Deck 2: The Neural Basis for Cognition

Question 1

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI):

A) is less useful than other types of neuroimaging for the study of the functioning of the brain
B) creates a three-dimensional representation of the brain's tissue
C) is useful only for studying features on the outer surface of the brain
D) makes self-report data unnecessary

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Toby and Tim both have lesions in their left frontal lobes. Toby has trouble producing speech; Tim has difficulties comprehending speech. Both Toby and Tim are likely to receive a diagnosis of:

A) neglect syndrome
B) apraxia
C) agnosia
D) aphasia

Answer 2

D

Question 3

A patient with visual agnosia will probably show an inability to:

A) remember a list of words heard 1 hour before
B) detect brief flashes of light
C) recall the color of familiar objects (e.g., that stop signs are red)
D) identify common objects in plain view

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Motor and sensory cortices combined make up what portion of the brain?

A) less than 10%
B) roughly 25%
C) just over 50%
D) nearly 85%

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT included in the limbic system?

A) thalamus
B) amygdala
C) cerebellum
D) hypothalamus

Question 6

Some researchers explain Capgras syndrome as:

A) a simple failure of visual recognition
B) the result of a disconnection between a cognitive appraisal and a sense of familiarity
C) a subtype of schizophrenia
D) a failure of long-term memory, because patients cannot remember what their own close family members look like

Question 7

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) uses a strong magnetic pulse to:

A) record the amount of glucose a specific brain region used during a cognitive task
B) measure the blood flow using blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signals
C) produce a temporary disruption to the brain area, and thus brain function, where it is applied
D) create a detailed "map" of the different brain areas

Question 8

The auditory cortex follows the principle of contralateral control. Thus, the:

A) right temporal lobe receives most of its input from the left ear
B) right temporal lobe receives most of its input from the right ear
C) right temporal lobe receives equal input from both ears
D) information received by the right temporal lobe depends on whether the listener favors his or her right or left ear

Question 9

A number of techniques have been developed that allow us to examine the moment-by-moment activity levels of specifically defined brain areas. These techniques are called:

A) EEG measurement
B) neuroimaging techniques
C) chronometric techniques
D) psychometric assessment

Question 10

Positron emission tomography (PET) scans show:

A) minute details of brain anatomy
B) what a participant is thinking at the moment the test is taken
C) brain areas that are currently consuming a particularly high level of glucose
D) whether a participant is learning something new or remembering prior learning

Question 11

Commissures, including the corpus callosum, are:

A) blood vessels that carry blood to all areas of the brain
B) brain areas associated with various types of sensory information
C) pockets of oxygen found throughout the brain
D) thick bundles of fibers that allow communication between the brain's hemispheres

Question 12

If a researcher applies mild electric current to a specific area of an animal's right hemisphere primary motor projection area, which of the following is likely to happen?

A) a specific movement of a body part on the right side of the animal
B) a specific movement of a body part on the left side of the animal
C) a chaotic movement of the entire animal
D) no movement at all

Question 13

A CT or computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan:

A) can only be performed on a cadaver
B) uses X-rays to study the living brain's anatomy
C) is primarily useful for measuring blood flow in the brain
D) can detect the activity taking place in different brain areas in real time

Question 14

Among its other functions, the amygdala seems to serve as a(n):

A) important relay station between the eye and occipital cortex
B) storage location for information received from the skin
C) "emotional evaluator" or threat detector
D) "index" for locating memories in the brain

Question 15

Damage to the brain can be caused in many ways, but in general the damage is referred to as a(n):

A) stroke
B) lesion
C) syndrome
D) ablation

Question 16

The cortex makes up the surface of what brain structure?

A) the hindbrain
B) the midbrain
C) the thalamus
D) the forebrain

Question 17

Researchers have used fMRI to investigate activation in the fusiform face area (FFA) and the parahippocampal place area (PPA). When participants are shown a picture of a face to one eye and a picture of a house to the other eye (producing binocular rivalry), we expect to see:

A) no increase in activation in either the FFA or the PPA relative to a baseline
B) equal activation in the FFA and the PPA
C) only activation in the brain region linked to the picture in the dominant eye (e.g., if a picture of a face is presented to the dominant eye, then only the FFA will show increased activation)
D) an increase in activation in the FFA when the participant is consciously aware of the face and similarly increased activation in the PPA when the participant is consciously aware of the house

Question 18

Which of the following statements is LEAST likely to be true of a person with Capgras syndrome?

A) She thinks that her mother has been replaced by a look-alike alien.
B) She cannot recognize that her father looks like her father.
C) She also has Alzheimer's syndrome.
D) She has no warm sense of familiarity when she sees a close friend.

Question 19

The hindbrain is responsible for which of the following?

A) rhythm of breathing, level of alertness, posture
B) complex thought, long-term memory
C) planned motor activity
D) perception and visual imagery

Question 20

The primary motor projection area is located:

A) in the cerebellum
B) in the occipital cortex
C) toward the rear of the frontal lobe
D) in the midbrain

Question 21

A neuron's initial, internal response to an incoming signal can vary in size. The ultimate, external response of the cell, however, does not vary in size. If the signal is sent, it is always of the same magnitude. This effect is called the:

A) whole-firing potential
B) all-or-none law
C) uniform response law
D) threshold potential

Question 22

Once a cell fires, the part of a neuron that transmits information to another location is the:

A) dendrite
B) cell body
C) axon
D) nucleus

Question 23

Cells A and B are receiving the same high levels of stimulation, but cell A is showing a lower level of activity than cell B. A likely explanation for this fact is:

A) cell A is defective
B) cell A is receiving input from the edge of a surface, while cell B is receiving input from a portion of the surface away from the edge
C) cell A is being laterally inhibited by other nearby cells
D) cell A has a higher resting level than cell B

Question 24

The specialization evident in visual processing shows that:

A) the visual system relies on parallel processing
B) all of the various aspects of visual processing occur within the occipital cortex
C) the visual system relies exclusively on serial processing
D) all visual processing occurs in the right hemisphere

Question 25

A synapse is:

A) a message sent from one neuron to another
B) part of a neuron's cell body
C) made up of the end of one neuron's axon, another neuron's receiving membrane, and the gap between these
D) the name of the electric signal that occurs when a cell reaches its threshold

Question 26

Capgras syndrome, and other cognitive disorders, are useful because they:

A) provide information about normal cognitive functioning
B) suggest cognition is an interesting topic
C) provide evidence that people with Capgras syndrome need medication
D) show that brain damage is irreversible

Question 27

A researcher wishes to define the receptive field for a particular neuron in the visual cortex. To do this, the researcher will need to specify:

A) the portion of the neuron that receives input from neighboring neurons
B) an area within the visual field, with the cell firing if the appropriate target appears within the area
C) where the neuron is located within the visual cortex
D) the brain area from which the neuron is receiving its input

Question 28

To perceive the visual world, we have to reunite various elements of a scene together so that these elements are perceived in an integrated fashion. Which of the following is NOT likely to be involved in this task?

A) attention
B) memory
C) spatial position
D) different groups of neurons firing in synchrony

Question 29

Patients who have suffered damage to the occipital-parietal pathway (the "where" system) will have difficulties with which of the following tasks?

A) visually identifying a toothbrush on the counter in front of them
B) describing the function of the toothbrush without touching it
C) reaching in the correct direction to retrieve the toothbrush
D) knowing how to use the toothbrush once they have retrieved it

Question 30

Damage to the prefrontal area leads to:

A) neglect syndrome
B) a variety of problems, including problems planning and implementing strategies
C) exclusively difficulties with memory
D) primarily language problems

Question 31

Which of the following statements does NOT illustrate the difference between rods and cones?

A) Rods are sensitive to lower levels of light.
B) Only cones are able to discriminate color (hue).
C) There are three types of rods (for three different wavelengths of light) and only one type of cone.
D) Cones have greater acuity.

Question 32

The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) is:

A) a way station between the eye and the occipital cortex, located in the thalamus
B) an important area in the amygdala, associated with long-term memory
C) the section of the optic nerve closest to the eye
D) the location in the temporal cortex where auditory information is stored

Question 33

Visual agnosia is associated with damage to which of the following?

A) area V1
B) the "where" system, which carries information from the occipital cortex to the parietal cortex
C) the "what" system, which carries information from the occipital cortex to the temporal cortex
D) area MT

Question 34

Human brains have a distinct division-of-labor strategy. Each task is achieved as a result of multiple brain areas working together. But the work of the various parts of the brain must be compiled into a finished whole. The issue of how this reassembly works is referred to as the:

A) binding problem
B) Humpty Dumpty dilemma
C) reassembly law
D) ultimate puzzle

Question 35

A researcher has identified the receptive field for a neuron and has determined that the receptive field has a center-surround organization. If the researcher were to shine light into the entire receptive field, including both the center and the surrounding area, we would expect the neuron to:

A) continue firing at its resting rate
B) increase its firing rate
C) decrease its firing rate
D) cease firing

Question 36

Capgras syndrome suggests there are two parts to recognition. These parts are:

A) factual and familiar
B) factual and emotional
C) visual and factual
D) visual and auditory

Question 37

Cells detecting the boundary of a surface are subject to less lateral inhibition than cells detecting the center of the same surface. This leads to an effect called:

A) lateral enhancement
B) edge enhancement
C) the boundary rule
D) the all-or-none law

Question 38

A neuron is:

A) a group of cells specialized for a particular type of information storage
B) one of the fibers connecting the eye to the visual cortex
C) an individual cell within the nervous system
D) a region within the brain dedicated to a single function

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT part of the fovea?

A) a cluster of cones in the center of the retina
B) the area of the retina found far out in the periphery
C) the region of the retina with the greatest acuity
D) the area of the retina on which we place a target image in order to see the target clearly

Question 40

A researcher wishes to determine exactly when a particular neuron is firing. A technique well suited to this purpose is:

A) neuropsychological testing
B) lesion studies
C) stereotaxis
D) single-cell recording

Question 41

You are at the zoo watching a tiger sleep. It suddenly awakes, and lurches in your direction. Spatial position would NOT provide information about the:

A) form of the tiger
B) color of the tiger
C) motion patterns of the tiger
D) dangerous nature of the tiger

Question 42

Parvo cells do NOT differ from Magno cells in what way?

A) size of the cell
B) size of the receptive field
C) pattern of firing
D) location in the visual system

Question 43

Capgras syndrome provides an illustration of several important themes in Chapter 2. All of the following are true of Capgras, EXCEPT:

A) damage to a specific part of brain will produce specific symptoms
B) the brain is interconnected so that many systems interact
C) cognitive disorders often co-occur, like Alzheimer's and Capgras
D) damage to the amygdala will result in an inability to recognize imposters

Question 44

The primary motor projection area forms a "map" of the body, and the projections control movement to specific areas of the body. The amount of cortical tissue dedicated to specific parts of the body varies based on the:

A) size of the body part
B) distance of the body part from the brain
C) precision of movement for the body part
D) cortical area does not vary; it is the same for all body parts

Question 45

Neuroimaging techniques such as PET suggest a link between Capgras syndrome and abnormalities in all of the following brain regions EXCEPT the:

A) prefrontal cortex
B) amygdala
C) temporal lobe
D) fusiform face area

Question 46

Capgras syndrome contributes to our understanding of cognition in each of the following ways, EXCEPT the role of:

A) the temporal lobe in memory
B) the amygdala in people without Capgras syndrome
C) the frontal lobe in schizophrenia
D) visual area V1

Question 47

Researchers using fMRI find activity in the fusiform face area (FFA) when participants are viewing faces. This means that FFA:

A) is responsible for recognizing faces
B) is necessary to recognizing faces
C) activity is correlated with recognizing faces
D) has no role in recognizing faces

Question 48

Lisa has recently suffered a brain injury. Her symptoms include deficits in coordination and interpretation of pain. Which structure is MOST likely damaged?

A) primary motor area
B) midbrain
C) forebrain
D) hindbrain

Question 49

How is cognition like Humpty Dumpty?

A) The brain is shaped like an egg.
B) Pieces of information are processed separately, and need to be put back together.
C) A great fall causes serious damage.
D) Cognition allows us to sit on walls.