Biology

Behavioral Psychology and Physiology

1,185 Questions

Behavioral psychology and physiology explore cognitive processes, attention, memory, and learning mechanisms like conditioning. These concepts are frequently tested in general science and psychology sections of various competitive exams. Prepare thoroughly using these practice questions covering key behavioral theories and physiological functions.

Cognitive processesMemory and learningAttention and focusDevelopmental milestonesSensory perception

Behavioral Psychology and Physiology Questions

Multiple choice

The movements that occur in response to touch are known as

  1. geotropism

  2. hydrotropism

  3. plagiotropism

  4. thigmotropism
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Thigmotropism (from Greek 'thigma' meaning touch) is the directional growth movement in response to physical contact or touch. The classic example is the coiling of tendrils around supports. Geotropism is gravity response, hydrotropism is water response, and plagiotropism is growth at an oblique angle to gravity.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is true about fast reading?

Directions: Read the passage below and answer the question given underneath.

Passage

There is another interesting fact about eye movement. If you record the eye movements of someone who is reading, you will notice that, from time to time, the reader goes back and looks again at something he has read before; in other words, he regresses to an earlier part of the text, probably because he realises he does not understand the passage properly. Then he comes back to where he left off and continues reading. At one time, it was thought that regression was a fault, but it is in fact a very necessary activity in efficient reading. There are several different kinds of faults in reading, which are usually more exaggerated with foreign learners. The most common one is that most people read more slowly than they should. There is no rate at which people ought to read of course; it, depends on your purpose in reading, how difficult the language is, how unfamiliar the material and so on. But most people read everything at the same slow speed, and do not seem to realise that they can read faster or slower as required. Other people say the words to themselves, or move their lips - these habits slow the reader down to something near speaking speed, which is, of course, much slower than reading speed. Another habit which can slow you down is following the line with your finger, or with a pen.
If you want to be able to read faster, the secret is simply to practise under timed conditions. This means that you should give yourself a certain amount of time to read with understanding, and then check your time when you have finished. Students who have practised fast reading even for only an hour - a week, have shown average improvements of over 50% over a term of ten week's duration. Reading fast does not necessarily mean reading with less comprehension. In fact, students usually show a small increase in comprehension as well as a dramatic increase in speed.

  1. It cripples comprehension.

  2. It tremendously improves the level of understanding.

  3. It requires practice under timed conditions.

  4. It is more important than comprehension.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The passage explicitly states If you want to be able to read faster, the secret is simply to practise under timed conditions. This directly matches option C. A is incorrect because the passage says students usually show small increase in comprehension. B is not stated. D is never claimed.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is not a reflex action?

  1. Sneezing

  2. Yawning

  3. Chewing

  4. Crying
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Reflex actions are automatic, involuntary responses mediated by the spinal cord or brainstem without conscious thought. Sneezing, crying (tear secretion), and yawning are reflexes. Chewing is a voluntary action requiring conscious control and coordination, though it has reflex components.

Multiple choice

An old man suffered from stroke, which damaged his right cerebral peduncle, resulting in a loss of motor control on the left side of his body. Due to the close proximity of a cranial nerve to the cerebral peduncles, his attending doctor suspects that dysfunction would also occur in

  1. smell

  2. visual acuity in the right eye

  3. motor control of the right eye muscles

  4. sensation from the right side of the forehead

  5. motor control of the right facial muscles
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Yes, it is correct. The oculomotor nerve (III) is closely associated with the cerebral peduncles. A stroke in this region can produce losses in both structures (superior alternating hemiplegia or Weber's syndrome).

Multiple choice

Rewards given for correct responses, is a reflection of ____________.

  1. Pavlov’s stimulus- response

  2. Lock’s Tabula rasa

  3. Thorndike’s Law of Effect

  4. Thorndike’s Law of Exercise

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The law of effect principle developed by Edward Thorndike suggested that responses closely followed by satisfaction will become firmly attached to the situation and therefore more likely to reoccur when the situation is repeated. Conversely, if the situation is followed by discomfort, the connections to the situation will become weaker and the behavior of response is less likely to occur when the situation is repeated.

Multiple choice

Classical conditioning or Pavlovian conditioning is a type of learning where the conditioned stimulus (CS) appears to indicate the existence of the second stimulus, i.e., the unconditioned stimulus (US), which is a stimulus that causes a response in the organism. Conditioned response is a learned response to the early neutral stimulus. US is generally a biologically relevant stimulus like pain or food, which evokes a response from the start and is is termed as unconditioned response (UR).

Which of the following options give(s) the correct name for classical conditioning?

  1. Operant conditioning

  2. Pavlovian conditioning

  3. Both (1) and (2)

  4. None of these

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Classical conditioning is also known as Pavlovian conditioning or respondent conditioning.

Multiple choice

Which of the following activity is not under the control of nervous system?

  1. Thinking

  2. Learning

  3. Digesting

  4. Memorizing

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Digestion is primarily controlled by the autonomic nervous system and enteric nervous system, operating involuntarily and unconsciously. In contrast, thinking, learning, and memorizing are conscious cognitive functions directly managed by the central nervous system. Option C correctly identifies digestion as not being under conscious control.