Question 1

The major weakness of functional brain-imaging techniques as research tools is that they cannot
A) be used to study nonhuman primates.
B) prove causation.
C) be used to study subcortical structures.
D) reveal activity in cerebral nuclei.
E) be used to study split-brain patients.

Accepted Answer

The major weakness of functional brain-imaging techniques is that they cannot prove causation. While they can show which brain areas are active during a task or experience, they cannot determine whether that activity caused the behavior or was merely a consequence of it.

Question 2

Most cases of dyslexia are
A) developmental.
B) semantic.
C) agnostic.
D) auditory.
E) acquired.

Accepted Answer

Dyslexia is a developmental disorder that affects the ability to read, write, and spell correctly. It is often due to differences in brain development and processing of language. Semantic, agnostic, and auditory factors do not necessarily cause dyslexia, and while there are rare cases of acquired dyslexia due to brain injury or disease, the majority of cases are developmental.

Question 3

The incidence of developmental dyslexia in English-speaking children is __________ in boys than girls.
A) two to three times greater
B) about 10 times greater
C) between half to one-third
D) about 10% less
E) about 10% more

Accepted Answer

Studies have consistently shown that the incidence of developmental dyslexia is two to three times greater in boys than in girls.

Question 4

In comparison to English speakers, Italian speakers are __________ to be diagnosed as dyslexic.
A) less likely
B) 10% more likely
C) 50% more likely
D) twice as likely
E) 250% more likely

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that Italian speakers are less likely to be diagnosed as dyslexic compared to English speakers. This is because Italian has a more consistent spelling system than English, making it easier for Italian speakers to learn to read and write. English has many irregularities and exceptions in its spelling, which can create difficulties for dyslexic individuals. Therefore, Italian speakers have a lower prevalence of dyslexia.

Question 5

Reading aloud can be accomplished in two different ways: by the
A) phonetic and semantic procedures.
B) linguistic and semantic procedures.
C) lexical and phonetic procedures.
D) phonetic and phonological procedures.
E) surface and deep procedures.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Reading aloud can be accomplished in two...

Question 6

There are two major categories of acquired dyslexia:
A) surface and deep.
B) lexical and phonetic.
C) linguistic and semantic.
D) semantic and phonological.
E) lexical and semantic.

Accepted Answer

The two major categories of acquired dyslexia are surface dyslexia and deep dyslexia. Surface dyslexia involves difficulty reading words with irregular spelling-sound correspondences, while deep dyslexia includes additional semantic errors and difficulty with non-words.

Question 7

Dyslexics in whom the phonetic procedure is disrupted while the lexical procedure remains normal are said to have __________ dyslexia.
A) surface
B) semantic
C) phonological
D) grammatical
E) deep

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dyslexics in whom the phonetic procedure is...

Question 8

Evidence suggests that the naming of different categories of nouns (such as faces, animals, or tools) is each mediated by a different part of the
A) parietal lobe.
B) temporal lobe.
C) frontal lobe.
D) occipital lobe.
E) limbic lobe.

Accepted Answer

Studies have consistently shown that naming of different categories of nouns is mediated by different regions within the temporal lobe. For example, the left anterior temporal lobe is activated during naming of animals, while the left mid-fusiform gyrus is activated during naming of faces.

Question 9

Remarkably, naming famous faces, animals, and tools seems to be associated with activity in
A) slightly different areas of the left temporal lobe.
B) a large area of the right parietal lobe.
C) a very small part of Broca's area.
D) a large area of Wernicke's area.
E) a small are of the left angular gyrus.

Accepted Answer

Naming famous faces, animals, and tools involves slightly different areas of the left temporal lobe, which is associated with processing different categories of visual and semantic information.

Question 10

There is now a general consensus that developmental dyslexia results from
A) a general attentional deficit.
B) autistic tendencies.
C) a disturbance of phonological processing.
D) a variety of sensorimotor deficits.
E) damage to the lateral geniculate.

Accepted Answer

There is now a general consensus that developmental dyslexia results from a disturbance of phonological processing, which involves difficulty in detecting and manipulating the sounds of speech. This difficulty can lead to difficulties in reading and spelling.

Question 11

The words "spleemer" and "twipple" are normally read aloud by a __________ procedure.
A) linguistic
B) semantic
C) phonetic
D) surface
E) lexical

Accepted Answer

The words "spleemer" and "twipple" are made up words that are not recognized in any language, so there is no semantic or lexical meaning associated with them. A phonetic procedure would be used to sound out these words and pronounce them correctly. A linguistic or surface procedure would not be necessary in this case.

Question 12

There seem to be two different procedures for reading aloud. The procedure that is based on stored information about the pronunciation of specific written words is called the __________ procedure.
A) phonetic
B) surface
C) lexical
D) twipple
E) parallel

Accepted Answer

The procedure based on stored information about the pronunciation of specific written words is called the lexical procedure. Choice A, phonetic, refers to the study of speech sounds while choice B, surface, refers to the literal or outward appearance of something. Choice D and E, twipple and parallel, are not related to reading aloud.

Question 13

In comparison to the causes of developmental dyslexia, the causes of acquired dyslexia tend to be more
A) complex.
B) obvious.
C) enduring.
D) insidious.
E) chemical.

Accepted Answer

Acquired dyslexia results from brain damage due to injury or illness, making its causes more obvious compared to developmental dyslexia, which stems from genetic, neurobiological, and environmental factors.

Question 14

Bavalier et al. (1997) used a particularly sensitive fMRI procedure to study reading. They found that the areas of cerebral activity
A) in individual volunteers were patchy.
B) varied both from individual to individual and within individuals from trial to trial.
C) were widespread over the lateral surfaces of brain.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

Bavalier et al. (1997) found that the areas of cerebral activity varied both from individual to individual and within individuals from trial to trial, which indicates patchiness. They also found that the areas were widespread over the lateral surfaces of the brain. Therefore, all the answer choices are correct.

Question 15

Mary is dyslexic. Most of her errors involve the misapplication of common rules of English pronunciation; for example, she pronounces "have" as if it rhymed with "cave." Mary has __________ dyslexia.
A) surface
B) deep
C) temporal
D) phonemic
E) semantic

Accepted Answer

The answer of Mary is dyslexic. Most of her errors...

Question 16

Italian speakers are less likely than English speakers to be diagnosed with dyslexia because
A) the Italian language has more phonemes.
B) the Italian language has fewer phonemes.
C) Italians have larger temporal lobes.
D) Italians have smaller temporal lobes.
E) Italians read more.

Accepted Answer

The Italian language has a consistent and transparent orthography with fewer unpredictably spelled words and fewer phonemes (distinct sound units) than English. This makes it easier for Italian speakers to learn to read and reduces the likelihood of being diagnosed with dyslexia.

Question 17

In surface dyslexia, the __________ procedure has been lost.
A) semantic
B) phonetic
C) lexical
D) deep
E) phonological

Accepted Answer

In surface dyslexia, individuals have difficulty reading irregular words where pronunciation does not follow regular phonetic rules, indicating a disruption in the lexical procedure, which involves recognizing words as whole units.

Question 18

The cognitive neuroscience approach to the study of language is based to a large degree on the following method:
A) fMRI.
B) PET.
C) structural CT.
D) both A and B
E) both B and C

Accepted Answer

The cognitive neuroscience approach to the study of language relies heavily on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) as methods of measuring brain activity during language tasks. These techniques allow researchers to observe which areas of the brain are activated during language processing and how different aspects of language (such as syntax, semantics, and phonology) are represented in the brain. Structural computed tomography (CT) is another imaging technique, but it is not as commonly used for studying language processes compared to fMRI and PET.

Question 19

A pathological difficulty in reading is termed
A) phonemia.
B) aphasia.
C) dyslexia.
D) apraxia.
E) lexicalia.

Accepted Answer

Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder characterized by difficulty with reading. It is not related to speech or language difficulties, which would be indicated by options A, B, D, and E.

Question 20

The most powerful fMRI tests suggest that the language areas of the cortex are
A) large and homogeneous.
B) patchy and widespread.
C) variable.
D) both A and C
E) both B and C

Accepted Answer

The most powerful fMRI tests indicate that language areas in the cortex are both patchy and widespread, as well as variable, reflecting the complexity and individual differences in language processing in the brain.

Quiz 16: Lateralization, Language, and the Split Brain

The major weakness of functional brain-imaging techniques as research tools is that they cannot

Most cases of dyslexia are

The incidence of developmental dyslexia in English-speaking children is __________ in boys than girls.

In comparison to English speakers, Italian speakers are __________ to be diagnosed as dyslexic.

Reading aloud can be accomplished in two different ways: by the

There are two major categories of acquired dyslexia:

Dyslexics in whom the phonetic procedure is disrupted while the lexical procedure remains normal are said to have __________ dyslexia.

Evidence suggests that the naming of different categories of nouns (such as faces, animals, or tools) is each mediated by a different part of the

Remarkably, naming famous faces, animals, and tools seems to be associated with activity in

There is now a general consensus that developmental dyslexia results from

The words "spleemer" and "twipple" are normally read aloud by a __________ procedure.

There seem to be two different procedures for reading aloud. The procedure that is based on stored information about the pronunciation of specific written words is called the __________ procedure.

In comparison to the causes of developmental dyslexia, the causes of acquired dyslexia tend to be more

Bavalier et al. (1997) used a particularly sensitive fMRI procedure to study reading. They found that the areas of cerebral activity

Mary is dyslexic. Most of her errors involve the misapplication of common rules of English pronunciation; for example, she pronounces "have" as if it rhymed with "cave." Mary has __________ dyslexia.

Italian speakers are less likely than English speakers to be diagnosed with dyslexia because

In surface dyslexia, the __________ procedure has been lost.

The cognitive neuroscience approach to the study of language is based to a large degree on the following method:

A pathological difficulty in reading is termed

The most powerful fMRI tests suggest that the language areas of the cortex are