PSY 120 ACTUAL 2026 EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔hindbrain - ✔✔sits right where the spinal cord and brain merge, acts as the basic
life-support system for the body, and is the oldest part of the brain
✔✔medulla and pons - ✔✔in the hindbrain, associated with heart rate, breathing,
sneezing, vomiting, reflexes
specifically sensitive to drugs and alcohol
✔✔reticular formation - ✔✔in the hindbrain
network of neurons and nerves linked to the control of general arousal, sleep, and
consciousness
✔✔cerebellum - ✔✔base of the brain, motor skills
✔✔midbrain - ✔✔middle portion of the brain, containing the tectum, superior colliculus,
and interior colliculus, serve as neural relate stations and help coordinate reactions to
sensory events
✔✔forebrain - ✔✔outer portion of the brain, including the cerebral cortex and the
structures of limbic system
✔✔cerebral cortex - ✔✔outer layer of the brain, seat of higher mental processes,
problem solving,
✔✔thalamus - ✔✔close to the midbrain, important in gathering point for input from
various senses
✔✔hypothalamus - ✔✔lies just below the thalamus, important in motivation, particularly
regulation of eating, drinking, body temp, sexual behavior
✔✔limbic system - ✔✔several interrelated brain structures, amygdala and hippocampus
✔✔amygdala - ✔✔motivational and emotional behaviors, (fear, aggression, and
defensive actions)
✔✔hippocampus - ✔✔formation of memories, especially personal events
✔✔frontal lobes - ✔✔act as brain's executive in charge of planning and coordinating
voluntary behavior and decision making,
problem solving, some remembering, personality, socialization
✔✔motor cortex - ✔✔voluntary muscle movements
, ✔✔parietal lobe - ✔✔contains somatosensory cortex (experience sensations of touch,
temperature, and pain)
✔✔temporal lobes - ✔✔lie on either side of the cortex,
process auditory information
✔✔occipital lobes - ✔✔where most visual processing occurs
✔✔right lobes - ✔✔artistic, spatial tasks, emotions
✔✔left lobe - ✔✔mathematical, verbal tasks, speech
✔✔germinal period - ✔✔sperm meets egg and fertilizes it
✔✔zygote period - ✔✔fertilized egg period
✔✔embryonic period - ✔✔once successful implantation occurs this begins,
can tell whether its a girl or boy
✔✔fetal period - ✔✔9th week,
bones and muscles develop,
increase in size, systems develop
✔✔teratogens - ✔✔any substance/agent that causes abnormal prenatal development
✔✔infant's vision - ✔✔Frantz's Visual Preference Test (show female and male and see
which one they look at), depth perception test also, they have 20/400 vision
✔✔habituation - ✔✔decline to responsiveness to repeated events
same thing over and over until they get bored
✔✔sense of smell - ✔✔more sensitive than adults, (test by facial expression and
preference), extremely sensitive to lemon, sugar, and salt
✔✔taste - ✔✔"sweet tooth", sugary taste, they like it cause they like calories
✔✔piaget's four stages - ✔✔sensorimotor (birth - 2 years) - revolve around babies
sense and motory abilities
preoperational(2 - 7) - can think about absent options, can use one object to stand for
another
concrete operational (7 - 11) - can verbalize, visualize, and mentally manipulate objects
formal operational (11 - adulthood) can abstract think, become wise
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔hindbrain - ✔✔sits right where the spinal cord and brain merge, acts as the basic
life-support system for the body, and is the oldest part of the brain
✔✔medulla and pons - ✔✔in the hindbrain, associated with heart rate, breathing,
sneezing, vomiting, reflexes
specifically sensitive to drugs and alcohol
✔✔reticular formation - ✔✔in the hindbrain
network of neurons and nerves linked to the control of general arousal, sleep, and
consciousness
✔✔cerebellum - ✔✔base of the brain, motor skills
✔✔midbrain - ✔✔middle portion of the brain, containing the tectum, superior colliculus,
and interior colliculus, serve as neural relate stations and help coordinate reactions to
sensory events
✔✔forebrain - ✔✔outer portion of the brain, including the cerebral cortex and the
structures of limbic system
✔✔cerebral cortex - ✔✔outer layer of the brain, seat of higher mental processes,
problem solving,
✔✔thalamus - ✔✔close to the midbrain, important in gathering point for input from
various senses
✔✔hypothalamus - ✔✔lies just below the thalamus, important in motivation, particularly
regulation of eating, drinking, body temp, sexual behavior
✔✔limbic system - ✔✔several interrelated brain structures, amygdala and hippocampus
✔✔amygdala - ✔✔motivational and emotional behaviors, (fear, aggression, and
defensive actions)
✔✔hippocampus - ✔✔formation of memories, especially personal events
✔✔frontal lobes - ✔✔act as brain's executive in charge of planning and coordinating
voluntary behavior and decision making,
problem solving, some remembering, personality, socialization
✔✔motor cortex - ✔✔voluntary muscle movements
, ✔✔parietal lobe - ✔✔contains somatosensory cortex (experience sensations of touch,
temperature, and pain)
✔✔temporal lobes - ✔✔lie on either side of the cortex,
process auditory information
✔✔occipital lobes - ✔✔where most visual processing occurs
✔✔right lobes - ✔✔artistic, spatial tasks, emotions
✔✔left lobe - ✔✔mathematical, verbal tasks, speech
✔✔germinal period - ✔✔sperm meets egg and fertilizes it
✔✔zygote period - ✔✔fertilized egg period
✔✔embryonic period - ✔✔once successful implantation occurs this begins,
can tell whether its a girl or boy
✔✔fetal period - ✔✔9th week,
bones and muscles develop,
increase in size, systems develop
✔✔teratogens - ✔✔any substance/agent that causes abnormal prenatal development
✔✔infant's vision - ✔✔Frantz's Visual Preference Test (show female and male and see
which one they look at), depth perception test also, they have 20/400 vision
✔✔habituation - ✔✔decline to responsiveness to repeated events
same thing over and over until they get bored
✔✔sense of smell - ✔✔more sensitive than adults, (test by facial expression and
preference), extremely sensitive to lemon, sugar, and salt
✔✔taste - ✔✔"sweet tooth", sugary taste, they like it cause they like calories
✔✔piaget's four stages - ✔✔sensorimotor (birth - 2 years) - revolve around babies
sense and motory abilities
preoperational(2 - 7) - can think about absent options, can use one object to stand for
another
concrete operational (7 - 11) - can verbalize, visualize, and mentally manipulate objects
formal operational (11 - adulthood) can abstract think, become wise
