UNIT 3
PSYCHOLOGY
SAC #1
“Biological bases of behaviour”
Test
Duration: 50 minutes
This test is worth 60 marks.
It is broken up into two sections:
SECTION / No. of questions / Marks allocatedMultiple choice / 30 / 30
Short answer / 10 / 30
All answers are to written on the test.
Name:
Multiple-choice questions (circle the correct response)
1. Which of the following statements about the cerebral cortex is correct?
A It can be subdivided into four hemispheres.
B It is convoluted (‘wrinkly’), which decreases its surface area.
C It is sometimes referred to as the ‘old brain’.
D It is approximately 2 to 6 mm thick.
2. Both the left and right hemispheres are connected by a bundle of nerve fibres known as the
A connecting neural fibres.
B cortical lobes.
C corpus callosum.
D cerebral cortex.
3. While Kate is surfing she is ‘dumped’ by a big wave, resulting in her hitting the back of her head on the surfboard. Afterwards she describes how she experiences blind spots in her vision. The most likely reason for her symptoms is damage to her
A parietal lobe.
B occipital lobe.
C frontal lobe.
D temporal lobe.
4. The right hemisphere is the right half of the cerebrum, which predominantly controls
A non-verbal functions.
B verbal functions.
C language processing.
D language production.
5. The somatosensory cortex is an area in each of the
A frontal lobes.
B parietal lobes.
C occipital lobes.
D temporal lobes.
6. The case study of Phineas Gage suggests that which of the following lobes regulates our personality and strongly influences much of what make us unique as humans?
A parietal
B occipital
C frontal
D temporal
7. Hemispheric specialisation refers to the localisation and dominance of certain brain functions to either the left hemisphere or the right hemisphere. Which of the following functions is not a specialised function performed predominantly by the left hemisphere?
A recognition of faces and patterns
B sequential processing
C language processing
D logical thinking
8. A brain scan reveals that Jane has sustained damage to Wernicke’s area due to a fall that resulted in her hitting her head. Which of the following symptoms is consistent with damage to this region of the brain?
Jane may not be able to
A recognise familiar faces she should know.
B appreciate works of art.
C understand what people are saying.
D produce clear and fluent speech.
9. Which of the following ethical considerations in research ensures that any information gathered about a participant during research must not be revealed without that person’s consent?
A voluntary participation
B informed consent
C patient confidentiality
D deception
10. Someone who has suffered damage to Broca’s area of the cortex would be likely to show which of the following symptoms?
A inability to produce fluent speech sounds.
B inability to concentrate for extended periods.
C difficulty in attending to objects in the right visual field.
D Difficulty in producing fine motor coordination movements.
11. Which part of the somatosensory cortex would have the largest representation for the following parts of the body?
A mouth, lips and tongue
B arms and hands
C feet
D trunk
12. Representation of the body on the motor cortex is
A feet represented near the ears, and the face near the crown of the head
B face, lips, mouth, hands, arms, trunk, legs, feet – from the ears to the crown of the head
C largest for the hands and feet
D trunk, head, arms, legs – from the ears to the crown of the head
13. Tasks that are associated with the right hemisphere include
A language, mathematical reasoning, spatial tasks
B 3D pattern recognition, mathematical reasoning, writing
C mathematical reasoning, spatial tasks, emotional content
D spatial tasks, verbal memory
14. Which of the following is not an ethical principal in the conduct of psychological research?
A the participants must be fully informed of the purposes of the research before they consent to take part
B if deception is used as part of the design, then full debriefing, including information about group results must take place as soon as possible
C the sensitivities and cultural values of individual participants must be respected when carrying out a research design
D participants should be chosen randomly from the population and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups
Short-answer questions (write your responses in the space provided)
1. What are two important functions the cerebral cortex carries out?
______
______
(2 marks)
2. List the three major functions of the frontal lobe.
______
(3 marks)
3. What are association areas within the brain responsible for?
______
______
______
(2 marks)
4. Describe one ethical consideration that a psychologist undertaking a study to research the brain should take into account. Give an example.
______
______
______
(2 marks)
SOLUTIONS
Multiple choice
1(D) 10(A)
2(C) 11(A)
3(B) 12(B)
4(A) 13(C)
5(B)
6(C)
7(A)
8(C)
9(C) 14(C)
Short answer
1. sensory perception
higher mental functions
3. higher mental functioning
motor control
speech production
4. association areas are responsible for integrating sensory and motor information
6. Informed consent, voluntary participation, withdrawal rights, confidentiality, deception, debriefing
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