A 65-Year-Old Man Reports Multiple Episodes of Lightheadedness While Buttoning

question 85

Multiple Choice

A 65-year-old man reports multiple episodes of lightheadedness while buttoning a tight shirt collar.  During 2 episodes, he passed out briefly but sustained no injuries.  His blood pressure was 70/40 mm Hg and pulse was 45/min during one of the episodes.  Past medical history is significant for hypertension and diet-controlled diabetes mellitus.  The patient is a lifetime nonsmoker and drinks alcohol on social occasions.  On physical examination, his blood pressure is 125/72 mm Hg and pulse is 76/min without orthostatic changes.  Stimulation of afferent sensory fibers in which of the following nerves is most likely responsible for this patient's symptoms?

• A)Accessory
• B)Glossopharyngeal
• C)Hypoglossal
• D)Trigeminal
• E)Vagus

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Definitions:

Dispositional Attribution

The tendency to attribute someone's behavior to their personality or character rather than to external factors.

Stanley Milgram's Obedience Research

A series of social psychology experiments conducted in the 1960s which measured the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts conflicting with their personal conscience.

Ethical Dilemmas

Situations in which a choice must be made between two options, neither of which resolves the situation in an ethically acceptable manner.

Replication

The process of repeating a study to verify research findings.