BAPSY Biological Basis of Behavior 5 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: The hypothalamus plays a critical role in regulating all of the following EXCEPT:
- Hunger and thirst
- Body temperature
- Circadian rhythms
- Voluntary skeletal movement (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Voluntary skeletal movement
Voluntary skeletal movement is controlled by the motor cortex and basal ganglia, not the hypothalamus, which regulates homeostatic drives and autonomic functions.
Question 2: Identical (monozygotic) twins are used in behavioral genetics research primarily because they:
- Always share the same environmental experiences
- Share 100% of their genetic material, allowing researchers to isolate environmental effects (Correct answer)
- Share 50% of their genes, like any two siblings
- Are genetically identical to fraternal twins but easier to study
Correct answer: Share 100% of their genetic material, allowing researchers to isolate environmental effects
Monozygotic twins share nearly 100% of their DNA, making any phenotypic differences between them attributable to environmental influences.
Question 3: Which neurotransmitter is most critically involved in Alzheimer's disease pathology?
- Dopamine
- Serotonin
- Acetylcholine (Correct answer)
- Glutamate
Correct answer: Acetylcholine
Alzheimer's disease involves significant loss of cholinergic neurons, and the degeneration of acetylcholine-producing cells in the basal forebrain contributes to memory deficits.
Question 4: The 'refractory period' following an action potential refers to the time during which:
- The neuron is hypersensitive to incoming stimuli
- A second action potential cannot be initiated or requires an unusually strong stimulus (Correct answer)
- Neurotransmitters are synthesized and repackaged for future release
- Myelin sheath repair occurs along the axon
Correct answer: A second action potential cannot be initiated or requires an unusually strong stimulus
During the absolute refractory period, no stimulus can trigger another action potential; the relative refractory period requires a stronger-than-normal stimulus.
Question 5: Research on pheromones in humans suggests that:
- Humans have fully functional vomeronasal organs that detect mate-quality signals
- Evidence for pheromone-mediated behavioral effects in humans is limited and debated (Correct answer)
- Human pheromones reliably trigger species-wide, stereotyped mating behaviors
- Pheromone receptors in humans are located in the primary olfactory cortex
Correct answer: Evidence for pheromone-mediated behavioral effects in humans is limited and debated
While some studies suggest human body odors influence attraction and immune compatibility preferences, robust evidence for classic pheromone effects on behavior in humans is lacking.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes a gene-environment interaction (GĂE)?
- Genes and environment contribute independently and additively to a trait
- The effect of a genotype on a phenotype depends on the specific environment, and vice versa (Correct answer)
- Certain environments can directly alter the DNA sequence of an individual
- Genes always override environmental influences on behavior
Correct answer: The effect of a genotype on a phenotype depends on the specific environment, and vice versa
GĂE interaction means that individuals with different genotypes respond differently to the same environment, making genetic risk context-dependent.
Question 7: The limbic system structure most critically involved in forming new declarative memories is the:
- Amygdala
- Hypothalamus
- Hippocampus (Correct answer)
- Thalamus
Correct answer: Hippocampus
The hippocampus is essential for encoding new declarative (explicit) memories; bilateral hippocampal damage causes anterograde amnesia, as famously seen in patient H.M.
BAPSY Biological Basis of Behavior 5
The hypothalamus plays a critical role in regulating all of the following EXCEPT: