Biopsychology Short Exam Questions
Jeremy is digging in the garden. He feels the spade hit a rock and stops digging immediately.
Explain how sensory, relay and motor neurons would function in this situation (6 marks).
Sensory neurons carry messages from the sensory receptors in the peripheral nervous system to the
central nervous system. The sensory receptors will have felt the spade hitting the rock. The relay
neurons carry messages along the central nervous system, and allow sensory and motor neuron to
communicate with each other. The impulse then diffuses across the synapse to the motor neuron.
The motor neuron carries messages from the central nervous system to the control muscles. This
information inhibits the action of Jeremy digging.
This achieved 5 marks.
Split brain patients show unusual behaviour when tested in experiments. Briefly explain how
unusual behaviour in split brain patients could be tested in an experiment (2 marks).
They could get the patients to look at a board and then place words and pictures on them. Tell then
to say what they see whilst focused on the dot in the middle of the board. If they can’t see what is
on the right, they have damage to their left hemisphere, if they can’t see what is on the left, they
have damage to the right hemisphere.
This achieved 2 marks.
Briefly evaluate research using split brain patients to investigate hemispheric lateralisation of
function (4 marks).
Studies of lateralisation are often well controlled. This means that the methodology is highly
effective as it used standardised procedures and is conducted in a controlled environment to control
extraneous variables. This ensured that the research measured what it intended to and provide high
internal validity. However, the findings came from a small sample of 11 patients in Sperry’s study
that had a history of epileptic seizures, but the control group consisted of participants with no
history of epilepsy. This means that it brings the conclusions of Sperry’s findings into doubt, as it
makes it harder to draw conclusions.
This achieved 4 marks.
The electroencephalogram (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs) both involve recording the
electrical activity of the brain. Outline one difference between the EEG and ERPs (2 marks).
EEG’s look at general brain differences and can’t pinpoint specific responses, whereas ERP’s do
record specific responses to specific stimuli.
This achieved 2 marks.
Name and briefly outline two divisions of the nervous system (4 marks).
Identify the two components of the peripheral nervous, and explain two differences in their
organisation and/or functions (4 marks).
Distinguish between the function of a motor neuron and the function of a sensory neuron (4
marks).
Jeremy is digging in the garden. He feels the spade hit a rock and stops digging immediately.
Explain how sensory, relay and motor neurons would function in this situation (6 marks).
Sensory neurons carry messages from the sensory receptors in the peripheral nervous system to the
central nervous system. The sensory receptors will have felt the spade hitting the rock. The relay
neurons carry messages along the central nervous system, and allow sensory and motor neuron to
communicate with each other. The impulse then diffuses across the synapse to the motor neuron.
The motor neuron carries messages from the central nervous system to the control muscles. This
information inhibits the action of Jeremy digging.
This achieved 5 marks.
Split brain patients show unusual behaviour when tested in experiments. Briefly explain how
unusual behaviour in split brain patients could be tested in an experiment (2 marks).
They could get the patients to look at a board and then place words and pictures on them. Tell then
to say what they see whilst focused on the dot in the middle of the board. If they can’t see what is
on the right, they have damage to their left hemisphere, if they can’t see what is on the left, they
have damage to the right hemisphere.
This achieved 2 marks.
Briefly evaluate research using split brain patients to investigate hemispheric lateralisation of
function (4 marks).
Studies of lateralisation are often well controlled. This means that the methodology is highly
effective as it used standardised procedures and is conducted in a controlled environment to control
extraneous variables. This ensured that the research measured what it intended to and provide high
internal validity. However, the findings came from a small sample of 11 patients in Sperry’s study
that had a history of epileptic seizures, but the control group consisted of participants with no
history of epilepsy. This means that it brings the conclusions of Sperry’s findings into doubt, as it
makes it harder to draw conclusions.
This achieved 4 marks.
The electroencephalogram (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs) both involve recording the
electrical activity of the brain. Outline one difference between the EEG and ERPs (2 marks).
EEG’s look at general brain differences and can’t pinpoint specific responses, whereas ERP’s do
record specific responses to specific stimuli.
This achieved 2 marks.
Name and briefly outline two divisions of the nervous system (4 marks).
Identify the two components of the peripheral nervous, and explain two differences in their
organisation and/or functions (4 marks).
Distinguish between the function of a motor neuron and the function of a sensory neuron (4
marks).
