Brain and Behavior Exam 1- Meyers USC
What is the mind-body problem? correct answers the issue of the relationship between
mental activity and the brain raised by biological explanations of behavior (this can ask
"how do physical properties like nerve impulses or sodium and potassium transform into
behavior?")
dualism correct answers the physical body and the mind (or the soul) are separate
entities; minds are one type of substance and matter is another
monism correct answers the idea that the universe consists of only one type of being;
says that your thoughts and experiences are the SAME as your brain activity; either
materialism (only physical substance exists) OR mentalism (only the mind exists)
(*this is supported by neuroscientists and philosophers)
types of biological explanations of behavior correct answers physiological, ontogenetic,
evolutionary and functional
physiological biological explanation of behavior correct answers relates behavior to
activity of brain and other organs (ex. hormones)
ontogenetic biological explanation of behavior correct answers describes the
development of a structure or behavior (ex. genetics and nutrition)
evolutionary biological explanation of behavior correct answers reconstructs
evolutionary history of a behavior or structure (ex. answering where does an animal
come from evolutionary)
functional biological explanation of behavior correct answers describes why a structure
or behavior evolved as it did (ex. why do we have that structure)
what is the difference between the mind-body problem and dualism vs. monism?
correct answers the mind-body problem insinuates that bodily actions (i.e. nerve
impulses) can explain behavior which dualism identifies as two separate entities;
monism classified these bodily actions and behavior as the same thing
how do we define consciousness? (think in general, philosophically, or what you think -
answers can vary because this can be opinionated) correct answers *these are only
possible definitions*
something that we are aware of and can communicate with others; brain activity;
perception; awareness
, masking experiments (under consciousness of a stimulus) correct answers when a
brief visual stimulus is preceded and followed by longer interfering stimuli; masking
results in a much higher inability to identify something such as a word; the stimulus
initially activates the primary visual cortex in both the conscious and unconscious
conditions but activates it more strongly in the conscious condition
binocular rivalry experiments (under consciousness of a stimulus) correct answers
alternating conscious perceptions that occur when one views incompatible displays with
two eyes
basics of blindsight (cortical blindness) (what is damaged and what are the behavioral
outcomes?) correct answers the ability to respond in limited ways to visual information
without perceiving it consciously; damage to the visual cortex (typically from stroke or
head injury); people behave in a way where they deny seeing objects that fall in
damaged areas, but they can interact with them
basics of split brain patients (what is damaged and what are the behavioral outcomes?)
correct answers people who have undergone surgery to the corpus callosum (used--
more historically--for cases of severe epilepsy); these people maintain intelligence and
motivation, walk and talk normally, and even can use hands together (ex. tying shoes);
they cannot use their hands together on unfamiliar tasks but they can draw different
things with their two hands at the same time; can describe something after feeling it with
the right hand but not the left (contralaterality: left hemisphere is dominant for language)
basics of hemineglect/spatial neglect (what is damaged and what are the behavioral
outcomes?) correct answers damage to the right hemisphere causes a tendency to
ignore the left side of the body, left side of objects, what they hear in the left side of the
ear, what they feel in their left hand, etc. (ex. drawing only the right side of a flower);
typically a result of a stroke
what are the structures of an animal cell? correct answers membrane (surface of a
cell), nucleus (contains chromosomes), mitochondria (energy), ribosomes (synthesize
protein), and endoplasmic reticulum (transport synthesized proteins)
structure of a neuron correct answers include a soma (cell body), dendrites, axons, and
presynaptic terminals
types of neurons (relevant to this test) and relative fuction correct answers sensory-
specialized at one end to be highly sensitive to a particular type of stimulation (ex. light,
sound, or touch)
motor- has soma in the spinal cord and receives excitation through dendrites and
conducts impulses along its axon to a muscle; carry messages to muscles
What is the mind-body problem? correct answers the issue of the relationship between
mental activity and the brain raised by biological explanations of behavior (this can ask
"how do physical properties like nerve impulses or sodium and potassium transform into
behavior?")
dualism correct answers the physical body and the mind (or the soul) are separate
entities; minds are one type of substance and matter is another
monism correct answers the idea that the universe consists of only one type of being;
says that your thoughts and experiences are the SAME as your brain activity; either
materialism (only physical substance exists) OR mentalism (only the mind exists)
(*this is supported by neuroscientists and philosophers)
types of biological explanations of behavior correct answers physiological, ontogenetic,
evolutionary and functional
physiological biological explanation of behavior correct answers relates behavior to
activity of brain and other organs (ex. hormones)
ontogenetic biological explanation of behavior correct answers describes the
development of a structure or behavior (ex. genetics and nutrition)
evolutionary biological explanation of behavior correct answers reconstructs
evolutionary history of a behavior or structure (ex. answering where does an animal
come from evolutionary)
functional biological explanation of behavior correct answers describes why a structure
or behavior evolved as it did (ex. why do we have that structure)
what is the difference between the mind-body problem and dualism vs. monism?
correct answers the mind-body problem insinuates that bodily actions (i.e. nerve
impulses) can explain behavior which dualism identifies as two separate entities;
monism classified these bodily actions and behavior as the same thing
how do we define consciousness? (think in general, philosophically, or what you think -
answers can vary because this can be opinionated) correct answers *these are only
possible definitions*
something that we are aware of and can communicate with others; brain activity;
perception; awareness
, masking experiments (under consciousness of a stimulus) correct answers when a
brief visual stimulus is preceded and followed by longer interfering stimuli; masking
results in a much higher inability to identify something such as a word; the stimulus
initially activates the primary visual cortex in both the conscious and unconscious
conditions but activates it more strongly in the conscious condition
binocular rivalry experiments (under consciousness of a stimulus) correct answers
alternating conscious perceptions that occur when one views incompatible displays with
two eyes
basics of blindsight (cortical blindness) (what is damaged and what are the behavioral
outcomes?) correct answers the ability to respond in limited ways to visual information
without perceiving it consciously; damage to the visual cortex (typically from stroke or
head injury); people behave in a way where they deny seeing objects that fall in
damaged areas, but they can interact with them
basics of split brain patients (what is damaged and what are the behavioral outcomes?)
correct answers people who have undergone surgery to the corpus callosum (used--
more historically--for cases of severe epilepsy); these people maintain intelligence and
motivation, walk and talk normally, and even can use hands together (ex. tying shoes);
they cannot use their hands together on unfamiliar tasks but they can draw different
things with their two hands at the same time; can describe something after feeling it with
the right hand but not the left (contralaterality: left hemisphere is dominant for language)
basics of hemineglect/spatial neglect (what is damaged and what are the behavioral
outcomes?) correct answers damage to the right hemisphere causes a tendency to
ignore the left side of the body, left side of objects, what they hear in the left side of the
ear, what they feel in their left hand, etc. (ex. drawing only the right side of a flower);
typically a result of a stroke
what are the structures of an animal cell? correct answers membrane (surface of a
cell), nucleus (contains chromosomes), mitochondria (energy), ribosomes (synthesize
protein), and endoplasmic reticulum (transport synthesized proteins)
structure of a neuron correct answers include a soma (cell body), dendrites, axons, and
presynaptic terminals
types of neurons (relevant to this test) and relative fuction correct answers sensory-
specialized at one end to be highly sensitive to a particular type of stimulation (ex. light,
sound, or touch)
motor- has soma in the spinal cord and receives excitation through dendrites and
conducts impulses along its axon to a muscle; carry messages to muscles
