Final

PSY 555 Final Exam Essay Questions


Answer each of the following 10 questions in no more than one paragraph each. Be sure to provide clear examples to support your points. Each question is worth 10 points.

1) Compare and contrast the four basic forms of learning: (a) perceptual learning, (b) stimulus-response learning, (c) motor learning, and (d) relational learning. Give a brief example of each in your answer.

2) Describe the roles of the basal ganglia, mesolimbic and mesocortical pathways, and the prefrontal cortex in reinforcement related to operant conditioning.

3) Describe the major memory deficits suffered by Patient H.M. following bilateral temporal lobectomy. Describe two specific abilities that were spared in Patient H.M. What do the studies of H.M. reveal about the role that the hippocampus plays in memory?

4) Explain how relational learning is distinct from other forms of learning and explain the role of the hippocampus in relational learning.

5) Describe the changes that occur in the synapses of the hippocampus that may provide a physiological basis for long-term potentiation (LTP).

6) Describe the common causes and treatment for seizure disorders.

7) Describe the neuroanatomical changes that accompany Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. In what way are these diseases similar to each other? How do they differ from one another?

8) Describe the etiology and symptoms of Huntington’s disease and of Parkinson’s disease. How do both of these diseases of the basal ganglia differ from one another?

9) Describe the current treatments for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Be sure to discuss their mechanism of action and how successful they are in treating the symptoms of the disease.

10) Describe the causes and symptoms of multiple sclerosis.