EXAM #1 Introduction to Psychology/ 9.

00, Spring Semester, 2006-2007

1.

Sacks describes two women, Mrs. O'C and Mrs. O'M, with "musical epilepsy" in which the women experienced hearing songs due to pathology in which lobe? A. B. C. D. E. Frontal Temporal Occipital Parietal Cerebellum

2.

Scientific, random-assignment studies of psychotherapy indicate that which factor can lead to a better outcome?

A. The credential of the therapist B. The experience of the therapist C. The type of therapy D. The length of therapy E. none of the above [Lecture 2]

3.

Imagine you see 4 cards with A, 2, X, and 3 appearing on each of the four cards. You are told that each card has a letter on one side and a digit on the other side. You are to verify whether the following rule is true If there is a vowel on one side, there is an even number on the other side. How can you verify whether this rule is true by turning over the minimum number of cards?

A. Turn over all the cards B. Turn over the A card C. Turn over the A card and the 3 card D. Turn over the A card and the 2 card E. Turn over the X card and the 2 card [Lecture 2]

4.

People often note that the children of exceptionally successful people are often far less successful than their parents. One could interpret this as a consequence of pressures placed on the children of successful parents, but the savvy 9.00 student realizes that people are failing to consider what statistical phenomenon?

A. The Barnum effect B. Regression to the mean C. Demand characteristics D. Measurement bias E. First impressions [Lecture 2]

5.

Injury to the orbitofrontal cortex in Phineas Gage primarily altered which capacity?

A. Motor control B. Language C. Attention D. Character E. Handedness [Lecture 3]

6.

For a typical split-brain (= callosotomy) patient, if a picture of a spoon is presented in the left visual field and a picture of a cup is presented to the right visual field and the patient is asked to identify what had been presented

A. The patient would say spoon and would pick out a spoon from an array of unseen objects with the left hand B. The patient would say cup and pick out a spoon from an array of unseen objects with the left hand C. The patient would say spoon and pick out a cup from an array of unseen objects with the left hand D. The patient would say cup and pick out a spoon from an array of unseen objects with the right hand E. The patient would say spoon and pick out a cup from an array of unseen objects with the right hand [Lecture 3]

7.

Evidence from split-brain patients indicates

A. The left hemisphere is specialized for local features and the function of a visual stimulus B. The right hemisphere is specialized for global features and the function of a visual stimulus C. The left hemisphere is specialized for global features and the function of a visual stimulus D. The right hemisphere is specialized for local features and the appearance of a visual stimulus E. The right hemisphere is specialized for local features and the function of a visual stimulus [Lecture 3]

8.

Sacks describes the case of Donald, who could not remember killing his girlfriend while under the influence of PCP. After contusions to what brain region did Donald appear to recover memory for the murder? A. B. C. D. E. Frontal Temporal Occipital Parietal Cerebellar

9.

There are two major cortical pathways, the what and where pathways. Which of the following is NOT true of the what pathway?

A. It travels through the temporal cortex B. Neurons respond similarly to wide variation (size, orientation) of a particular object C. It is damaged in Kluver-Bucy syndrome D. Lesion impairs ability to get food reward on the basis of stimulus location E. Lesion impairs ability to get food reward on the basis of a stimulus shape [Lecture 5]

10. A patient with impaired semantic knowledge about living things (foods and animals) but intact semantic knowledge about manufactured objects (tools) often has: A. Intact semantic knowledge about musical instruments and intact semantic knowledge about body parts B. Impaired semantic knowledge about musical instruments and impaired semantic knowledge about body parts C. Intact semantic knowledge about musical instruments and impaired semantic knowledge about body parts D. Impaired semantic knowledge about musical instruments and intact semantic knowledge about body parts [Lecture 6] 3

11. A. B. C. D.

Which of the following is NOT true about the role of the amygdala in face processing?

Injury to the amygdala impairs recognition of fearful facial expressions The response of the amygdala to smiling faces depends on how extroverted a person is The response of the amygdala to a fearful face depends on how extroverted a person is The response of the amygdala to a fearful face depends on which version of the serotonin transporter gene a person has E. All of the above are true [Lecture 6]

12.

In an experiment with infants who were cortically blind in one visual field due to hemispherectomies, the infants saw a central target, and then a peripheral target in either the good or bad visual field. In the Competition condition, the central target remained on while the peripheral target was shown. In the Non-Competition condition, the central target disappeared when the peripheral target was shown. The infants were tested at several times as they developed. The key findings were that:

A. Infants seldom looked at the peripheral targets in the blind field in either the Competition or Non-Competition conditions B. Infants almost always looked at the peripheral targets in the blind field in both the Competition and Non-Competition conditions C. As they developed, the infants usually looked at the peripheral targets in the blind field in the Competition condition, but seldom in the Non-Competition condition D. As they developed, the infants usually looked at the peripheral targets in the blind field in the Non- Competition condition, but seldom in the Competition condition [Lecture 7]

13.

In one study of blindsight, monkeys had ablation of the left striate cortex and the splenium of the corpus callosum. In the first experiment, monkeys responded to a light coming on by touching the location of the light on a monitor. In the second experiment, monkeys did the same task, but also touched a specified location when they believed that no light came on (blank trials). The findings were:

A. Monkeys identified lights coming on in both visual fields in both experiments B. Monkeys identified lights coming on only in the left visual field in both experiments C. Monkeys identified lights coming on in both visual fields in the first experiment, but only in the left visual field in the second experiment D. Monkeys identified lights coming on in both visual fields in the second experiment, but only in the left visual field in the first experiment [Lecture 7]

14.

Demonstrations from Ramachandran with patients with anosagnosia demonstrate that

A. Such patients will stop their denial for money B. Such patients will stop their denial for practical purposes C. Such patients deny their deficits verbally, but maintain memory for their deficits D. All of the above E. None of the above [Lecture 8]

15.

A variety of results, including results from a spatial cuing task from Posner, indicate that patients with spatial neglect due to right posterior lesions have a primary deficit in

A. Engaging attention in left field B. Moving attention to the left field C. Disengaging attention from the right field D. Disengaging attention from the left field E. Moving attention in the right field [Lecture 8]

16.

Sacks describes Professor P, a musician who became a prosopagnosic patient. Professor P failed to recognize all of the following, except for one. Select the one answer below describing something Professor P could recognize by sight. A. B. C. D. E. Faces of his family Emotional expression of faces in movies The sex of a face Abstract shapes like a cube A rose

17.

During conditioning, partial reinforcement (relative to constant reinforcement) leads to learning that

A. occurs faster, and is more resistant to extinction B. occurs slower, and is less resistant to extinction C. occurs slower, and is more resistant to extinction D. occurs faster, and is less resistant to extinction [Lecture 9]

18.

In the dopamine cells of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), neurons fire in all cases EXCEPT which one?

A. to the reward before conditioning B. to the cue that signals upcoming reward after conditioning C. to the reward after conditioning D. to the absence of an expected reward [Lecture 9]

19.

Both classical conditioning and habituation:

A. Are built-in responses that animals only show in laboratory situations B. Involve a change in response to a stimulus C. Occur primarily in dogs, although they may occur in some other species D. A and B E. B and C [pg. 234-236 in textbook]

20.

Operant conditioning differs from classical conditioning in that:

A. In operant conditioning, a response-reward association is learned, whereas in classical conditioning, a relation between stimuli is learned B. Associations are formed only in classical conditioning C. Responses are never involved in classical conditioning D. Operant conditioning always occurs gradually, in trial-and-error fashion, whereas classical conditioning occurs very rapidly E. A and C [Lecture 9]

21.

Consider each swing by a baseball player as an operant response, and every successful hit (single, double, etc) as a reinforced swing. What schedule of reinforcement is this?

A. Continuous reinforcement B. Fixed ratio C. Variable ratio D. Extinction E. Variable interval [pg. 260-262 in textbook]

22.

The desire for good grades illustrates the phenomenon of

A. Stimulus generalization B. Simultaneous discrimination C. Conditioned reinforcement D. Successive approximation E. A and D [Lecture 9 & pg. 257 in textbook]

23.

This figure illustrates the phenomenon of Amount of saliva [cc]

A. Conditioning B. Generalization C. Extinction D. Reconditioning E. Spontaneous recovery [Lecture 9]

# of Unreinforced Trials

24.

Functional Magnetic Resonance imaging (fMRI) produces images of the brain by measuring

A. Neural electrical activity B. Neural magnetic activity C. Oxygenated blood flow D. Radioactive emitted particles in the blood E. Concentration of neurotransmitters [Lecture 4 & pg. 109-114 in textbook]

25.

One major drawback of single-cell recording in animals is:

A. It doesnt tell you how large collections of neurons in the brain work together B. You dont have control over where you place the electrode C. The recordings of neural responses have poor temporal resolution D. The electrode is larger than a human hair, so the recorded signal is not well localized E. You can stimulate the neurons youre recording from [Lecture 4 & pg. 109-114 in textbook]

26.

Which neuroscience method for studying the brain gives you causal not correlational evidence that a specific brain area has a specific function?

A. Single-cell recording, because you are directly measuring a neurons voltage B. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), because you directly stimulate the neurons. C. Positron Emission Tomography (PET), because the radiation is directly emitted from the brain structure youre targeting D. Electroencephalography (EEG), because you have very good temporal precision in your recordings E. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI); because you can localize a brain region with high spatial precision. [Lecture 4 & pg. 109-114 in textbook]

27.

Neural plasticity, the capacity of the brain to change its wiring, can be seen in ALL of the following ways, except one. Which one is false?

A. Plasticity is seen in infancy, when the brain is being shaped by the environment B. Plasticity is seen in the motor cortex, when a limb that was once there has been amputated C. Plasticity happens whenever we learn something new, or store information D. Plasticity is seen during active learning, but not during passive learning E. Plasticity is seen when rats are placed in enriched environments [pg. 120 in textbook]

28.

Which of the following statements is NOT true:

A. Glial cells modulate the rate of neurotransmitter release. B. Glial cells release glutamate to stimulate neurons. C. Glial cells communicate with neurons by producing action potentials. D. Glial cells wrap around neurons axons to form the myelin sheath E. Glial cells can encourage neurons to form additional synapses. [pg. 86-87 in textbook]

29.

Sacks describes Mrs. S., who exhibits spatial neglect. What things did NOT help her overcome her neglect? A. B. C. D. Swiveling her head to find food on her plate A rotating wheelchair A video system for her make-up Developing an intellectual strategy to notice things to her left

30.

A certain drug works by mimicking the shape of dopamine and binding to dopamine receptors. This drug is a/an:

A. Agonist B. Antagonist C. Excitatory neurotransmitter D. Inhibitory neurotransmitter E. Neuromodulator [pg. 85 in textbook]

31.

According to the dopamine hypothesis of reward

A. Stimulant drugs directly cause reward by initiating dopamine activity in the nucleus accumbens B. Dopamine is responsible for inhibition C. There is a common neurotransmitter basis for all rewards D. A and C E. All of the above [Lecture 9 & pg. 82-83 in textbook]

32.

The organization of somatosensory cortex is described as having a somatosensory homunculus (homunculus means little man), referring to:

A. A cortical region which integrates kinesthetic and vestibular information B. The theory that perception requires a homunculus to integrate the different sensory signals C. The organization of cortical space into a contiguous map of the body D. The wide distribution of somatosensation over the entire cortex E. A small structure with a gyrus that takes the shape of a man [Lecture 5]

33.

You accidentally put your hand on a hot stove and quickly jerk your hand out of the way. Which choice best describes the neural circuit underlying this episode? A. B. C. D. Sensory neuron -> Motor neuron Sensory neuron -> Spinal interneuron -> Motor neuron Sensory neuron -> Spinal interneuron -> Motor cortex -> Motor neuron Sensory neuron -> Spinal interneuron -> Somatosensory cortex -> Motor cortex -> Motor neuron E. Sensory neuron -> Spinal interneuron -> Somatosensory cortex -> Frontal lobe -> Motor cortex -> Motor neuron [Lecture 3] 9

34.

Which of the following is not one of the Gestalt laws of perceptual organization?

A. Proximity B. Continuity C. Similarity D. Elasticity E. Closure [pg. 146 in textbook]

35. Under ideal conditions, when fully dark adapted, what is the rods absolute detection threshold (in number of photons)? A. 1 B. 10 C. 100 D. 1,000 E. 10,000 [pg. 139 in textbook]

36. Which of the following information available to the brain is not a reliable cue to the distance of an object? A. Motion parallax B. Object chromaticity C. Ocular convergence D. Retinal disparity E. Texture gradient [pg. 147-150 in textbook]

37. The what pathway of vision is considered to be primarily localized in the temporal lobes. Which lobes are associated with the where pathway? A. Occipital B. Frontal C. Parietal D. Cerebellum E. Insula [Lecture 5]

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38.

Which is the correct order in the brain of visual processing from the outer world?

A. Primary visual cortex, rods & cones, retinal ganglion cells, lateral geniculate nucleus B. Retinal ganglion cells, rods & cones, lateral geniculate nucleus, primary visual cortex C. Rods & cones, lateral geniculate nucleus, retinal ganglion cells, primary visual cortex D. Rods & cones, retinal ganglion cells, lateral geniculate nucleus, primary visual cortex E. Rods & cones, retinal ganglion cell, primary visual cortex, lateral geniculate nucleus [Lecture 5]

39. The decibel (dB) scale is: A. A logarithmic scale measuring frequency B. A linear scale measuring duration C. A linear scale measuring loudness D. A logarithmic scale measuring duration E. A logarithmic scale measuring loudness [pg. 166 in textbook]

40. The cocktail-party effect (the phenomenon where you hear your own name pop out of an unattended conversation) is an example of: A. Hearing without awareness B. Auditory imagery C. Multi-modal integration D. Auditory localization E. Inattentional blindness [Lecture 7]

41.

Suppose a person is drowsy and inactive much of the time. Which one of the following drugs is most likely to reverse the effects?

A. Alcohol B. Barbiturates C. Opiates D. Cocaine E. Heroin [Section from pg. 218-226 in textbook]

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42.

In visual search, preattentive search has all but which one of the following properties?

A. It guides identification of features B. It guides identification of conjunctions C. It operates in parallel D. It produces subjective pop-out E. It exhibits a flat slope in relation between time and set size of the display [Lecture 7]

43.

Our personalities are shaped by both our genes and our environments. To study the contribution of the environment, you get to conduct a study. Which participants would be the most informative for you?

A. Knock-out mice, which have a particular gene added or missing B. Fraternal twins who get the same grades in school C. Identical twins who were always dressed the same D. Identical twins who were separated at birth and raised in different households E. Mice from different litters that were raised in the same cage [pg. 122-123 in textbook]

Two ducks (Dinky and Donky) live in a pond near Freudtopia. Dinkys dream is to become a great experimental psychologist like Edward Thorndike. Donky, on the other hand, follows the cognitivist framework set forth by Tolman and others. Despite their obvious differences, they decide to work together to understand an important problem for all duck-kind: How infant ducks learn to swim. Ducklings will not go into water until approximately 2-3 months of age. Prior to 2 months, they will flop around in a walking-like behavior. Donky claims that the walking behavior is aiding the ducklings in the development of a representation for the movements used in swimming, which after 2 months matures into a full swimming action. Dinky claims that this is all nonsense. There is no need to bring up mental representations, the behavior can be explained in terms of the environment. He says that mother ducks always keep the ducklings at home until they reach 2 months when they are allowed to play outside with other ducklings. Thus, swimming is related to the needs of the duck in his environment, either at home or in the pond.

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44. Donkys notion of a mental representation is a example of a: [section on pgs. 38-48 in textbook] A. B. C. D. E. Naturalistic observation Control group Theory Dependent relationship High correlation between 2 variables

Dinky says that he has collected data that clearly shows that he is correct, and presents Donky with the following graph:

Dinky goes on to say that male ducklings (who hate to wipe their feet) seem to leave muddy trails inside their homes after swimming, so he asked all of his neighbors how old the ducklings were when they started leaving muddy trails. He says the average number of weeks is 9.5, roughly around the 2-month period when ducks are allowed to play outside.

45. . Donky has some reservations about the study because [pg. 51 in textbook] A. B. C. D. The data is subjected to sample bias There is clear experimenter bias, Dinky was not objective Dinky failed to account for response bias in the baby duckling population Dinky used correlational measures, when inferential statistics was more appropriate

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Short Answer Questions

1- Label the lobes of the brain:

(Answer 4 of the following 8 questions)

Frontal Parietal Occiptal Temporal

2- Describe the symptoms of a patient with a bilateral hippocampal lesion. [Source: pg. 102 in Kosslyn book] Anterograde amnesia: unable to form new episodic memories after lesion (e.g. new peoples names or faces) Intact memory for events & knowledge prior to lesion (e.g. own name and personal history) with the exception of possibly impaired memory for a period of time immediately prior to lesion (~1 yr for HM).

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3- Mental imagery can happen in all senses. We can imagine a picture, a taste, a sound, a smell, or even a pain that we had in the past. What region or regions of the brain support imagery, and how do they do it? [Source: Lecture 2- material related to slides 15, 16] The brain regions relevant for processing of the modality-specific systems; for example, imagining playing tennis activates the same part of the brain as playing tennis (e.g. Supplementary Motor Area), and imagining navigating through your house activates the same parts as real spatial navigation (e.g. Parahippocampal Place Area).

4- Briefly describe why knowledge about most living and non-living things are represented in different brain regions, and what guides where that knowledge is represented. [Source: Lecture 6, Vision day 2- material related to slides 14-19] Key concept: the role of experience with objects in the world Patients who have difficulty defining & word-picture matching man-made objects could still have intact knowledge of living things (and large outdoor objects); and Intact knowledge of manufactured objects (and body parts) could be retained despite difficulty with living things (and musical instruments). Why might this occur? Knowledge about objects is likely driven by experience: sometimes making fine visual distinctions, and sometimes because we use them (functional/motor experience). A "correct" answer to the question would have to say something about experience-based knowledge. And about localization in the brain- e.g. living things would primarily activate "visual brain areas " and non-living, manipulatable objects would activate "sensorimotor brain areas" in addition to visual.

5- Refer to the aforementioned question statement about Dinky, Donkey, & their competing theories Given that Dinky believes experience is the main factor in how ducklings learn to swim, and Donky believes that the swimming representation can be independent of experience, come up with an experiment that could settle the issue between Dinky and Donky. Your answer should include: a hypothesis/null-hyothesis, a graph clearly labeling the dependent/independent variable, and the outcome that would settle the issue. <Any reasonable experiment with a hypothesis/null hypothesis, and graph showing the outcome as described is sufficient>

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6- Briefly describe why fusiform face area activation may be greater when seeing people from ones own race than from another race. [Source: Lecture 6, Vision day 2- material related to slides 37-40] Argument here is similar to key concept behind #4- The role of experience with objects in the world, for example in making visual discriminations of peoples identity. Environmental factors are likely to underlie the Same-Race bias, as suggested by the following lines of evidence: it is not present in very young infants, it emerges around 3 months of age, and FFA activation in children adopted & reared by parents of a different race shows a bias (more active) towards faces in their environment rather than their genetic race.

7- After looking at a bright green patch, a white wall will appear red. Why? [Source: pg. 142 in Kosslyn book] One explanation could cite that prolonged viewing of a bright green patch causes fatigue of greensensitive photoreceptors, so a subsequent glance at a white wall causes the retinal output cells (Retinal Ganglion Cells) to be driven by a relatively smaller number of green photoreceptors than would have otherwise been available & enabling the response to be dominated by red photoreceptors (i.e. red-green color opponency). Another answer could describe the red-green opponency in terms of green inhibiting red while viewing the bright green patch, followed by subsequent release from inhibition when looking at the white wall; the previously inhibited color (red) temporarily overcompensates, causing the perception of red.

8- What is the evidence that latent learning occurs in rats even when no reward is offered? [Source: Lecture 9, Learning- material related to slides 48-49] Evidence for latent learning comes from an experiment that tested how rats learned a maze task in each of three conditions, i.e. 3 groups of rats: one group was rewarded with food daily, a second group was initially NOT rewarded with food but subsequently rewarded after 10 days, and a third group was never rewarded. When the second group began to receive reward on day 11, they very rapidly (within 2 days) showed performance that was as good as the rats who had been receiving daily reward since the beginning of the experiment. This speedy show of good performance was taken as evidence to support that they had acquired task-relevant knowledge during the first 10 days of the experiment that they had not manifested until they were so inclined (i.e. receiving reward for their performance).

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