Brain and Behavior Exam 1
How does your author define neuroscience? Is this definition complete? What parallels
does he draw between early space exploration and current neuroscience research?
correct answers definition:
the branch of psychology that studies the relationships between behavior and the body-
particularly the brain
What kinds of questions do biological psychologists attempt to answer? correct
answers "what changes in the brain when a person learns?"
"why does one person develop depression and another, under similar circumstances,
becomes anxious while another seems unaffected?"
"what is the psychological explanation for emotions?"
"how do we recognize the face of a friend?"
"how does the brain's activity result in consciousness?"
What is the mind-brain problem? Why does your author refer to it as the mind-brain
problem? correct answers -deals with what the mind is and what its relationship is to
the brain
--they argue that there is no brain and that they believe that we should think of the mind
in the same way; it is simply the collection of things the brain does, such as thinking,
sensing, planning, and feeling
-it's an illusion and that the sense of mind is nothing more than the awareness of what
the brain is doing; it is just a concept
Why does Garrett (your textbook author) state that there is no such thing as mind? Do
you agree or disagree? correct answers it's an illusion and that the sense of mind is
nothing more than the awareness of what the brain is doing; it is just a concept
I can agree because I think it's better to say brain over matter than mind. They're
essentially the same thing at the end of the day, since your brain decides what you do in
the end
Explain monism and dualism. How does materialistic monism differ from idealistic
monism? correct answers -monism: is the idea that the mind and the body consist of
the same substance
-materialistic monism: body and mind and everything else are physical
-dualism:the mind and the brain are separate
How has the technology of an era driven the use of models to explain the nervous
system and its relationship to behavior? What are some examples? (One example:
Descartes' hydraulic model; there are others used as technology progressed.) correct
, answers descartes' hydraulic model: said that "animal spirits" flowed from the brain and
inflated the animal spirits flowed through "pores" in the brain
-pumped through the brain by the pineal gland
example:
-luigi galvani showed that he could make a frog's leg muscle twitch by stimulating the
attached nerve with electricity, even after the nerve and muscle had been removed from
the frog's body
-Hermon von Hemholtz was able to measure the speed of conduction in nerves, and his
calculation of about 90 feet/second (27.4 meters/second) fell far short of the speed of
electricity, which travels through wires at the speed of light
<<his studies of vision and hearing gave "psychologists their first clear idea of what a
fully mechanistic 'mind' might look like
An important concept in neuroscience is the idea of localization of function. Explain
early attempts to localize functions to specific brain areas. Do you think this concept still
holds true? correct answers localization: is the idea that specific areas of the brain
carry out specific functions
-autopsy on the brain of a man who had lost of the ability to speak after a stroke
<<autopsy showed that damage was limited to an area on the left side of the brain now
known as the broca's area
phrenology: each of 35 different "faculties" of emotion and intellect - such as
combativeness, inhabitiveness (love of home), calculation, and order - was located in a
precise area of the brain
Why do you think it is important to understand the basic principles of genetics when
considering neuroscience? correct answers nature versus nurture question, or how
important heredity is relative to environmental influences in shaping behavior
-a surprising number of behaviors are turning out to have some degree of hereditary
influence
What is the relationship between DNA, chromosomes, and genes? What is an allele?
Explain how different combinations of alleles (i.e. genotypes) produce different
characteristics (i.e. phenotypes). What is an X-linked characteristic? correct answers
gene: biological unit that directs cellular processes and transmits inherited
characteristics
-most genes are found on the chromosomes, which are located in the nucleus of each
cell
-watson and crick: proposed structure for the deoxyribonucleic acid that genes are
made of
<<deoxyribosenucleic acid (DNA) is a double-stranded chain of chemical molecules
that looks like a ladder that has been twisted around itself
How does your author define neuroscience? Is this definition complete? What parallels
does he draw between early space exploration and current neuroscience research?
correct answers definition:
the branch of psychology that studies the relationships between behavior and the body-
particularly the brain
What kinds of questions do biological psychologists attempt to answer? correct
answers "what changes in the brain when a person learns?"
"why does one person develop depression and another, under similar circumstances,
becomes anxious while another seems unaffected?"
"what is the psychological explanation for emotions?"
"how do we recognize the face of a friend?"
"how does the brain's activity result in consciousness?"
What is the mind-brain problem? Why does your author refer to it as the mind-brain
problem? correct answers -deals with what the mind is and what its relationship is to
the brain
--they argue that there is no brain and that they believe that we should think of the mind
in the same way; it is simply the collection of things the brain does, such as thinking,
sensing, planning, and feeling
-it's an illusion and that the sense of mind is nothing more than the awareness of what
the brain is doing; it is just a concept
Why does Garrett (your textbook author) state that there is no such thing as mind? Do
you agree or disagree? correct answers it's an illusion and that the sense of mind is
nothing more than the awareness of what the brain is doing; it is just a concept
I can agree because I think it's better to say brain over matter than mind. They're
essentially the same thing at the end of the day, since your brain decides what you do in
the end
Explain monism and dualism. How does materialistic monism differ from idealistic
monism? correct answers -monism: is the idea that the mind and the body consist of
the same substance
-materialistic monism: body and mind and everything else are physical
-dualism:the mind and the brain are separate
How has the technology of an era driven the use of models to explain the nervous
system and its relationship to behavior? What are some examples? (One example:
Descartes' hydraulic model; there are others used as technology progressed.) correct
, answers descartes' hydraulic model: said that "animal spirits" flowed from the brain and
inflated the animal spirits flowed through "pores" in the brain
-pumped through the brain by the pineal gland
example:
-luigi galvani showed that he could make a frog's leg muscle twitch by stimulating the
attached nerve with electricity, even after the nerve and muscle had been removed from
the frog's body
-Hermon von Hemholtz was able to measure the speed of conduction in nerves, and his
calculation of about 90 feet/second (27.4 meters/second) fell far short of the speed of
electricity, which travels through wires at the speed of light
<<his studies of vision and hearing gave "psychologists their first clear idea of what a
fully mechanistic 'mind' might look like
An important concept in neuroscience is the idea of localization of function. Explain
early attempts to localize functions to specific brain areas. Do you think this concept still
holds true? correct answers localization: is the idea that specific areas of the brain
carry out specific functions
-autopsy on the brain of a man who had lost of the ability to speak after a stroke
<<autopsy showed that damage was limited to an area on the left side of the brain now
known as the broca's area
phrenology: each of 35 different "faculties" of emotion and intellect - such as
combativeness, inhabitiveness (love of home), calculation, and order - was located in a
precise area of the brain
Why do you think it is important to understand the basic principles of genetics when
considering neuroscience? correct answers nature versus nurture question, or how
important heredity is relative to environmental influences in shaping behavior
-a surprising number of behaviors are turning out to have some degree of hereditary
influence
What is the relationship between DNA, chromosomes, and genes? What is an allele?
Explain how different combinations of alleles (i.e. genotypes) produce different
characteristics (i.e. phenotypes). What is an X-linked characteristic? correct answers
gene: biological unit that directs cellular processes and transmits inherited
characteristics
-most genes are found on the chromosomes, which are located in the nucleus of each
cell
-watson and crick: proposed structure for the deoxyribonucleic acid that genes are
made of
<<deoxyribosenucleic acid (DNA) is a double-stranded chain of chemical molecules
that looks like a ladder that has been twisted around itself
