NSBH 20450 - Exam 1 Study Guide
Behavioral Neuroscience
A. is concerned with how the functioning of the brain, but not its structure, underlies
behavior.
B. is concerned with human behavior rather than animal behavior.
C. spans several scientific disciplines.
D. is not concerned with the treatment of behavioral problems. - Answer C. spans
several scientific disciplines.
Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection gave rise to two approaches to
experimentation, one of which emphasizes
A. the unique creation of certain species.
B. the inheritance of acquired characteristics.
C. the discontinuity of behavior and biological processes.
D. differences among species. - Answer D. differences among species.
Which of the following questions reflects the "evolutionary" perspective in biological
psychology?
A. To what extent can different species see color?
B. What environmental experiences in early life are required for vision to develop
normally?
C. What kind of treatments can correct faulty vision?
D. How are the visual areas of the brain organized? - Answer A. To what extent can
different species see color?
The process by which an individual changes over the life span is called
A. phylogeny.
B. phrenology.
C. reductionism.
D. ontogeny. - Answer D. ontogeny.
Which of the following questions is addressed by the "mechanisms" perspective in
biological psychology?
, A. How do learning and memory performance change over the life span?
B. What physiological changes in the brain encode memories?
C. What are the prospects for the development of a "smart pill" to improve memory
performance?
D. What pattern of movements must an animal make in order to learn a maze? - Answer
B. What physiological changes in the brain encode memories?
"How" types of questions reflect the biopsychological perspective that focuses on
A. the evolution of brain and behavior.
B. the development of brain and behavior.
C. the description of behavior.
D. the biological mechanisms of behavior. - Answer D. the biological mechanisms of
behavior.
The costs for treatment of _______ alone exceed the costs of treating cancer and heart
disease together.
A. anxiety disorders
B. mood disorders
C. alcohol and drug abuse
D. dementia - Answer D. dementia
In an experiment in which specific areas of the brain are destroyed in one group of
animals in order to observe the effect on sleep patterns, the independent variable is
A. the brain lesion.
B. the observed changes in sleep.
C. possible influences other than the lesion that are unknown.
D. the type of animal in the experiment. - Answer A. the brain lesion.
An experiment in which specific areas of the brain are destroyed in a group of animals in
order to observe the change in their sleep patterns
A. is a within-subjects experiment.
B. is a between-subjects experiment.
C. has no control group.
, D. is a behavioral intervention. - Answer A. is a within-subjects experiment.
Which type of study best describes the experiment in which a subject performs a
cognitive task while in a brain scanner (e.g., fMRI), while researchers measure indirect
changes in activity in specific regions of the brain?
A. Somatic intervention
B. Behavioral intervention
C. Correlational
D. Both a and c - Answer B. Behavioral intervention
Which type of study best describes the experiment in which a subject's performance on
a cognitive task while in a brain scanner is compared with the age of the subject?
A. Somatic intervention
B. Behavioral intervention
C. Correlational
D. Both a and c - Answer C. Correlational
Which of the following is an example of a somatic intervention study?
A. Measuring the extent of brain abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia
B. Observing patterns of brain activity in animals trained in a maze
C. Measuring hormones in male rats exposed to female rats
D. Observing the effects of giving a drug to some rats but not to others - Answer D.
Observing the effects of giving a drug to some rats but not to others
Which of the following is an example of a behavioral intervention study?
A. Measuring the extent of brain abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia
B. Observing patterns of brain activity in animals trained in a maze
C. Measuring hormones in male rats exposed to female rats
D. Observing the effects of giving a drug to some rats but not to others - Answer B.
Observing patterns of brain activity in animals trained in a maze
If performance on a cognitive task is shown to improve as subjects increase in age, the
correlation between task performance and age is
A. zero.
, B. neutral.
C. positive.
D. negative. - Answer C. positive.
Relations between the brain and body are
A. reciprocal.
B. variable.
C. not equal.
D. correlational. - Answer A. reciprocal.
The idea that we can understand complex systems by looking at their simpler
constituent parts is known as
A. correlation.
B. causality.
C. fractionation.
D. reductionism. - Answer D. reductionism.
Which of the following statements about the use of multiple levels of analysis in research
is false?
A. A given behavior or function may be addressed at different levels of analysis.
B. The brain and spinal cord together are classified as part of the "organ" level of
analysis.
C. Each level of analysis considers units that are more basic or simpler than the level
above.
D. A single nerve cell is the most basic unit of analysis in biological psychology. -
Answer D. A single nerve cell is the most basic unit of analysis in biological psychology.
The study of field potentials of neurons in the hippocampus is at which level of analysis?
A. Neural systems level
B. Synaptic level
C. Circuit level
D. Molecular level - Answer C. Circuit level
The study of membrane permeability of GABA receptors is at which level of analysis?
Behavioral Neuroscience
A. is concerned with how the functioning of the brain, but not its structure, underlies
behavior.
B. is concerned with human behavior rather than animal behavior.
C. spans several scientific disciplines.
D. is not concerned with the treatment of behavioral problems. - Answer C. spans
several scientific disciplines.
Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection gave rise to two approaches to
experimentation, one of which emphasizes
A. the unique creation of certain species.
B. the inheritance of acquired characteristics.
C. the discontinuity of behavior and biological processes.
D. differences among species. - Answer D. differences among species.
Which of the following questions reflects the "evolutionary" perspective in biological
psychology?
A. To what extent can different species see color?
B. What environmental experiences in early life are required for vision to develop
normally?
C. What kind of treatments can correct faulty vision?
D. How are the visual areas of the brain organized? - Answer A. To what extent can
different species see color?
The process by which an individual changes over the life span is called
A. phylogeny.
B. phrenology.
C. reductionism.
D. ontogeny. - Answer D. ontogeny.
Which of the following questions is addressed by the "mechanisms" perspective in
biological psychology?
, A. How do learning and memory performance change over the life span?
B. What physiological changes in the brain encode memories?
C. What are the prospects for the development of a "smart pill" to improve memory
performance?
D. What pattern of movements must an animal make in order to learn a maze? - Answer
B. What physiological changes in the brain encode memories?
"How" types of questions reflect the biopsychological perspective that focuses on
A. the evolution of brain and behavior.
B. the development of brain and behavior.
C. the description of behavior.
D. the biological mechanisms of behavior. - Answer D. the biological mechanisms of
behavior.
The costs for treatment of _______ alone exceed the costs of treating cancer and heart
disease together.
A. anxiety disorders
B. mood disorders
C. alcohol and drug abuse
D. dementia - Answer D. dementia
In an experiment in which specific areas of the brain are destroyed in one group of
animals in order to observe the effect on sleep patterns, the independent variable is
A. the brain lesion.
B. the observed changes in sleep.
C. possible influences other than the lesion that are unknown.
D. the type of animal in the experiment. - Answer A. the brain lesion.
An experiment in which specific areas of the brain are destroyed in a group of animals in
order to observe the change in their sleep patterns
A. is a within-subjects experiment.
B. is a between-subjects experiment.
C. has no control group.
, D. is a behavioral intervention. - Answer A. is a within-subjects experiment.
Which type of study best describes the experiment in which a subject performs a
cognitive task while in a brain scanner (e.g., fMRI), while researchers measure indirect
changes in activity in specific regions of the brain?
A. Somatic intervention
B. Behavioral intervention
C. Correlational
D. Both a and c - Answer B. Behavioral intervention
Which type of study best describes the experiment in which a subject's performance on
a cognitive task while in a brain scanner is compared with the age of the subject?
A. Somatic intervention
B. Behavioral intervention
C. Correlational
D. Both a and c - Answer C. Correlational
Which of the following is an example of a somatic intervention study?
A. Measuring the extent of brain abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia
B. Observing patterns of brain activity in animals trained in a maze
C. Measuring hormones in male rats exposed to female rats
D. Observing the effects of giving a drug to some rats but not to others - Answer D.
Observing the effects of giving a drug to some rats but not to others
Which of the following is an example of a behavioral intervention study?
A. Measuring the extent of brain abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia
B. Observing patterns of brain activity in animals trained in a maze
C. Measuring hormones in male rats exposed to female rats
D. Observing the effects of giving a drug to some rats but not to others - Answer B.
Observing patterns of brain activity in animals trained in a maze
If performance on a cognitive task is shown to improve as subjects increase in age, the
correlation between task performance and age is
A. zero.
, B. neutral.
C. positive.
D. negative. - Answer C. positive.
Relations between the brain and body are
A. reciprocal.
B. variable.
C. not equal.
D. correlational. - Answer A. reciprocal.
The idea that we can understand complex systems by looking at their simpler
constituent parts is known as
A. correlation.
B. causality.
C. fractionation.
D. reductionism. - Answer D. reductionism.
Which of the following statements about the use of multiple levels of analysis in research
is false?
A. A given behavior or function may be addressed at different levels of analysis.
B. The brain and spinal cord together are classified as part of the "organ" level of
analysis.
C. Each level of analysis considers units that are more basic or simpler than the level
above.
D. A single nerve cell is the most basic unit of analysis in biological psychology. -
Answer D. A single nerve cell is the most basic unit of analysis in biological psychology.
The study of field potentials of neurons in the hippocampus is at which level of analysis?
A. Neural systems level
B. Synaptic level
C. Circuit level
D. Molecular level - Answer C. Circuit level
The study of membrane permeability of GABA receptors is at which level of analysis?
