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
- What are the three basic functions of the nervous system? (p. 48)
- What (and where) are the two main divisions of the nervous system? (p. 48)
- What are the major parts of a neuron? (pp. 49-50)
- Describe the role of each part of a neuron in terms of receiving, integrating, and transmitting information (p. 50).
- What kinds of chemicals are used for transmitting activity from one neuron to another? (p.50)
- What is the synapse? (p. 50)
Learning Objective 2
Sections 2.2, 2.3, Neurons Communicate, Neurotransmitters
- What are the three phases of neural transmission as listed in the textbook? (p. 51)
- What does it mean for a neuron to be at rest? (p. 52)
- What is an action potential and what happens when a neuron is experiencing its action potential? (p. 52)
- What are ions and what role do they play in the action potential? (p. 52)
- What happens during the refractory period? (p. 52)
- What is the myelin sheath and why is it beneficial? (p. 52-53)
- What is the primary function of neurotransmitters? (p. 53)
- What is the presynaptic neuron? What is the postsynaptic neuron? (p. 53)
- How do receptors function, and where are they? (p. 54)
- What are the two major ways that neurotransmitters are removed from the synapse? (p. 54)
- What is the difference between excitatory and inhibitory signals? (p. 54-55)
- How are agonists and antagonists different from each other? (pp. 55-56)
Learning Objective 3
Sections 2.5, 2.6, Hindbrain, Midbrain, Forebrain
- What is the spinal cord’s function with respect to the brain and body? (p. 63)
- Describe three main structures of the hindbrain and their primary functions (pp. 63-64).
- What can happen if your medulla is damaged? (p. 63)
- Which brain region is most responsible for sleep and arousal? (p. 63)
- What dysfunctions can occur when the cerebellum is damaged? (p. 63)
- Which brain region is responsible for initiating voluntary movements? (p. 64)
- What components does the limbic system consist of? (pp. 64-66)
- What is the purpose of the thalamus? (pp. 64-65)
- Which limbic structure helps us regulate bodily functions like sleeping and waking, body temperature, and blood glucose level? (p. 65)
- Which limbic structure helps us form memories and navigate the world? (p. 65)
- 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
- What kinds of information is processed in the cerebral cortex? (p. 66)
- What are brain hemispheres? (p. 66)
- What is the purpose of the corpus callosum? (pp. 66-67)
- What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex? (pp. 66-67)
- Which primary cortex is in the occipital lobe? Which primary cortex is in the parietal lobe? (pp. 66-69)
- How does the homunculus relate to brain mapping? Why are these mappings useful? (pp. 67-68)
- What functions are found in the temporal lobes? Which primary cortex is located there? (p. 69)
- If we are having trouble recognizing faces, which area of the brain might be damaged? (p. 69)
- What functions are the frontal lobes responsible for? (p. 69)
- Which area of the frontal lobes is essential for rational thought and regulating attention and self-control (p. 69)
- 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
- How are the two hemispheres of the brain specialized in most people? (pp. 72-75, figure 2.24)
- 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)
- What is the left-brain/right-brain assumption, and why is this considered a myth? (p. 75)
- Why does the peripheral nervous system interact with the central nervous system? (pp. 76-77)
- What are the two divisions of the peripheral nervous system, and what are they responsible for? (p. 77)
- 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
- What are genes and what does “gene expression” refer to? (p. 82)
- What is a person’s genotype? What is their phenotype? Which is fixed, and which is malleable? (pp. 82-83)
- What does the field of behavioral genetics attempt to decipher? (pp. 83-85)
- Why are both monozygotic twins and dizygotic twins interesting for behavioral genetics? (pp. 83-85)
- What do twin studies and adoption studies contribute to our understanding of mental activity and behavior? (pp. 83-85)
- What is epigenetics and what does it have to do with genetic expression? (p. 85)
- What is brain plasticity and what might trigger structural changes in our brains? (pp. 85-87)
- What do you call the growth of new neurons? (p. 86)
- What happens in the long term when one neuron activates another for some useful purpose? Why is this a form of plasticity? (p. 86)
- Why is neural pruning a form of plasticity? (p. 86)
- 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
- What is consciousness? (p. 94)
- What are different levels and states of mental awareness? (pp. 95-96)
- What can trigger an altered state of consciousness? (pp. 95-96)
- What is the difference between dualism and materialism? How do they relate to the mind-body problem? (p. 96)
- What is the key idea behind the global workspace model of consciousness? (pp. 96-97)
- What defines a traumatic brain injury (TBI)? What is a concussion? (pp. 97-98)
- What are the possible long-term consequences of concussions? (pp. 97-98)
- What do we know about the relationship between coma and consciousness? (pp. 98-99)
- 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)
- How does our limited attention affect our conscious experiences? (pp. 100-101)
- 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
- What are circadian rhythms and how do they relate to bodily operations? (p. 104)
- How does the pineal gland help regulate circadian rhythms? (pp. 104-105)
- In what ways do sleep patterns differ at different ages? (p. 105)
- What are the four major stages of sleep? What conscious experiences are they each associated with? (pp. 105-106)
- Why is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep called paradoxical sleep? (p. 106)
- What happens to the sleep stage sequence as the sleep cycle repeats during the night? (pp. 106-107, Figure 3.13)
- What are some differences between REM and non-REM dreams? (pp. 107-108)
- 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)
- How does the activation-synthesis theory explain dreaming? (p. 109)
Learning Objective 9
Sections 3.9, 3.11, Sleep Disorders are Common, and Meditation
- What is insomnia and what are successful treatments for this condition? (p. 114)
- What is sleep apnea and what are successful treatments for this condition? (p. 114-115)
- What is narcolepsy and what are successful treatments for this condition? (p. 115)
- What is REM behavior disorder and are there successful treatments for this condition? (p. 115)
- In what sleep stage does a person experience somnambulism (sleep walking)? (p. 115)
- 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
- What are the four main classes of psychoactive drugs? (p. 121 and table 3.1)
- What will happen in your nervous system if you take stimulants? (pp. 121-122)
- What will happen in your nervous system if you take depressants? (pp. 122-124)
- What are opioids? (pp. 124-125)
- What are hallucinogens? (pp. 125-126)
- What is a substance use disorder? (pp. 126-129)
- What is the difference between having a drug tolerance and going through drug withdrawal? (pp. 127-128)
- How do physical dependence and psychological dependence interact in addiction? (pp. 127-128)
- What role do dopamine systems play in addiction? (pp. 127-129)
- Describe the roles of genetics and social environments in the possible development and maintenance of addiction. (p. 129)