MCAT; Psychological, Social, and
Biological Foundations of Behavior
Section Questions and Answers
Parasympathetic nervous system synapses location - CORRECT ANSWERS -Close to the target
organ
Parasympathetic nervous system neurotransmitters - CORRECT ANSWERS -Acetylcholine is used
at both synapses
Sympathetic nervous system synapses location - CORRECT ANSWERS -Near the spine between
T1 and L2/L3
Sympathetic nervous system neurotransmitter - CORRECT ANSWERS -preganglionic neurons
release ACh, and postganglionic - norepinephrine
Medulla oblongata - CORRECT ANSWERS -breathing, heart rate, blood pressure (vital functions)
Pons - CORRECT ANSWERS -primarily relay of sensory and motor information
Cerebellum - CORRECT ANSWERS -posture, balance, coordinates body movements
Bumps on the back of the midbrain: - CORRECT ANSWERS -Superior colliculi: visual sensory info
relay
Inferior colliculi: auditory sensory info relay
Telencephalon - CORRECT ANSWERS -Cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, limbic system
Diencephalon - CORRECT ANSWERS -thalamus, hypothalamus, posterior pituitary gland, pineal
gland
Thalamus - CORRECT ANSWERS -relay for all senses except smell
Extrapyramidal motor system - CORRECT ANSWERS -gathers information about body position -
proprioception and carries to CNS
Septal Nuclei (limbic system) - CORRECT ANSWERS -one of primary pleasure centres in the brain
Amygdala - CORRECT ANSWERS -aggressive behaviour, fear and rage
Hippocampus - CORRECT ANSWERS -- learning and memory
- long term memory consolidation
Prefrontal cortex - CORRECT ANSWERS -manages executive function
,- supervises processes involved with perception, memory, emotion, impulse control, and long-
term planning
Association area - CORRECT ANSWERS -- integrates inputs from diverse brain regions
projection areas - CORRECT ANSWERS -- sensory processing areas
Broca's area - CORRECT ANSWERS -speech production (frontal lobe)
Wernicke's area - CORRECT ANSWERS -language comprehension (temporal lobe)
Catecholamines - CORRECT ANSWERS -Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, Dopamine - synthesized
from tyrosine
Neurulation - CORRECT ANSWERS -- begins at 3-4 weeks' gestational age
- ectoderm overlaying the notochords begins to furrow - forms a neural groove surrounded by
two neural folds, furrow closes and forms the neural tube (becomes the CNS)
alar plate become sensory neurons
basal plate becomes motor neurons
Endoderm - CORRECT ANSWERS -lining of digestive tract (epithelial cells), lungs, urinary
bladder, stomach, colon, liver, pancreas
Mesoderm - CORRECT ANSWERS -skeletal muscle, bones, circulatory system, connective tissue,
adipose tissue, dermis
Ectoderm - CORRECT ANSWERS -CNS, PNS, epidermis, hair, nails, lens of the eye
Rooting reflex - CORRECT ANSWERS -infant turning of the head toward a stimulus that touches
its cheek
Moro reflex - CORRECT ANSWERS -infants react to abrupt movements of the head by flinging
out their arms, then slowly retracting their arms and crying - normally gone by 4 months
Babinski reflex - CORRECT ANSWERS -- toes spread apart when sole of foot is stimulated
Weber's law - CORRECT ANSWERS -states that there is a constant ratio between the change in
stimulus magnitude needed to produce a jnd (just noticeable difference) and the magnitude of
the original stimulus
- aka a ratio/percent rather than a numerical value (jnd)
Catch trial - CORRECT ANSWERS -signal is presented
noise trial - CORRECT ANSWERS -signal is not presented
,absolute threshold - CORRECT ANSWERS -minimum intensity of a stimulus we can sense (not
necessarily perceive)
pathway light travels through the eye - CORRECT ANSWERS -cornea (focuses light) - anterior
chamber - iris - posterior chamber - lens - vitreous humour - retina
optic chiasm - CORRECT ANSWERS -nasal optic nerve fibres cross, lateral fibres continue and
meet up with decussated nasal fibres to form the optic tract
Visual pathway - CORRECT ANSWERS -Optic nerve - optic chiasm - optic tract - Lateral
Geniculate Nucleus of Thalamus - visual cortex
- also inputs to superior colliculus
Parvocellular cells - CORRECT ANSWERS -detect shape
- have very high colour spatial resolution
Magnocellular cells - CORRECT ANSWERS -detect motion
have high temporal resolution
Pathway of sound (ear structures) - CORRECT ANSWERS -Pinna (auricle) - external auditory
canal - tympanic membrane (eardrum) - ossicles (malleus [hammer], incus [anvil], stapes
[stirrup]) - oval window or round window - membranous labyrinth (cochlea, vestibule,
semicircular canals)
Vestibule - CORRECT ANSWERS -utricle and saccule are sensitive to linear acceleration
- detected by hair cells covered in otoliths that resist motion as body accelerates - bending -
signal
Semicircular canals - CORRECT ANSWERS -sensitive to rotational accleration
- sensed in the ampulla by hair cells
Hearing - CORRECT ANSWERS -organ of corti bathed in endolymph and composed of thousands
of hair cells sense vibrations and relay signal to brainstem via vestibulocochlear nerve - ascend
to medial geniculate nucleus then to auditory cortex - or superior olive (sound localization) - or
inferior colliculus (startle reflex
Pacinian corpuscles - CORRECT ANSWERS -respond to deep pressure and vibration (fires when
pressure is first administered and when it is removed)
Meissner corpuscles - CORRECT ANSWERS -respond to light touch (fire when touch is first
administered and when it is removed)
Merkle discs - CORRECT ANSWERS -respond to deep pressure and texture (fire to constant
pressure)
, Ruffini endings - CORRECT ANSWERS -respond to stretch (fire to constant pressure)
Free nerve endings - CORRECT ANSWERS -respond to pain and temperature
gate theory of pain - CORRECT ANSWERS -proposes that there is a special "gating" mechanism
that can turn pain signals on or off, affecting whether or not we perceive pain - spinal cord can
preferentially forward signals from other modalities (pressure, temp)
Sensory adaptation - CORRECT ANSWERS -change over time in responsiveness to the sensory
system to a constant stimulus
Bottom-up processing - CORRECT ANSWERS -object recognition by parallel processing and
feature detection
- first time we experience something (we don't have anything to compare it to)
Top-down processing - CORRECT ANSWERS -driven by memories and expectations, allows us to
quickly recognize objects without recognizing their specific parts
Gestalt principle
a) law of proximity
b) law of similarity
c) law of good continuation
d) subjective contours
e) closure - CORRECT ANSWERS -there are ways for the brain to infer missing parts of a picture
when a picture is incomplete
a) law of proximity: elements close to one another tend to be perceived as a unit
b) law of similarity: objects that are similar tend to be grouped together
c) law of good continuation: objects that appear to follow the same path tend to be grouped
together
d) subjective contours: perceiving contours and, therefore, shapes that are not actually present
in the stimulus
e) closure: when a space is enclosed by a contour it tends to be perceived as a compete figure
Law of prägnanz - CORRECT ANSWERS -perceptual organization will always be regular, simple,
and symmetric as possible
Biological Foundations of Behavior
Section Questions and Answers
Parasympathetic nervous system synapses location - CORRECT ANSWERS -Close to the target
organ
Parasympathetic nervous system neurotransmitters - CORRECT ANSWERS -Acetylcholine is used
at both synapses
Sympathetic nervous system synapses location - CORRECT ANSWERS -Near the spine between
T1 and L2/L3
Sympathetic nervous system neurotransmitter - CORRECT ANSWERS -preganglionic neurons
release ACh, and postganglionic - norepinephrine
Medulla oblongata - CORRECT ANSWERS -breathing, heart rate, blood pressure (vital functions)
Pons - CORRECT ANSWERS -primarily relay of sensory and motor information
Cerebellum - CORRECT ANSWERS -posture, balance, coordinates body movements
Bumps on the back of the midbrain: - CORRECT ANSWERS -Superior colliculi: visual sensory info
relay
Inferior colliculi: auditory sensory info relay
Telencephalon - CORRECT ANSWERS -Cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, limbic system
Diencephalon - CORRECT ANSWERS -thalamus, hypothalamus, posterior pituitary gland, pineal
gland
Thalamus - CORRECT ANSWERS -relay for all senses except smell
Extrapyramidal motor system - CORRECT ANSWERS -gathers information about body position -
proprioception and carries to CNS
Septal Nuclei (limbic system) - CORRECT ANSWERS -one of primary pleasure centres in the brain
Amygdala - CORRECT ANSWERS -aggressive behaviour, fear and rage
Hippocampus - CORRECT ANSWERS -- learning and memory
- long term memory consolidation
Prefrontal cortex - CORRECT ANSWERS -manages executive function
,- supervises processes involved with perception, memory, emotion, impulse control, and long-
term planning
Association area - CORRECT ANSWERS -- integrates inputs from diverse brain regions
projection areas - CORRECT ANSWERS -- sensory processing areas
Broca's area - CORRECT ANSWERS -speech production (frontal lobe)
Wernicke's area - CORRECT ANSWERS -language comprehension (temporal lobe)
Catecholamines - CORRECT ANSWERS -Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, Dopamine - synthesized
from tyrosine
Neurulation - CORRECT ANSWERS -- begins at 3-4 weeks' gestational age
- ectoderm overlaying the notochords begins to furrow - forms a neural groove surrounded by
two neural folds, furrow closes and forms the neural tube (becomes the CNS)
alar plate become sensory neurons
basal plate becomes motor neurons
Endoderm - CORRECT ANSWERS -lining of digestive tract (epithelial cells), lungs, urinary
bladder, stomach, colon, liver, pancreas
Mesoderm - CORRECT ANSWERS -skeletal muscle, bones, circulatory system, connective tissue,
adipose tissue, dermis
Ectoderm - CORRECT ANSWERS -CNS, PNS, epidermis, hair, nails, lens of the eye
Rooting reflex - CORRECT ANSWERS -infant turning of the head toward a stimulus that touches
its cheek
Moro reflex - CORRECT ANSWERS -infants react to abrupt movements of the head by flinging
out their arms, then slowly retracting their arms and crying - normally gone by 4 months
Babinski reflex - CORRECT ANSWERS -- toes spread apart when sole of foot is stimulated
Weber's law - CORRECT ANSWERS -states that there is a constant ratio between the change in
stimulus magnitude needed to produce a jnd (just noticeable difference) and the magnitude of
the original stimulus
- aka a ratio/percent rather than a numerical value (jnd)
Catch trial - CORRECT ANSWERS -signal is presented
noise trial - CORRECT ANSWERS -signal is not presented
,absolute threshold - CORRECT ANSWERS -minimum intensity of a stimulus we can sense (not
necessarily perceive)
pathway light travels through the eye - CORRECT ANSWERS -cornea (focuses light) - anterior
chamber - iris - posterior chamber - lens - vitreous humour - retina
optic chiasm - CORRECT ANSWERS -nasal optic nerve fibres cross, lateral fibres continue and
meet up with decussated nasal fibres to form the optic tract
Visual pathway - CORRECT ANSWERS -Optic nerve - optic chiasm - optic tract - Lateral
Geniculate Nucleus of Thalamus - visual cortex
- also inputs to superior colliculus
Parvocellular cells - CORRECT ANSWERS -detect shape
- have very high colour spatial resolution
Magnocellular cells - CORRECT ANSWERS -detect motion
have high temporal resolution
Pathway of sound (ear structures) - CORRECT ANSWERS -Pinna (auricle) - external auditory
canal - tympanic membrane (eardrum) - ossicles (malleus [hammer], incus [anvil], stapes
[stirrup]) - oval window or round window - membranous labyrinth (cochlea, vestibule,
semicircular canals)
Vestibule - CORRECT ANSWERS -utricle and saccule are sensitive to linear acceleration
- detected by hair cells covered in otoliths that resist motion as body accelerates - bending -
signal
Semicircular canals - CORRECT ANSWERS -sensitive to rotational accleration
- sensed in the ampulla by hair cells
Hearing - CORRECT ANSWERS -organ of corti bathed in endolymph and composed of thousands
of hair cells sense vibrations and relay signal to brainstem via vestibulocochlear nerve - ascend
to medial geniculate nucleus then to auditory cortex - or superior olive (sound localization) - or
inferior colliculus (startle reflex
Pacinian corpuscles - CORRECT ANSWERS -respond to deep pressure and vibration (fires when
pressure is first administered and when it is removed)
Meissner corpuscles - CORRECT ANSWERS -respond to light touch (fire when touch is first
administered and when it is removed)
Merkle discs - CORRECT ANSWERS -respond to deep pressure and texture (fire to constant
pressure)
, Ruffini endings - CORRECT ANSWERS -respond to stretch (fire to constant pressure)
Free nerve endings - CORRECT ANSWERS -respond to pain and temperature
gate theory of pain - CORRECT ANSWERS -proposes that there is a special "gating" mechanism
that can turn pain signals on or off, affecting whether or not we perceive pain - spinal cord can
preferentially forward signals from other modalities (pressure, temp)
Sensory adaptation - CORRECT ANSWERS -change over time in responsiveness to the sensory
system to a constant stimulus
Bottom-up processing - CORRECT ANSWERS -object recognition by parallel processing and
feature detection
- first time we experience something (we don't have anything to compare it to)
Top-down processing - CORRECT ANSWERS -driven by memories and expectations, allows us to
quickly recognize objects without recognizing their specific parts
Gestalt principle
a) law of proximity
b) law of similarity
c) law of good continuation
d) subjective contours
e) closure - CORRECT ANSWERS -there are ways for the brain to infer missing parts of a picture
when a picture is incomplete
a) law of proximity: elements close to one another tend to be perceived as a unit
b) law of similarity: objects that are similar tend to be grouped together
c) law of good continuation: objects that appear to follow the same path tend to be grouped
together
d) subjective contours: perceiving contours and, therefore, shapes that are not actually present
in the stimulus
e) closure: when a space is enclosed by a contour it tends to be perceived as a compete figure
Law of prägnanz - CORRECT ANSWERS -perceptual organization will always be regular, simple,
and symmetric as possible
