PSYC 387 Final Prep Athabasca University
Questions and Verified Answers
Who originally said that change is the only constant? Correct Answer: Roman
philosopher Lucretius 2,000 years ago
When was Darwins Origin of Species written? Correct Answer: 1859
Describe Darwin's theory of natural selection. Correct Answer: There is, he argued,
tremendous variation among the members of any given species.
Some of these variations are well suited to current conditions; others are not.
Individuals with favorable variations are more likely to survive and reproduce, so
succeeding generations are more likely to show helpful characteristics. Thus,
features that contribute to survival are "selected" by the environment, a process
Darwin called natural selection.
Was Darwin aware of the genetic basis for evolution by natural selection? Correct
Answer: no
Who was the first person to understand the role of genetics? Correct Answer:
Gregor Mendel (father of genetics) published his work in 1866.
Although Darwin did not understand the genetic basis for evolution, he was aware
that _____ (2 things) Correct Answer: variation within a species was common
selective breeding of farm animals with a specific variation often resulted in
offspring with that characteristic.
What did Dawkin's pebbly beach analogy illustrate about natural selection? Correct
Answer: pebbles arrange themselves based on the flow of water and density and size
of the rocks.
Intelligent direction isn't required. The environment "selects" desirable
characteristics and spurns undesirable ones.
,What are mutations? Correct Answer: Abrupt changes in genes.
What can cause a mutation? Correct Answer: Can be caused by exposure to
radiation and certain chemicals and perhaps by viral infections.
In what case will mutation be passed on to the next generation? Correct Answer:
when mutations occur in genes of reproductive cells (sperm or ova)
Can mutations occur in any cell of the body? Correct Answer: yes
Will offspring with mutated genes necessarily display the mutation? Correct
Answer: no
Are mutations always detrimental to survival? Correct Answer: Many of these
changes are simply of no consequence, one way or the other
Occasionally can be useful to survival. (new horn mutation useful for defense)
What is a reflex? Correct Answer: A reflex is a relationship between a specific event
and a simple response to that event. A reflex is a relationship between certain kinds
of events.
Give an example of a reflex. Correct Answer: Food in the mouth elicits the salivary
reflex, the flow of saliva that begins the process of digestion.
What is reflex failure? When can it occur? Correct Answer: Reflex failure is when a
reflex fails to function properly.
This can happen as a result of:
-allergic reaction to medication
-injury or disease.
-excessive alcohol or other drugs that depress the central nervous system.
,Reflexes are highly ___________ Correct Answer: stereotypic
that is, they are remarkably consistent in form, frequency, strength, and time of
appearance during development.
What is sensitization? Give an example. Correct Answer: Eliciting a reflex response
can increase the intensity or probability of the response to stimuli.
Hearing a loud noise that makes you jump can make you more sensitive to noises
that arent as loud.
What happened when Kelly Powell and Stephen Holtzman (2001) gave rats
morphine for one to four days and then tested their reaction to the drug after a
period of abstinence? Correct Answer: The rats showed an increased response to
morphine (i.e., sensitization) for up to three months after their last dose.
What is habituation? Give an example. Correct Answer: Repeatedly evoking a given
reflex response will result in a reduction in the intensity or probability of the
response.
Cats slowly become used to a loud noise when exposed to it multiple times.
Define a FAP. Give an example. Correct Answer: A series of interrelated acts found
in all or nearly all members of a species.
When confronted by a threatening dog, the house cat arches its back, hisses, growls,
and flicks its tail. These acts make the cat appear larger and more formidable than it
really is and may therefore serve to put off an attacker.
What were FAP called in the past? Correct Answer: Instincts
What is a releaser? Correct Answer: An event that triggers a fixed action pattern.
red is a releaser for the stickleback fish.
, What did Wilson claim were humans FAP? Correct Answer: Biophelia and aversion
to incest
Define a general behavior trait. Correct Answer: Include activity level, aggression,
introversion, anxiety, hoarding (of food, for example), and sexual practices, among
others. Some behavior traits are strongly influenced by genes.
How do FAPs and behavior traits differ? Correct Answer: FAP are elicited by fairly
specific events (releasers). Behavior traits occur in a wide variety of situations.
Do behavior traits have a genetic influence? Correct Answer: yes even though they
are more variable. Dog like traits in foxes were bred through a number of
generations.
Define learning. Correct Answer: Learning is a change in behavior due to
experience.
Learning is a product of natural selection.
evolved modifiability Correct Answer: Learning does not give the species the
tendency to behave a certain way in a new situation; rather, it gives the individual
the tendency to modify its behavior to suit that situation.
Russell's views about human superiority over other species. Correct Answer: One by
one, the characteristics that we have held to be uniquely human have been found in
other species.
Perhaps the only uniquely human characteristic is this: So far as we know, we are
the only creature that spends time trying to prove its superiority over other
creatures.
Betty Hart and Todd did a longitudinal study of the verbal environment provided
by parents with different educational backgrounds. . What did they find? Correct
Answer: Those children whose parents talked to them a lot (providing lengthy
explanations and lots of positive feedback, for example) later scored higher on
intelligence and vocabulary tests than those children whose parents were more
reticent.
Questions and Verified Answers
Who originally said that change is the only constant? Correct Answer: Roman
philosopher Lucretius 2,000 years ago
When was Darwins Origin of Species written? Correct Answer: 1859
Describe Darwin's theory of natural selection. Correct Answer: There is, he argued,
tremendous variation among the members of any given species.
Some of these variations are well suited to current conditions; others are not.
Individuals with favorable variations are more likely to survive and reproduce, so
succeeding generations are more likely to show helpful characteristics. Thus,
features that contribute to survival are "selected" by the environment, a process
Darwin called natural selection.
Was Darwin aware of the genetic basis for evolution by natural selection? Correct
Answer: no
Who was the first person to understand the role of genetics? Correct Answer:
Gregor Mendel (father of genetics) published his work in 1866.
Although Darwin did not understand the genetic basis for evolution, he was aware
that _____ (2 things) Correct Answer: variation within a species was common
selective breeding of farm animals with a specific variation often resulted in
offspring with that characteristic.
What did Dawkin's pebbly beach analogy illustrate about natural selection? Correct
Answer: pebbles arrange themselves based on the flow of water and density and size
of the rocks.
Intelligent direction isn't required. The environment "selects" desirable
characteristics and spurns undesirable ones.
,What are mutations? Correct Answer: Abrupt changes in genes.
What can cause a mutation? Correct Answer: Can be caused by exposure to
radiation and certain chemicals and perhaps by viral infections.
In what case will mutation be passed on to the next generation? Correct Answer:
when mutations occur in genes of reproductive cells (sperm or ova)
Can mutations occur in any cell of the body? Correct Answer: yes
Will offspring with mutated genes necessarily display the mutation? Correct
Answer: no
Are mutations always detrimental to survival? Correct Answer: Many of these
changes are simply of no consequence, one way or the other
Occasionally can be useful to survival. (new horn mutation useful for defense)
What is a reflex? Correct Answer: A reflex is a relationship between a specific event
and a simple response to that event. A reflex is a relationship between certain kinds
of events.
Give an example of a reflex. Correct Answer: Food in the mouth elicits the salivary
reflex, the flow of saliva that begins the process of digestion.
What is reflex failure? When can it occur? Correct Answer: Reflex failure is when a
reflex fails to function properly.
This can happen as a result of:
-allergic reaction to medication
-injury or disease.
-excessive alcohol or other drugs that depress the central nervous system.
,Reflexes are highly ___________ Correct Answer: stereotypic
that is, they are remarkably consistent in form, frequency, strength, and time of
appearance during development.
What is sensitization? Give an example. Correct Answer: Eliciting a reflex response
can increase the intensity or probability of the response to stimuli.
Hearing a loud noise that makes you jump can make you more sensitive to noises
that arent as loud.
What happened when Kelly Powell and Stephen Holtzman (2001) gave rats
morphine for one to four days and then tested their reaction to the drug after a
period of abstinence? Correct Answer: The rats showed an increased response to
morphine (i.e., sensitization) for up to three months after their last dose.
What is habituation? Give an example. Correct Answer: Repeatedly evoking a given
reflex response will result in a reduction in the intensity or probability of the
response.
Cats slowly become used to a loud noise when exposed to it multiple times.
Define a FAP. Give an example. Correct Answer: A series of interrelated acts found
in all or nearly all members of a species.
When confronted by a threatening dog, the house cat arches its back, hisses, growls,
and flicks its tail. These acts make the cat appear larger and more formidable than it
really is and may therefore serve to put off an attacker.
What were FAP called in the past? Correct Answer: Instincts
What is a releaser? Correct Answer: An event that triggers a fixed action pattern.
red is a releaser for the stickleback fish.
, What did Wilson claim were humans FAP? Correct Answer: Biophelia and aversion
to incest
Define a general behavior trait. Correct Answer: Include activity level, aggression,
introversion, anxiety, hoarding (of food, for example), and sexual practices, among
others. Some behavior traits are strongly influenced by genes.
How do FAPs and behavior traits differ? Correct Answer: FAP are elicited by fairly
specific events (releasers). Behavior traits occur in a wide variety of situations.
Do behavior traits have a genetic influence? Correct Answer: yes even though they
are more variable. Dog like traits in foxes were bred through a number of
generations.
Define learning. Correct Answer: Learning is a change in behavior due to
experience.
Learning is a product of natural selection.
evolved modifiability Correct Answer: Learning does not give the species the
tendency to behave a certain way in a new situation; rather, it gives the individual
the tendency to modify its behavior to suit that situation.
Russell's views about human superiority over other species. Correct Answer: One by
one, the characteristics that we have held to be uniquely human have been found in
other species.
Perhaps the only uniquely human characteristic is this: So far as we know, we are
the only creature that spends time trying to prove its superiority over other
creatures.
Betty Hart and Todd did a longitudinal study of the verbal environment provided
by parents with different educational backgrounds. . What did they find? Correct
Answer: Those children whose parents talked to them a lot (providing lengthy
explanations and lots of positive feedback, for example) later scored higher on
intelligence and vocabulary tests than those children whose parents were more
reticent.
