PSB 3002 Exam 3 Questions with
Complete Solutions
When red light hits the retina, red cones send _____ input to red-green ganglion
cells - ANSWER-Excitatory
When green light hits the retina, green cones send _____ input to the red-green
ganglion cells - ANSWER-Inhibitory
When yellow light hits the retina, what type of cones are stimulated least? -
ANSWER-Blue
When yellow light hits the retina, what type of cone sends inhibitory input to what
type of ganglion cell? - ANSWER-Green; red-green
What kind of input does blue light send to yellow-blue ganglion cells? - ANSWER-
Inhibitory
What cell layer in the retina is largely responsible for negative afterimages? -
ANSWER-Retinal ganglion cells
When green light hits the retina, green cones send _____ input to the red-green
ganglion cells - ANSWER-Inhibitory
Which of these is an example of classical conditioning?
- You train your roommate to ride a unicycle
- You train your roommate to blink whenever your phone rings
- You train your roommate to perfectly recite all the population of all the countries in
Asia
- You train your roommate to push a button to get more beer (well, beer if your
roommate is 21; soda otherwise :-)) - ANSWER-You train your roommate to blink
whenever your phone rings
True/false: most memories are permanently stored in only one place in the brain -
ANSWER-False
Which of these is an example of memories being distributed?
- You can remember different events that are distributed throughout your life
- If the hippocampus is damaged, people have troubles with memories
- A memory of an event could include changes in visual association cortex and
auditory association cortex
- Memories are not distributed - ANSWER-A memory of an event could include
changes in visual association cortex and auditory association cortex
, Which of these is the best example of perceptual learning more so than other types
of learning?
- Learning to ice skate
- Learning to navigate a maze-like new school building
- Learning to recognize tumors vs. non-tumors in radiology scans
- Learning calculus - ANSWER-Learning to recognize tumors vs. non-tumors in
radiology scans
You noticed that your brother always started scratching his head whenever a
commercial for bug spray is on. You hypothesize that seeing all the bugs makes him
feel itchy. So you decide to mess with him and quietly spray a puff of air freshener in
the room whenever the commercial comes on, without him noticing. After you do this
for a few days, you wait until the TV is off and spray the air freshener. Hilariously,
your brother starts scratching his head. What type of learning is this? [ Note: your
brother is not allergic to the air freshener! ] - ANSWER-Classical conditioning
What does this itchy commercial scenario suggest about your brother's brain
*before* this learning happened? (before you ever sprayed air freshener at the same
time as the commercial) - ANSWER-There must have been some pathway or
connection between his olfactory neurons that detect the air freshener smell and the
motor neurons that produce scratching behavior (possibly an indirect and/or weak
pathway).
The type of learning in this itchy commercial scenario would strengthen synapses in
the brain. Where would these synapses be most likely to occur? - ANSWER-Where
neurons activated during commercial watching and neurons activated by smelling air
freshener both project their axons on neurons that cause scratching behavior
Which of the following is not an example of long-term potentiation (LTP)?
- The neuron fires a larger EPSP immediately following stimulation, and the EPSP
remains larger for longer than 30 minutes or so
- The neuron is permanently more likely to fire an AP following stimulation
- The neuron fires a larger EPSP immediately following stimulation, but a couple
minutes later the EPSP returns to the same size as before stimulation - ANSWER-
The neuron fires a larger EPSP immediately following stimulation, but a couple
minutes later the EPSP returns to the same size as before stimulation
Why is depolarization of the post-synaptic cell membrane essential for LTP? -
ANSWER-Depolarization is needed for the NMDA receptor channel to open,
because it dislodges the magnesium ion that normally lives there
Which of these aspects of LTP maintenance does calcium influx trigger?
- A. Calcium initiated biochemical cascades that result in increased glutamate
release in the pre-synaptic neuron
- B. Calcium initiates biochemical cascades that result in exocytosis of AMPA
receptors in the postsynaptic neuron
- C. Both A and B
- D. None of these are correct - ANSWER-C. Both A and B
Complete Solutions
When red light hits the retina, red cones send _____ input to red-green ganglion
cells - ANSWER-Excitatory
When green light hits the retina, green cones send _____ input to the red-green
ganglion cells - ANSWER-Inhibitory
When yellow light hits the retina, what type of cones are stimulated least? -
ANSWER-Blue
When yellow light hits the retina, what type of cone sends inhibitory input to what
type of ganglion cell? - ANSWER-Green; red-green
What kind of input does blue light send to yellow-blue ganglion cells? - ANSWER-
Inhibitory
What cell layer in the retina is largely responsible for negative afterimages? -
ANSWER-Retinal ganglion cells
When green light hits the retina, green cones send _____ input to the red-green
ganglion cells - ANSWER-Inhibitory
Which of these is an example of classical conditioning?
- You train your roommate to ride a unicycle
- You train your roommate to blink whenever your phone rings
- You train your roommate to perfectly recite all the population of all the countries in
Asia
- You train your roommate to push a button to get more beer (well, beer if your
roommate is 21; soda otherwise :-)) - ANSWER-You train your roommate to blink
whenever your phone rings
True/false: most memories are permanently stored in only one place in the brain -
ANSWER-False
Which of these is an example of memories being distributed?
- You can remember different events that are distributed throughout your life
- If the hippocampus is damaged, people have troubles with memories
- A memory of an event could include changes in visual association cortex and
auditory association cortex
- Memories are not distributed - ANSWER-A memory of an event could include
changes in visual association cortex and auditory association cortex
, Which of these is the best example of perceptual learning more so than other types
of learning?
- Learning to ice skate
- Learning to navigate a maze-like new school building
- Learning to recognize tumors vs. non-tumors in radiology scans
- Learning calculus - ANSWER-Learning to recognize tumors vs. non-tumors in
radiology scans
You noticed that your brother always started scratching his head whenever a
commercial for bug spray is on. You hypothesize that seeing all the bugs makes him
feel itchy. So you decide to mess with him and quietly spray a puff of air freshener in
the room whenever the commercial comes on, without him noticing. After you do this
for a few days, you wait until the TV is off and spray the air freshener. Hilariously,
your brother starts scratching his head. What type of learning is this? [ Note: your
brother is not allergic to the air freshener! ] - ANSWER-Classical conditioning
What does this itchy commercial scenario suggest about your brother's brain
*before* this learning happened? (before you ever sprayed air freshener at the same
time as the commercial) - ANSWER-There must have been some pathway or
connection between his olfactory neurons that detect the air freshener smell and the
motor neurons that produce scratching behavior (possibly an indirect and/or weak
pathway).
The type of learning in this itchy commercial scenario would strengthen synapses in
the brain. Where would these synapses be most likely to occur? - ANSWER-Where
neurons activated during commercial watching and neurons activated by smelling air
freshener both project their axons on neurons that cause scratching behavior
Which of the following is not an example of long-term potentiation (LTP)?
- The neuron fires a larger EPSP immediately following stimulation, and the EPSP
remains larger for longer than 30 minutes or so
- The neuron is permanently more likely to fire an AP following stimulation
- The neuron fires a larger EPSP immediately following stimulation, but a couple
minutes later the EPSP returns to the same size as before stimulation - ANSWER-
The neuron fires a larger EPSP immediately following stimulation, but a couple
minutes later the EPSP returns to the same size as before stimulation
Why is depolarization of the post-synaptic cell membrane essential for LTP? -
ANSWER-Depolarization is needed for the NMDA receptor channel to open,
because it dislodges the magnesium ion that normally lives there
Which of these aspects of LTP maintenance does calcium influx trigger?
- A. Calcium initiated biochemical cascades that result in increased glutamate
release in the pre-synaptic neuron
- B. Calcium initiates biochemical cascades that result in exocytosis of AMPA
receptors in the postsynaptic neuron
- C. Both A and B
- D. None of these are correct - ANSWER-C. Both A and B
