Scientific American Psychology 2nd Edition Licht Test Bank
1. Identify the type of glial cells that produce the myelin that envelops axons.
A) Schwann cells
B) ependymal cells
C) astrocytes
D) microglia
2. The club drug Ecstasy increases the release of serotonin into the synapse. By contrast,
the antianxiety drug and sleep aid Trazodone blocks the effects of serotonin at the
receptor site. Ecstasy is a serotonin _____, whereas Trazodone is a serotonin _____.
A) inhibitor; agonist
B) antagonist; inhibitor
C) antagonist; agonist
D) agonist; antagonist
3. An example of an inhibitory neurotransmitter is:
A) GABA.
B) dopamine.
C) glutamate.
D) acetylcholine.
4. Cocaine sometimes produces extreme alertness and an exaggerated awareness of
environmental stimuli. This is because one of its effects is to enhance the activity of the
neurotransmitter that helps prepare the body for stressful situations, namely:
Aserotonin.
B) endorphins.
C) acetylcholine.
D) norepinephrine.
5. Alzheimer's disease is to Parkinson's disease as _____ is to _____.
A) dopamine; acetylcholine
B) norepinephrine; dopamine
C) acetylcholine; dopamine
D) acetylcholine; serotonin
6. Dr. Talbot prescribes a(n) _____ agonist to help relieve a client's depression.
A) acetylcholine
B) glutamate
C) serotonin
D) endorphin
, Page 1
7. Needles frighten Janice. As she awaits a flu shot, Janice's _____ nervous system is
probably going into “overdrive.”
A) somatic
B) peripheral
C) parasympathetic
D) sympathetic
8. The sympathetic nervous system:
A) constricts pupils and facilitates digestion.
B) constricts pupils and slows digestion.
C) dilates pupils and slows digestion.
D) dilates pupils and enhances digestion.
9. During a stressful round of auditions, anxious actors engage in small talk in the waiting
room to calm their nerves and gain reassurance. This behavior exemplifies the _____
response to stress; it is MOST common among _____.
A) fight-or-flight; men
B) fight-or-flight; women
C) tend-and-befriend; men
D) tend-and-befriend; women
10. The _____ gland is known as the master gland of the endocrine system because it
regulates the functions of all the other endocrine glands.
A) adrenal
B) pituitary
C) thyroid
D) pineal
11. Caffeine consumption makes one feel physically energized because it activates the
fight-or-flight response of the _____nervous system.
A) parasympathetic
B) central
C) sympathetic
D) somatic
12. The body's salt balance is regulated by the _____ gland(s).
A) pineal
B) pituitary
C) thyroid
D) adrenal
13. Following a head injury, Enid has trouble making sense of what people say to her. Enid
may have suffered damage to the _____ lobe.
A) right frontal
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, B) right temporal
C) left frontal
D) left temporal
14. Wernicke's area is to the _____ lobe as Broca's area is to the _____ lobe.
A) left temporal; right temporal
B) left temporal; left frontal
C) C) right frontal; left frontal
D) left frontal; left temporal
15. Broca's and Wernicke's areas are primarily involved in:
A) processing and producing language.
B) identifying visual stimuli.
C) reacting to sounds.
D) taste and touch.
16. Which statement BEST captures the likely relationship between neuroplasticity and
neurogenesis?
A) Neurogenesis supports neuroplasticity.
B) Neurogenesis is the same thing as neuroplasticity.
C) Neuroplasticity is only distantly related to neurogenesis.
D) Neuroplasticity drives neurogenesis.
17. According to the text, the extent of a patient's functional recovery from a
hemispherectomy is _____ correlated with his or her age.
A) not
B) negatively
C) positively
D) equally
18. The textbook suggests that neurogenesis is especially evident in certain brain areas and
that neurogenesis is important for learning and creating new memories. Based on this
information and on your knowledge of brain structures, one brain structure where
neurogenesis may be especially pronounced is the:
A) amygdala.
B) hypothalamus.
C) hippocampus.
D) basal ganglia.
19. Identify the brain structure that helps us plan and execute voluntary movements and
allows us to move our body.
A) Wernicke's area
B) the motor cortex
C) the somatosensory cortex
D) Broca's area
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, 20. The tactile sensitivity of a body part is _____ related to the size of the _____ cortex
devoted to processing its sensations.
A) negatively; auditory
B) negatively; somatosensory
C) positively; auditory
D) positively; somatosensory
21. The occipital lobe is to the _____ cortex as the _____ lobe is to the auditory cortex.
A) motor; temporal
B) visual; temporal
C) motor; parietal
D) visual; parietal
22. The limbic system contains the:
A) hippocampus and medulla.
B) cerebellum and hypothalamus.
C) thalamus and amygdala.
D) hypothalamus and Wernicke's area.
23. The _____ lobe of the brain is responsible for processing visual information?
A) frontal
B) parietal
C) temporal
D) occipital
24. Within the limbic system, sensory information is to emotion as the _____ is to the
_____.
A) thalamus; amygdala
B) hypothalamus; amygdala
C) C) amygdala; thalamus
D) amygdala; hypothalamus
25. The hypothalamus is responsible for:
A) forming new memories from experiences.
B) regulating sleep–wake cycles.
C) processing basic emotions.
D) relaying visual information to the visual cortex.
Page 4
1. Identify the type of glial cells that produce the myelin that envelops axons.
A) Schwann cells
B) ependymal cells
C) astrocytes
D) microglia
2. The club drug Ecstasy increases the release of serotonin into the synapse. By contrast,
the antianxiety drug and sleep aid Trazodone blocks the effects of serotonin at the
receptor site. Ecstasy is a serotonin _____, whereas Trazodone is a serotonin _____.
A) inhibitor; agonist
B) antagonist; inhibitor
C) antagonist; agonist
D) agonist; antagonist
3. An example of an inhibitory neurotransmitter is:
A) GABA.
B) dopamine.
C) glutamate.
D) acetylcholine.
4. Cocaine sometimes produces extreme alertness and an exaggerated awareness of
environmental stimuli. This is because one of its effects is to enhance the activity of the
neurotransmitter that helps prepare the body for stressful situations, namely:
Aserotonin.
B) endorphins.
C) acetylcholine.
D) norepinephrine.
5. Alzheimer's disease is to Parkinson's disease as _____ is to _____.
A) dopamine; acetylcholine
B) norepinephrine; dopamine
C) acetylcholine; dopamine
D) acetylcholine; serotonin
6. Dr. Talbot prescribes a(n) _____ agonist to help relieve a client's depression.
A) acetylcholine
B) glutamate
C) serotonin
D) endorphin
, Page 1
7. Needles frighten Janice. As she awaits a flu shot, Janice's _____ nervous system is
probably going into “overdrive.”
A) somatic
B) peripheral
C) parasympathetic
D) sympathetic
8. The sympathetic nervous system:
A) constricts pupils and facilitates digestion.
B) constricts pupils and slows digestion.
C) dilates pupils and slows digestion.
D) dilates pupils and enhances digestion.
9. During a stressful round of auditions, anxious actors engage in small talk in the waiting
room to calm their nerves and gain reassurance. This behavior exemplifies the _____
response to stress; it is MOST common among _____.
A) fight-or-flight; men
B) fight-or-flight; women
C) tend-and-befriend; men
D) tend-and-befriend; women
10. The _____ gland is known as the master gland of the endocrine system because it
regulates the functions of all the other endocrine glands.
A) adrenal
B) pituitary
C) thyroid
D) pineal
11. Caffeine consumption makes one feel physically energized because it activates the
fight-or-flight response of the _____nervous system.
A) parasympathetic
B) central
C) sympathetic
D) somatic
12. The body's salt balance is regulated by the _____ gland(s).
A) pineal
B) pituitary
C) thyroid
D) adrenal
13. Following a head injury, Enid has trouble making sense of what people say to her. Enid
may have suffered damage to the _____ lobe.
A) right frontal
Page 2
, B) right temporal
C) left frontal
D) left temporal
14. Wernicke's area is to the _____ lobe as Broca's area is to the _____ lobe.
A) left temporal; right temporal
B) left temporal; left frontal
C) C) right frontal; left frontal
D) left frontal; left temporal
15. Broca's and Wernicke's areas are primarily involved in:
A) processing and producing language.
B) identifying visual stimuli.
C) reacting to sounds.
D) taste and touch.
16. Which statement BEST captures the likely relationship between neuroplasticity and
neurogenesis?
A) Neurogenesis supports neuroplasticity.
B) Neurogenesis is the same thing as neuroplasticity.
C) Neuroplasticity is only distantly related to neurogenesis.
D) Neuroplasticity drives neurogenesis.
17. According to the text, the extent of a patient's functional recovery from a
hemispherectomy is _____ correlated with his or her age.
A) not
B) negatively
C) positively
D) equally
18. The textbook suggests that neurogenesis is especially evident in certain brain areas and
that neurogenesis is important for learning and creating new memories. Based on this
information and on your knowledge of brain structures, one brain structure where
neurogenesis may be especially pronounced is the:
A) amygdala.
B) hypothalamus.
C) hippocampus.
D) basal ganglia.
19. Identify the brain structure that helps us plan and execute voluntary movements and
allows us to move our body.
A) Wernicke's area
B) the motor cortex
C) the somatosensory cortex
D) Broca's area
Page 3
, 20. The tactile sensitivity of a body part is _____ related to the size of the _____ cortex
devoted to processing its sensations.
A) negatively; auditory
B) negatively; somatosensory
C) positively; auditory
D) positively; somatosensory
21. The occipital lobe is to the _____ cortex as the _____ lobe is to the auditory cortex.
A) motor; temporal
B) visual; temporal
C) motor; parietal
D) visual; parietal
22. The limbic system contains the:
A) hippocampus and medulla.
B) cerebellum and hypothalamus.
C) thalamus and amygdala.
D) hypothalamus and Wernicke's area.
23. The _____ lobe of the brain is responsible for processing visual information?
A) frontal
B) parietal
C) temporal
D) occipital
24. Within the limbic system, sensory information is to emotion as the _____ is to the
_____.
A) thalamus; amygdala
B) hypothalamus; amygdala
C) C) amygdala; thalamus
D) amygdala; hypothalamus
25. The hypothalamus is responsible for:
A) forming new memories from experiences.
B) regulating sleep–wake cycles.
C) processing basic emotions.
D) relaying visual information to the visual cortex.
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