Question 1

People with frontal lobe lesions are often impaired in organizing and segregating events in memory.

Accepted Answer

The frontal lobes, particularly the prefrontal cortex, play a crucial role in organizing information, including events in memory. Thus, damage to this area of the brain can result in impaired organization and segregation of events in memory.

Question 2

Which aspects of memory are compromised following damage to the frontal lobe? Which aspects are relatively unimpaired?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which aspects of memory are compromised following...

Question 3

For situations in which no routine procedure can be used to generate an appropriate response, which type of mechanism is used to select the best schema control unit for translation into action?
A)the somatic marker hypothesis
B)utilization behavior
C)the supervisory attentional system
D)source encoding

Accepted Answer

The supervisory attentional system is responsible for selecting the appropriate schema control unit when no routine procedure can be used. It is a higher-level cognitive mechanism that is involved in decision-making and planning. The somatic marker hypothesis is a theory about how emotions influence decision-making, but it is not directly relevant to the selection of schema control units. Utilization behavior refers to an automatic tendency to use objects in the environment, but it is also not directly related to schema control units. Source encoding is a term used in memory research and is not relevant to this question.

Question 4

In a delayed response task, participants were asked to look at faces or scenes or engage in passive viewing. Which of the following results distinguished older adults from young adults when viewing faces relative to passive viewing?
A)The older adults showed reduced activation in the fusiform face area.
B)The older adults showed reduced activation in the parahippocampal place area.
C)The young adults showed reduced activation in the fusiform face area.
D)The young adults showed reduced activation in the parahippocampal place area.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In a delayed response task, participants were...

Question 5

You have just been introduced to two people, one of whom suffers from a frontal lobe syndrome and the other from visual agnosia. However, you do not know which person is which. Describe some questions or tasks that you could use to determine which person has the frontal lobe syndrome and which one has visual agnosia.

Accepted Answer

The answer of You have just been introduced to two...

Question 6

Although the prefrontal cortex is not essential for working memory, it is particularly important for the storage of associative knowledge.

Accepted Answer

The prefrontal cortex is essential for the higher-order functions of working memory, particularly in the manipulation and organization of information, rather than just for the storage of associative knowledge.

Question 7

At any given time, many different schema control units may be activated. However, we can rarely carry out more than one unit at a time and must select the most appropriate one to translate into action. The units are mutually inhibitory, and only the most activated one wins the competition for expression. This type of selection mechanism is called
A)the supervisory attentional system.
B)contention scheduling.
C)the somatic marker hypothesis.
D)utilization behavior.

Accepted Answer

The given description matches the process of contention scheduling. Different schema control units compete with each other for expression and the winner is the most activated one. This process is mutually inhibitory, as mentioned in the description. The supervisory attentional system refers to a separate process of monitoring and controlling the allocation of attentional resources. The somatic marker hypothesis suggests that emotions and physiological responses guide decision-making. Utilization behavior refers to a tendency to use available objects or tools, even if they are not necessary for the current task.

Question 8

Dynamic filtering is one view of the prefrontal cortex, in which this area is a repository of representations and selects information most relevant to the current task.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Dynamic filtering is one theory of prefrontal cortex function, in which the brain's prefrontal cortex is thought to act as a storehouse of representations and consciously or unconsciously sift through these representations in order to pick the most relevant ones for the current task or goal.

Question 9

The key function of the inferior temporal lobe is to evaluate response conflict.

Accepted Answer

The key function of the inferior temporal lobe is to process visual perception and recognition of objects, faces, and scenes. It is not primarily responsible for evaluating response conflict. That function is more closely associated with regions of the prefrontal cortex.

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT a situation that you would expect to engage the supervisory attentional system?
A)one that engages a specific schema control unit
B)one that requires planning or decision making
C)one that requires error detection
D)one that is difficult

Accepted Answer

The supervisory attentional system is responsible for managing and allocating cognitive resources in situations that are difficult, require planning or decision-making, or involve error detection. It is not specifically linked to engaging a specific schema control unit, which is more related to automatic processing.

Question 11

In a stop-signal task, participants are asked to
A)choose between two responses but abort their response when signaled to do so.
B)identify the color (red, yellow, or green) in which color words have been written.
C)sort cards into piles but change the sorting rule when the stop signal appears.
D)drive a virtual car through crowded London streets, obeying all traffic signals.

Accepted Answer

In a stop-signal task, participants are asked to choose between two responses (such as pressing a left or right button) but must abort their response if signaled to do so. This task measures a person's ability to inhibit their automatic response and switch to a new one, making it a commonly used test in psychology and neuroscience research. The other options (B, C, and D) do not involve response inhibition and are not examples of a stop-signal task.

Question 12

The lateral prefrontal cortex is important for working memory tasks.

Accepted Answer

The lateral prefrontal cortex, specifically the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, is important for working memory tasks. This area of the brain is responsible for holding information in short-term memory and manipulating it for use in decision making and problem solving. Lesions to this area can result in impairments in working memory and cognitive flexibility.

Question 13

Switching tasks requires maintenance but not manipulation of information in working memory.

Accepted Answer

Switching tasks requires both maintenance and manipulation of information in working memory, as you need to keep track of the tasks and adjust your cognitive strategies accordingly.

Question 14

Hypothetically, which of the following would represent a potential consequence of a population of children whose frontal lobes were far more developed than neurotypical children?
A)They would be more impulsive.
B)They would be more cognitively inflexible.
C)They would be less goal-oriented in their behavior.
D)They would have more difficulty multi-tasking.

Accepted Answer

Frontal lobes are responsible for decision-making, planning, and cognitive flexibility. If they were far more developed than neurotypical children, the children would likely struggle with being able to shift their thinking and adapt to changing situations, making them more cognitively inflexible.

Question 15

The error-related negativity (ERN) has been localized to the anterior cingulate cortex.

Accepted Answer

Multiple studies have confirmed that the ERN is generated in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), specifically in the dorsal portion of the ACC.

Question 16

In general, increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex has been observed when participants perform tasks that have any of the following properties EXCEPT:
A)The task requires planning and decision making.
B)The task involves well-learned or automatic responses.
C)The task is likely to require error correction.
D)The task requires a response that competes with another strong habitual response.

Accepted Answer

Increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex is typically associated with tasks that involve executive functions, such as planning and decision making, error detection and correction, and competing responses. However, tasks that involve well-learned or automatic responses usually do not require much executive control and therefore do not elicit significant activity in the anterior cingulate cortex.

Question 17

Prefrontal areas are likely a temporary repository for representations accessed from other neural sites.

Accepted Answer

Studies have suggested that the prefrontal cortex serves as a temporary holding area for representations retrieved from other neural sites, allowing for flexible use of information in decision making and problem solving.

Question 18

Which of the following situations would be most likely to engage the anterior cingulate cortex?
A)A waiter walks over to your table at a restaurant and holds an open menu in front of you.
B)You walk into the elevator of your apartment building and press the button for your floor.
C)You enter your classroom and find someone sitting in your usual seat.
D)A good friend asks you to remind him of your telephone number.

Accepted Answer

The anterior cingulate cortex is known to be involved in conflict monitoring, decision making, and emotional regulation, all of which may be relevant in the situation of finding someone else sitting in your usual seat in class. The other options are not likely to elicit as strong a response from this area of the brain.

Question 19

Appropriate goal-oriented behavior is typically described as stimulus-driven.

Accepted Answer

Appropriate goal-oriented behavior is typically described as goal-directed, meaning that it is motivated by a desired outcome or goal, rather than being driven solely by external stimuli.

Question 20

The supervisory attentional system, which seems to be localized to the ________ in the brain, becomes active during the Stroop task because this task requires ________.
A)orbitofrontal cortex; a response (vocalizing a perceived color) that competes with a strong habitual response (reading)
B)orbitofrontal cortex; a response (reading) that competes with a strong habitual response (vocalizing a perceived color)
C)anterior cingulate cortex; a response (reading) that competes with a strong habitual response (vocalizing a perceived color)
D)anterior cingulate cortex; a response (vocalizing a perceived color) that competes with a strong habitual response (reading)

Accepted Answer

The anterior cingulate cortex is responsible for the supervisory attentional system, and the Stroop task requires the suppression of a strong habitual response (reading) in order to correctly respond with the perceived color, activating this system.

Quiz 12: Cognitive Control

People with frontal lobe lesions are often impaired in organizing and segregating events in memory.

Which aspects of memory are compromised following damage to the frontal lobe? Which aspects are relatively unimpaired?

For situations in which no routine procedure can be used to generate an appropriate response, which type of mechanism is used to select the best schema control unit for translation into action?

In a delayed response task, participants were asked to look at faces or scenes or engage in passive viewing. Which of the following results distinguished older adults from young adults when viewing faces relative to passive viewing?

Although the prefrontal cortex is not essential for working memory, it is particularly important for the storage of associative knowledge.

Dynamic filtering is one view of the prefrontal cortex, in which this area is a repository of representations and selects information most relevant to the current task.

The key function of the inferior temporal lobe is to evaluate response conflict.

Which of the following is NOT a situation that you would expect to engage the supervisory attentional system?

In a stop-signal task, participants are asked to

The lateral prefrontal cortex is important for working memory tasks.

Switching tasks requires maintenance but not manipulation of information in working memory.

Hypothetically, which of the following would represent a potential consequence of a population of children whose frontal lobes were far more developed than neurotypical children?

The error-related negativity (ERN) has been localized to the anterior cingulate cortex.

In general, increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex has been observed when participants perform tasks that have any of the following properties EXCEPT:

Prefrontal areas are likely a temporary repository for representations accessed from other neural sites.

Which of the following situations would be most likely to engage the anterior cingulate cortex?

Appropriate goal-oriented behavior is typically described as stimulus-driven.

The supervisory attentional system, which seems to be localized to the in the brain, becomes active during the Stroop task because this task requires .