NOTE: Questions may appear in a different order than they are listed on this study guide.
Chapter 1 + Lectures (Introduction)
- Be familiar with the three perspectives on the mind-brain problem: idealism, dualism, and materialism
- According to David Chalmers, what are easy and hard questions in neuroscience?
- What did Galvani and Fritsch & Hitzig discover about how the nervous system operates?
- Who was Santiago Ramon y Cajal, and what role did he play in brains science?
- What is phrenology? How did it shape our ideas about how the brain works?
- Who was Paul Broca and what role did he play in the history of brain research?
- Who was Phineas Gage and what role did he play in the history of brain research?
The Neuron
Chapter 2 + Lectures (The Neuron)
- What is a neuron? Be familiar with the basic structures of the neuron (e.g., dendrites, axon, terminals, )
- Be familiar with the features of the membrane of a
- What is a resting potential? What is an action potential?
- The movement of which ions produce an action potential?
- Where does the action potential occur?
- What is myelin? How does myelin benefit the neuron?
- What is the gap between neurons called? How do neurons communicate across this gap?
- How do neurons communicate between cells?
- What does it mean for a neuron to become hypopolarized? To become hyperpolarized?
- What is an EPSP? What is an IPSP? How are these connected to hypopolarization and hyperpolarization?
The Nervous System & Development
Chapter 3 + Lectures (The Nervous System & Development)
- Know the branches of the nervous system: central, peripheral,
- Know the basic functions of the following 10 brain regions: Occipital Lobe, Hypothalamus, Prefrontal Cortex, Pons & Reticular Formation, Postcentral Gyrus, Posterior Parietal Cortex, Precentral Gyrus, Cerebellum,
Broca’s Area, and Superior & Inferior Colliculus
- What are the four stages of nervous system development?
- Be familiar with the cases of Elizabeth and Holly presented in the film The Secret Life of the Brain
Research & Ethics
Chapter 4 + Lectures (Research & Ethics)
- What is the difference between an experiment and a correlational study?
- What is the clinicoanatomical method of research? What does it involved?
- What is the difference between lesioning and ablation? What do these procedures involve?
- What device is used to record the electrical activity of the brain?
- Be familiar with the imaging techniques discussed in class (CT, MRI, PET, fMRI) and how they
- In psychology research, what is informed consent?
- Under what conditions are psychologists allowed to use deception in research?
- What are the criticisms of using non-human animals for medical/brain research?
Psychoactive Substances & Addiction
Chapter 5 + Lectures (Psychoactive Substances & Addiction)
- Ultimately, how do all psychoactive substances alter brain activity?
- What is an agonist? What is an antagonist? How does each affect brain activity? How do they differ?
- What is tolerance? What is cross-tolerance? What are withdrawal symptoms?
- Be familiar with the psychoactive drugs covered in our in-class
- What brain regions make up the mesolimbocortical dopamine system? What is its function?
- What role does dopamine play in drug cravings and addictive behavior?
Motivated Behavior
Chapter 6 + Lectures (Motivated Behavior)
- When psychologists use the term “motivation,” what are they referring to?
- Be familiar with three traditional approaches to motivation: drives, incentives, and arousal
- What tastes do we find pleasurable? What tastes do we avoid?
- What is sensory-specific satiety?
- What is learned taste aversion and why is it adaptive?
- What regions of the hypothalamus play important roles in regulating hunger and eating behavior?
- What hormone does the stomach produce to promote hunger?
- What chemicals do our bodies produce to satiate and reduce hunger?
- What evolutionary factors appear to contribute to modern issues with obesity?