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PracticeTest3



Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
 

1. 

An agonist
a.
blocks the action of neurotransmitters
b.
prevents reuptake of neurotransmitters
c.
mimics the action of a neurotransmitter
d.
extends the absolute refractory period of neural transmission
 

2. 

A family of chemicals produced in the body that resemble the opiates are the
a.
endorphins
b.
dopamines
c.
biogenic amines
d.
acetylcholines
 

3. 

That part of the nervous system that controls digestion and flow of blood is the
a.
somatic nervous system
b.
motor nervous system
c.
sensory nervous system
d.
autonomic nervous system
 

4. 

The enclosing sheaths that protect the brain and spinal cord are referred to as
a.
meninges
b.
glia
c.
ventricles
d.
cerebrospinal sheaths
 

5. 

The __________ fluid nourishes the brain and provides a protective cushion for it.
a.
amniotic
b.
cerebrospinal
c.
parasympathetic
d.
somatic
 

6. 

A person might end up in a coma if the following area of the brain is damaged
a.
reticular formation
b.
medulla
c.
hypothalamus
d.
pons
 

7. 

The brain structure that controls your ability to understand speech is
a.
Wernicke's area
b.
the thalamus
c.
the occipital lobe of the cerebral cortex
d.
Broca's area
 

8. 

Which of the following researchers won a Nobel prize for his landmark research on "split-brain" patients?
a.
Charles Darwin
b.
Robert Plomin
c.
Roger Sperry
d.
James Olds
 

9. 

The specific pattern of genes inherited at conception defines an individual's
a.
phenotype
b.
polygenic inheritance
c.
stereotype
d.
genotype
 

10. 

Which of the following techniques is used by scientists to determine the relative influence of the effects of genetics and experience on behavioral traits?
a.
twin studies
b.
family studies
c.
adoption studies
d.
all of these techniques
 

11. 

Which of the following statements about Charles Darwin and the theory of evolution is not accurate?
a.
He was the first person to describe the process of evolution.
b.
He identified natural selection as the mechanism that orchestrates the process of evolution.
c.
He noted that some of the characteristics of organisms are passed down from one generation to the next.
d.
He suggested that variations in hereditary traits might affect organisms' ability to obtain resources.
 

12. 

Agonist is to __________ as afferent is to __________.
a.
efferent; antagonist
b.
axon; synapse
c.
antagonist; efferent
d.
phenotype; genotype
 

13. 

Juanita was drinking some warm punch and she thought she could just detect a faint taste of nutmeg in the punch. However when she took another sip the taste wasn't there. On the third sip she could just make out the taste of nutmeg again. It is very likely that the amount of nutmeg in the punch was
a.
just below her taste constancy level
b.
producing inhibitory synapses rather than excitatory synapses
c.
producing action potentials that were too weak to reach the terminal buttons
d.
just at her absolute threshold for taste
 

14. 

The fact that your criterion for "hearing" mysterious noises at night may change after a rash of burglaries in your neighborhood can best be explained by
a.
Weber's law
b.
Fechner's law
c.
sensory adaptation
d.
signal-detection theory
 

15. 

The center-surround arrangement of visual fields contributes to the eye being
a.
an absolute-intensity detector
b.
insensitive at low illumination
c.
a contrast detector
d.
insensitive to low amplitude light waves
 

16. 

"Parallel processing" in the visual pathways suggests that separate neural channels
a.
do the same things at different locations
b.
extract different information from visual inputs
c.
send the same information to many different places
d.
provide safety backups for each other
 

17. 

Zachary is looking at a reversible figure which first appears to be a vase and then appears to be two faces. His perception of the figure keeps switching between these two interpretations. This switching perception is caused by the fact that
a.
reversible figures cause people to experience the phi phenomenon
b.
the Gestalt principle of simplicity doesn't work for reversible figures
c.
The Gestalt principles of proximity and closure are both at work in reversible figures
d.
the figure-ground distinction in reversible figures is often ambiguous
 

18. 

Optical illusions tend to be
a.
influenced by our experiences
b.
more pronounced in children
c.
less pronounced in adults
d.
genetically determined
 

19. 

Compared to the low notes on a piano, the high notes always produce sound waves that have
a.
a higher frequency
b.
a lower amplitude
c.
a higher amplitude
d.
a lower frequency
 

20. 

The frequency theory of pitch perception is flawed because
a.
structurally, it is impossible for the basilar membrane to vibrate
b.
neurons cannot fire fast enough to account for hearing tones higher than 1,000 cycles/second
c.
it places the transduction process in the semicircular canals and not the cochlea
d.
the action of the ossicles interacting with the auditory nerve was misidentified
 

21. 

The rods and cones are to vision as the taste buds are to
a.
olfaction
b.
kinesthesis
c.
gustation
d.
flavation
 

22. 

The pathway for pain that results in the experience of pain being less localized and longer lasting is the
a.
thalamic pathway
b.
endorphin pathway
c.
slow pathway
d.
generic pathway
 

23. 

Catelin has had a slow throbbing pain in her ankle since she twisted it roller blading last week. These pain signals are traveling along
a.
ungated endorphin pathways in the hypothalamus
b.
thin, unmyelinated C fibers
c.
thick, myelinated A-delta fibers
d.
periaqueductal gray neurons in the midbrain
 

24. 

Which of the following is not one of the four basic tastes?
a.
salty
b.
citrus
c.
sweet
d.
bitter
 

25. 

Which of the following appears to be the sequence of events associated with resetting one's biological clock?
a.
The hypothalamus signals the thalamus, which in turn sends signals to the medial forebrain bundle.
b.
The thalamus signals the optic chiasm, which in turn causes a release of the hormone philoxin, which activates the renal gland.
c.
The suprachiasmatic nucleus signals the pineal gland, which in turn secretes the hormone melatonin.
d.
The superior colliculus signals the thalamus, which stimulates Broca's area.
 

26. 

In general, as the cycle of sleep recurs through the night, it tends to contain
a.
more stage 4 and less REM
b.
more stage 4 and more REM
c.
less stage 4 and less REM
d.
less stage 4 and more REM
 

27. 

Lauren has been having trouble sleeping, and she decides to take a sedative to help her get a good night's sleep. The use of a sedative is likely to
a.
increase the amount of time she spends in both slow-wave and REM sleep
b.
increase the amount of time she spends in slow-wave sleep, but decrease her overall REM sleep
c.
decrease the amount of time she spends in both slow-wave and REM sleep
d.
increase the amount of time she spends in REM sleep, but decrease her overall slow-wave sleep
 

28. 

Which of the following statements regarding sleepwalking is not accurate?
a.
Sleepwalking occurs mostly in children.
b.
It is safe to awaken a sleepwalker.
c.
Sleepwalking typically occurs while the person is dreaming.
d.
There appears to be a genetic predisposition to sleepwalking.
 

29. 

What did Freud call the contents of our waking life that spill into our dreams?
a.
the day residue
b.
manifest content
c.
nocturnal spillover
d.
wish fulfillment
 

30. 

A stage hypnotist is sometimes successful in getting people to disrobe in public. What is the best explanation for this phenomenon?
a.
When hypnotized, a subject comes under the total control of the hypnotist and will follow any instructions to the letter.
b.
The subject is a confederate of the hypnotist and disrobes while pretending to be hypnotized.
c.
When hypnotized, subjects are able to convince themselves that they cannot be held responsible for their actions and so end up doing things they might not otherwise do.
d.
The hypnotist is careful to select only those subjects who look as if they would enjoy disrobing in public.
 

31. 

Research has shown that meditation can produce a physiological state similar to
a.
the REM stage of sleep
b.
that produced by hypnosis
c.
relaxation
d.
a drug-induced trance
 

32. 

Which of the following drugs carries the least amount of risk for physical and/or psychological dependence?
a.
LSD
b.
cocaine
c.
amphetamines
d.
heroin
 

33. 

There is the greatest amount of debate on the risks associated with which of the following drugs?
a.
marijuana
b.
alcohol
c.
cocaine
d.
heroin
 

34. 

Mark's mother is worried because he only sleeps about 4 to 5 hours per night. What would you tell her?
a.
She has reason to be concerned because, in the long run, Mark's lack of sleep will take its toll physically.
b.
There is nothing to worry about because young people need less sleep than older people.
c.
There is no problem as long as Mark spends most of his sleep time in REM sleep.
d.
There is probably nothing to be worried about since different people need differing amounts of sleep.
 

35. 

Depressant drugs have been found to
a.
facilitate falling asleep
b.
disrupt the normal sleep cycle
c.
reduce REM sleep
d.
do all of these things
 

36. 

Which of the following statements about dreams is most accurate?
a.
Only about 75 percent of all people dream.
b.
The reason we do not remember our dreams is that the content of the dream is repressed.
c.
People cannot remember their dreams because of too much time passing between when they dreamed and when they try to recall the dream.
d.
Most dreams people can remember deal with sexually oriented topics.
 

37. 

Which of the following statements regarding dreams is not accurate?
a.
Dream recall is best when people are awakened during or very soon after a dream.
b.
Dreams flash through consciousness instantaneously.
c.
We dream whether we remember our dreams or not.
d.
Trying to remember dreams can aid dream recall.
 

38. 

Concluding that a person drinks too much because he/she is an alcoholic, is an example of _____________ reasoning.
a.
logical
b.
circular
c.
inductive
d.
deductive
 

39. 

Stages 3 and 4 of sleep are associated with __________ waves in EEG recordings.
a.
alpha
b.
delta
c.
REM
d.
asynchronistic
 

40. 

Dr. McCardle has implanted an electrode in the hypothalamus of a rat. When the rat's brain is electrically stimulated the rat stops eating. The electrode is most likely activating the
a.
magnocellular hypothalamus
b.
ventromedial hypothalamus
c.
lateral hypothalamus
d.
parvocellular hypothalamus
 

41. 

Evolutionary theory predicts that women should place more emphasis than men on all but which of the following partner characteristics?
a.
ambition
b.
intelligence
c.
social status
d.
physical attractiveness
 

42. 

Which of the following approaches to explaining the origins of homosexuality has received the most empirical support?
a.
biological
b.
psychoanalytic
c.
operant conditioning
d.
classical conditioning
 

43. 

Which of the following statements regarding homosexuality has not been supported by empirical evidence?
a.
Male homosexuality is linked to genetic material on the X chromosome.
b.
There are anatomical differences in the brain between homosexual and heterosexual men.
c.
Homosexuality is a learned preference acquired when same-sex stimuli have been paired with sexual arousal.
d.
Identical twins of homosexual men are more likely to be homosexual than are fraternal twins of homosexual men.
 

44. 

Which of the following generalizations was not supported by Masters and Johnson's human sexuality research?
a.
Women are more apt than men to have intercourse without orgasm.
b.
The subjective experience of orgasm is very similar for men and women.
c.
Men are more apt to be multiorgasmic than women are.
d.
Sexual difficulties are most typically caused by psychological factors.
 

45. 

The Thematic Apperception Test is considered __________ test.
a.
an aptitude
b.
a projective
c.
an achievement
d.
a criterion-based
 

46. 

Alisha is telling a story about a character on a TAT card. In this story Alisha focuses on the individual's lack of persistence when undertaking projects, and she also describes how the individual prefers situations that have little competition. Alisha's answer suggests that she most likely has
a.
a low need for affiliation
b.
a low need for achievement
c.
a high need for affiliation
d.
a high need for achievement
 

47. 

Warrick was posing for his girlfriend while she painted a picture for her art class. She had asked him to hold his mouth in a frown because she was trying to depict someone who was sad and dejected. Now that he has finished posing, Warrick finds that he is feeling somewhat unhappy, but he is not really sure why. This type of reaction is consistent with which of the following?
a.
the two-factor theory of emotion
b.
the James-Lange theory of emotion
c.
the facial feedback hypothesis
d.
the common-sense view of emotion
 

48. 

Imagine that an individual has taken medication that has lowered his or her overall level of autonomic arousal. If this person reports less intense emotional experiences it would provide some support for
a.
the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion
b.
the common-sense view of emotion
c.
the facial feedback hypothesis
d.
the James-Lange theory of emotion
 

49. 

Relationship harmony is likely to be an important determinant of happiness in which of the following types of cultures?
a.
collectivist
b.
empirical
c.
actualized
d.
individualistic
 

50. 

Overall, the best predictor of individuals' future happiness is their
a.
financial status
b.
past happiness
c.
commitment to their religion
d.
degree of physical attractiveness
 



 
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