Module 2 Study Guide

Chapters 2 and 3

Learning Objective 1

Section 2.1, Your Nervous System is the Basis of Mental Activity and Behavior

  1. What are the three basic functions of the nervous system? (p. 48)
  2. What (and where) are the two main divisions of the nervous system? (p. 48)
  3. What are the major parts of a neuron? (pp. 49-50)
  4. Describe the role of each part of a neuron in terms of receiving, integrating, and transmitting information (p. 50).
  5. What kinds of chemicals are used for transmitting activity from one neuron to another? (p.50)
  6. What is the synapse? (p. 50)

Learning Objective 2

Sections 2.2, 2.3, Neurons Communicate, Neurotransmitters

  1. What are the three phases of neural transmission as listed in the textbook? (p. 51)
  2. What does it mean for a neuron to be at rest? (p. 52)
  3. What is an action potential and what happens when a neuron is experiencing its action potential? (p. 52)
  4. What are ions and what role do they play in the action potential? (p. 52)
  5. What happens during the refractory period? (p. 52)
  6. What is the myelin sheath and why is it beneficial? (p. 52-53)
  7. What is the primary function of neurotransmitters? (p. 53)
  8. What is the presynaptic neuron? What is the postsynaptic neuron? (p. 53)
  9. How do receptors function, and where are they? (p. 54)
  10. What are the two major ways that neurotransmitters are removed from the synapse? (p. 54)
  11. What is the difference between excitatory and inhibitory signals? (p. 54-55)
  12. How are agonists and antagonists different from each other? (pp. 55-56)

Learning Objective 3

Sections 2.5, 2.6, Hindbrain, Midbrain, Forebrain

  1. What is the spinal cord’s function with respect to the brain and body? (p. 63)
  2. Describe three main structures of the hindbrain and their primary functions (pp. 63-64).
  3. What can happen if your medulla is damaged? (p. 63)
  4. Which brain region is most responsible for sleep and arousal? (p. 63)
  5. What dysfunctions can occur when the cerebellum is damaged? (p. 63)
  6. Which brain region is responsible for initiating voluntary movements? (p. 64)
  7. What components does the limbic system consist of? (pp. 64-66)
  8. What is the purpose of the thalamus? (pp. 64-65)
  9. Which limbic structure helps us regulate bodily functions like sleeping and waking, body temperature, and blood glucose level? (p. 65)
  10. Which limbic structure helps us form memories and navigate the world? (p. 65)
  11. Which limbic structure helps us detect and respond to threats? (pp. 65-66)?

Learning Objective 4

Sections 2.7, Cerebral Cortex Processes Complex Mental Activity

  1. What kinds of information is processed in the cerebral cortex? (p. 66)
  2. What are brain hemispheres? (p. 66)
  3. What is the purpose of the corpus callosum? (pp. 66-67)
  4. What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex? (pp. 66-67)
  5. Which primary cortex is in the occipital lobe? Which primary cortex is in the parietal lobe? (pp. 66-69)
  6. How does the homunculus relate to brain mapping? Why are these mappings useful? (pp. 67-68)
  7. What functions are found in the temporal lobes? Which primary cortex is located there? (p. 69)
  8. If we are having trouble recognizing faces, which area of the brain might be damaged? (p. 69)
  9. What functions are the frontal lobes responsible for? (p. 69)
  10. Which area of the frontal lobes is essential for rational thought and regulating attention and self-control (p. 69)
  11. Who was Phineas Gage and why was his injury of interest to psychology? (pp. 71-72)

Learning Objective 5

Sections 2.8, 2.10, Hemispheres Working Together, How Your Brain Communicates With Your Body

  1. How are the two hemispheres of the brain specialized in most people? (pp. 72-75, figure 2.24)
  2. Describe some of the discoveries made from split-brain research by Gazzaniga (one of our textbook authors) and Sperry. (pp. 73-75, figure 2.25)
  3. What is the left-brain/right-brain assumption, and why is this considered a myth? (p. 75)
  4. Why does the peripheral nervous system interact with the central nervous system? (pp. 76-77)
  5. What are the two divisions of the peripheral nervous system, and what are they responsible for? (p. 77)
  6. What are the differences between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems? (p. 77-79)

Learning Objective 6

Sections 2.12, 2.13, 2.14, How Nature and Nurture Affect Your Brain

  1. What are genes and what does “gene expression” refer to? (p. 82)
  2. What is a person’s genotype? What is their phenotype? Which is fixed, and which is malleable? (pp. 82-83)
  3. What does the field of behavioral genetics attempt to decipher? (pp. 83-85)
  4. Why are both monozygotic twins and dizygotic twins interesting for behavioral genetics? (pp. 83-85)
  5. What do twin studies and adoption studies contribute to our understanding of mental activity and behavior? (pp. 83-85)
  6. What is epigenetics and what does it have to do with genetic expression? (p. 85)
  7. What is brain plasticity and what might trigger structural changes in our brains? (pp. 85-87)
  8. What do you call the growth of new neurons? (p. 86)
  9. What happens in the long term when one neuron activates another for some useful purpose? Why is this a form of plasticity? (p. 86)
  10. Why is neural pruning a form of plasticity? (p. 86)
  11. What does brain reorganization (following brain injury) suggest about plasticity? (p. 87)

Learning Objective 7

Sections 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, Consciousness Is Subjective Experience, Results from Brain Activity, and Involves Attention

  1. What is consciousness? (p. 94)
  2. What are different levels and states of mental awareness? (pp. 95-96)
  3. What can trigger an altered state of consciousness? (pp. 95-96)
  4. What is the difference between dualism and materialism? How do they relate to the mind-body problem? (p. 96)
  5. What is the key idea behind the global workspace model of consciousness? (pp. 96-97)
  6. What defines a traumatic brain injury (TBI)? What is a concussion? (pp. 97-98)
  7. What are the possible long-term consequences of concussions? (pp. 97-98)
  8. What do we know about the relationship between coma and consciousness? (pp. 98-99)
  9. What is the difference between automatic processing and controlled processing? Describe a personal example of these two different types of processing in your “two-track mind”. (pp. 99-100)
  10. How does our limited attention affect our conscious experiences? (pp. 100-101)
  11. How does inattentional blindness help to highlight our limited attention? (p. 101)

Learning Objective 8

Sections 3.5, 3.6, Consciousness Changes during Sleep, and Dreaming

  1. What are circadian rhythms and how do they relate to bodily operations? (p. 104)
  2. How does the pineal gland help regulate circadian rhythms? (pp. 104-105)
  3. In what ways do sleep patterns differ at different ages? (p. 105)
  4. What are the four major stages of sleep? What conscious experiences are they each associated with? (pp. 105-106)
  5. Why is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep called paradoxical sleep? (p. 106)
  6. What happens to the sleep stage sequence as the sleep cycle repeats during the night? (pp. 106-107, Figure 3.13)
  7. What are some differences between REM and non-REM dreams? (pp. 107-108)
  8. What is the difference between latent and manifest dream content in Freud’s explanation, and how do they relate to each other? (pp. 108-109)
  9. How does the activation-synthesis theory explain dreaming? (p. 109)

Learning Objective 9

Sections 3.9, 3.11, Sleep Disorders are Common, and Meditation

  1. What is insomnia and what are successful treatments for this condition? (p. 114)
  2. What is sleep apnea and what are successful treatments for this condition? (p. 114-115)
  3. What is narcolepsy and what are successful treatments for this condition? (p. 115)
  4. What is REM behavior disorder and are there successful treatments for this condition? (p. 115)
  5. In what sleep stage does a person experience somnambulism (sleep walking)? (p. 115)
  6. What is meditation and how does meditation alter consciousness and brain functioning? (p. 118)

Learning Objective 10

Sections 3.12, 3.13, Drugs and Consciousness, Addiction

  1. What are the four main classes of psychoactive drugs? (p. 121 and table 3.1)
  2. What will happen in your nervous system if you take stimulants? (pp. 121-122)
  3. What will happen in your nervous system if you take depressants? (pp. 122-124)
  4. What are opioids? (pp. 124-125)
  5. What are hallucinogens? (pp. 125-126)
  6. What is a substance use disorder? (pp. 126-129)
  7. What is the difference between having a drug tolerance and going through drug withdrawal? (pp. 127-128)
  8. How do physical dependence and psychological dependence interact in addiction? (pp. 127-128)
  9. What role do dopamine systems play in addiction? (pp. 127-129)
  10. Describe the roles of genetics and social environments in the possible development and maintenance of addiction. (p. 129)