Physiological Psychology
Physiological Psychology
Exam IV
1. Lateralization refers to:
A. The division of labor between the lobes of the brain
B. The division of labor between the hemispheres of the brain
C. The fact that some people are “right-brained.”
D. The fact that some people are “left brained.”
E. All of the above
2. A commissure is:
A. A dopaminergic pathway
B. A catecholenergic pathway
C. A communication pathway
D. Faulty in people with bipolar disorder
E. None of the above
3. I’ve been in an accident and sustained a head injury. During my recovery, my wife and I begin to have difficulties communicating. I understand the words she says, but I can no longer tell if she says them with anger, sadness, fear, etc. I most likely sustained damage to what part of my brain?
A. Left hemisphere
B. Right hemisphere
C. Corpus callosum
D. Anterior commissure
E. Limbic system
4. I’m a split-brain patient. I participate in a research project where the experimenters ask me to fix my gaze on a dot in the middle of a screen. They briefly flash the word “barefoot” in the middle of my visual field. They then ask me to point with my left hand to the word I saw. To what word do I point?
A. Foot
B. Bare
C. Barefoot
D. Footbare
E. None of the above, my head just explodes when they ask the question.
5. The most factual statement regarding handedness and lateral dominance is:
A. Left-handed people are better artists
B. Right handed people have better verbal skills
C. Most-left handed people have left-hemisphere or mixed dominance for speech
D. Right-handed people are better artists
E. Left-handed people have better verbal skills
6. The intelligence theory of language evolution states that language is a by-product of superior human intelligence. Problems with this theory include:
A. There is no clear relationship between the brain size and intelligence.
B. People with full-sized brains can still have language impairment.
C. There are other mammals with large brains that do not possess language skills.
D. All of the above.
E. None of the above.
7. Support for the theory of a “critical period” for language development includes:
A. Younger children learn second languages easier
B. Anyone can learn languages at any time with equal ease.
C. Case examples of children isolated early in life show their resistance to developing language skills.
D. All of the above
E. A & C only
8. In order for someone to be diagnosed with a psychological disorder, they must experience which of the following?
A. Disturbance
B. Dysfunction
C. Atypical behavior
D. Maladaptive behavior
E. None of the above
9. The medical model focuses on which of the following?
A. A holistic view of health and illness
B. Psychological factors that cause physiological disorders
C. Biological factors that cause physiological disorders
D. Social factors that cause physiological disorders
E. All of the above
10. The biopsychosocial model focuses on which of the following?
A. A holistic view of health and illness
B. Psychological factors that cause physiological disorders
C. Biological factors that cause physiological disorders
D. Social factors that cause physiological disorders
E. All of the above
11. Mood disorders are characterized by:
A. Emotional extremes
B. Psychosis
C. Neuroses
D. Endogenous and exogenous factors
E. None of the above
12. Major depressive disorder is considered a(n) __________ mood disorder.
A. Bipolar
B. Unipolar
C. Tripolar
D. Quadrilateral
E. Pythagorean
13. Contemporary thinking about the terms exogenous and endogenous depression reflects:
A. Exogenous depression is completely caused by outside factors
B. Endogenous depression is caused completely by biological factors
C. One is easier to treat
D. There is no difference
E. These are old terms that no longer really apply to depressive disorders
14. In terms of gender and depression:
A. Males are diagnosed more often than females
B. Females are diagnosed more often than males
C. There is no real difference
D. It depends more on age than gender
E. It depends on whether or not it’s an endogenous vs. exogenous depression
15. Depression:
A. Is completely a genetic disease
B. Is genetically linked, but we’ve not yet found an actual “depression gene.”
C. Does not run in families
D. Is caused entirely by environmental factors
E. None of the above
16. Depression is linked to:
A. Right-hemisphere damage
B. Left-hemisphere damage
C. Borna Virus infections
D. All of the above
E. B & C only
17. MAOI antidepressants have their effect by:
A. Blocking production of norepinephrine and epinephrine
B. Inhibiting the re-uptake of dopamine
C. Inhibiting the enzymatic breakdown of serotonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine
D. Blocking Serotonin receptors
E. None of the above
18. Tricyclic antidepressants have their effect by:
A. Blocking the re-uptake of serotonin, norepinephrine/epinephrine, and dopamine
B. Blocking the production of serotonin
C. Inhibiting the enzymatic breakdown of serotonin, epinephrine/Norepinephrine and dopamine
D. Blocking Serotonin receptors
E. None of the above
19. SSRI antidepressants have their effect by:
A. Blocking the re-uptake of serotonin and norepinephrine
B. Blocking serotonin receptors
C. Inhibiting the enzymatic breakdown of serotonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine
D. Blocking the re-uptake of serotonin
E. None of the above
20. An example of an atypical antidepressant is:
A. Prozac/fluoxetine
B. Imipramine
C. Paxil/paroxetene
D. Wellbutrin/buproprion
E. Zoloft/sertraline
21. ECT should be used in the treatment of depression:
A. When all other treatments have failed
B. As a first line treatment
C. When the patient is severely suicidal
D. When a patient wants to erase bad memories
E. A & C only
22. Which of the following classes of antidepressant medications has the LEAST severe side effect profile?
A. MAOI’s
B. Tricyclics
C. SSRI’s
D. Butyrophenones
E. Phenothiazines
23. If you were to prescribe an antidepressant for a highly suicidal patient with cardiac problems, which class of drugs would you most want to avoid?
A. MAOI’s
B. Tricyclics
C. SSRI’s
D. Atypicals
E. Phenothiazines
24. Seasonal affective disorder occurs most frequently:
A. During Winter
B. During Summer
C. During Spring
D. During Fall
E. Final exams
25. Bipolar disorder is characterized by:
A. Impulsiveness
B. Grandiosity
C. Feelings of invincibility
D. Extreme mood swings
E. All of the above
26. Manic episodes are characterized by:
A. Severe sexual and moral inhibitions
B. Feelings of worthlessness and anxiety
C. Abundant energy and grandiose notions
D. Energy loss and prolonged periods of sleep
E. Obsessive compulsive behavior
27. It is believed that the main treatments for bipolar disorder, lithium and anti-convulsant therapy, act on what biochemical mechanism(s)?
A. Ionotropic
B. Metabotropic
C. Second messenger systems
D. Primary messenger systems
E. All of the above
28. The main side effect of lithium therapy is:
A. Sexual side effects
B. Having to eat a tyramine free diet
C. Cardiac problems
D. Gastro-intestinal problems
E. Toxicity
29. Schizophrenia occurs in about _____ out of every 100 people.
A. 1
B. 5
C. 12
D. 20
E. 25
30. John “sees” a large purple dragon walking down the hall. This occurrence of a perceptual experience in the absence of an appropriate external stimulus is called a(n):
A. Delusion
B. Hallucination
C. Autoperception
D. Illusion
E. None of the above
31. I’m convinced that the TV is sending me covert messages from the CIA. This type of fixed false belief is called:
A. Neurotic thinking
B. An hallucination
C. A delusion
D. A compulsion
E. An obsession
32. A patient with schizophrenia is given a medication to reduce his psychotic symptoms. A side effect of the medication is that it causes various problems with his physical movement, such as uncontrollable shaking. What’s the mechanism behind this?
A. The medication is increasing the amount of dopamine in his system.
B. The medication is increasing the amount of norepinephrine in his system
C. The medication is decreasing the amount of GABA in his system
D. The medication is inhibiting the reuptake of acetylcholine.
E. The medication is decreasing the amount of dopamine in his system.
33. The first major effective antipsychotic drug was called _______.
A. Haldol
B. Thorazine
C. Clozaril
D. Zyprexa
E. Prozac
34. Evidence overwhelmingly suggests that schizophrenia is:
A. A genetic disorder
B. Is caused by being raised in a bad environment
C. A brain disease
D. Can be adequately treated with psychotherapy
E. A & C only
35. If you experience the onset of schizophrenic symptoms over a year, your prognosis is _____, compared to those who experiences acute onset of symptoms.
A. Better
B. Worse
C. About the same
D. Speed of onset has nothing to with prognosis
E. C & D
36. Which of the following is NOT a positive symptom of schizophrenia?
A. Hallucinations
B. Social withdrawal
C. Delusions
D. Tangential speech
E. Loose associations
37. Support for the Glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia is found by studying the effects of what drug?
A. Psilocybin
B. LSD
C. Phencyclidine
D. Mushrooms
E. Marijuana
38. The primary support of the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia is found through:
A. Studying the levels of dopamine in the bloodstream
B. Studying the levels of dopamine in the nervous system
C. The effectiveness of dopamine blocking drugs in reducing psychotic symptoms
D. The biological effects of the atypical antipsychotic medications
E. None of the above
39. According to the neurodevelopmental hypothesis, an example of an environmental trigger that may contribute to the development of schizophrenia in later life would be:
A. In utero viral infection
B. Over-bearing mother
C. Over-bearing father
D. Neglectful mother
E. Neglectful father
40. The main side effects of butyrophenones and phenothiazines are:
A. Akithesia
B. Dystonia
C. Shaking
D. All of the above
E. None of the above
41. Betty is 55 years old and was diagnosed with schizophrenia 35 years ago. Her symptoms have been managed adequately with medications such as thorazine and Haldol. but her psychiatrist put her on a new drug, called Zyprexa. Betty has chronic motor problems and thrusts her tongue constantly. These problems are likely caused by:
A. The Zyprexa
B. Withdrawal from the Thorazine and Haldol
C. Her schizophrenia
D. Tardive Dyskinesia
E. Akithesia
42. Clozaril can be a very dangerous medication because it causes a condition called________, which can lead to __________.
A. Angranulocytosis; death
B. Antileukocytosis; leukemia
C. Immune deficiency syndrome; severe infections
D. Akithesia; psychomotor agitation
E. None of the above
43. The major advantage of atypical antipsychotics such as Clozaril versus older antipsychotics like thorazine and haldol is that Clozaril:
A. More effectively treats positive symptoms of schizophrenia
B. More effectively treats negative symptoms
C. Has fewer motor side effects
D. All of the above
E. B & C
44. The main reason the side effect profiles for atypicals are different than older antipsychotics is that they:
A. Block more specific dopamine receptors
B. Block less specific dopamine receptors
C. Block more specific serotonin receptors
D. Block less specific serotonin receptors
E. The side effect profiles are pretty much the same
45. When medicating a psychotic patient, one must always:
A. Treat the psychosis as aggressively as possible, no matter the cost
B. Use non-biological methods of treatment because the medications cause intolerable side effects
C. Medicate according to a cost-benefit analysis of symptoms and side effect management
D. Use ECT as a frontline treatment, it works much faster
E. Roll the dice, you never know what’s going to happen anyway.
46. People who suffer from panic disorder experience:
A. Frequent panic attacks
B. Fear of specific situations, like being in an elevator
C. Chronic, low grade anxiety
D. A constant need to be clean and wash their hands
E. Obsessive thoughts about whether or not they turned off the iron
47. Essentially, agoraphobia is caused by:
A. Fear of leaving the house
B. Obsessive thought
C. Fear of having a panic attack
D. Fear of public speaking
E. Fear of judgment
48. Compulsions serve what purpose in OCD?
A. Give the patient something to do
B. Help people to avoid work
C. Decrease anxiety brought on by obsessive thoughts
D. Increase anxiety
E. Clean your hands
49. What is thought to be the biochemical mechanism behind many anxiety disorders?
A. Too much GABA
B. Too little GABA
C. Too little serotonin in the basal ganglia
D. B & C only
E. There are no biochemical explanations for anxiety, it’s all learned behavior.
50. The major difficulties with medicating anxiety disorders with benzodiazepines are __________.
A. Addiction potential
B. Rebound anxiety
C. Temporary relief
D. All of the above
E. None of the above.
