Monday Exam Spring 2019 (Exam !)

Imagine that you plant a microelectrode on the amygdala of a rat. When you activate that electrode, what behavior would you expect to see?

fearful behavior
angry behavior
either A or B, depending on the location of the electrode on the amygdala

Which of the following statements best summarizes the research on the connection between terrorism and mental illness?

There is no evidence that terrorists have higher rates of mental illness than people from the general population.

What is the primary difference between acute stress disorder (ASD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

ASD occurs within the first month after trauma, while PTSD refers to symptoms that are removed from the trauma by more than 1 month.

In general, researchers have found that __________.

terrorists are more likely to be extraverted than non-terrorists
terrorists are more likely to have personality disorders than non-terrorists
*neither A nor B

The __________ is a brain structure that regulates bodily functioning and maintains homeostasis in the body.

hypothalamus

The ___________ is a brain structure that is the source of many emotions, particularly fear and anger.

amygdala

Overgeneralization can become a problem when a researcher __________.

makes statements about a broad group, based on the results from a small number of people in a study

According to research presented in class (Gump et al., 2005), why might the stress of a terrorist attack influence cardiovascular health?

This stress leads to higher stroke volume and cardiac output for the heart.

Which of the following statements best represents the "syndrome" view of terrorism?

Terrorists are people who have psychological characteristics in common that predict the development and trajectory of terrorist behavior.

Which of the following statements best describes the differences between fear and anxiety?

Fear is an acute reaction to an immediate, visceral threat, while anxiety is a general state of distress that lasts longer than fear

Which of the following is the best definition of reductionism?

explaining a phenomenon with an overly simple/small set of explanations

One of the assigned readings for this section (Filkukova et al., 2016) was a research article about peritraumatic experiences.
Which of the following is the best definition of a "peritraumatic experience"?

an experience that occurs during or immediately after a traumatic event

Which of the following is true about the DSM-5?

It has high inter-rater reliability.

A heuristic is best defined as a __________.

cognitive shortcut

__________ is a neurotransmitter that is critical for initiating the fight-or-flight response.

Norepinephrine

What effect does cortisol have on the fight-or-flight response?

Cortisol extends the fight-or-flight response.

Which of the following statements is true about PTSD?

In order to diagnose someone with PTSD, the symptoms must be present for at least 1 month.

Biological preparedness is a concept that comes from the literature on __________ psychology.

evolutionary

The "use-dependent" model (Perry et al., 1995) suggests that terrorist attacks may influence health by __________.

influencing how neurons communicate information to each other

After the 9/11 attacks, Jill was afraid to fly, because she thought that it was especially likely that another plane hijacking was going to happen. She came to this conclusion because the example of 9/11 came so easily to mind for her.
Which heuristic is

availability

Cognitive dissonance is a feeling that is raised when a person __________.

is aware of cognitive inconsistencies

A __________ is a statistical approach to research that combines the results from many studies on the same topic, to search for patterns and trends in their results.

meta-analysis

According to research presented in class (van der Kolk, 1987), repeated exposure to trauma leads to __________.

increased hippocampal volume
higher levels of serotonin
neither A nor B

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is classified as a(n) ___________ disorder.

anxiety

Hans Selye is most famous for his development of __________.

general adaptation syndrome

Which of the following factors most directly contributes to the difficulty in defining terrorism?

Terrorism is a pejorative term.

The hippocampus is a brain structure that is heavily involved in ___________.

forming and retrieving memories

According to the general adaptation syndrome model of stress, people are most susceptible to illness during the __________ stage.

exhaustion

Which of the following would NOT be considered a trauma (and thus a possible cause of PTSD)?

failing an exam

Which stage of the general adaptation syndrome model includes the "shock" and "antishock" phases?

alarm