AP Psych Unit 3 Test

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

• evolutionary psychology

• behavior genetics

• molecular biology

• biological psychology

• phrenology

Dendrites are branching extensions of

• neurotransmitters

• endorphins

• neurons

• myelin

• endocrine glands

The function of dendrites is to

• receive incoming signals from other neurons

• release neurotransmitters into the spatial junctions between neurons

• coordinate the activation of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems

• control pain through the release of opiate-like chemicals into the brain

• transmit signals to other neurons

An axon is

• a cell that serves as the basic building block of the nervous system

• a layer of fatty tissue that encases the fibers of many neurons

• an antagonist that blocks neurotransmitter receptor sites

• the extension of a neuron that carries messages away from the cell body

• a junction between a sending and receiving neuron

The longest part of a neuron is likely to be the

• dendrite

• axon

• cell body

• synapse

• myelin sheath

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

• cell body to the axon to the dendrites

• dendrites to the axon to the cell body

• axon to the cell body to the dendrites

• dendrites to the cell body to the axon

• axon to the dendrites to the cell body

The speed at which a neural impulse travels is increased when the axon is encased by a

• sympathetic nerve

• myelin sheath

• endocrine gland

• pituitary gland

• sympathetic vesicle

The slowdown of neural communication in multiple sclerosis involves a degeneration of

• thresholds

• dendrites

• endocrine gland

• myelin sheath

• pituitary gland

The axon of a resting neuron has gates that do not allow positive sodium ions to pass through the cell membrane. What is this characteristic called?

• myelin sheath

• threshold

• selective permeability

• action potential

• parasympathetic nervous system

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

• reflex

• threshold

• synapse

• action potential

• refractory period