Question 1

Electrical stimulation of the brain (ESB)can be done during brain surgery with the patient being awake and able to describe what effect the stimulation had.

Accepted Answer

This is true. ESB is often used during brain surgery on conscious patients to map areas of the brain responsible for various functions such as movement, speech, and vision. The patient can provide immediate feedback on the effects of the stimulation, allowing the surgeon to avoid damaging critical areas of the brain.

Question 2

If the right side of the brain is damaged, people lose their ability to understand jokes, irony, sarcasm, implications, and other nuances of language.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. The right hemisphere of the brain is responsible for processing non-literal language, such as metaphors and sarcasm. Damage to this area can result in difficulty understanding these nuances of language.

Question 3

A healthy 75-year-old brain has just as many neurons as it did when it was a healthy 25-year-old brain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A healthy 75-year-old brain has just as...

Question 4

When Caleb fell out of his tree house and hit his head, the doctors placed Caleb in a magnetic field to get a three-dimensional image of any structural damage to his brain with this technique being known as electroencephalography.

Accepted Answer

The technique described in the sentence is actually magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), not electroencephalography (EEG).

Question 5

Dr.Kahn is able to detect the electrical activity of a single neuron by using the tip of an extremely thin glass tube filled with a salty fluid, which is known as an ablation tube.

Accepted Answer

The technique described is not ablation but rather resembles the process of patch-clamping or intracellular recording, which involves using a thin glass pipette to measure the electrical activity of neurons, not ablation which is the removal or destruction of brain tissue.

Question 6

Unlike men, some women are able to use the right side of their brains to compensate for damage to Broca's area in the left hemisphere and resume speaking following a stroke.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Research has shown that some women are able to use their right brain hemisphere to take over language processing functions when there is damage to the left hemisphere, allowing them to recover their ability to speak after a stroke. Men, on the other hand, do not show the same level of compensation with their right hemisphere.

Question 7

Areas devoted to recognizing faces and the emotions they convey lie in association areas in the parietal and temporal lobes.

Accepted Answer

Areas devoted to recognizing faces and emotions lie in association areas in the occipital and temporal lobes, not the parietal lobe. The temporal lobe houses the primary face recognition area while the occipital lobe also contributes to face processing.

Question 8

Superior human intelligence is related to the fact that humans have brains with larger cerebellums.

Accepted Answer

The size of the cerebellum does not necessarily determine intelligence. Intelligence is a complex trait that involves various factors including genetics, environment, education, and experiences. While certain areas of the brain may be involved in cognitive processes, intelligence cannot be solely attributed to the size of a particular brain region.

Question 9

Concerning information processing, the left hemisphere utilizes simultaneous processing and tends to focus on the overall pattern.

Accepted Answer

The left hemisphere is associated with sequential processing and is more focused on details rather than the overall pattern. The right hemisphere, on the other hand, utilizes simultaneous processing and is more skilled at perceiving the big picture.

Question 10

An arch of tissue at the rear of the temporal lobes, called the primary somatosensory area, directs the body's muscles.

Accepted Answer

The primary somatosensory area is not responsible for directing the body's muscles. It is actually responsible for processing and integrating sensory information from the skin, muscles, and joints, allowing us to perceive touch, temperature, and pain. The area responsible for directing the body's muscles is the primary motor cortex, located in the frontal lobes.

Question 11

A person with locked-in syndrome is in a persistent vegetative state or brain dead.

Accepted Answer

Locked-in syndrome is a condition where the person is fully conscious and aware but unable to move or communicate, except for some eye movements. They are not in a persistent vegetative state or brain dead.

Question 12

Studies in which patients underwent cognitive behavioral therapy for depression produced improvements in their behaviors and also changed the patients' brain activity.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that cognitive behavioral therapy can improve brain function and produce changes in brain activity in individuals with depression. These changes are believed to contribute to the therapeutic benefits of the treatment.

Question 13

The "split-brain" operation involves cutting the connections within the midbrain in order to control severe spatial neglect.

Accepted Answer

The "split-brain" operation actually involves cutting the connections between the two hemispheres of the brain in order to control severe epilepsy. It is not used to control spatial neglect.

Question 14

In order to determine if Marta had a stroke, the doctors used a computer-enhanced X-ray image of her brain, a technique known as an fMRI.

Accepted Answer

While an fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) can provide detailed images of the brain and can be used to diagnose stroke, it does not use X-rays. Instead, it uses a strong magnetic field to measure changes in blood flow to different areas of the brain.

Question 15

Musicians, who practice special motor skills throughout their lives, have larger than average cerebellums.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that musicians have larger than average cerebellums due to the special motor skills they develop through their practice. The cerebellum is responsible for coordinating movement and balance, and its size can be influenced by repeated practice of motor skills.

Question 16

The research strategy of linking specific structures in the brain with specific psychological or behavioral functions is known as neurocortical induction.

Accepted Answer

The research strategy of linking specific structures in the brain with specific psychological or behavioral functions is actually called localization of function or neuropsychology.

Question 17

If an individual calls a "sofa" a "table" or a "stool," she or he may have experienced damage to Wernicke's area.

Accepted Answer

Wernicke's area is responsible for language comprehension and damage to this area can result in difficulties with language processing and comprehension, such as confusion of words and their meanings. Mistaking a sofa for a table or stool could be a result of this language processing difficulty.

Question 18

The reticular formation does not fully mature until adolescence, which may be why children have such short attention spans.

Accepted Answer

The reticular formation is a network of neurons in the brainstem that plays a role in regulating arousal, attention, and sleep. While the exact timing of its development is not fully understood, studies suggest that it does continue to develop and refine throughout childhood and adolescence. Therefore, it is possible that the immaturity of the reticular formation in young children could be a factor in their shorter attention spans.

Question 19

Visual images are accurately represented in miniature in the occipital lobes much like a "little TV screen" in the brain.

Accepted Answer

The occipital lobes process visual information, but they do not represent images as miniature versions like a "little TV screen." Instead, visual information is processed through complex patterns of neural activity across different areas of the brain.

Question 20

Autism may arise in infants whose mirror neuron system has been damaged by genetic defects or environmental risk factors.

Accepted Answer

Recent research suggests that a dysfunction in the mirror neuron system could be among the causes of autism. This dysfunction could be due to genetic defects, environmental risk factors, or a combination of both.

Quiz 2: Brain and Behavior.