Question 1

One way to conceptualize the relationship among the elements of the nervous system is to use a hierarchical organization. Using this kind of scheme, the

Accepted Answer

The peripheral nervous system is indeed divided into the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. The somatic nervous system is responsible for voluntary movements and sensory information processing, while the autonomic nervous system controls involuntary bodily functions and is further divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.  The somatic nervous system regulates the action of the body's skeletal muscles. The autonomic nervous system sustains basic life processes and survival of the organism.

Question 2

Taking a shortcut through the park late one night, you catch a glimpse of movement in the shadows. Automatically, your ________ mobilizes your body into action and your ________ tells the muscles in your legs to run.

Accepted Answer

The sympathetic branch of the peripheral nervous system is responsible for survival of the individual in emergency situations. The somatic system controls the skeletal muscles which are necessary for response to this emergency.

Question 3

In the middle of the night, you hear two loud thumps outside your bedroom door. Your ________ nervous system increases your heart rate and sends blood away from internal organs to your muscles, preparing you for "fight or flight." When you learn it is just your roommate coming in late, your ________ nervous system slows down your heart rate and calms you down.

Accepted Answer

The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the "fight or flight" response, increasing heart rate and directing blood flow to muscles. The parasympathetic nervous system calms the body down, slowing the heart rate and restoring internal balance.  The sympathetic system is responsible for response to emergency situations. The parasympathetic nervous system monitors the body's internal routine operations and returns the body to its day-to-day state when the emergency is resolved.

Question 4

You are working with a friend to develop flash cards to help your study of brain structures and their functions. Your friend remembers correctly that the ________ is involved primarily in autonomic processes such as heart rate and breathing, and you remember that the ________ is involved in motivation, emotion and memory processes.

Accepted Answer

The brain stem is involved in controlling autonomic processes such as heart rate and breathing, while the limbic system is associated with motivation, emotion, and memory processes.  The brain stem is in the deepest recesses of the brain and contains structures primarily responsible for automatic functions that keep us alive. The limbic system envelops the brain stem.

Question 5

In the brain, the ________ and its surface layer, the ________, integrates sensory information, coordinates your movements, and facilitates abstract thinking and reasoning.

Accepted Answer

The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain and is responsible for integrating sensory information, coordinating movements, and facilitating abstract thinking and reasoning. The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the cerebrum that plays a key role in memory, attention, perception, cognition, awareness, thought, language, and consciousness.

Question 6

A child is having a tantrum. He tells his parents that he is going to hold his breath until he turns blue. Fortunately, the ________, which controls his breathing (along with the beating of his heart), won't let him do so.

Accepted Answer

The medulla, part of the brainstem, controls involuntary functions such as breathing and heart rate. It will override the child's conscious effort to hold his breath, ensuring that breathing resumes before any harm occurs.  The medulla is located at the very top of the spinal cord within the brain stem. The medulla is essential for breathing, blood pressure, and the beating of the heart, which all happen automatically, without conscious control.

Question 7

All of the following are located in the brain stem EXCEPT the

Accepted Answer

The hypothalamus is located in the diencephalon of the brain, not in the brain stem. The medulla, reticular formation, and pons are all parts of the brain stem.

Question 8

While discussing the functions of the brain stem, the lecturer notices that many of his students appear to have fallen asleep. This reminds him of the ________, which arouses the cerebral cortex to attend to new stimulation and keeps the brain alert even during sleep.

Accepted Answer

The reticular formation is a network of neurons located in the brain stem that plays a crucial role in controlling arousal and consciousness, including keeping the brain alert and attentive to new stimuli.  This is a dense network of nerve cells that arouses the cerebral cortex to pay attention to new input even during sleep. Severe damage to this area results in a coma.

Question 9

As you read this question, the ________ is relaying information from the eyes to cortical areas for vision.

Accepted Answer

The thalamus acts as a relay station for sensory information, including visual information from the eyes, directing it to the appropriate cortical areas for processing.  Fibers run from the reticular formation to the thalamus which channels incoming sensory information to the appropriate areas of the cerebral cortex where the information is processed.

Question 10

Imagine that the size of structures within people's brains grow as skills are developed. If this were true, you can predict that the size of the ________ in a ballerina or gymnast would be larger than normal because of their ability to coordinate bodily movements, control posture, and maintain equilibrium.

Accepted Answer

The cerebellum is responsible for coordinating voluntary movements, controlling posture, and maintaining equilibrium, which are critical skills for a ballerina or gymnast. Therefore, if the size of structures within the brain grows as skills are developed, the cerebellum would likely be larger in individuals with highly developed abilities in these areas.  The cerebellum is attached to the brain stem. Damage to this area interrupts the flow of smooth movement causing movement to appear uncoordinated. The cerebellum is also involved in the ability to learn and perform sequences of body movements.

Question 11

The limbic system includes the

Accepted Answer

The limbic system is primarily involved in emotion and memory, and key components include the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala.

Question 12

As you leave class, you hear the professor mention that the next class will deal with the largest of the limbic system structures and one that is also implicated in the acquisition of memories. The most likely topic for the next class will be the

Accepted Answer

The hippocampus is one of the largest structures in the limbic system and is crucial for the acquisition and formation of memories, making it the most likely topic based on the professor's hint.  The hippocampus is the largest of the limbic structures. With damage to this area of the brain, we would likely still be able to learn new tasks but we would not be able to remember that we had learned them!

Question 13

A doctor on television is discussing the curious case of G.R., a patient who has suffered damage to his brain. G.R. believes that it is still 1970 and that the last Olympic games were held in Mexico in 1968, even though it is now the 21st century. Before the doctor divulges the part of the brain that is damaged in this individual, you predict that it is the

Accepted Answer

The hippocampus is crucial for the formation of new memories. Damage to this area can result in an inability to form new memories, which is consistent with G.R.'s belief that it is still 1970, indicating an impairment in updating his memory with new information.  Damage to the hippocampus does not allow G.R. to put new information into long-term memory. He can remember the distant past, before the damage to his brain occurred. He could likely learn new tasks, but knowledge of learning them would not be stored in his long-term memory.

Question 14

Damage to parts of this area of the brain may have a calming effect on "mean-spirited" people and has recently been implicated in the acquisition and use of knowledge related to threat and danger. It is the

Accepted Answer

The amygdala is involved in the processing of emotions such as fear, anger, and pleasure. It is also associated with determining what memories are stored and where they are stored in the brain. Damage to the amygdala can lead to reduced aggression and fear, which might be interpreted as having a calming effect on "mean-spirited" individuals. Additionally, the amygdala plays a crucial role in how we learn from and respond to threats and danger, making it the correct answer.

Question 15

A woman is a hypochondriac. She is always reading medical journals and is constantly experiencing imagined symptoms of medical problems. Lately, she has been gaining a lot of weight, and feels that her internal physiological processes are out of balance. She is most likely to conclude that she has suffered brain damage to her

Accepted Answer

The hypothalamus plays a crucial role in regulating many bodily functions, including hunger, thirst, sleep, and body temperature, as well as maintaining the body's overall homeostasis. Weight gain and a sense of internal physiological imbalance could lead someone, especially a hypochondriac, to incorrectly conclude they have damage to their hypothalamus, as it could affect these systems.  The hypothalamus is involved in the regulation of motivated behaviors such as eating. It maintains the body's internal equilibrium or homeostasis. When the body's energy reserves are low, the hypothalamus stimulates the organism to find food. Disregulation of the hypothalamus might affect both motivated eating and homeostasis.

Question 16

In science class, a nine-year-old is learning about how thermostats work. The teacher tells her that the furnace goes on when the temperature gets too cold, and then goes off when the temperature reaches a certain level. The student doesn't know it, but this operation is similar to the concept of

Accepted Answer

The operation of a thermostat, which turns the furnace on and off to maintain a certain temperature, is similar to the concept of homeostasis. Homeostasis is the process by which living organisms regulate their internal environment to maintain a stable, constant condition, similar to how a thermostat maintains a stable temperature in a house.  Homeostasis is the maintenance of internal body equilibrium. When the body is low on energy, the hypothalamus stimulates the organism to find food. When the body's temperature drops, the hypothalamus causes blood vessel constriction or tiny involuntary movements (shivering) and motivates us to get warmer.

Question 17

A child is playing an educational game called Brain Power. He reads clues about a part of the brain that occupies two-thirds of its total mass and that regulates higher thinking and emotional functions. He should recognize this part to be the

Accepted Answer

The cerebrum dwarfs the rest of the brain and is divided into two hemispheres by the corpus callosum.

Question 18

The cerebrum is divided into two almost symmetrical halves, called the ________, which are connected by a mass of fibers called the ________.

Accepted Answer

The cerebrum is divided into two halves known as the cerebral hemispheres, which are connected by a bundle of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum.

Question 19

With respect to the lobes of the brain, the frontal lobe is involved in ________ and the occipital lobe is the final destination for ________.

Accepted Answer

The frontal lobe is primarily responsible for motor control, including voluntary movements and coordination, as well as higher cognitive functions such as planning and decision-making. The occipital lobe, on the other hand, is primarily involved in processing visual information, making it the final destination for visual stimuli in the brain.

Question 20

A friend is having trouble locating the motor cortex, so you try to help her out. You should explain that the motor cortex is located

Accepted Answer

The motor cortex is located in the frontal lobes of the brain, just in front of the central sulcus. This area is responsible for planning, controlling, and executing voluntary movements.

Quiz 3: The Biological and Evolutionary Bases of Behavior

One way to conceptualize the relationship among the elements of the nervous system is to use a hierarchical organization. Using this kind of scheme, the

Taking a shortcut through the park late one night, you catch a glimpse of movement in the shadows. Automatically, your mobilizes your body into action and your tells the muscles in your legs to run.

In the brain, the and its surface layer, the , integrates sensory information, coordinates your movements, and facilitates abstract thinking and reasoning.

A child is having a tantrum. He tells his parents that he is going to hold his breath until he turns blue. Fortunately, the ________, which controls his breathing (along with the beating of his heart) , won't let him do so.