AP Psych A - Unit 2 Review - Biological Bases of Behavior

Why do researchers study the brains of nonhuman animals?

• It is not ethical to study human brains.

• Human brains are too complex to study meaningfully.

• The same principles govern neural functioning in all species.

• It is too expensive to study human brains.

• The technology is still being developed for the study of human brains.

What is the brief electrical charge that travels down an axon called?

• Action potential

• Resting potential

• All-or-none impulse

• Refractory period

• Myelination response

An individual is having trouble with cognitive tasks related to learning and memory. Which of the following neurotransmitters is most likely to be involved with the problem?

• Acetylcholine

• Dopamine

• Serotonin

• The endorphins

• GABA

Which is the most influential of the endocrine glands?

• Pituitary gland

• Adrenal glands

• Dendrites

• Threshold glands

• Parasympathetic

What is the purpose of the myelin sheath?

• Make the transfer of information across a synapse more efficient

• Increase the amount of neurotransmitter available in the neuron

• Reduce the antagonistic effect of certain drugs

• Establish a resting potential in the axon

• Speed the transmission of information within a neuron

The peripheral nervous system

• connects the brain to the spinal cord.

• calms the body after an emergency.

• is limited to the control of voluntary movement.

• controls only the arms and the legs.

• is the part of the nervous system that does not include the brain and the spinal cord.

To walk across a street, a person would rely most directly on which division of the nervous system?

• Central nervous system

• Sympathetic nervous system

• Peripheral nervous system

• Autonomic nervous system

• Parasympathetic nervous system

Opiate drugs such as morphine are classified as what?

• Antagonists, because they block neurotransmitter receptors for pain

• Agonists, because they mimic other neurotransmitters’ pain-diminishing effects

• Excitatory neurotransmitters, because they activate pain-control mechanisms

• Sympathetic nervous system agents, because they prepare the body for a challenge

• Parasympathetic nervous system agents, because they calm the body

Which region of the brain controls our breathing and heartbeat?

• Pons

• Corpus callosum

• Parietal lobe

• Hippocampus

• Medulla

Which of the following does a PET scan best allow researchers to examine?

• The presence of tumors in the brain

• Electrical activity on the surface of the brain

• The size of the internal structures of the brain

• The location of strokes

• The functions of various brain regions