PSY 340 CMU FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
According to S. E. Taylor, during the prehistoric era of human development, women
were most likely to calm everyone down and band people together when faced with a
threat. What hormone did Taylor believe is associated with this response?
oxytocin
The neurotransmitter dopamine is associated with systems that
respond to reward
According to the text, which neurotransmitter is the foundation of stability?
serotonin
Which hormone is associated with the fight-or-flight response?
epinephrine
The projections from nerves that receive stimulation are called ________ and ________
pass this message on to the next nerve cell.
dendrites; axons
The chemicals that are released from the hypothalamus, the gonads, and the adrenal
cortex are called ________, whereas the chemicals released by bioelectrical impulses
throughout the brain are called ________.
hormones; neurotransmitters
________ is a phenomenon that explains the tendency for the function of one part of
the brain to depend on the activity of another.
Neural context
Electroencephalographies (EEGs) are good at determining ________ but not
________.
when the brain is active; where in the brain activity is concentrated
,________ levels of testosterone have been observed in dominant males competing with
other males for the attention of women, and ________ levels of testosterone have been
observed for men entering fatherhood.
High; low
Thomas is known to be very social and dominant at parties. He most likely has high
levels of which hormone?
testosterone
According to the textbook, which of the following is the best description of the causal
link between biological processes and social behavior?
Biological processes and social behavior are both causes and effects of each other
Gordon is walking down his street, sees an angry dog running toward him, and begins
to run in the opposite direction. In addition to an increase in heart rate and blood
pressure, he would also display an increase in which glucocorticoid hormone?
cortisol
Evidence from brain imaging research and brain damage case studies suggests that the
________ is/are the location of cognitive control, serving to anticipate and plan the
future and help to regulate emotions in response to it.
frontal lobes
Low levels of cortisol are associated with which psychological disorder?
post-traumatic stress syndrome
According to the text, which one of the following is the MOST appropriate way to
interpret a strong relationship between levels of testosterone and sociability and
aggression?
High levels of testosterone cause people to be more social and impulsive.
Which of the following brain imaging techniques would be MOST useful to a researcher
interested in brain blood flow activity associated with fear after viewing pictures of
spiders?
positron emission tomography (PET)
, As surgeons stimulated a particular part of her brain, Lisa experienced symptoms of
depression. According to the text, surgeons are MOST likely stimulating the central
region of the left
substantia nigra
Which of these brain structures is thought to play a role in judging whether stimuli offer
threats or rewards?
amygdala.
Nerves that send messages from the body to the brain are called ________, whereas
nerves that carry messages from the brain to the body are called ________.
afferent nerves; efferent nerves
The text describes a study that found men with wider, shorter faces, who were
influenced by androgens during development, were more violent and antisocial. New
research has discovered that these findings
disappear when tested with representative samples.
As a result of Timothy's genes, he went through puberty later than his peers. Because
he was much smaller than the other boys they tended to pick on him, and he fought
back to protect himself. As a young adult, Timothy is more aggressive than his peers.
This scenario illustrates that his aggression is
the result of an interaction between the genetic expression and the resulting social
environment.
In which sample would you expect the heritability of IQ to be the lowest?
low socioeconomic status twins
Which of the following attributes seems to have the lowest heritability coefficient?
phobias
In contrast to evolutionary theorizing, Eagly and Wood (1999) suggest that
societies' norms reflect men's greater size and strength and women's role in
childbearing more than biologically hardwired behavioral tendencies
The MOST controversial thing that has arisen from the study of behavioral genetics is
that it has led to
According to S. E. Taylor, during the prehistoric era of human development, women
were most likely to calm everyone down and band people together when faced with a
threat. What hormone did Taylor believe is associated with this response?
oxytocin
The neurotransmitter dopamine is associated with systems that
respond to reward
According to the text, which neurotransmitter is the foundation of stability?
serotonin
Which hormone is associated with the fight-or-flight response?
epinephrine
The projections from nerves that receive stimulation are called ________ and ________
pass this message on to the next nerve cell.
dendrites; axons
The chemicals that are released from the hypothalamus, the gonads, and the adrenal
cortex are called ________, whereas the chemicals released by bioelectrical impulses
throughout the brain are called ________.
hormones; neurotransmitters
________ is a phenomenon that explains the tendency for the function of one part of
the brain to depend on the activity of another.
Neural context
Electroencephalographies (EEGs) are good at determining ________ but not
________.
when the brain is active; where in the brain activity is concentrated
,________ levels of testosterone have been observed in dominant males competing with
other males for the attention of women, and ________ levels of testosterone have been
observed for men entering fatherhood.
High; low
Thomas is known to be very social and dominant at parties. He most likely has high
levels of which hormone?
testosterone
According to the textbook, which of the following is the best description of the causal
link between biological processes and social behavior?
Biological processes and social behavior are both causes and effects of each other
Gordon is walking down his street, sees an angry dog running toward him, and begins
to run in the opposite direction. In addition to an increase in heart rate and blood
pressure, he would also display an increase in which glucocorticoid hormone?
cortisol
Evidence from brain imaging research and brain damage case studies suggests that the
________ is/are the location of cognitive control, serving to anticipate and plan the
future and help to regulate emotions in response to it.
frontal lobes
Low levels of cortisol are associated with which psychological disorder?
post-traumatic stress syndrome
According to the text, which one of the following is the MOST appropriate way to
interpret a strong relationship between levels of testosterone and sociability and
aggression?
High levels of testosterone cause people to be more social and impulsive.
Which of the following brain imaging techniques would be MOST useful to a researcher
interested in brain blood flow activity associated with fear after viewing pictures of
spiders?
positron emission tomography (PET)
, As surgeons stimulated a particular part of her brain, Lisa experienced symptoms of
depression. According to the text, surgeons are MOST likely stimulating the central
region of the left
substantia nigra
Which of these brain structures is thought to play a role in judging whether stimuli offer
threats or rewards?
amygdala.
Nerves that send messages from the body to the brain are called ________, whereas
nerves that carry messages from the brain to the body are called ________.
afferent nerves; efferent nerves
The text describes a study that found men with wider, shorter faces, who were
influenced by androgens during development, were more violent and antisocial. New
research has discovered that these findings
disappear when tested with representative samples.
As a result of Timothy's genes, he went through puberty later than his peers. Because
he was much smaller than the other boys they tended to pick on him, and he fought
back to protect himself. As a young adult, Timothy is more aggressive than his peers.
This scenario illustrates that his aggression is
the result of an interaction between the genetic expression and the resulting social
environment.
In which sample would you expect the heritability of IQ to be the lowest?
low socioeconomic status twins
Which of the following attributes seems to have the lowest heritability coefficient?
phobias
In contrast to evolutionary theorizing, Eagly and Wood (1999) suggest that
societies' norms reflect men's greater size and strength and women's role in
childbearing more than biologically hardwired behavioral tendencies
The MOST controversial thing that has arisen from the study of behavioral genetics is
that it has led to
