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Wilhelm Wundt's laboratory work involved experimental studies of

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reactions to sensory stimulation

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Functionalism was a school of psychology that focused attention on the

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adaptive value of conscious thoughts and emotions

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Edward Titchener is to structuralism as William James is to

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functionalism

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Who was a student of William James and the first female president of the American Psychological Association?

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mary whiton calkins

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Who was the American philosopher who authored a textbook in 1890 for emerging discipline of psychology?

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James

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The young science of psychology developed from the more established fields of philosophy and

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biology

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The personality theorist, Sigmund Freud, was an Austrian

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physician

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In its early years, psychology focused on the study of ______, but from the 1920's into the 1960's, American psychologists emphasized the study of ______.

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mental life; observable behavior

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The view that psychology should be an objective science that studies observable human activity without reference to mental processes is known as

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behaviorism

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Behaviorists dismissed the value of

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introspection

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Humanistic psychologists focused attention n the importance of people's

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potential for healthy growth

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In the early 1960's, the cognitive revolution in psychology involved a renewal of interest in the scientific study of

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mental processes

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Cognitive neuroscience studies relationships between

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thought processes and brain functions

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Contemporary psychology is best defined as the science of

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behavior and mental processes

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Innate ability is to learned skill as _____ is to _____.

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nature; nurture

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Who suggested that the mind at birth is a blank sheet upon which experience writes?

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john locke

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Efforts to discover whether the intelligence of children is more heavily influenced by their biology or by their home environments are most directly relevant to the debate regarding

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nature verses nurture

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The survival of organisms best suited to a particular environment is known as

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natural selection

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Who highlighted the reproductive advantages of environmentally adaptive traits?

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charles darwin

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Charles Darwin attempted to explain the _____ that he had encountered.

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species variation

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The biopsychosocial approach provides an understanding for social-cultural influences integrated within the larger framework of

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multiple levels of analysis

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Janna has low self-esteem because she is often teased for being overweight. Appreciating the complexity of Janna's difficulties requires

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a biopsychosocial approach

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The various perspectives employed by psychologists

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often complement one another

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The neuroscience perspective in psychology would be most likely to emphasize that behavior is influenced by

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blood chemistry

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Which perspective would help us understand the impact of strokes and brain diseases on memory?

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neuroscience

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Professor Crisman believes that most women prefer tall and physically strong partners because this preference promoted the survival of our ancestors' genes. This viewpoint best illustrates the ____ perspective.

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evolutionary

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The distinctive feature of the psychodynamic perspective is its emphasis on

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unconscious conflicts

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Mrs. Alfieri believes that her husband's anger outbursts against her results from his unconscious hatred of his own mother. Mrs. Alfieri is looking at her husband's behavior from a ______ perspective.

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psychodynamic

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Which perspective most clearly focuses on how we learn observable responses?

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behavioral

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Akira believes that her son has become a good student because she always praises his learning efforts. Her belief best illustrates a ______ perspective.

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behavorial

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The cognitive perspective focuses on how

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people encode, process, store, and retrieve information

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Which perspective is most concerned with how individuals interpret their experiences?

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cognitive

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Which perspective is most likely to be concerned with identifying the powers and limits of human reasoning?

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cognitive

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Which perspective would focus on the extent to which different styles of parenting are encouraged among various ethnic groups?

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social-cultural

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In a psychological environment, the factor that is manipulated by the investigator is called the ____ variable.

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independent

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In a psychological environment, the factor that may be influenced by the manipulated experimental treatment is called the ____ variable.

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dependent

question

The most frequently occurring score in a distribution of scores is the

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mode

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The mean of a distribution of scores is the

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arithmetic average of all the scores

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The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution is the

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range

question

Dr. Robinson conducts research on the relationship between brain chemistry and intellectual functioning. Which psychological specialty does Dr. Robinson's research best represent?

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biological psychology

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Dr. Santaniello conducts research on how children's moral thinking changes as they grow older. It is most likely that Dr. Santaniello is a ____ psychologist.

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developmental

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Dr. Roberts studies how best to rest for individual differences in traits such as anxiety and self-esteem. Which specialty area does her research best represent?

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personality pscyhology

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Dr. Mills conducts research on why individuals conform to the behaviors and opinions of others. Which specialty does his research best represent?

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social psychology

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Which psychologist are MOST likely to be involved in applied research?

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industrial-organizational psychologists

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Dr. Lipka focuses on ways to improve employee job satisfaction and productivity. Dr. Lipka is most likely a ___ psychologist.

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industrial-organizational

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Dr. Vazquez helps people to make career choices by assisting them in identifying their strengths and interests. Dr. Vazquez is most likely a

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Counseling psychology

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Clinical psychologists specialize in

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Providing drugs to treat behavioral disorders

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For no apparent reason, Adam has recently begun to feel so tense and anxious that he frequently stays home from work. Adam would benefit from talking to a _____ psychologist.

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Clinical

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The specialist most likely to have a medical degree is a

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psychiatrist

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The SQ3R study method emphasizes the importance of

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Rote memory

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In answering multiple-choice test items, smart test-takers are best advised to

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Recall the correct answer to each question before reading the alternative answers

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The hindsight bias refers to people's tendency to

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Exaggerate their ability to have foreseen an outcome

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By testing their predications by observing human behavior, psychologists are using

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An empirical approach

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Three key attitudes of scientific inquiry are

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Curiosity, skepticism, and humility

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Rhodesia insists that Dr. Philip's history of aggression be checked against observable evidence. She is demonstrating the scientific attitude of

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skepticism

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A questioning attitude regarding psychologists' assumptions and hidden values best illustrates

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Critical thinking

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Assessing whether conclusions are warranted by the existing evidence best illustrates

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Critical thinking

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The simplified reality of laboratory experiments is most helpful in enabling psychologists to

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Develop general principles that help explain behavior

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The enduring traditions, attitudes, and behaviors shared by a large group of people constitutes their

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Culture

question

Studying people of all races and cultures is most helpful for

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Discerning human similarities and differences

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Psychologists study animals because

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Similar processes often underlie animal and human behavior

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The American Psychological Association and Britis Psychological Society have developed ethical principles urging investigators to

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Explain the research to the participants after the study has been completed

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Psychologists' personal values and goals

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Can bias their observations and interpretations

question

The explanatory power of a scientific theory is most closely linked to its capacity to generate testable

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Predictions

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A hypothesis is a

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Testable prediction that gives direction to research

question

Professor Ambra was skeptical about the accuracy of recently reported research on sleep deprivation. Which process would best enable her to assess the reliability of these findings?

answer

replication

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The case study is a research method in which

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a single individual is studied in great depth

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In which type of research is a representative, random sample of people asked to answer questions about their behaviors or attitudes?

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the survey

question

To learn about the TV viewing habits of all the children attending Oakbridge School, Professor DeVries randomly selected and interviewed 50 of the school's students. In this instance, all the children attending the school are considered to be a

answer

population

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In a survey, psychologists select a random sample of research participants in order to ensure that

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the participants are representative of the population they are interested in studying

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Professor Ober carefully observes and records the behaviors of children in their classrooms in order to track the development of their social and intellectual skills. Professor Ober is most clearly engaged in

answer

naturalistic observation

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Which of the following is a statistical measure of both the direction and the strength of a relationship between two variables?

answer

correlation coefficient

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To determine whether the strength of people's self esteem is related to their income levels, researchers would most likely make use of

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correlational research

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A researcher would be most likely to discover a positive correlation between

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intelligence and academic success

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To find out whether breast-milk feeding contributes to the intellectual development of children, psychologists used

answer

experiments

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Which of the following methods is most helpful for revealing cause-effect relationships?

answer

the experiment

question

Researchers use experiments rather than other research methods in order to distinguish between

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cause and effects

question

In a test of the effects of sleep deprivation on problem-solving skills, research participants are allowed to sleep either 4 or 8 hours on each of three consecutive nights. The research is an example of

answer

an experiment

question

Being randomly assigned to the experimental group in a research project involves being assigned

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to that group by chance

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To assess the impact of test difficulty on persistence of effort, researcher plan to give one group of children relatively easy tests and another group more difficult tests. To reduce the chance that the children in one group are most intelligent than those in the other group, the researchers should make use of

answer

random assignment

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The group exposed to a newly created drug that is being tested in an experiment is called the ____ group

answer

experimental

question

An inert substance that may be administered instead of a drug to see if it produces any of the same effects as the drug is called

answer

placebo

question

Which of the following is true for those assigned to a control group?

answer

the experimental treatment is absent

question

Which of the following is a measure of the degree of variation among a set of scores?

answer

standard deviation

question

The symmetrical bell-shaped figure used to represent the distribution of many physical and psychological characteristics is called a

answer

normal curve

question

Statistical reasoning can help us to generalize correctly from a

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sample to a population

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A sample average can be used to estimate a population average with greater precision if the sample is

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large

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A biological psychologist would be most interested in conducting research on the relationship between

answer

neurotransmitters and depression

question

To fully appreciate the interaction of neural activity, mental processes, and the functioning of human communities, it is most necessary to recognize that people are

answer

biopsychosocial systems

question

For you to experience the pain of a sprained ankle, ________ must first relay incoming pain messages from your ankle to your spinal cord.

answer

motor neurons

question

Some neurons enable you to grasp objects by relaying outgoing messages to the muscles in your arms and hands. These neurons are called

answer

motor neurons

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Dendrites are branching extensions of

answer

neurons

question

The function of dendrites is to

answer

receive incoming signals from other neurons

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An axon is

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an extension of a neuron that carries messages away from the cell body

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The speed at which a neural impulse travels is increased when the axon is encased by a

answer

myelin sheath

question

A brief electric charge that travels down the axon of a neuron is called the

answer

action potential

question

the minimum level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse is called the

answer

threshold

question

Increasing excitatory signals above the threshold for neural activation will not affect the intensity of an action potential. This indicates that a neuron's reaction is

answer

an all or none response

question

A synapse is a

answer

junction between a sending neuron and a receiving neuron

question

The chemical messengers released into the spatial junctions between neurons are called

answer

neurotransmitters

question

Reuptake refers to the

answer

reabsorption of excess neurotransmitter molecules by a sending neuron

question

Transferring messages from a motor neuron to a leg muscle requires the neurotransmitter known as

answer

acetylcholine

question

Endorphins are

answer

nuerotransmitters

question

the two major divisions of the nervous system are the central and ____ nervous systems

answer

peripheral

question

The central nervous system consists of

answer

the brain and spinal cord

question

Sensory neurons are located in the

answer

peripheral nervous system

question

Messages are transmitted from your spinal cord to muscles in your hands by the ___ nervous system

answer

peripheral

question

The somatic nervous system is a component of the ___ nervous system

answer

peripheral

question

The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and muscles of internal organs is called the

answer

autonomic nervous system

question

Messages are transmitted from your spinal cord to your heart muscles by the

answer

autonomic nervous system

question

Which division of the autonomic nervous system arouses the body and mobilizes its energy in stressful situations?

answer

sympathetic nervous system

question

The parasympathetic nervous system

answer

stimulates digestion and slows heartbeat

question

An accelerated heartbeat is to a slowed heartbeat as the ________ nervous system is to the ________ nervous system.

answer

sympathetic; parasympathetic

question

The strengthening of synaptic connections facilitates the formation of

answer

neural networks

question

The part of the central nervous system that carries information from your senses to your brain and motor-control information to your body parts is the

answer

spinal cord

question

Hormones are the chemical messengers of the

answer

endocrine system

question

The ovaries in females and the testes in males are part of the

answer

endocrine system

question

Surgical destruction of brain tissue is called a

answer

lesion

question

The reticular formation is located in the

answer

brainstem

question

The brain structure that provides a major link between the nervous system and the endocrine system is the

answer

hypothalamus

question

Your conscious awareness of your own name and self-identity depends primarily on the normal functioning of your

answer

cerebral cortex

question

The benefits of brain plasticity are most clearly demonstrated in

answer

children who have had a cerebral hemisphere surgically removed

question

The corpus callosum is a wide band of axon fibers that

answer

transmits information between the cerebral hemispheres

question

In Roger Sperry's view, the brain creates and controls the mind, which in turn influences the brain. Sperry understands the mind and brain as a

answer

holistic system

General Psychology Chapter 1-6 – Flashcards

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