Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 1. When asked to describe a picture that showed two boys stealing cookies behind a woman's back, a patient replied, “Mother is away her working her work to get her better, but when she's looking the two boys looking the other part.” Which brain region has most likely been damaged? a. Broca's area
____ 2.
____ 3.
____ 4.
____ 5.
____ 6. b. c. d. e. corpus callosum angular gyrus
Wernicke's area parietal lobes
To demonstrate that brain stimulation can make a rat violently aggressive, a neuroscientist should electrically stimulate the rat's a. b. c. d. reticular formation.
cerebellum.
amygdala.
thalamus.
e.
An all-or-none response pattern is characteristic of the a. b. c. medulla.
release of endorphins into the central nervous system.
excitation of the antagonistic hormonal system.
activation of either the sympathetic or the parasympathetic system.
d. e. release of hormones into the bloodstream.
initiation of neural impulses.
A person whose hand had been amputated actually felt sensations on his nonexistent fingers when his face was stroked. This best illustrates the consequences of a. b. c. brain plasticity.
aphasia.
hemispherectomy.
d. e. tomography.
lateralization.
The complete set of genetic instructions in an organism's chromosomes is called the a. b. c. zygote.
heritability index.
schema.
d. e.
DNA molecule.
genome.
The neural system located at the border between the brainstem and the cerebral hemispheres is known as the a. reticular formation.
b. sensory cortex.

____ 7.
____ 8.
____ 9.
____ 10.
____ 11.
____ 12. c. d. e. limbic system.
cerebellum.
peripheral nervous system.
Sir Charles Sherrington observed that impulses took more time to travel a neural pathway than he might have anticipated. His observation provided evidence for the existence of a. synaptic gaps.
b. c. d. endorphins.
neural networks.
interneurons.
e.
An undersupply of serotonin is most closely linked to a. b. c. d. hormones.
euphoria.
depression.
schizophrenia.
Alzheimer's disease.
e. Parkinson's disease.
Although identical twins have been shown to have some amazing psychological similarities, one should be cautious about attributing these similarities to genetic factors because a. b. most twin studies have not been replicated or validated.
many fraternal twins have been shown to be psychologically different from each other.
c. d. e. genetic factors influence physical, not psychological, characteristics.
the twins may have been raised in completely different environments.
any two strangers are likely to share a string of coincidental similarities.
Males in their ________ are most likely to be sexually attracted to women who are several years older rather than several years younger than themselves. a. forties.
b. c. d. fifties.
teens.
twenties.
e. thirties.
When people discuss the “nature vs. nurture” controversy, Nature refers to ________ and Nurture refers to ________. a. b. c. chromosomes; genetics
DNA; hormones thinking; behavior d. e. genes; heredity biology; environment
Evolutionary psychologists emphasize that environmentally adaptive behaviors are those that have promoted a. b. behavior genetics.
reproductive success.

____ 13.
____ 14.
____ 15.
____ 16.
____ 17. c. d. e.
Which of the following best describes how the brain processes and controls language? a. The brainstem processes the basic parts of speech and communicates with the frontal lobe's motor cortex.
b. c.
Speech is primarily controlled in the occipital lobes, although association areas in the parietal lobes are also involved.
Men and women process speech in different parts of the brain, determined primarily by genetics and early environmental conditions.
d. cultural diversity.
personal happiness.
heritability.
e.
Speech is such an important function of the brain that the right temporal lobe is devoted to it.
Subfunctions of speech (such as producing speech, reading aloud, and understanding speech) are processed by different parts of the brain.
According to opinion polls, how do scientists and nonscientists react differently to the idea of evolution? a. Belief in evolutionary theory is split along religious lines among scientists and nonscientists.
b. There is widespread consensus among scientists that evolution is scientific fact, but half of U.S. adults do not believe in evolution.
c. d.
Scientists and most nonscientists agree that evolutionary theory describes animal development well, but not human development.
Most “hard” scientists, like physicists and chemists, think that evolutionary theory e. is unnecessarily complex, and most nonscientists agree.
Scientists are mostly (66%) agreed that evolution is a valid theory, and most nonscientists believe evolution describes the natural world well.
Which of the following fictional research findings is the best evidence against the idea that “biology is destiny”? a. Testosterone levels are associated with incarceration rates.
b. Early humans gradually developed aversions to bitter-tasting foods because many poisons were bitter.
c. d. e.
Cognitive therapy can help people change unwanted personality traits.
Women have larger and more active brain structures than men.
Babies are born with the ability to turn away from frightening stimuli.
Adoptive parents are most likely to influence the ________ of their adopted children. a. personality b. extraversion c. d. e. adult weight adult height political attitudes
Neurotransmitters are released from vesicles located on knoblike terminals at the end of the a. myelin sheath.
b. synapse.

____ 18.
____ 19.
____ 20.
____ 21.
____ 22.
____ 23.
____ 24. c. d. e. dendrites.
axon.
cell body.
Researchers found that women rated men higher as potential long-term mates when they spent more time looking at baby pictures. This finding suggests that a. women prefer men who express interest in caring for joint offspring.
b. c. d. women are drawn to youthful, healthy appearing men.
women have a lower threshold for perceiving warm responses as sexual.
men approach sex as being more relational.
e.
Alzheimer's disease is most closely linked to the deterioration of neurons that produce a. b. c. d. men are less attracted to women who are likely to reproduce.
acetylcholine.
dopamine.
glutamate.
endorphins.
e. epinephrine.
A simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus is called a(n) a. reflex.
b. c. d. threshold.
neural network.
neurotransmitter.
e.
Schizophrenia is most closely linked with excess receptor activity for the neurotransmitter a. b. c. d. action potential.
dopamine.
GABA.
acetylcholine.
epinephrine.
e. serotonin.
DNA is a complex a. action potential.
b. c. d. synapse.
sex hormone.
molecule.
e. neuron.
By simply thinking about a move, which activates their brain cells, people may be able to move a robotic arm. This best illustrates a. b. c. neurogenesis.
neural prosthetics.
hemispheric specialization.
d. e. magnetic resonance imaging.
constraint-induced therapy.
Evolutionary psychology studies the evolution of behavior and the mind using principles of

____ 25.
____ 26.
____ 27.
____ 28.
____ 29.
____ 30. a. b. c. d. e. naturalistic observation.
humanism.
genome mapping.
behaviorism.
natural selection.
An adaptation is an inherited physical or behavioral characteristic that a. b. c. is ecologically disruptive.
has no effect on fitness.
enables an organism to control its environment.
d. e. increases an organism's chance for survival.
may or may not benefit the organism.
Addictive drug cravings are likely to be associated with reward centers in the a. b. c. limbic system.
cerebellum.
reticular formation.
d. e. thalamus.
angular gyrus.
Which brain structure might be most active when answering the question “What do the following words have in common: plane, butter, insect?” a. b. amygdala right hemisphere c. d. e. brainstem reticular formation left hemisphere
Damage to the left cerebral hemisphere is most likely to reduce people's ability to a. see colors.
b. recognize faces.
c. d. e. copy drawings.
recognize familiar melodies.
speak fluently.
Transferring messages from a motor neuron to a leg muscle requires the neurotransmitter known as a. epinephrine.
b. endorphin.
c. d. e. dopamine.
insulin.
acetylcholine.
The unique personalities of children evoke predictable responses from their caregivers. This best illustrates the ________ of nature and nurture. a. independence b. c. d. heritability mutation evolution

____ 31.
____ 32.
____ 33.
____ 34.
____ 35.
____ 36.
____ 37. e. interaction
In a recent car accident, Tamiko sustained damage to his right cerebral hemisphere. This injury is most likely to reduce Tamiko's ability to a. b. c. facially express emotions.
control his aggression.
solve arithmetic problems.
d. e. understand simple verbal requests.
process information in an orderly sequence.
Heritability refers to the extent to which a. b. genetic mutations can be transmitted to one's offspring.
nurture controls a trait rather than nature.
c. d. e. trait differences among individuals are attributable to genetic variations.
unrelated individuals share common genes.
Which of the following research questions would be most interesting to a molecular geneticist? a. b. c. adult personality is determined by infant personality.
Are there genetic influences on the impact of synapses on neural transmission?
What are the genetic differences between siblings who are and are not depressed?
How do children develop gender identities in school?
d. e.
What impact did climate change have on the religious practices of early humans?
Do IQ scores change as children age?
People have always responded so positively to Alyssa's good looks that she has developed a socially confident and outgoing personality. This best illustrates a. the importance of nurture rather than nature.
b. c. d. e. the impact of personality on gender identity.
the interaction of nature and nurture.
that ideas about gender and social roles are complementary.
the reciprocal influence of norms and roles.
Professor Archibald suggests that men are more likely than women to initiate recreational sex because this has historically served to be a more successful reproductive strategy for men than for women. The professor's suggestion best illustrates a(n) ________ theory. a. b. c.
Freudian behaviorist social learning d. e. evolutionary cognitive
Which part of your brain receives information that you are moving your legs? a. b. c. motor cortex sensory cortex amygdala d. e. hypothalamus
Broca's area
Evolutionary psychologists are most likely to be criticized for

____ 38.
____ 39.
____ 40.
____ 41.
____ 42. a. b. c. d. e. providing hindsight explanations for human behaviors.
failing to consider unconscious motivations.
underestimating gender differences in mate selection.
overestimating cultural differences in human sexual behaviors.
overemphasizing humans' capacity to learn and adapt to a variety of environments.
Twin studies suggest that a strong influence on emotional instability comes from a. b. c. genetic predispositions.
the X chromosome.
natural selection.
d. e. the Y chromosome.
mutation.
Two plants are grown under the same environmental conditions, including the same soil conditions and the same amount of light and water, but one grows to 2 feet tall and the other is 1 foot tall. In this case, the heritability would be closest to a. 95 percent.
b. c. d.
50 percent.
80 percent.
25 percent.
e. 5 percent.
How do evolutionary psychologists explain why pregnant women from cultures across the world tend to avoid bitter, strongly flavored foods? a. Historical preferences toward or against certain tastes tend to change as cultures change.
b. Bitter tastes can be an indication of foods toxic toward a developing baby, so this preference developed through natural selection.
c. d.
Pregnant women tend to associate with one another and they acquire similar food preferences through social conformity.
Most cultures educate women about the dangers of certain foods on a developing e. fetus.
Women and men have genetic differences in taste preferences.
In creating more effective treatments for pain, researchers would use which of the following techniques for identifying regions of the brain that handle pain? a. electroencephalogram (EEG) b. c. d. e. lesion computed tomography (CT ) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) functional MRI (fMRI)
A PET scan of a patient looking at a photograph of a painting would most likely indicate high levels of activity in which brain structure? a. Broca's area b. c. d. sensory cortex occipital lobes frontal lobes

____ 43.
____ 44.
____ 45.
____ 46.
____ 47.
____ 48.
____ 49. e.
Which of the following are located exclusively within the brain and spinal cord? a. b. c. d. corpus callosum axons interneurons motor neurons sensory neurons e.
Neural networks refer to a. b. c. myelin sheath interconnected clusters of neurons in the central nervous system.
junctions between sending and receiving neurons.
neural cables containing many axons.
d. e. neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body.
the branching extensions of a neuron.
According to evolutionary psychologists, behaviors that promote reproductive success are likely to be a. b. c. disease-producing.
genetically predisposed.
hormonally adaptive.
d. e. ecologically disruptive.
socially prohibited.
Your life would be most immediately threatened if you suffered destruction of the a. b. medulla.
hippocampus.
c. d. e. angular gyrus.
amygdala.
corpus callosum.
If a professor accused you of cheating on a test, your adrenal glands would probably release
________ into your bloodstream. a. seratonin b. insulin c. d. e. acetylcholine epinephrine endorphins
A random error in gene replication is known as a a. DNA.
b. genome.
c. d. e. mutation.
heritability.
natural selection.
Split-brain patients have had their ________ surgically cut. a. limbic system b. corpus callosum

____ 50. c. d. e.
The speed at which a neural impulse travels is increased when the axon is encased by a(n) a. endocrine gland.
b. pituitary gland.
c. d. e. sensory cortex hippocampus reticular formation myelin sheath.
synaptic vesicle.
sympathetic nerve.