PSYCH 273: BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR-
CUMULATIVE FINAL EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
SOLUTIONS 2026
The notion that all behavior can be explained by the workings of the brain is
commonly referred to as:
experimentalism
dualism
psychology
materialism - ANSWERmaterialism
Within the brain, regulation of breathing and the cardiovascular system is primarily
controlled by:
The medulla
The cerebellum
The superior colliculus
The reticular activating system - ANSWERThe medulla
The idea that there is a nonmaterial mind that influences behavior through acting on
the physical body is called _____.
Materialism
Dualism
Epigenetics
Mentalism - ANSWERDualism
More advanced nervous systems often have similar structures on the left and right
sides (e.g., the left and right hemispheres of the brain). This concept is known as:
mirroring.
bilateral symmetry.
,mirror symmetry.
bilateral structures. - ANSWERbilateral symmetry.
A brain structure that made male voices more charming and attractive to females
would help these males attract and retain mates. Over time, the males who had this
brain structure would have more offspring than males who did not. This is an
example of:
sexual selection
epigenetics
why Barry White has six children and twenty six grandchildren.
natural selection - ANSWERsexual selection
Humans are descended from monkeys.
True
False - ANSWERFalse
Neuroscientists study the nervous systems of other animals such as slugs, snails,
fruit flies, rats and monkeys because:
if all animals are related then all nervous systems are related and we can learn about
the human brain by studying other animals.
the mind and the body are separate which means that we need to study a variety of
different animals to see how their minds work.
it is cheaper and easier to study non-human animals than humans.
all animals' nervous systems are completely different, which means that we need to
study each animal separately in order to understand how their specific nervous
system works. - ANSWERif all animals are related then all nervous systems are
related and we can learn about the human brain by studying other animals.
All animals brains share some features. Going from very different to very similar,
please rank these species in terms of how similar their brains are to that of humans.
Sharks, birds, rats, gorillas, lemurs
Birds, sharks, lemurs, rats, gorillas
Rats, birds, sharks, gorillas, lemurs
Sharks, birds, rats, lemurs, gorillas - ANSWERSharks, birds, rats, lemurs, gorillas
,Which of the following is relatively unique about humans, compared to other
animals?
We have a forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain.
We have relatively high reproductive investment (long gestation times and high
levels of parental care during early development)
Our brains are based on simpler structures.
We are chordates. - ANSWERWe have relatively high reproductive investment (long
gestation times and high levels of parental care during early development)
Epigenetics is a field that is concerned with changes in gene expression by
modification of the DNA sequence.
True
False - ANSWERFalse
Mentalism is the idea that only the non-material mind is responsible for behavior.
True
False - ANSWERTrue
Individuals who possess two identical genes for a particular trait are heterozygous
for that trait.
True
False - ANSWERFalse
The correct order of the evolution of nervous systems from simple to complex is:
brain, spinal cord, nerve net, segmentation, ganglia.
ganglia, nerve net, segmentation, brain, spinal cord.
nerve net, segmentation, ganglia, spinal cord, brain.
spinal cord, nerve net, brain, ganglia, segmentation. - ANSWERnerve net,
segmentation, ganglia, spinal cord, brain.
Efferent is to afferent as:
Brain is to spinal cord.
, Sensory is to motor.
Motor is to sensory.
Incoming is to outgoing. - ANSWERMotor is to sensory.
Many scientists believe that the reason for the modern obesity crisis is due to how
we evolved. They argue that in our ancestral environments, we did not have much
access to high calorie foods, so our bodies evolved to store every calorie and to
seek out very sweet, fatty foods whenever it could. Today, sweet and fatty foods are
readily available, so we eat a lot of them. This is an example of...
epigenetics
sexual selection
A mismatch hypothesis.
mentalism - ANSWERA mismatch hypothesis
Olfaction is responsible for which sense?
touch
taste
vision
smell - ANSWERsmell
________ fibers send their information toward the brain.
Projection
Afferent
Efferent
Somatic
Apolar - ANSWERAfferent
_______ fibers "bear away from the brain."
Efferent
Apolar
Somatic
CUMULATIVE FINAL EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
SOLUTIONS 2026
The notion that all behavior can be explained by the workings of the brain is
commonly referred to as:
experimentalism
dualism
psychology
materialism - ANSWERmaterialism
Within the brain, regulation of breathing and the cardiovascular system is primarily
controlled by:
The medulla
The cerebellum
The superior colliculus
The reticular activating system - ANSWERThe medulla
The idea that there is a nonmaterial mind that influences behavior through acting on
the physical body is called _____.
Materialism
Dualism
Epigenetics
Mentalism - ANSWERDualism
More advanced nervous systems often have similar structures on the left and right
sides (e.g., the left and right hemispheres of the brain). This concept is known as:
mirroring.
bilateral symmetry.
,mirror symmetry.
bilateral structures. - ANSWERbilateral symmetry.
A brain structure that made male voices more charming and attractive to females
would help these males attract and retain mates. Over time, the males who had this
brain structure would have more offspring than males who did not. This is an
example of:
sexual selection
epigenetics
why Barry White has six children and twenty six grandchildren.
natural selection - ANSWERsexual selection
Humans are descended from monkeys.
True
False - ANSWERFalse
Neuroscientists study the nervous systems of other animals such as slugs, snails,
fruit flies, rats and monkeys because:
if all animals are related then all nervous systems are related and we can learn about
the human brain by studying other animals.
the mind and the body are separate which means that we need to study a variety of
different animals to see how their minds work.
it is cheaper and easier to study non-human animals than humans.
all animals' nervous systems are completely different, which means that we need to
study each animal separately in order to understand how their specific nervous
system works. - ANSWERif all animals are related then all nervous systems are
related and we can learn about the human brain by studying other animals.
All animals brains share some features. Going from very different to very similar,
please rank these species in terms of how similar their brains are to that of humans.
Sharks, birds, rats, gorillas, lemurs
Birds, sharks, lemurs, rats, gorillas
Rats, birds, sharks, gorillas, lemurs
Sharks, birds, rats, lemurs, gorillas - ANSWERSharks, birds, rats, lemurs, gorillas
,Which of the following is relatively unique about humans, compared to other
animals?
We have a forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain.
We have relatively high reproductive investment (long gestation times and high
levels of parental care during early development)
Our brains are based on simpler structures.
We are chordates. - ANSWERWe have relatively high reproductive investment (long
gestation times and high levels of parental care during early development)
Epigenetics is a field that is concerned with changes in gene expression by
modification of the DNA sequence.
True
False - ANSWERFalse
Mentalism is the idea that only the non-material mind is responsible for behavior.
True
False - ANSWERTrue
Individuals who possess two identical genes for a particular trait are heterozygous
for that trait.
True
False - ANSWERFalse
The correct order of the evolution of nervous systems from simple to complex is:
brain, spinal cord, nerve net, segmentation, ganglia.
ganglia, nerve net, segmentation, brain, spinal cord.
nerve net, segmentation, ganglia, spinal cord, brain.
spinal cord, nerve net, brain, ganglia, segmentation. - ANSWERnerve net,
segmentation, ganglia, spinal cord, brain.
Efferent is to afferent as:
Brain is to spinal cord.
, Sensory is to motor.
Motor is to sensory.
Incoming is to outgoing. - ANSWERMotor is to sensory.
Many scientists believe that the reason for the modern obesity crisis is due to how
we evolved. They argue that in our ancestral environments, we did not have much
access to high calorie foods, so our bodies evolved to store every calorie and to
seek out very sweet, fatty foods whenever it could. Today, sweet and fatty foods are
readily available, so we eat a lot of them. This is an example of...
epigenetics
sexual selection
A mismatch hypothesis.
mentalism - ANSWERA mismatch hypothesis
Olfaction is responsible for which sense?
touch
taste
vision
smell - ANSWERsmell
________ fibers send their information toward the brain.
Projection
Afferent
Efferent
Somatic
Apolar - ANSWERAfferent
_______ fibers "bear away from the brain."
Efferent
Apolar
Somatic
