BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY 14TH EDITION BY
JAMES W KALAT EXAMINATION TEST 2026
FULL SOLUTION GUIDE VERIFIED A+
◉ neuron. Answer: a nerve cell; the basic building block of the
nervous system
◉ dendrites. Answer: a neuron's bushy, branching extensions that
receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body
◉ axon. Answer: the neuron extension that passes messages through
its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands
◉ myelin sheath. Answer: a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing
the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission
speed as neural impulses hop from one sausage-like node to the next
◉ action potential. Answer: a neural impulse; a brief electrical
charge that travels down an axon
◉ refractory period. Answer: a period of inactivity after a neuron
has fired
, ◉ threshold. Answer: the level of stimulation required to trigger a
neural impulse
◉ all-or-none response. Answer: a neuron's reaction of either firing
(with a full-strength response) or not firing
◉ synapse. Answer: the junction between the axon tip of the sending
neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron; the
tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft
◉ neurotransmitters. Answer: chemical messengers that cross the
synaptic gaps between neurons; when released by the sending
neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to
receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether
than neuron will generate a neural impulse
◉ reuptake. Answer: a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the
sending neuron
◉ endorphins. Answer: "morphine within"--natural, opiate-like
neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure
◉ agonist. Answer: a molecule that, by binding to a receptor site,
stimulates a response
JAMES W KALAT EXAMINATION TEST 2026
FULL SOLUTION GUIDE VERIFIED A+
◉ neuron. Answer: a nerve cell; the basic building block of the
nervous system
◉ dendrites. Answer: a neuron's bushy, branching extensions that
receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body
◉ axon. Answer: the neuron extension that passes messages through
its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands
◉ myelin sheath. Answer: a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing
the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission
speed as neural impulses hop from one sausage-like node to the next
◉ action potential. Answer: a neural impulse; a brief electrical
charge that travels down an axon
◉ refractory period. Answer: a period of inactivity after a neuron
has fired
, ◉ threshold. Answer: the level of stimulation required to trigger a
neural impulse
◉ all-or-none response. Answer: a neuron's reaction of either firing
(with a full-strength response) or not firing
◉ synapse. Answer: the junction between the axon tip of the sending
neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron; the
tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft
◉ neurotransmitters. Answer: chemical messengers that cross the
synaptic gaps between neurons; when released by the sending
neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to
receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether
than neuron will generate a neural impulse
◉ reuptake. Answer: a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the
sending neuron
◉ endorphins. Answer: "morphine within"--natural, opiate-like
neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure
◉ agonist. Answer: a molecule that, by binding to a receptor site,
stimulates a response
