Question 1

Which of the following statistical facts provides support for a role of prenatal androgen levels in lateralization?
A) lower rates of verbal learning disabilities among males
B) higher rates of immune disorders among females
C) lower rates of left-handedness among males exposed prenatally to ultrasound
D) higher rates of left-handedness among males

Accepted Answer

Higher rates of left-handedness among males suggest a role of prenatal androgen levels in lateralization because androgens influence brain development, and variations in these levels can affect lateralization patterns, such as handedness.

Question 2

The majority of left-handed people
A) lateralize language function to the right hemisphere.
B) use the two hemispheres equally for language.
C) lateralize language function to the left hemisphere.
D) switch back and forth between the left and right hemispheres while processing language.

Accepted Answer

The majority of left-handed people lateralize language function to the left hemisphere. This is the same pattern as right-handed people. Only a small percentage of left-handed people lateralize language to the right hemisphere, and even fewer use both hemispheres equally for language.

Question 3

For most people, which part(s) of the brain contribute(s) to the interpretation of prosody?
A) the left hemisphere only.
B) the right hemisphere only.
C) the right hemisphere and the left orbitofrontal cortex.
D) the right hemisphere and both the right and left orbitofrontal cortices.

Accepted Answer

The answer of  For most people, which part(s) of the...

Question 4

Studies have indicated that the percentage of left-handed individuals in a society is positively correlated with the
A) average level of education.
B) age distribution.
C) tendency to be multilingual.
D) homicide rate.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown a peculiar correlation between the percentage of left-handed individuals in a society and the homicide rate. This does not imply causation but rather an observed statistical correlation.

Question 5

Brittany, who is right-handed, always holds her cell phone up to her left ear so she can do other things with her right hand at the same time. It is most likely that Brittany
A) is unusual for a right-hander, because she obviously must store language in her right hemisphere.
B) will not be able to understand either the words or emotional tone of her friends as well as if she listened with her right ear instead of her left.
C) will do a good job interpreting the emotional tone of her friends' voices, but she might miss a word or two of their conversation now and then.
D) will do a good job of hearing all of the words her friends say, but she might misinterpret the emotional tone of their voices now and then.

Accepted Answer

Brittany will still be able to interpret the emotional tone of her friends' voices because the left hemisphere of her brain, which processes language, is still involved in the task of listening. However, she may miss a word or two of the conversation now and then because the right ear has a slightly better pathway to the language centers of the brain. Nonetheless, this is not a significant impairment and most people who are right-handed use their left ear for phone conversations.

Question 6

According to research by Springer and Deutsch on handedness, artistic talent, and occupational choice, handedness
A) is a strong predictor of occupational choice but not artistic talent.
B) is a strong predictor of artistic talent but not occupational choice.
C) is a strong predictor of both artistic talent and occupational choice.
D) fails to predict either artistic talent or occupational choice.

Accepted Answer

The research found that handedness is not a strong predictor of either artistic talent or occupational choice.

Question 7

A possible benefit of lateralization is
A) improvement in divided attention abilities.
B) faster communication between the two hemispheres.
C) "backup" in the event of brain damage.
D) increased diversity among a population.

Accepted Answer

Lateralization, the specialization of the brain's two hemispheres for different functions, can improve divided attention abilities. This is because tasks can be processed more efficiently when different aspects are handled by specialized regions in each hemisphere, allowing for better multitasking and attention management.

Question 8

One of the following has been linked to an increase in left-handedness early in life.
A) prenatal exposure to ultrasound
B) prenatal exposure to x-rays
C) routine childhood immunizations
D) diet

Accepted Answer

Prenatal exposure to ultrasound has been linked to an increase in left-handedness in children. Studies have shown that ultrasound exposure can affect brain development, which may lead to changes in handedness. However, more research is needed to fully understand this relationship. There is no evidence to suggest that prenatal exposure to x-rays, routine childhood immunizations, or diet have any impact on the development of handedness.

Question 9

Language function is lateralized to the right hemisphere
A) in all right-handed people.
B) in 96 percent of right-handed people.
C) in a slight majority of right-handed people.
D) only rarely in right-handed people.

Accepted Answer

Language function is typically lateralized to the left hemisphere in most people, including right-handed individuals. It is only rarely lateralized to the right hemisphere in right-handed people.

Question 10

In dichotic listening tasks,
A) most right-handed people will repeat the information heard by the left ear.
B) most right-handed people will repeat the information heard by the right ear.
C) 50 percent of right-handed people will repeat the information heard by the left ear.
D) most left-handed people will repeat the information heard by the left ear.

Accepted Answer

In dichotic listening tasks, it has been found that most right-handed people will repeat the information heard by the right ear. This is because the input from the right ear is processed by the left hemisphere of the brain, which is dominant for language processing in most right-handed individuals. Left-handed individuals may show more variability in their responses, with some repeating from the left ear and others from the right ear.

Question 11

Dichotic listening tasks are based on the fact that
A) information from each ear is processed exclusively by the ipsilateral auditory cortex.
B) information from each ear is processed equally by both hemispheres.
C) sounds originating from directly in front of or behind a person will be processed by the left hemisphere.
D) information from each ear is processed more rapidly by the contralateral auditory cortex.

Accepted Answer

Dichotic listening tasks are based on the principle that information (such as sound) entering one ear is primarily processed by the auditory cortex in the opposite hemisphere of the brain, which is known as contralateral processing. This is why option D is correct.

Question 12

Sandra has always been good at multitasking. She seems to be able to keep track of several things going on at once. Researchers studying multitasking would likely suggest that Sandra's
A) brain function is less lateralized than those who cannot multitask as well.
B) brain function is more lateralized than those who cannot multitask as well.
C) verbal skills are in her right hemisphere.
D) verbal skills are in her left hemisphere.

Accepted Answer

Researchers studying multitasking have found that individuals who perform well on multitasking activities have more lateralized brain function, meaning that specific functions are assigned to specific hemispheres of the brain. In Sandra's case, her ability to multitask suggests that her brain function is more lateralized than those who cannot multitask as well.

Question 13

The brains of musicians with perfect pitch
A) differed from nonmusicians but not from musicians lacking perfect pitch.
B) differed from musicians lacking perfect pitch but not nonmusicians.
C) were the same as nonmusicians and musicians lacking perfect pitch.
D) differed from both nonmusicians and musicians lacking perfect pitch.

Accepted Answer

The brains of musicians with perfect pitch differ from both nonmusicians and musicians lacking perfect pitch, indicating unique neural structures or pathways associated with having perfect pitch.

Question 14

In a dichotic listening test for which he volunteered, Justin was able to repeat the words presented to his right ear, but he did a better job evaluating the emotional tone of a word when it was presented to his left ear. It is most likely that
A) Justin is left-handed.
B) Justin is right-handed.
C) Justin is ambidextrous, showing no preference for one hand over the other.
D) no predictions about Justin's handedness can be made without further information.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that the left hemisphere of the brain, which is typically the dominant hemisphere for right-handed individuals, is better at processing language and verbal information. Therefore, it is most likely that Justin is right-handed, since he was better able to repeat words presented to his right ear. Additionally, the right hemisphere of the brain is typically better at processing emotional information, which may explain why Justin was able to better evaluate the emotional tone of words presented to his left ear.

Question 15

Lateralization of function is found in
A) humans only.
B) humans and other primates.
C) all mammals.
D) many animals, including birds.

Accepted Answer

Lateralization of function, or the specialization of certain cognitive abilities to one hemisphere of the brain, has been found in many animals including birds, as well as in humans and other primates.

Question 16

Language function is lateralized to the left hemisphere
A) in all left-handed people.
B) in 90 to 97 percent of left-handed people.
C) in a majority of left-handed people.
D) only rarely in left-handed people.

Accepted Answer

Language function is lateralized to the left hemisphere in a majority of left-handed people, similar to right-handed people, although the percentage may be slightly lower compared to right-handers.

Question 17

Left-handed people
A) nearly always lateralize language to the right hemisphere.
B) are less likely to lateralize language to the right hemisphere than right-handed people.
C) are less likely to use both hemispheres equally for language than right-handed people.
D) are more likely to use both hemispheres equally for language than right-handed people.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that left-handed people are more likely to have a more bilateral distribution of language processing, meaning that they use both hemispheres more equally for language compared to right-handed people.

Question 18

In patients with brain damage, recognition of different grammatical structures is
A) better in patients with left hemisphere damage than patients with right hemisphere damage.
B) better in patients with right hemisphere damage than patients with left hemisphere damage.
C) not impaired in patients with either right or left hemisphere damage.
D) equally impaired in patients with either right or left hemisphere damage.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that patients with left hemisphere damage (typically caused by stroke) are more likely to have impairments in grammatical processing, including difficulty with word order and sentence structure. Patients with right hemisphere damage may still have some deficits in grammatical processing, but these are generally less severe. Therefore, recognition of different grammatical structures is better in patients with left hemisphere damage than patients with right hemisphere damage.

Question 19

For hearing, the term prosody indicates
A) using pitch and tone to convey emotions in language.
B) turn-taking during a conversation.
C) perfect pitch.
D) recognition of different grammatical structures in language.

Accepted Answer

The answer of  For hearing, the term prosody indicates
A) using...

Question 20

Research on the lateralization of musical skills
A) demonstrates conclusively that musical skills are lateralized to the right hemisphere in most people.
B) demonstrates conclusively that musical skills are lateralized to the left hemisphere in most people.
C) has produced mixed results, leading to an ongoing debate about the extent to which musical skills are lateralized.
D) supports the idea that musical skills are equally divided between the two hemispheres.

Accepted Answer

Research on the lateralization of musical skills has produced mixed results, with some studies suggesting a dominant role of the right hemisphere in processing music and others showing involvement of both hemispheres. This has led to an ongoing debate about the extent to which musical skills are lateralized, with some researchers considering it to be a distributed or networked function that involves communication between different brain regions. Therefore, it cannot be concluded that musical skills are solely lateralized to the left or right hemisphere.

Quiz 13: Cognition

Which of the following statistical facts provides support for a role of prenatal androgen levels in lateralization?

The majority of left-handed people

For most people, which part(s) of the brain contribute(s) to the interpretation of prosody?

Studies have indicated that the percentage of left-handed individuals in a society is positively correlated with the

Brittany, who is right-handed, always holds her cell phone up to her left ear so she can do other things with her right hand at the same time. It is most likely that Brittany

According to research by Springer and Deutsch on handedness, artistic talent, and occupational choice, handedness

A possible benefit of lateralization is

One of the following has been linked to an increase in left-handedness early in life.

Language function is lateralized to the right hemisphere

In dichotic listening tasks,

Dichotic listening tasks are based on the fact that

Sandra has always been good at multitasking. She seems to be able to keep track of several things going on at once. Researchers studying multitasking would likely suggest that Sandra's

The brains of musicians with perfect pitch

In a dichotic listening test for which he volunteered, Justin was able to repeat the words presented to his right ear, but he did a better job evaluating the emotional tone of a word when it was presented to his left ear. It is most likely that

Lateralization of function is found in

Language function is lateralized to the left hemisphere

Left-handed people

In patients with brain damage, recognition of different grammatical structures is

For hearing, the term prosody indicates

Research on the lateralization of musical skills