Biological Basis of Behavior
Which type of alcohol affects neural firing?
It excites neurons by blocking glutamate uptake.
It inhibits neuronal firing by increasing GABA activity.
It makes nerve cells hyperactive by mimicking acetylcholine.
It has no effect on neural firing.
How may MDMA (Ecstasy) induce feelings of empathy, euphoria or heightened sensations?
MDMA activates norepinephrine pathways promoting increased alertness and arousal.
MDMA increases serotonin release while inhibiting its reuptake.
MDMA suppresses glutamate production reducing cognitive function.
MDMA promotes GABA activity resulting in intense calmness and tranquility.
What is a potential long-term effect of chronic cocaine use on neural firing?
Downregulation leading to decreased sensitivity
Increased myelination
Enhanced dendritic branching
Formation of new synapses
Which drug is most likely to increase neural firing by inhibiting reuptake of dopamine in the synapses?
Benzodiazepines
Alcohol
Cocaine
Heroin
What impact does cocaine primarily exert upon neurotransmitter function in synaptic transmission?
Cocaine eradicates acetylcholine from synapses causing muscle spasms
Cocaine enhances GABA activity promoting intense relaxation.
Cocaine prevents dopamine reuptake resulting in prolonged sensation of pleasure.
Cocaine blocks norepinephrine release leading to decreased arousal.
From a cognitive perspective, how might a psychologist understand an individual's abnormal fear response to non-threatening stimuli?
Maladaptive thought patterns leading to irrational beliefs about danger.
A learned association between stimuli through classical conditioning processes.
Imbalance in neurotransmitter levels affecting emotional regulation.
Low socioeconomic status influencing experiences of anxiety-related events.
Which scenario best exemplifies a violation of ethical guidelines in psychological research?
A researcher publishes results from a study on social anxiety without obtaining informed consent from the participants.
An experimenter ensures confidentiality by assigning codes to data collected during a sleep study.
Informed consent documents for a depression study include contact information for psychological support services.
Participants are given a detailed debriefing after being involved in an experiment on memory recall.

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What effect does cocaine have on dopamine levels within a neuron's synapse during neural firing?
It degrades excess amounts of synaptic dopamine.
It triggers an excessive release of dopamine.
It mimics dopamine and binds to its receptors.
It blocks the reuptake of dopamine.
What would be a likely result if a neuron is exposed to an excess amount of GABA?
Irregular patterns in neural firing rate
Increased neural firing rate
Decreased neural firing rate
No change in neural firing rate
What complex issue arises from evidence suggesting psychostimulants prescribed for ADHD might slightly improve focus capacities among individuals who do not have ADHD but come with increased risk exposure?
It becomes challenging to separate true therapeutic uses from misuse/abuse since definitive diagnostic criteria for ADHD remain subject to interpretation and variation
A dilemma emerges around whether insurance companies should cover off-label use of such medications considering rising healthcare costs and uncertain returns on investment
Disagreement surfaces over educational policies allowing accommodations for students diagnosed with ADHD versus those claiming enhanced performances due to drug intake without medical need
An uneasy trade-off occurs between potentially unjustified medical prescriptions expanding beyond intended purposes versus denying non-ADHD individuals access benefits albeit accompanied by higher risk factors