Psychology - Biological Basis of Behavior

The nineteenth-century theory that bumps on the skull reveal a person's abilities and traits is called 

• evolutionary psychology.
• behavior genetics.
• phrenology.
• eugenics. 

Which type of psychologist most directly investigates the links between biological activity and our thinking and behaviors?

• psychotherapist
• biological psychologist
• cognitive psychologist
• psychometrician

In transmitting sensory information to the brain, an electrical signal travels from the ________ of a single neuron.

• dendrites to the cell body to the axon
• axon to the dendrites to the cell body
• axon to the cell body to the dendrites
• dendrites to the axon to the cell body

The minimum level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse is called the

• refractory period.
• action potential.
• synapes.
• threshold.

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that travel across the

• cell body.
• synaptic gap.
• axon.
• myelin sheath.

The chemical messengers of the endocrine system are called

• neurotransmitters.
• interneurons. 
• hormones.
• antagonists

The master gland of the endocrine system is the

• adrenal gland.
• pituitary gland.
• pancreas.
• hypothalamus.

We are usually least consciously aware of the processes and functions of which brain structure?

• brainstem
• sensory cortex
• motor cortex
• cerebral cortex

Which of the following is the component of the limbic system that plays an essential role in the processing of new memories?

• medulla
• hippocampus
• thalamus
• hypothalamus

The thin surface layer of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebrum is called the

• cerebellum.
• corpus callosum.
• reticular formation.
• cerebral cortex.