Unit 1 Tutoring AP Psych

A neurologist is working with a patient who recently experienced a brain injury. The patient can speak clearly and has normal vision and movement. However, when people talk to her, she reports hearing their voices but being unable to make sense of the words, describing them as sounding like "a foreign language." She also struggles to identify whether a sound is a doorbell, a phone ringing, or a car horn. Which brain region is most likely damaged?

• Frontal lobe

• Temporal lobe

• Parietal lobe

• Occipital lobe

After an intense presentation at work, Alex finds a quiet spot in the break room and takes several deep breaths. Over the next few minutes, he notices his heart rate slowing down, his breathing becoming more regular, and his muscles becoming less tense. He begins to feel hungry as his body returns to a calmer state. His coworker notices that his pupils have become smaller and suggests they get lunch since the stressful part of their day is over. Which division of the autonomic nervous system is primarily responsible for these physiological changes?

• Somatic nervous system

• Sympathetic nervous system

• Parasympathetic nervous system

• Central nervous system

Researchers studied the relationship between GABA levels and anxiety symptoms in 120 participants. The researchers used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure GABA concentrations in the participants' brains and then administered a standardized anxiety assessment. Half of the participants were given a GABA-enhancing supplement while the other half received a placebo. After 8 weeks, researchers measured changes in both GABA levels and anxiety scores. In this experiment, the dependent variable is…

• GABA-enhancing supplement administration

• The duration of the study

• Initial GABA concentrations

• Changes in anxiety scores

A gymnastics coach observes a young athlete who was recently cleared to return to training after a brain injury. While the athlete can understand all instructions and see the demonstrations clearly, she struggles to perform previously mastered skills. When attempting a simple balance beam routine, she stumbles frequently, her movements appear jerky and poorly timed, and she has difficulty maintaining her balance even while walking on the beam. Despite having full strength in her muscles, her once-graceful movements are now uncoordinated. Which brain structure, when damaged, is most likely responsible for these specific changes in motor performance?

• Cerebellum

• Cerebral cortex

• Medulla

• Thalamus

In a recent psychological study, researchers investigated the link between stress levels and hippocampal activity. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), they observed the hippocampal activity of 200 participants during tasks designed to induce varying degrees of stress. Participants' stress levels were also evaluated through physiological measurements and self-reported questionnaires. The study found significant correlations between reported stress levels and increased activity in the hippocampus. The researchers concluded that higher levels of hippocampal activity are a direct cause of increased stress. Which of the following best critiques the researchers' conclusion regarding the relationship between hippocampal activity and stress?

• The sample size of 200 participants may not be sufficient to generalize the results across different populations.

• Although the study indicates a correlation, it cannot definitively establish causation without manipulating hippocampal activity directly.

• Relying on fMRI to assess hippocampal activity may not provide a precise measure of the participants' actual stress levels.

• The conclusions do not account for other factors that could influence stress, such as environmental variables or genetic predispositions.

A physical therapist is evaluating a patient who was recently in a car accident. The patient shows no issues with strength or muscle control, but when asked to touch her nose with her finger while her eyes are closed, she misses repeatedly. When standing with her eyes closed, she sways and loses balance, though she stands perfectly still with her eyes open. When asked to demonstrate how high to lift her leg to step onto a curb without looking, she raises it much higher than necessary. Which sensory system is most likely impaired?

• Vestibular

• Proprioception

• Kinesthetic

• Tactile

An ophthalmologist is studying a patient with an unusual form of progressive vision loss. The patient's eyes appear structurally normal, and light is reaching the back of the eye without obstruction. However, testing reveals that when light hits the patient's retina, the photoreceptor cells are failing to convert the light energy into electrical signals that the brain can interpret. The patient reports seeing increasingly dimmer images over time, even in bright conditions. Which process in the vision pathway has become impaired?

• Accommodation

• Transduction

• Dark adaptation

• Convergence

Researchers studied sensory adaptation by measuring participants' perceived intensity of a vanilla scent in a room. The concentration of the scent remained constant, while participants rated their perception of the odor's intensity over time. The graph shows the average ratings across all participants. Which of the following best explains the pattern shown in the data?

• The concentration of vanilla scent decreased over time

• Sensory receptors reduced their response rate despite constant stimulation

• Participants deliberately ignored the scent over time

• The measuring instruments became less accurate during testing

A neurologist is examining a patient who experienced a stroke in a specific region of the brain. While the patient can move all parts of her body normally, she cannot feel sensations of temperature or pressure on the right side of her face and right arm. When asked to identify by touch alone which common objects are placed in her right hand, she cannot name them, though she can easily identify them when looking at them. During recovery, she reports that sometimes a touch on her right cheek is felt on her right hand instead. Which specific brain region, if damaged, would explain this pattern of symptoms?

• Motor cortex

• Temporal lobe

• Parietal lobe

• Somatosensory cortex

During a routine physical examination, Dr. Martinez tests her patient's patellar reflex by striking just below the kneecap with a rubber hammer. After the tap from the hammer, the quadriceps muscle contracts and the lower leg kicks forward without any conscious effort from the patient. Which component of this reflex arc is correctly paired with its function?

• Interneuron in spinal cord - detects the initial stimulus from the hammer

• Motor neuron - carries the signal from muscle to spinal cord

• Sensory neuron - sends command from spinal cord to muscle

• Motor neuron - carries signal from spinal cord to quadriceps muscle