1. Which endocrine gland regulates body growth?

   A) parathyroid

   B) adrenal

   C) thyroid

   D) pituitary

   E) pancreas

1. Which type of psychologist most directly investigates the links between biological activity and our thinking and behaviors?

   A) behaviorist

   B) psychotherapist

   C) biological psychologist

   D) cognitive psychologist

   E) psychometrician

1. Which brain structure receives information from all the senses except smell?

   A) hippocampus

   B) amygdala

   C) pons

   D) thalamus

   E) medulla

1. Which of the following fictional research findings is the best evidence against the idea that “our lives are determined by our experiences”?

   A) Babies are born with personalities that are relatively stable throughout their lives.

   B) IQ scores can change drastically (more than one standard deviation) after children are provided enriched environments.

   C) Reinforcements, like praise from caregivers, are the most powerful motivators for children.

   D) The political opinions of adopted children are closer to those of their adopted parents than those of their biological parents.

   E) Extremely stressful experiences can change overall optimistic explanatory styles into more pessimistic styles.

1. Transferring messages from a motor neuron to a leg mjuscle requires the neurotransmitter known as

   A) dopamine

   B) epinephrine

   C) acetylcholine

   D) insulin

   E) endorphin

1. Many genes respond to environmental conditions, reacting to different environmental contexts in different ways. This characteristic of genes is called what?

   A) chromosomes

   B) genotype

   C) heritability

   D) self regulation

   E) evolution

1. To learn about the TV viewing habits of all the children attending Oakbridge School, Professor DeVries randomly selected and interviewed 50 of the school's students. In this instance, all the children attending the school are considered to be a(n)

   A) population

   B) representative sample

   C) independent variable

   D) control condition

   E) dependent variable

1. Who would have been most likely to ignore mental processes and to define psychology as “the scientific study of observable behavior”?

   A) John B. Watson

   B) Edward Titchener

   C) Wilhelm Wundt

   D) Jean Piaget

   E) William James

1. Someone who has difficulty speaking after a stroke is suffering from which of the following?

   A) neurogenesis

   B) lesion

   C) aphasia

   D) angular gyrus

   E) interneurons

1. Dr. Donelian wants to reduce his students' perception that psychological experiments merely document the obvious. His best strategy would be to ask the students to

   A) describe how experimental hypotheses were derived from basic psychological principles.

   B) predict the outcomes of experiments before they are told the actual results.

   C) explain the outcomes of experiments after they are told the actual results.

   D) personally engage in naturalistic observation.

   E) Survey students living on campus.

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

   A) hormones

   B) neurotransmitters

   C) synapses

   D) sensory neurons

   E) motor neurons.

1. Dr. Roberts hypothesized that students in a classroom seating 30 would get higher course grades than students seated in an auditorium seating 300. In this example,

   A) Dr. Roberts has found a cause-effect relationship.

   B) Dr. Roberts has found a positive correlation between classroom size and course grades.

   C) The independent variable is the measurement of course grades.

   D) classroom size has been operationally defined.

   E) Dr. Roberts has demonstrated the importance of random sampling.

1. A person with schizophrenia may have an overactive dopamine system. Drugs used to treat this disorder prevent the action of dopamine by keeping it from binding to its receptors. These drugs are

   A) agonists

   B) somatic

   C) sympathetic

   D) antagonists

   E) selectively permeable

1. The home environment most clearly has a greater influence on children's ­___________ than on their _________.

   A) personality; political attitudes

   B) extraversion; table manners

   C) religious beliefs; personality traits

   D) DNA; genes

   E) shyness; social group

1. To trigger a person's hand to make a fist, Jose Delgado stimulated the individual's

   A) motor cortex

   B) hypothalamus

   C) sensory cortex

   D) reticular formation

   E) limbic system

1. If a genetic predisposition to fear darkness contributes to reproductive success, that trait will likely be passed on to subsequent generations. This best illustrates

   A) mutation

   B) psychopathology

   C) behavior genetics

   D) environment

   E) natural selection

1. Gender differences in heritable personality traits cannot necessarily be attributed to male-female genetic differences because

   A) physical maturation proceeds at a different rate for males and females

   B) variations in personality contribute to gender differences

   C) heritable traits can be influenced by social environments

   D) males and females are also affected by their different sex hormones

   E) chromosomal adaptation has not been accounted for

1. Researchers use experiments rather than other research methods in order to distinguish between

   A) facts and theories

   B) causes and effects

   C) case studies and surveys

   D) random samples and representative samples

   E) hypotheses and operational definitions

1. Research into dual processing provides partial evidence for levels of consciousness similar to the levels first described by which psychologist?

   A) B. F. Skinner

   B) Wilhelm Wundt

   C) Sigmund Freud

   D) Mary Calkins

   E) Edward Titchener

1. Sleep researchers who are interested in brain wave activity are likely to use which kind of brain scan?

   A) EEG

   B) CT

   C) fMRI

   D) PET

   E) MRI

1. Evolutionary psychologists are most likely to emphasize that human adaptiveness to a variety of different environments has contributed to human

   A) naturalistic observation

   B) genetic mutations

   C) behavior correlations

   D) reproductive success

   E) prenatal development

1. Your ability to experience the physical pleasure of a hot shower is most likely to be disrupted by damage to your

   A) corpus callosum

   B) angular gyrus

   C) hyppocampus

   D) amygdala

   E) thalamus

1. The reproductive advantage enjoyed by organisms best suited to a specific environment is known as

   A) heritability

   B) behavior genetics

   C) natural selection

   D) genome

   E) cloning

1. A behavior geneticist would be most interested in studying hereditary influences on

   A) skin color

   B) sexual anatomy

   C) physical attractiveness

   D) personality traits

   E) emotional stability

1. An undersupply of the major inhibitory neurotransmitter known as ­_______ is linked to seizures.

   A) glutamate

   B) GABA

   C) serotonin

   D) ACh

   E) dopamine

1. Arguments as to whether psychological differences between men and women result from biological or social influences most clearly involve a debate over the issue of

   A) evolution versus natural selection

   B) stage development versus continuous development

   C) structuralism versus functionalism

   D) behavior versus mental processes

   E) nature versus nurture

1. Twin studies suggest that Alzheimer's disease is influenced by

   A) hormones

   B) synapses

   C) heredity

   D) natural selection

   E) environment

1. Chromosomes are composed of

   A) hormones

   B) synapses

   C) nuclei

   D) neurotransmitters

   E) deoxyribonucleic acid

1. Which lobes of the brain receive the input that enables you to feel someone scratching your back?

   A) parietal

   B) temporal

   C) occipital

   D) frontal

   E) cerebral

1. The specialist most likely to have a medical degree is a(n)

   A) clinical psychologist

   B) industrial-organizational psychologist

   C) developmental psychologist

   D) psychiatrist

   E) biological psychologist

1. To estimate trait heritability, researchers are most likely to make use of

   A) cloning

   B) natural selection

   C) interaction

   D) twin studies

   E) DNA

1. In 1963, Stanley Milgram reported that 65% of research participants, at the request of the experimenter, would administer phony shocks that they considered real, to a stranger. He demonstrated how obedient humans can be to authority figures. Some critics contend that Milgram's findings cannot be used to predict behavior I real life. How might Milgram respond to this criticism?

   A) “Laboratory research is like 'real life' so results can be used to predict such behavior.”

   B) “It's impossible to study obedience in the real world so laboratory research is the only option”

   C) “Laboratory research allows you to identify general principles that do generalize to other real world contexts.”

   D) “All valuable psychological research is conducted in the lab.”

   E) “The situation was not artificial, but justifiable in demonstrating the impact of the situation on human behavior.”

1. Our adaptive flexibility in responding to different environments contributes to our fitness, which refers to

   A) random errors in the replication of genes

   B) the extent to which variation among individuals can be attributed to their differing genes.

   C) our ability to survive and reproduce

   D) the interaction of our genes with the environment

   E) our resistance to genetic mutations

1. Which of the following are located exclusively within the brain and spinal cord?

   A) sensory neurons

   B) motor neurons

   C) myelin sheath

   D) interneurons

   E) axons

1. Which kind of researcher is most likely to examine chromosomal differences between a fraternal twin who experiences a learning disability and one who doesn't?

   A) developmental psychologist

   B) molecular geneticist

   C) evolutionary psychologist

   D) psychometrician

   E) learning theorist

1. Why is it incorrect to say that 50% heritability of intelligence means that the cause of your intelligence is 50% genetic and 50% environmental?

   A) because heritability accounts for variations among people, not in specific individuals

   B) because nurture controls intelligence levels, not nature

   C) because unrelated individuals share common genes

   D) because genes are the basis for our behavior, environment has no impact

   E) because heritability increases as environments change

1. Compared with women, men are ________ likely to sacrifice to gain sex and ________ likely to perceive warm responses as a sexual come-on

   A) less; more

   B) more; less

   C) not; less

   D) more; more

   E) not; more

1. Dr. MacPherson believes that the way students organize and think about he information in their textbooks will strongly influence their ability to later remember and use what they have studied. Dr. MacPherson's ideas most directly exemplify the ______ perspective.

   A) social-cultural

   B) cognitive

   C) psychodynamic

   D) humanistic

   E) biological

1. The neural system located at the border between the brainstem and the cerebral hemispheres is known as the

   A) sensory cortex

   B) limbic system

   C) reticular formation

   D) peripheral nervous system

   E) cerebellum

1. Motor neurons are an important part of the

   A) limbic system

   B) reticular formation

   C) peripheral nervous system

   D) brainstem

   E) motor cortex

1. Mamie is terrified of spiders. She tells her best friend, “Everybody in my family is afraid of spiders, so it must be genetic.” Using the biopsychosocial approach to understanding her behavior, Mamie should

   A) reduce her experiences with spiders to her immediate sensations and feelings

   B) focus on possible unconscious motivations for her fears

   C) examine additional psychological and social-cultural influences on fear

   D) examine how fear is adaptive and has contributed to her ancestors' survival

   E) explore how her perceptions affect her fear of spiders

1. Our lips are more sensitive than our knees to sensations of touch due to which of the following?

   A) More neurotransmitters are released when the lips are touched

   B) A larger area of the sensory cortex is associated with our lips

   C) The dendrites connected to the lips are especially sensitive

   D) The medulla routes impulses from the lips directly to our brainstem

   E) Our lips are directly connected to the sensory cortex, but our knees are not

1. A picture of a dog is briefly flashed in the left visual field of a split-brain patient. At the same time a picture of a boy is flashed in the right visual field. In identifying what she saw, the patient would be most likely to

   A) use her left hand to point to a picture of a dog

   B) verbally report that she saw a dog

   C) use her left hand to point to a picture of a boy

   D) verbally report that she saw a boy

   E) communicate that she saw a picture of a boy with a dog.

1. Psychologist Michael Gazzaniga asked split-brain patients to stare at a dot as he flashed HE*ART on a screen. HE appeared in their left visual field, ART in the right. When asked to point to the word with their left hand, patients pointed to

   A) HE

   B) ART

   C) HEART

   D) EA

   E) nothing. They were unable to complete the task

1. Schizophrenia is most closely linked with excess receptor activity for the neurotransmitter

   A) dopamine

   B) epinephrine

   C) acetylcholine

   D) serotonin

   E) GABA

1. 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 are drawn to youthful, healthy appearing men

   B) women prefer men who express interest in caring for joint offspring

   C) men approach sex as being more relational

   D) women have a lower threshold for perceiving warm responses as sexual

   E) men are less attracted to women who are likely to reproduce

1. A researcher who assess the heritability of intelligence is most likely a(n)

   A) humanist

   B) evolutionary psychologist

   C) behavior geneticist

   D) social psychologist

   E) behaviorist

1. The complete set of genetic instructions in an organism's chromosomes is called the

   A) heritability index

   B) DNA molecule

   C) genome

   D) schema

   E) zygote

1. Which perspective is most concerned with how individuals interpret their experiences?

   A) behavioral

   B) cognitive

   C) biological

   D) social-cultural

   E) psychodynamic

1. Studies of identical twins who had been reared apart most clearly highlight the importance of ________ in personality development.

   A) natural selection

   B) mutation

   C) adoptive relatives

   D) home environments

   E) genetic predispositions

The nineteenth-century theory that bumps on the skull reveal a person's abilities and traits is called

A. evolutionary psychology

B. behavior genetics

C. molecular biology

D. biological psychology

E. phrenology

The slowdown of neural communication in multiple sclerosis involves a degeneration of the

A. thresholds

B. dendrites

C. endocrine gland

D. myelin sheath

E. pituitary gland

People can simultaneously process many aspects of sensory information such as color, shape, and size.  This best illustrates the functioning of multiple

A. Ach agonists

B. dendrites

C. endorphins

D. neural networks
E. ACh antagonists

Psychoactive drugs interfere with normal neural transmission.  Where does this interference take place?

A. axon

B. cell body

C. myelin sheath

D. synapse

E. hormones

Jose has just played a long, bruising football game but feels little fatigue or discomfort.  His lack of pain is most likely caused by the release of

A. glutamate

B. dopamine

C. acetylcholine

D. endorphins

E. insulin

The strenghtening of synaptic connections facilitates the formation of

A. interneurons

B. endorphins

C. neural networks

D. glial cells

E. lesions

An undersupply of serotonin is most closely linked to

A. Alzheimer's disease

B. schizophrenia

C. Parkinson's disease

D. depression

E. euphoria

The spatial junctions where impulses are chemically transmitted from one neuron to another are called

A. neurotransmitters

B. neural networks

C. synapses

D. axons

E. thresholds

Reuptake refers to the

A. movement of neurotransmitter molecules across a synaptic gap

B. release of hormones into the bloodstream

C. inflow of positively charge ions through an axon membrane

D. reabsorption of excess neurotransmitter molecule by a sending neuron

E. the ending of the refractory period

Sheelah was able to jerk her hand out of the scalding water before sensing any pain because this withdrawal reflex

A. was activated by interneurons in her spinal cord

B. did not involve activity in her central nervous system

C. was activated by the rapidly responding brain

D. was activated by her self-regulating autonomic nervous system

E. was controlled by both her nervous system and impulses from her endocrine system

The master gland of the endocrine system is the

A. thyroid gland

B. adrenal gland

C. pituitary gland

D. pancreas

E. hypothalamus

The brains of patients with Parkinson's disease have little dopamine.  Drugs used to treat such patients bind to dopamine receptors, thereby stimulating those receptors.  These drugs would be considered

A. antagonists

B. sympathetic

C. selectively permeable

D. endorphins

E. agonists

Botulin is a poison with a molecular structure so similar to acetylcholine (ACh) that it blocks the effects of ACh in synapses, making botulin which kind of molecule?

A. agonist

B. antagonist

C. endorphin

D. endocrine

E. autonomic

The speed at which a neural impulse travels is increased when the axon is encased by a(n)

A. sympathetic nerve

B. myelin sheath

C. endocrine gland

D. pituitary gland

E. synaptic vesicle

Messages are transmitted from your spinal cord to your digestive system's stomach muscles by the

A. endocrine system

B. central nervous system

C. sympathetic nervous system

D. somatic nervous system

E. glands

The chemical messengers of the endocrine system are called

A. neurotransmitters

B. interneurons

C. hormones

D. agonists

E. antagonists

Who believed that bumps on the skull reveal mental abilities and character traits?

A. Sir Charles Sherrington

B. Stephen Kasslyn

C. Franz Gall

D. Candace Pert

E. Solomon Snyder

Which of the following are located exclusively within the brain and spinal cord?

A. sensory neurons

B. motor neurons

C. myelin sheath

D. interneurons

E. axons

Within a single neuron the action potential

A. is generated in the dendrites

B. will be slower if myelin is present

C. depends on the movement of charged calcium atoms

D. travels in one direction toward the axon terminals

E. crosses the synapse to the adjacent neurons

Migraine headaches are most closely linked with an

A. oversupply of GABA

B. undersupply of serotonin

C. oversupply of glutamate

D. undersupply of acetylcholine

E. oversupply of norepinephrine

Motor neurons are to the ________ nervous system as interneurons are to the _______ nervous system.

A. sympathetic; parasympathetic

B. central; peripheral

C. autonomic; somatic

D. parasympathetic; sympathetic

E. peripheral; central

An accelerated heartbeat is to a slowed hearbeat as the ________ nervous system is to the ________ nervous system.

A. somatic; autonomic

B. autonomic; somatic

C. central; peripheral

D. sympathetic; parasympathetic

E. parasympathetic; sympathetic

The axon of a resting neuron has gates that do not allow positive sodium ions to pass through the cell membrane.  What is this characteristic called?

A. myelin sheath

B. threshold

C. selective permeability

D. action potential

E. parasympathetic nervous system

In transmitting sensory information to the brain, an electrical signal travels from the ________ of a single neuron.

A. cell body to the axon to the dendrites

B. dendrites to the axon to the cell body

C. axon to the cell body to the dendrites

D. dendrites to the cell body to the axon

E. axon to the dendrites to the cell body

A synapse is a(n)

A. chemical messenger that triggers muscle contractions

B. automatic response to sensory input

C. neural network

D. junction between a sending neuron and a receiving neuron

E. neural cable containing many axons

The function of dendrites is to

A. receive incoming signals from other neurons

B. release neurotransmitters into the spatial junctions between neurons

C. coordinate the activation of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems

D. control pain through the release of opiate-like chemicals into the brain

E. transmit signals to other neurons

The longest part of a motor neuron is likely to be the

A. dendrite

B. axon

C. cell body

D. synapse

E. neurotransmitter

With regard to the process of neural transmission, a refractory period refers to a time interval in which

A. a neuron fires more rapidly than usual

B. an electrical charge travels from a sensory neuron to a motor neuron

C. positively charged ions are pumped back outside a neural membrane

D. an individual reflexively withdraws from a pain stimulus

E. dendrites transmit more electrical signals to axons.

Your friend is taking her first psychology class.  She comes to you saying, "I don't understand why we are studying the brain; I thought this was a psychology class." Because of your background in psychology, your best response should be

A. "It's been known since Aristotle's time that the brain is the center of intelligence and thought."

B. "Phrenologists established the importance of studying the physical brain to understand mental abilities."

C. "Science has demonstrated that Plato's belief in the heart as the origin of emotion is correct."

D. "Everything psychological is simultaneously biological."

E. "Being able to name the parts of the brain helps us to understand the basis of behavior."

Resting potential is to action potential as ________ is to _______.

A. adrenal gland; pituitary gland

B. sensory neuron; motor neuron

C. temporal lobe; occipital lobe

D. polarization; depolarization

E. dendrite; axon

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

A. synapse

B. agonist

C. action potential

D. myelin sheath

E. refractory period

For you to experience the pain of a sprained ankle, ________ must first relay messages from your ankle to your central nervous system.

A. endocrines

B. interneurons

C. glands

D. motor neurons

E. sensory neurons

While relaxing in a lawn chair enjoying a cool drink, which of the following triggers the "rest-and-digest" response, as your heart rate slows and digestion begins?

A. sympathetic nervous system

B. limbic system

C. somatic nervous system

D. parasympathetic nervous system

E. motor cortex

Which endocrine gland regulates body growth?

A. parathyroid

B. adrenal

C. thyroid

D. pituitary

E. pancreas

Which type of psychologist most directly investigates the links between biological activity and our thinking and behaviors?

A. behaviorist

B. psychotherapist

C. biological psychologist

D. cognitive psychologist

E. psychometrician

When the release of ACh is blocked, the result is

A. depression

B. muscular paralysis

C. aggression

D. schizophrenia

E. euphoria

Hormones are the chemical messengers of the

A. action potential

B. autonomic nervous system

C. endocrine system

D. peripheral nervous system

E. central nervous system

The somatic nervous system is a component of the _______ nervous system.

A. peripheral

B. autonomic

C. central

D. sympathetic

D. parasympathetic

An undersupply of the major inhibitory neurotransmitter known as _______ is linked to seizures.

A. glutamate

B. GABA

C. serotonin

D. ACh

E. dopamine

Some opiate drugs have molecular structures so similar to endorphins that they mimic endorphin's euphoric effects in the brain, making these opiate drugs what kind of molecule?
A. agonists

B. antagonists

C. endorphins

D. endocrines

E. autonomics

Mark believes that people are genetically predisposed to dislike bitter-tasting foods because this has enhanced human survival.  His belief best illustrates the ________ perspective.

A. psychodynamic

B. social-cultural

C. evolutionary

D. behavioral

E. cognitive

A clinical psychologist who explains behavior in terms of unconscious drives and conflicts is employing a(n) __________ perspective.

A. evolutionary

B. psychodynamic

C. behavioral

D. social-cultural

E. cognitive

Dr. Kozak has concluded that the unusually low incidence of alcohol dependence among citizens of a small African country can be attributed to strong fundamentalist religious influences in that region.  This belief best illustrates a(n) _______ perspective.

A. humanistic

B. evolutionary

C. psychodynamic

D. biological

E. social-cultural

Dr. Wilcox conducts basic research on the behavioral differences between shy and outgoing people.  Dr. Wilcox is most likely a(n) _______ psychologist.

A. clinical

B. biological

C. cognitive

D. industrial-organizational

E. personality

According to the text, the SQ3R study method is effective because it

A. demonstrates the power of unconscious processing

B. allows us to challenge our preconceptions

C. utilizes active processing of the text information

D. engages the whole brain, not just a small percentage

E. increases the investment you are making in studying psychology

According to Emily's grandfather, Adolf Hitler's obvious emotional instability made it clear from the beginning days of his international conflicts that Germany would inevitably lose World War II.  The grandfather's claim best illustrates

A. the hindsight bias

B. illusory correlation

C. overconfidence

D. an illusion of control

E. random sampling

To assess reactions to a proposed tuition hike at her college, Ariana sent a questionnaire to every 15th person in the college registrar's alphabetical listing of all currently enrolled students.  Ariana employed the technique of

A. random assignment

B. naturalistic observation

C. replication

D. correlation

E. random sampling

To compare the pace of life in different countries, investigators measured the speed with which postal clerks completed a simple request.  This best illustrates the use of the research method known as

A. the case study

B. naturalistic observation

C. random assignment

D. the double-blind procedure

E. the survey

Variation is to central tendency as ______ is to _______.

 A. range; median

B. median; mean

C. mode; mean

D. scatterplot; bargraph

E. correlation; scatterplot

On a ten item test, 3 students in Professor Hsin's advanced chemistry seminar recieved scores of 2, 5, and 8 respectively.  For this distribution of test scores, the standard deviation is equal to the square root of

A. 3

B. 4

C. 5

D. 6

E. 9