Question 1

Which gene has been implicated in both early-onset Alzheimer's and Down syndrome?

Accepted Answer

A)  APOE 
B)  APP 
C)  PS1 
D)  PS2

Question 2

Which statement supports the idea that age-related improvement in working memory capacity at least partially reflects exposure to and familiarity with the material to be remembered?

Accepted Answer

A)  Ten-year-old chess experts can remember more pieces than adults who do not play chess, even though the children's digit spans were lower. 
B)  Young children can remember only three to four digits, whereas teenagers can remember seven to eight digits. 
C)  Performance on working-memory tasks increases throughout adolescence before leveling off. 
D)  All of the answers are correct.

Question 3

Discuss the various ways in which genes have been shown to influence the ability to learn.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the various ways in which genes...

Question 4

The human language has about how many speech sounds, which are referred to as phonemes?

Accepted Answer

A)  25 to 40 
B)  35 to 50 
C)  45 to 60 
D)  55 to 70

Question 5

Alzheimer's drugs that inhibit cholinesterase:

Accepted Answer

A)  work by enhancing the breakdown of unused acetylcholine in synapses between neurons. 
B)  stop the accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. 
C)  reverse the neuronal damage that has already occurred. 
D)  treat symptoms temporarily.

Question 6

Amyloid plaques:

Accepted Answer

A)  are collapsed proteins that normally hold neurons in place and transport nutrients. 
B)  first accumulate in the hippocampus of patients with Alzheimer's disease. 
C)  are present in patients with Alzheimer's disease but not in adults with Down syndrome. 
D)  may be evidence of the brain's attempt to isolate and protect against damaging types of beta-amyloid.

Question 7

"Genie," the little girl who was tragically isolated until age 13:

Accepted Answer

A)  learned to speak, but only at the level of a 3- to 4-year old. 
B)  could not learn to speak at all. 
C)  learned language slowly, but eventually could speak normally. 
D)  could only make very basic speech sounds.

Question 8

In old age:

Accepted Answer

A)  human brains are about the same weight as in adolescence. 
B)  human brains have increased in weight by 5 percent. 
C)  the brain shrinks only in people who have suffered from disease or injury. 
D)  human brains have lost about 5 percent of their weight.

Question 9

A fetus is sufficiently developed to start perceiving and learning about sounds by about _____ week(s) gestational age.

Accepted Answer

A)  1 
B)  2 
C)  10 
D)  25

Question 10

The technique in which infants are shown an action and tested for their ability to mimic this action later is known as:

Accepted Answer

A)  imprinting. 
B)  mutation. 
C)  neurogenesis. 
D)  elicited imitation.

Question 11

During childhood apoptosis:

Accepted Answer

A)  neurons die as a result of accidents or disease. 
B)  neurons with fewer connections to other neurons are more likely to survive. 
C)  there is an increase in neurotrophic factors such as BDNF. 
D)  about one-third of the neurons die.

Question 12

Which person's skill will be the MOST resistant to decline in older adulthood?

Accepted Answer

A)  Brandon, who plays golf once a year 
B)  Danielle, who learned to play the guitar in her forties 
C)  Isaiah, who shampoos his carpets about every 5 years 
D)  Courtney, who is a professional chef

Question 13

Gestational age refers to:

Accepted Answer

A)  time since birth. 
B)  time since conception. 
C)  mental age. 
D)  the age at which learning is particularly effective.

Question 14

Mutations on the _____ gene seem to be associated with late-onset Alzheimer's.

Accepted Answer

A)  APOE 
B)  APP 
C)  PS1 
D)  PS2

Question 15

Which statement is TRUE regarding the genetic basis of learning?

Accepted Answer

A)  Researchers have discovered most of the genes that appear to be involved in learning. 
B)  Genes must be activated before they affect learning. 
C)  Most genes act independently of each other. 
D)  Genes appear to play only a small role in learning.

Question 16

Studies of the effects of sex hormones in adults have shown that:

Accepted Answer

A)  testosterone improves rats' ability to find the platform in a water maze. 
B)  women tested at points in their menstrual cycle when estrogen is high outperform women tested when their estrogen is low. 
C)  recall of words is worse in women than in male-to-female transsexuals undergoing estrogen therapy. 
D)  testosterone may promote learning on tasks requiring recall of specific verbal information.

Question 17

What kinds of brain abnormalities are seen in children with Down syndrome? Which of these abnormalities seems to result in memory impairment?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What kinds of brain abnormalities are seen...

Question 18

Which statement is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

A)  In adulthood, nearly all individuals with Down syndrome develop amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. 
B)  In adulthood, nearly all individuals with Down syndrome develop cognitive impairments similar to those seen in patients with Alzheimer's disease. 
C)  The APOE gene has been implicated in both Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease. 
D)  The PS1 gene has been implicated in both Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease.

Question 19

When Tryon (1940) bred "maze-bright" rats together, he found that:

Accepted Answer

A)  there was no improvement in maze learning across generations. 
B)  the first generation made fewer errors, but subsequent generations showed no improvement in maze learning. 
C)  with each generation, the rats' offspring made more errors. 
D)  with each generation, the rats' offspring made fewer errors.

Question 20

Listening to classical music such as works by Mozart:

Accepted Answer

A)  activates the same brain regions that are used in abstract spatial reasoning. 
B)  has been shown to reliably lead to intellectual improvement. 
C)  leads to long-lasting changes in abstract reasoning abilities. 
D)  leads to improvement on a wide variety of intellectual tasks.

Exam 12: Development and Aging: Learning and Memory Across the Lifespan