Deck 13: Intelligence and Cognitive Functioning

Question 1

For the most part, the term "intelligence" can be defined as ______.

A) the capacity for learning, reasoning, and understanding
B) doing things differently as we get older
C) what IQ tests measure
D) the cognitive abilities we are born with

Answer 1

the capacity for learning, reasoning, and understanding

Question 2

IQ test scores were originally designed so that if an individual is about as intelligent as others of the same age, then the IQ score was ______.

A) 0
B) 1
C) 50
D) 100

Answer 2

100

Question 3

The correlation between IQ scores and schools grades usually ranges between ______.

A) .20 and .40
B) ?.20 and ?.30
C) .50 and .80
D) .40 and .60

Answer 3

.40 and .60

Question 4

According to critics of the IQ test, ______.

A) practical intelligence is greater than conventional intelligence
B) conventional intelligence is greater than academic intelligence
C) academic intelligence is greater than conventional intelligence
D) conventional intelligence is greater than practical intelligence

Question 5

Robert Sternberg, who compared the verbal SAT scores of presidential candidates in 2000, argued that ______.

A) intelligence tests measure a general, underlying factor of cognitive ability that contributes to specific mental skills
B) intelligence tests are completely useless
C) intelligence is how a culture defines people's ability to succeed
D) tests that measure practical intelligence are better than traditional intelligence tests

Question 6

Which test do many theorists prefer to use as a measure of intelligence?

A) the original Stanford-Binet test
B) the Raven Progressive Matrices
C) the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
D) the Wechsler Child Intelligence Scale

Question 7

The average male's brain is ______ compared to the average female's brain.

A) larger
B) smaller
C) the same size
D) the same ratio

Question 8

Which of the following is TRUE about the difference between the male brain and the female brain?

A) Men's brains are 6% larger on average than women's brains.
B) Women have a greater ratio of gray matter to white matter than men have.
C) Women show slightly weaker connections between the hemispheres than do men.
D) Women show slightly less complex convolutions than men, which accounts for their lighter brain weight.

Question 9

Which of the following measures show the highest prediction of intelligence?

A) gray matter volume
B) white matter volume
C) brain size
D) brain weight

Question 10

In which brain area(s) do men show the strongest correlation between gray matter volume and IQ?

A) in the frontal and parietal lobes
B) in the frontal areas only
C) in the parietal areas only
D) in the temporal and parietal lobes

Question 11

In which brain area(s) do women show the strongest correlation between gray matter volume and IQ?

A) in the frontal and parietal lobes
B) in the frontal areas only
C) in the parietal areas only
D) in the temporal and parietal lobes

Question 12

Variations in white matter volume are ______.

A) not important for either men's or women's cognitive performance
B) equally important for both men's and women's cognitive performance
C) more important for men's cognitive performance than for women's
D) more important for women's cognitive performance than for men's

Question 13

IQ scores are ______ correlated with ______.

A) negatively; nerve conduction velocity
B) positively; nerve inhibition speed
C) inversely; calcium transport time
D) positively; reaction time

Question 14

Jonah usually does better on IQ tests than Tamara. Based on studies examining the velocity of neural conduction, he would also probably do better ______.

A) on verbal tasks
B) on tasks that include many different activities
C) on tasks that require quick choices
D) when given extended time to complete the task

Question 15

Humans show ______ white matter to gray matter ratio compared to other animals.

A) lesser
B) greater
C) equal
D) no difference in

Question 16

Samantha has an IQ of 60 and Isabelle has an IQ of 120. You might expect that when Samantha and Isabelle are playing a challenging task, such as Tetris, Samantha will need to use ______ neural activity to succeed at the game than Isabelle.

A) 20% less
B) 20% more
C) 30% more
D) just as much

Question 17

Identify the correct order of structures in the Parieto-Frontal Integration Theory (P-FIT): ______.

A) secondary areas > parietal lobe > frontal lobe > anterior cingulate cortex
B) parietal lobe > frontal lobe > anterior cingulate cortex > secondary areas
C) parietal lobe > secondary areas > anterior cingulate cortex > frontal lobe
D) frontal lobe > parietal lobe > anterior cingulate cortex > secondary areas

Question 18

If you were doing some basic arithmetic to figure out how much money to tip a server for good (15%) or excellent (20%) service in your head, what part of your brain would be most active?

A) both parietal lobes
B) left prefrontal cortex
C) insular cortex
D) anterior cingulate cortex

Question 19

If your grandfather suffered a stroke in his left prefrontal cortex, in what ability would he likely be most impaired?

A) working out a complicated math problem in his head
B) wondering what the capital city of Nevada is
C) playing the piano
D) quickly telling you the value of 3 x 3

Question 20

Which of the following is TRUE regarding individuals with damage to their parietal lobes?

A) They can arrange numbers in rank order but cannot perform precise calculations.
B) They can estimate results but cannot perform precise calculations.
C) They can perform precise calculations but cannot arrange numbers in rank order.
D) They cannot estimate results or perform precise calculations.

Question 21

In completing a multistep mental arithmetic task, male participants show more activation in their right occipital area than do female participants. This difference highlights gender differences in ______.

A) brain strategies to achieve comparable results
B) calculation accuracy
C) speed of calculation
D) mathematical abilities

Question 22

When both humans and nonhuman primates watch an individual retrieve an object with a tool, there is strong activation in ______.

A) the hippocampus
B) face neurons
C) mirror neurons
D) anterior cingulate cortex

Question 23

Which of the following animals has never been shown to use objects as tools?

A) chimps
B) crows
C) cats
D) birds

Question 24

When examining the influence of brain structure, which of the following structural factors of intelligence show the highest heritability rate?

A) gray matter volume
B) overall brain volume
C) white matter volume
D) glial cell volume

Question 25

The rapid increases in IQ levels over the past few decades show evidence that ______ play an important role in intelligence.

A) environmental factors
B) genetic factors
C) both environmental and genetic factors
D) neither environmental nor genetic factors

Question 26

Juan lives in the affluent neighborhood in Louisburg Square, Boston. Meanwhile, his identical twin Jose lives in a lower-class, diverse neighborhood in Roxbury. If Juan had a higher IQ score than Jose, this would be evidence to support ______.

A) the genetic basis of intelligence
B) the environmental influence on intelligence
C) both the genetic basis of intelligence and the environmental influence on intelligence
D) neither the genetic basis of intelligence nor the environmental influence on intelligence

Question 27

In contrast to Jensen and Rushton's position, other researchers have found that ______ is more important than ______ in determining intelligence.

A) socioeconomic status; ethnic origin
B) ethnic origin; socioeconomic status
C) brain size; ethnic origin
D) purer races; mixed ancestry

Question 28

It has been suggested that, because both are very necessary, hereditary accounts for ______ and environment accounts for ______ of intelligence.

A) 50%; 50%
B) 45%; 55%
C) 100%; 100%
D) 55%; 45%

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT a reason for the difficulties in determining which environmental factors contribute to intelligence?

A) There are too many possible environmental influences.
B) The influence of just one environmental factor is weak.
C) Environmental effects are often confounded with genetic factors.
D) Research has not determined a valid and reliable way to measure environmental influences.

Question 30

The controversial beliefs that IQ scores have a genetic basis and that there are ethnic differences in average IQ score are held by extreme ______.

A) geneticists
B) hereditarians
C) polyglotists
D) numismatics

Question 31

Which of the following environmental insults shows the highest correlation with IQ?

A) climate
B) economy
C) infectious disease
D) education

Question 32

To help enhance some cognitive functioning, some college students report using stimulants typically prescribed for ______.

A) ADHD
B) autism
C) anxiety
D) OCD

Question 33

Researchers have reported long-term improvements in mathematical problem solving abilities after ______.

A) manipulating gene expression
B) electrical stimulation of the brain
C) stimulant drug treatment
D) playing video games that require extensive use of working memory

Question 34

Young children who were stunted in growth but who received early brain stimulation through social interactions, books, and toys showed all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A) better grades in school
B) 50% higher earnings later in adulthood
C) higher IQs
D) fewer fights

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT an example of crystallized intelligence?

A) skills
B) problem solving
C) overlearned knowledge
D) vocabulary

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT an example of fluid intelligence?

A) skills
B) problem solving
C) reasoning
D) learning of new information

Question 37

Age-related declines in intelligence occur with the loss of coordination in the default mode network, which includes portions of the ______.

A) frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes
B) parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes
C) temporal, parietal, and frontal lobes
D) frontal, temporal, and occipital lobes

Question 38

A decrease in coordination in the default network mode is often due to a decline in ______.

A) white matter connections
B) grey matter volume
C) neurotransmitter activity
D) glial cell functioning

Question 39

In a memory task that activates the increased activity in the right prefrontal cortex in young adults, older adults who perform the same task just as well show activation in ______.

A) the right prefrontal cortex
B) the left prefrontal cortex
C) both the right and left prefrontal cortices
D) the right prefrontal cortex and left temporal lobe

Question 40

It has been observed that among older individuals, compensatory neural activity occurs in the ______ during a memory recognition task.

A) amygdala
B) parietal lobe
C) frontal lobe
D) parahippocampal area

Question 41

In a 2005 study, individuals who ate at least 2 meals a week of ______ reduced cognitive decline by 13% compared to those eating it less than once per week.

A) lamb
B) pigeon
C) fish
D) rat

Question 42

A combination of ______ may be useful in older individuals with mild intellectual disability, as it has been shown to slow both brain atrophy and cognitive decline.

A) vitamin B
B) taurine
C) testosterone
D) GABA

Question 43

If an older female relative of yours took estrogen replacement therapy to treat the negative effects of menopause, what could be a beneficial side effect?

A) improved auditory and verbal memory
B) improved verbal and visual memory
C) larger visual and working memory capacity
D) larger working and procedural memory capacity

Question 44

Estrogen levels during the menstrual cycles have been correlated with all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A) cortical excitability
B) blood flow in brain areas involved in cognitive tasks
C) decreased glucose metabolism
D) responsiveness to acetylcholine

Question 45

Men who maintain their testosterone levels beyond the age of ______ show better preservation of visual, verbal, and visual-spatial abilities.

A) 30
B) 40
C) 50
D) 60

Question 46

Studies on testosterone replacement therapy have shown that testosterone increases only ______ in males.

A) long-term memory
B) working memory
C) spatial memory
D) verbal memory

Question 47

To improve spatial, working, and verbal memory as a group, males have to be given ______.

A) steroids
B) GABA
C) dihydrotestosterone
D) glutamate

Question 48

Improving spatial, working, and verbal memory can be accomplished by the use of ______, which is converted into ______.

A) dihydrotestosterone; estrogen
B) estrogen; testosterone
C) testosterone; estrogen
D) estrogen; dihydrotestosterone

Question 49

What is the correct term used to refer to someone with a developmental limitation in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior?

A) ADHD
B) autism
C) aging
D) intellectual disability

Question 50

It is reported that a higher incidence of intellectual disability is found in ______ countries.

A) middle- and high-income
B) middle-income
C) low-income
D) low- and middle-income

Question 51

Which of the following is NOT a noted environmental cause of intellectual disability?

A) maternal alcohol
B) birth complications
C) mild malnutrition
D) childhood infections

Question 52

What is the estimated heritability of intellectual disability?

A) 25%
B) 30%
C) 5%
D) not known

Question 53

If a pregnant woman is concerned about her unborn child having Down syndrome, she might ask her doctor about getting an amniocentesis (sampling of amniotic fluid) to confirm it. What would a positive test reveal?

A) more than 2 copies of chromosome 15
B) amyloid deposits in the brain
C) more than 2 copies of Chromosome 21
D) malformed or missing X chromosome

Question 54

What is the typical IQ range of a person with Down syndrome?

A) 30-40
B) 40-55
C) 50-60
D) 60-75

Question 55

What does "mosaic trisomy 21" mean?

A) All of the cells in the body have the extra chromosome 21.
B) Most, but not all, of the cells in the body have the extra chromosome 21.
C) Only some of the cells in the body have the extra chromosome 21.
D) Only an end portion of the extra chromosome 21 is present and is attached to another chromosome.

Question 56

A strain of mice engineered with a third copy of a critical chromosome 21 region produced ______.

A) less of two proteins that support neural survival
B) toxins that caused a buildup of neurofibrillary tangles
C) an abnormally high amount of dihydrotestosterone
D) symptoms that mimicked Korsakoff's syndrome

Question 57

In a mouse model of Down syndrome, what happened to pregnant mice when they were treated with proteins that support neuron survival?

A) The treatment did not have a significant positive effect on their offspring.
B) The treatment slowed down the developmental delays observed in their offspring.
C) The treatment eliminated the developmental delays that would usually be observed in their offspring.
D) The treatment showed positive effects in early development, but it was not long term.

Question 58

In a mouse model of Down syndrome, affected mice given a drug that increased ______ performed as well as normal mice.

A) acetylcholine
B) norepinephrine
C) dopamine
D) glutamate

Question 59

DNA methylation has been shown to differ between subjects with Down syndrome and otherwise healthy controls by ______.

A) more than 5%
B) less than 5%
C) more than 10%
D) less than 10%

Question 60

A mutation in the FMR1 gene causes ______.

A) fragile X
B) Down syndrome
C) hydrocephaly
D) fragile Y

Question 61

What happens to the FMR1 gene if the nucleotide sequence C, G, G repeats itself about 200 times?

A) The gene is turned off.
B) The gene is turned on.
C) The gene is upregulated.
D) The gene is downregulated.

Question 62

Individuals with fragile X syndrome typically have an IQ below ______, while those with phenylketonuria show an IQ level of about ______.

A) 50; 100
B) 100; 50
C) 20; 75
D) 75; 20

Question 63

Which latest virus outbreak became a serious concern when babies born to infected mothers showed smaller-than-normal brains?

A) yellow fever
B) Zika
C) malaria
D) H1N1

Question 64

The term "microcephaly" refers to ______.

A) a smaller-than-normal brain
B) a larger-than-normal brain
C) a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid
D) silencing of genes involved in normal brain development

Question 65

In a study using stem cells, it was determined that the Zika infection affected brain development by ______.

A) increasing cell death
B) disrupting the cell cycle
C) both increasing cell death and disrupting the cell cycle
D) neither increasing cell death nor disrupting the cell cycle

Question 66

This disorder is characterized by social deficits, communication difficulties, and repetitive behaviors.

A) Down syndrome
B) autism spectrum disorder
C) phenylketonuria
D) hydrocephalus

Question 67

Autism spectrum disorder includes all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A) autism
B) Down syndrome
C) Asperger's syndrome
D) childhood disintegrative disorder

Question 68

The prevalence of ASD from 2000 to 2012 has ______.

A) increased
B) decreased
C) remained the same
D) not yet been reported since the new criteria in DSM 5

Question 69

Which of the following is NOT typical in individuals with ASD?

A) inability to pretend
B) inability to understand make-believe situations
C) trouble understanding nonverbal but not verbal communication
D) use of very literal language in communicating with others

Question 70

Someone with ASD might think that other people can read minds, because they can correctly predict what someone else is about to do. This is because individuals with ASD lack a ______.

A) sense of self
B) theory of mind
C) hippocampus
D) amygdala

Question 71

One of the symptoms of autism is echolalia, which is when the child ______.

A) often shows paranoia toward echo sounds
B) often shows a fixated fascination for echo sounds
C) is unable to repeat what others say
D) shows a tendency to repeat what others say

Question 72

Children with autism often lack a theory of mind. In other words, they ______.

A) are unable to infer other people's beliefs, intents, desires or thoughts as different from their own
B) are unable to possess their own thoughts, beliefs, intents or desires
C) do not think things through and often act on impulse
D) are unable to learn from past mistakes

Question 73

When a person says, "I do not understand how people can communicate just by looking at each other. It's as though they can read each other's thoughts," he/she shows evidence of ______.

A) echolalia
B) literalism in language communication
C) microcephaly
D) lack of theory of mind

Question 74

Researchers suggest that impairment in ______ reduces an autistic person's ability to empathize with others.

A) nonverbal reasoning
B) mirror neuron functioning
C) limbic system
D) verbal language

Question 75

One possible explanation for the deficits in social, language, and emotional functioning among autistic individuals is ______.

A) overgrowth of frontal and temporal brain areas during development
B) lack of growth in frontal and temporal brain areas during development
C) overactivation of frontal and temporal brain areas during specific tasks
D) decreased gray matter volume in the prefrontal and temporal brain areas

Question 76

In an attempt to reconcile opposing findings in regard to how much connectivity occurs in the autistic brain, it has been suggested that ______ occurs in milder cases of ASD, while ______ occurs in more severe cases.

A) temporal-frontal overconnectivity; occipital underconnectivity
B) frontal overconnectivity; temporal-occipital underconnectivity
C) temporal-occipital overconnectivity; frontal underconnectivity
D) frontal underconnectivity; temporal-occipital overconnectivity

Question 77

In an attempt to reconcile opposing findings in regard to how much connectivity occurs in the autistic brain, it has been suggested that ______ occurs in earlier-maturing cortical areas, while ______ occurs later-maturing cortical areas.

A) overconnectivity; underconnectivity
B) underconnectivity; overconnectivity
C) underconnectivity; both under- and overconnectivity
D) both under- and overconnectivity; overconnectivity

Question 78

The antipsychotic drug risperidone acts as an antagonist to both ______, thus improving several autism symptoms.

A) oxytocin and GABA
B) serotonin and glutamate
C) GABA and dopamine
D) dopamine and serotonin

Question 79

Oxytocin supplementation has been shown to improve ______ by reducing fearful responses in the midbrain and amygdala.

A) trust
B) talking
C) cooperation
D) literalism

Question 80

Which of following is NOT correlated with increases in autism?

A) parental treatment and abuse
B) traffic pollution
C) environmental toxins that trigger genital malformation in males
D) none of these