CPE Psychophysiology 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which division of the autonomic nervous system is primarily responsible for the physiological responses measured during a polygraph examination?
- Somatic nervous system
- Parasympathetic nervous system
- Sympathetic nervous system (Correct answer)
- Central nervous system
Correct answer: Sympathetic nervous system
The sympathetic nervous system triggers the 'fight or flight' response, producing the cardiovascular, respiratory, and electrodermal changes detected by the polygraph.
Question 2: The electrodermal activity (EDA) channel on a polygraph instrument measures changes in what physiological parameter?
- Blood pressure in the fingertip
- Electrical conductance of the skin caused by sweat gland activity (Correct answer)
- Muscle tension in the palm
- Capillary refill time in the fingertip
Correct answer: Electrical conductance of the skin caused by sweat gland activity
EDA measures the skin's electrical conductance, which increases when eccrine sweat glands are activated by sympathetic nervous system arousal.
Question 3: Which neurotransmitter is primarily released at the sympathetic nerve terminals that innervate the sweat glands involved in electrodermal responses?
- Epinephrine
- Dopamine
- Acetylcholine (Correct answer)
- Norepinephrine
Correct answer: Acetylcholine
Although sweat glands are innervated by sympathetic fibers, those fibers release acetylcholine (a cholinergic exception) rather than norepinephrine.
Question 4: In polygraph psychophysiology, what is the term for the gradual diminishment of a physiological response to a repeated, non-threatening stimulus?
- Sensitization
- Habituation (Correct answer)
- Accommodation
- Fatigue
Correct answer: Habituation
Habituation is the decrease in response magnitude that occurs when a neutral stimulus is presented repeatedly without consequence.
Question 5: Which brain structure is most closely associated with the emotional processing that drives the autonomic arousal detected during a polygraph examination?
- Cerebellum
- Basal ganglia
- Amygdala (Correct answer)
- Prefrontal cortex
Correct answer: Amygdala
The amygdala processes emotional stimuli and initiates autonomic arousal through its connections to the hypothalamus and brainstem, producing the responses measured by polygraph.
Question 6: The pneumograph component of a polygraph measures which physiological parameter?
- Blood oxygen saturation
- Thoracic and abdominal respiratory movement (Correct answer)
- Tidal volume of exhaled air
- Diaphragmatic muscle EMG
Correct answer: Thoracic and abdominal respiratory movement
Pneumograph tubes placed around the thorax and abdomen expand and contract with breathing, recording changes in respiratory rate, depth, and pattern.
Question 7: Which concept in psychophysiology explains why a subject's physiological responses to relevant questions should be compared to responses to comparison questions rather than to absolute baseline values?
- Inter-individual variability
- Intra-individual consistency
- Law of initial values (Correct answer)
- Orienting response theory
Correct answer: Law of initial values
The Law of Initial Values states that a person's response magnitude depends partly on their prestimulus level, making within-subject comparisons more valid than absolute measures.
CPE Psychophysiology 1
Which division of the autonomic nervous system is primarily responsible for the physiological responses measured during a polygraph examination?