Questions and Answers
What is one of the two forms of scientific explanation used by scientists?
What does the concept of reduction in scientific explanation refer to?
What is the primary function of efferent neurons?
What area of the brain is known for its involvement in speech production?
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What is the ultimate task of a physiological psychologist?
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What is a key role of dendritic spines in neurons?
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Why is it important for physiological psychologists to understand behavior psychosocially?
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Which of the following scientific principles did the researcher apply to the human brain?
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How do afferent neurons function within the nervous system?
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What happens to motor pathways after birth?
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Which of the following is NOT a goal of scientific research in physiological psychology?
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What specific function was impaired in the individual studied by Hermann von Helmholtz?
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What role does natural selection play in physiological psychology?
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Where are neurotransmitters predominantly stored in neurons?
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Which region of the brain is directly linked to voluntary muscle contraction?
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What is a significant ethical concern in research involving animals in physiological psychology?
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What health issues did the researcher focus on in his early scientific work?
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What aspect emphasizes the connection between brain operations and behavior in physiological psychology?
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What device did Hermann von Helmholtz invent for examining the eye?
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Which of the following fields was NOT associated with Hermann von Helmholtz's research?
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What process does the primary motor cortex engage in relation to muscle control?
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What primarily constitutes white matter in the brain?
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Which statement accurately describes the release of neurotransmitters?
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At what point is myelination in the frontal lobes usually complete?
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Which type of synaptic connection is most commonly seen between neurons?
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Which function is most directly associated with myelinated axons at birth?
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Where do pain, touch, temperature, and pressure sensors in the skin project?
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Which type of synaptic connection rarely occurs?
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Which of the following is NOT true regarding neurotransmitter action?
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What type of animal study was used to compare learning capabilities in aging versus young rabbits?
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What was the outcome of injecting aged rabbits with metrifonate, galanthamine, and CI-1017?
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What kind of techniques are used to study live humans in relation to brain activity?
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What do EEG waves help reveal when averaged over many trials?
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Which of the following is NOT a method mentioned for viewing structures and functions of the brain?
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What animal trait was compared through the study of hippocampal pyramidal neurons?
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What is the primary focus of single-cell recording techniques within brain research?
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Which of the following substances was not mentioned as injected into aging rabbits?
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Study Notes
Goals of Research
- Scientists aim to explain phenomena through generalization and reduction.
- Generalization involves deriving general laws from specific behavioral instances observed during experiments.
- Reduction explains complex phenomena by breaking them down into simpler components.
Physiological Psychology
- Focuses on understanding the physiological basis of behavior.
- Connects brain operations with physical actions and speech.
- The principle of experimental ablation was applied to human brain studies to understand functions and behaviors.
Significant Contributions
- Broca's Area: Discovered by Broca; critical for language processing, located in the frontal lobe, observed in patients with speech impairments.
- Helmholtz: Developed the law of conservation of energy, created the ophthalmoscope, and contributed to theories of color vision and auditory processing.
Synapses and Neurotransmitters
- Synapses are gaps between neurons where neurotransmitters are released.
- Most axons are myelinated at birth, particularly for survival-related functions; myelinization continues into the third decade of life.
- Types of synaptic connections:
- Axondendritic: Connection between axon and dendrite.
- Axosomatic: Connection to the cell body.
- Axoaxonal: Rarely occurs, between axons.
Types of Neurons
- Efferent Neurons: Originating from the motor cortex, responsible for transmitting motor signals to muscles.
- Afferent Neurons: Sensory neurons that carry information from sensory receptors to the brain.
Brain Structure and Function
- Cerebral Cortex Lobes: Different regions have distinct functional roles.
- Genetic knockout procedures create animals lacking specific brain cells or receptors, useful for studying brain function.
- Age-related studies show that aging may impair learning abilities, as seen in eye-blink conditioning experiments with rabbits.
Research Methods
- Various research methods help uncover brain structures and functions:
- Postmortem Studies: Analyzing brains after death.
- Live Animal Studies: Conducting research on non-human subjects.
- Human Studies: Utilizing electrical recordings to monitor brain activity.
- Techniques like EEG average responses over trials to reveal brain patterns linked to stimuli.
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Description
Explore the fundamental goals of research in physiological psychology through this quiz. Learn how scientific explanation encompasses both generalization and reduction. This chapter sets the stage for understanding behavior from a biological perspective.
