APA Biological Psychology and Neuroscience 3

Question 1

The HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis is primarily activated in response to:

Accepted Answer

Stress and perceived threats

Answer

Sleep deprivation alone

Answer

Reward and pleasurable experiences

Answer

Learning and declarative memory formation

Question 2

During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, brain activity most closely resembles:

Accepted Answer

A waking, alert state

Answer

Deep slow-wave sleep (Stage 3)

Answer

Stage 1 light non-REM sleep

Answer

A deeply meditative, resting state

Question 3

Split-brain research by Sperry and Gazzaniga demonstrated that severing the corpus callosum results in:

Accepted Answer

Independent functioning of the two cerebral hemispheres

Answer

Permanent loss of language abilities in both hemispheres

Answer

Severe impairment of voluntary motor coordination

Answer

Permanent disruption of conscious awareness

Question 4

Which neuroimaging technique measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood oxygenation levels (the BOLD signal)?

Accepted Answer

fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)

Answer

EEG (electroencephalography)

Answer

PET (positron emission tomography) scan

Answer

CT (computed tomography) scan

Question 5

Heritability estimates in behavioral genetics are best defined as:

Accepted Answer

The proportion of trait variance in a population attributable to genetic differences

Answer

The percentage of a trait directly caused by an individual's genes

Answer

The probability that a specific gene variant will be transmitted to offspring

Answer

The degree to which genetic factors override environmental influences for a trait

Question 6

Endogenous opioid neuropeptides (endorphins) are released primarily in response to:

Accepted Answer

Stress and pain

Answer

Hunger and low blood glucose

Answer

Social rejection and exclusion

Answer

Memory encoding and consolidation

Question 7

The case of Phineas Gage, in which an iron rod destroyed much of his prefrontal cortex, provided early evidence that the prefrontal cortex is critical for:

Accepted Answer

Personality, decision-making, and impulse control

Answer

Visual perception and spatial processing

Answer

Language comprehension and production

Answer

Procedural motor learning and habit formation