General Psychology-Test 2

Phrenology highlighted the presumed functions of:

specific brain regions.

A biological psychologist would be most interested in conducting research on the relationship between:

neurotransmitters and depression

The function of dendrites is to:

receive incoming signals from other neurons.

An axon is:

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

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

A brief electrical charge that travels down the axon of a neuron is called the:

action potential.

A slap on the back is more painful than a pat on the back because a slap triggers:

more frequent neural impulses.

The chemical messengers released into the spatial junctions between neurons are called:

neurotransmitters

Reuptake refers to the:

reabsorption of excess neurotransmitter molecules by a sending neuron.

An undersupply of serotonin is most closely linked to

depression.

Curare is a paralyzing poison that functions as a(n)

ACh antagonist.

The two major divisions of the nervous system are the central and the ________ nervous systems.

peripheral

The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls glandular activity and the muscles of internal organs is called the:

autonomic nervous system.

You come home one night to find a burglar in your house. Your heart starts racing and you begin to perspire. These physical reactions are triggered by the:

sympathetic nervous system.

A simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus is called a(n):

reflex.

The master gland of the endocrine system is the

pituitary gland

Surgical destruction of brain tissue is called a(n):

lesion

To identify which specific brain areas are most active during a particular mental task, researchers would be most likely to make use of a(n):

fMRI.

The part of the brainstem that controls heartbeat and breathing is called the:

medulla.

The "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem is called the:

cerebellum.

To demonstrate that brain stimulation can make a rat violently aggressive, a neuroscientist should electrically stimulate the rat’s:

amygdala.

Your conscious awareness of your own name and self-identity depends primarily on the normal functioning of your:

cerebral cortex.

The most extensive regions of the brain, which enable learning and memory, are called the:

association areas

The capacity of one brain area to take over the functions of another damaged brain area is known as brain:

plasticity

The corpus callosum is a wide band of axon fibers that:

transmits information between the cerebral hemispheres.