under each condition

Within-subjects design = sometimes it is possible to test the same group of subjects under each condition

Question 23

What is an independent variable?

Answer 23

The difference between the conditions that an experimenter assigns the subjects to conditions, administers the treatments, and measures the outcome in such a way that there is only one relevant difference between the conditions being compared.

Question 24

What is a dependent variable?

Answer 24

The variable measured by the experimenter to assess the effect of the independent variable.

Question 25

Why is it critical that there be no differences between conditions other than the independent variable?

Answer 25

When there is more than one difference that could affect the dependent variable, it is difficult to determine whether it was the independent variable or the unintended difference— called a confounded variable—that led to the observed effects on the dependent variable.

Question 26

What is the Coolidge effect?

Answer 26

The fact that a copulating male who becomes incapable of continuing to copulate with one sex partner can often recommence copulating with a new sex partner.

Question 27

True or False? The Coolidge effect is named after a biopsychologist named Coolidge.

Answer 27

False. It is named after President Calvin Coolidge.

Question 28

Define lordosis.

Answer 28

The arched-back, rump-up, tail-diverted posture of female rodent sexual receptivity.

Question 29

The Coolidge effect had not been demonstrated in females because it is more difficult to conduct well-controlled Coolidge-effect experi- ments with females—not because females do not display a Coolidge effect. The confusion stemmed from the fact that the males of most mammalian species become sexually fatigued more readily than the females. As a result, attempts to demonstrate the Coolidge effect in females are almost always confounded by the _______ of the males.

Answer 29

Fatigue.

Question 29

What are quasiexperimental studies?

Answer 29

Studies of groups of subjects who have been exposed to the conditions of interest in the real world. (For example, experiments assessing whether frequent marijuana use causes brain dysfunction are not feasible because it would be unethical to assign a human to a condition that involves years of frequent marijuana use.)

Question 30

True or false? Quasiexperimental studies are true experiments.

Answer 30

False. They are not true experiments because potential confounded variables have not been controlled—for example, by the random assignment of subjects to conditions.

Question 31

Experiments can tell us whether an independent variable causes a change in a dependent variable (assuming that the experimenter has controlled for all confounding variables); quasiexperiments can tell us only that _____________.

Answer 31

Two variables are correlated with one another. (For example, in interpreting experiments we can reach causal conclusions like “frequent alcohol consumption causes brain damage.” In contrast, quasiexperimental studies can tell us only that “frequent alcohol use is associated with brain damage.”)

Question 32

What is a case study?

Answer 32

Studies that focus on a single subject, or very small number of subjects.

Question 33

What is a major problem with all case studies?

Answer 33

Their generalizability—the degree to which their results can be applied to other cases.

Question 34

What is the goal of a case study?

Answer 34

Their focus is on providing a more in-depth picture than that provided by an experiment or a quasiexperimental study, and they are an excellent source of testable hypotheses.

Question 35

Pure research and applied research differ in a number of respects, but they are distinguished less by their own __________ than by the __________ of the researchers involved in their pursuit.

Answer 35

attributes, motives

Question 36

What is pure research?

Answer 36

Pure research is motivated primarily by the curiosity of the researcher—it is done solely for the purpose of acquiring knowledge.

Question 37

What is applied research?

Answer 37

In contrast to pure research, applied research is intended to bring about some direct benefit to humankind.

Question 38

True or False? Many scientists believe that pure research will ultimately prove to be of more practical benefit than applied research.

Answer 38

True. (Their view is that applications flow readily from an understanding of basic principles and that attempts to move directly to application without first gaining a basic understanding are shortsighted.)

Question 39

What is translational research?

Answer 39

Research that aims to translate the findings of pure research into useful applications for humankind. (Elements of both approaches - pure & applied)

Question 40

What is one important difference between pure and applied research?

Answer 40

Pure research is more vulnerable to the vagaries of political regulation because politicians and the voting public have difficulty understanding why research of no immediate practical benefit should be supported.

Question 41

What are the 6 divisions of biopsychology?

Answer 41

(1) physiological psychology, (2) psychopharmacology, (3) neuropsychology, (4) psychophysiology, (5) cognitive neuroscience (6) comparative psychology.

Question 42

Describe the division of biopsychology known as physiological psychology.

Answer 42

Study of the neural mechanisms of behavior by manipulating the nervous systems of nonhuman animals in controlled experiments. It studies the neural mechanisms of behavior through the direct manipulation and recording of the brain in controlled experiments—surgical and electrical methods are most common. The subjects of physiological psychology research are almost always laboratory animals because the focus on direct brain manipulation and controlled experiments precludes the use of human participants in most instances.

Question 43

Describe the division of biopsychology known as psychopharmacology.

Answer 43

Study of the effects of drugs on the brain and behavior. It is similar to physiological psychology except that it focuses on the manipulation of neural activity and behavior with drugs. A substantial portion of psychopharmacological research is applied. Although drugs are sometimes used by psychopharmacologists to study the basic principles of brain–behavior interaction, the purpose of many psychopharmacological experiments is to develop therapeutic drugs or to reduce drug abuse.

Question 44

Describe the division of biopsychology known as neuropsychology.

Answer 44

The study of the psychological effects of brain dysfunction in human patients. Because human volunteers cannot ethically be exposed to experimental treatments that endanger normal brain function, neuropsychology deals almost exclusively with case studies and quasiexperimental studies of patients with brain dysfunction resulting from disease, accident, or neurosurgery. The outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres— the cerebral cortex—is most likely to be damaged by accident or surgery; this is one reason why neuropsychology has focused on this important part of the human brain.

Question 45

________________ is the most applied of the biopsychological subdisciplines.

Answer 45

Neuropsychology. (The neuropsychological assessment of human patients, even when part of a program of pure research, is always done with an eye toward benefiting them in some way.)

Question 46

Describe the division of biopsychology known as psychophysiology.

Answer 46

Study of the relation between physiological activity and psychological processes in human volunteers by noninvasive physiological recording. The recording procedures are typically noninvasive; that is, the physiological activity is recorded from the surface of the body. The usual measure of brain activity is the scalp electroencephalogram (EEG). Other measures muscle tension, eye movement, and several indicators of autonomic nervous system activity (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, pupil dilation, and electrical conductance of the skin). Most psychophysiological research focuses on understanding the physiology of psychological processes, such as attention, emotion, and information processing, but there have been some interesting clinical applications of the psychophysiological method (ie: schizophrenia).

Question 47

What is the the autonomic nervous system (ANS)?

Answer 47

The division of the nervous system that regulates the body’s inner environment.

Question 48

Describe the division of biopsychology known as cognitive neuroscience.

Answer 48

Study of the neural mechanisms of human cognition, largely through the use of functional brain imaging. It studies the neural bases of cognition, a term that generally refers to higher intellectual processes such as thought, memory, attention, and complex perceptual processes. The major method of cognitive neuroscience is functional brain imaging: recording images of the activity of the living human brain while a participant is engaged in a particular mental activity. Cognitive neuroscience research often involves interdisciplinary collaboration among many researchers with different training (ie social psychologists, biopsychologists etc)

Question 49

_____________ is the youngest division of biopsychology.

Answer 49

Cognitive neuroscience.

Question 50

Describe the division of biopsychology known as comparative psychology.

Answer 50

Study of the evolution, genetics, and adaptiveness of behavior, largely through the use of the comparative method. Some comparative psychologists study behavior in the laboratory; others engage in ethological research—the study of behavior in an animal’s natural environment.

Question 51

_______ is a branch of psychology that uses data from patients with brain damage to understand structure and function of the human brain.

Answer 51

Neuropsychology.

Question 52

Over the past few decades, researchers have realized that the adult brain connections are not static but changeable in response to the individual’s genes and experiences. This is known as _______.

Answer 52

Neuroplasticity.

Question 53

In a _______ design, participants are placed into different groups and exposed to different experimental conditions.

Answer 53

Between-subjects.

Question 54

Studies that focus on a single participant rather than a group of participants are called _______.

Answer 54

Case studies.

Question 55

The major method of cognitive neuroscience is _______, recording images of the activity of the living human brain.

Answer 55

Functional brain imaging.

Question 56

_______ is a branch of biopsychology that studies genetic, evolutionary, and behavior differences across species.

Answer 56

Evolutionary behavioral genetics. (This was the textbook's answer to the question - page 37 - but I feel like the correct answer is actually comparative psychology. The text didn't even talk about evolutionary behavioural genetics?!)

Question 57

What is converging operations?

Answer 57

Major biopsychological issues are rarely resolved by a single experiment or even by a series of experiments taking the same general approach. Progress is most likely when different approaches are focused on a single problem in such a way that the strengths of one approach compensate for the weaknesses of the others; this combined approach is called converging operations.

Question 58

What neuropsychological disorder was Jimmie G was diagnosed with?

Answer 58

Korsakoff’s syndrome.

Question 59

What is the primary symptom of Korsakoff’s syndrome?

Answer 59

Severe memory loss.

Question 60

How does Korsakoff’s syndrome demonstrate that progress in biopsychology typically comes from converging operations?

Answer 60

From the convergence of neuropsychological case studies (case studies of Korsakoff patients), quasiexperiments with human participants (comparisons of heavy drinkers with abstainers), and controlled experiments on laboratory animals (comparison of thiamine-deficient and control rats).

Question 61

True or False? Korsakoff’s syndrome is a direct consequence of the toxic effects of alcohol on the brain.

Answer 61

False. Because Korsakoff’s syndrome commonly occurs in heavy drinkers of alcohol, it was initially believed to be a direct consequence of the toxic effects of alcohol on the brain. This conclusion proved to be a good illustration of the inadvisability of inferring causality from the results of quasiexperimental studies. Subsequent research showed that Korsakoff’s syndrome is largely caused by the brain damage associated with thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency.

Question 62

The first support for the thiamine-deficiency interpretation of Korsakoff’s syndrome came from what?

Answer 62

The discovery of the syndrome in malnourished persons who consumed little or no alcohol. (Additional support came from experiments in which thiamine-deficient rats were compared with otherwise identical groups of control rats. The thiamine-deficient rats displayed memory deficits and patterns of brain damage similar to those observed in many people who had been heavy drinkers of alcohol.

Question 63

Why might a heavy drinker of alcochol develop Korsakoff's syndrome?

Answer 63

Because most of their caloric intake comes in the form of alcohol, which lacks vitamins, and because alcohol interferes with the metabolism of what little thiamine they do consume. (However, alcohol has been shown to accelerate the development of brain damage in thiamine-deficient rats, so it may have a direct toxic effect on the brain as well.)

Question 64

What is scientific inference?

Answer 64

The empirical method that biopsychologists and other scientists use to study the unobservable.

Question 65

What is curare?

Answer 65

A drug with which some Indigenous people of South America coat their blow darts.

Question 66

Define critical thinking.

Answer 66

The first step in creative thinking is spotting the weaknesses of existing ideas and the evidence on which they are based—the process by which these weaknesses are recognized is called critical thinking.

Question 67

What is Morgan's Canon?

Answer 67

When there are several possible interpretations for a behavioral observation, the rule is to give precedence to the simplest one.

Question 68

What is a prefrontal lobotomy?

Answer 68

A surgical procedure in which the connections between the prefrontal lobes and the rest of the brain are cut as a treatment for mental illness.

Question 69

What is psychosurgery?

Answer 69

Any brain surgery, such as prefrontal lobotomy, performed for the treatment of a psychological problem?

Question 70

What is a transorbital lobotomy?

Answer 70

A variation of prefrontal psychosurgery developed in Italy (and then popularized in the US in the 1940s). It involved inserting an ice pick-like device under the eyelid, driving it through the orbit (the eye socket) with a few taps of a mallet, and pushing it into the prefrontal lobes, where it was waved back and forth to sever the connections between the prefrontal lobes and the rest of the brain.

Question 71

What is a leucotome?

Answer 71

A surgical instrument used for performing leucotomies (also known as lobotomy) and other forms of psychosurgery.

Question 72

Define behaviour.

Answer 72

Overt movements and activity of an animal, human or otherwise; behaviour can be directly observed, measured, and quantified; behaviour is produced by muscular activity that moves the body within the physical space.

Question 73

Define cognition.

Answer 73

The internal, psychological states and processes that accompany (and that may produce) behaviour; thoughts, attention, emotions, motivational states, and others; not accessible and cannot be measured directly; requires some indirect "proxy" measure that is thought to reflect these cognitive operations.

Question 74

Biopsychology aims to understand the neural mechanism of overt ________ and the underlying, internal _________ and emotional processes.

Answer 74

behaviour, cognitive

Question 75

A major part of the central nervous system (CNS) is dedicated to ______________.

Answer 75

Motor control.

Question 76

Complex ___________ are at the core of human behaviour and abilities.

Answer 76

Movements.

Question 77

Biopsychologists aim to study: a) psychological states b) movements and behaviours c) psychological states through their behavioural expression d) mental phenomena relevant to human experiences e) all of the above

Answer 77

e) all of the above

Question 78

The elevated plus maze (EPM) assesses fear by measuring: a) the release of stress hormones b) overall activity/movement levels c) open arm exploration d) closed arm exploration e) all of the above

Answer 78

c) open arm exploration

Question 79

Diazepam: a) increases anxietv/fear onlv in humans b) reduces anxietv/fear onlv in humans c) increases fear in non- human animal models d) is not effective in rats e) none of the above

Answer 79

e) none of the above

Question 80

How many neurons are in the human brain?

Answer 80

Around 100 million.

Question 81

Approximately how much does the human brain weigh?

Answer 81

About 1.3 kilograms.

Question 82

True or False? The brains of males are somewhat larger and heavier than those of females.

Answer 82

True.

Question 83

Define Species-Specific Behaviour.

Answer 83

Behaviours are unique to a specific species: i.e., playing soccer, composing music, or driving cars.

Question 84

Define Class-Common Behaviour.

Answer 84

Class-common behaviours are similar among a class of animals, such as all mammals.

Question 85

What are some examples of behaviours that all mammals have in common?

Answer 85

1) All mammals detect and interpret sensory signals. 2) All mammals need to feed, drink, and sleep. 3) All mammals have some sort of social arrangements. 4) All mammals show learning and behavioural change. 5) All mammals move and navigate throughout their habitats. 6) All mammals reproduce and perform the necessary maternal and paternal care to allow their offspring to survive. 7) All mammals exhibit some type of vocalizations. 8) All mammals avoid predators or other dangers.

Question 86

All mammals perform vocalizations (= class-common behaviour). However, only _______ have evolved the musculature and brain systems to produce specific facial expression, such as happiness or fear (= species-specific behaviour).

Answer 86

primates

Question 87

Which of the following statements is correct: a) the rat brain does not contain the primary visual cortex b) the rat brain is a scaled-down version of the human brain c) human and rat brains have a similar arrangement of motor and sensory areas d) the human brain is not more complex than the brain of a rat e) all of the above are correct

Answer 87

c) human and rat brains have a similar arrangement of motor and sensory areas

Question 88

Which of the following neurotransmitters are localized in the rat and human brain? a) acetylcholine b) serotonin (5-HT) c) histamine d) noradrenaline (NA/NE) e) all of the above

Answer 88

e) all of the above

Question 89

Class-common behaviours are: a) behaviours performed by all humans b) behaviours performed by rats and humans c) behaviours performed by all members of a class of animals d) the only behaviours of interest to biopsychologists e) all of the above are correct f) a, b, & c are correct

Answer 89

f) a, b, & c are correct