Sample Exam 3

This page contains sample short-answer questions from a previous semester and illustrates what type of questions you should expect. Materials contained in the lecture notes and reading assignments are fair game. With adequate preparation and an open mind in lecture you will undoubtedly do well. I have indicated the amount of time that each questions should take you in order to indicate the level of detail I expect for your answers. Answers may contain bullet lists, fully formulated sentences, or a combination of both. If you are not successful in communicating your answers, I must assume that you do not know the answer. A total of 150 points can be achieved in this exam towards the total of 450 points for the lecture and 500 points for the entire course.

Short-Answer Questions

Below are a few questions which serve as examples. They do not match questions in the exam, they are solely meant to give you an opportunity to practice and they illustrate the level of detail I expect from you.

1. same type as in exams 1 and 2

Essay Problems:

Two of these problems will actually appear on your mid-term examination. The problems will be worth 50 points each. If you desire you may work with a classmate to answer the questions outside of class but your instructor for the course will not discuss your answers to the problems prior to the examination. You should plan on spending around 15 minutes on each assay during the exam.

1. Discuss the concept of a dedicated feature detector within the context of visual prey detection in toads. In what way does it related to ethological concepts such as an innate releasing mechanism.
2. Discuss the behavioral phenomenon of short-term sensitization and illustrate it with an example from Aplysia research. Describe the molecular mechanisms that underly it.
3. Discuss the behavioral phenomenon of short-term habituation and illustrate it with an example from Aplysia research. Describe the molecular mechanisms that underly it.
4. Discuss the phenomenon of long-term synaptic plasticity and illustrate it with an example from Aplysia research. Describe the molecular mechanisms that underly it.
5. Summarize the main findings that have emerged from research into memory mutants of Drosophila.
6. Can we argue that synaptic plasticity is the basis for learning? What are the arguments? Can learning happen in the absence of such plasticity in neurotransmision?
7. Summarize the circuits that are involved in the learning of song in songbirds.
8. Summarize the circuits that are involved in the expression of song in songbirds.
9. Summarize the role of endocrine mechanisms in both learning and expression of song in songbirds.
10. Describe the dance language of honey bees for the communication of food resources.