Unit 1: Biological Basis of Behavior

Which term describes the interaction of genetic predispositions and environmental factors in shaping traits and behaviors?

• Natural selection

• Nature via nurture

• Epigenetics

• Heredity

What is the process by which sensory stimuli are converted into neural signals that the brain can interpret?

• Perception

• Transduction

• Sensory adaptation

• Priming

Imagine a child learning to ride a bicycle. Which concept best explains the brain's ability to adapt and create new neural pathways as the child practices and improves?

• Neuroplasticity

• Lateralization

• Cognitive neuroscience

• Dual processing

Which brain structure acts as a relay station, receiving sensory information from all senses except smell and directing it to the appropriate cortical areas for processing?

• Hypothalamus

• Amygdala

• Hippocampus

• Thalamus

Which division of the nervous system is responsible for the 'fight-or-flight' response, preparing the body for action in stressful situations?

• Parasympathetic nervous system

• Somatic nervous system

• Sympathetic nervous system

• Central nervous system

A researcher wants to study the effects of a new drug on brain activity. Which brain imaging technique would allow the researcher to observe changes in blood flow to different brain regions as participants perform a cognitive task?

• CT scan

• MRI scan

• PET scan

• fMRI scan

What is the term for the minimum difference between two stimuli that a person can detect 50% of the time?

• Absolute threshold

• Subliminal threshold

• Difference threshold

• Sensory adaptation

Which sleep disorder is characterized by repeated episodes of breathing stopping and starting during sleep?

• Insomnia

• Narcolepsy

• Sleep apnea

• REM sleep behavior disorder

Which theory of color vision proposes that we have three types of color receptors, each sensitive to different wavelengths of light (red, green, and blue)?

• Opponent-process theory

• Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory

• Place theory

• Frequency theory

Which structure in the ear is responsible for converting sound vibrations into neural impulses?

• Eardrum

• Ossicles (hammer, anvil, stirrup)

• Cochlea

• Semicircular canals