Question 1

What kinds of changes in neural growth are seen in old age? To what extent are these changes useful in replacing lost neurons?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What kinds of changes in neural growth...

Question 2

Individuals with Down syndrome:

Accepted Answer

A) may have an enlarged cerebellum. 
B) are more likely to be female than male. 
C) have visibly smaller brains at birth. 
D) usually develop amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles as adults.

Question 3

Sparrows raised in isolation still learn to sing,but their songs are abnormal.This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

A) a critical period. 
B) a sensitive period. 
C) an imprinting period. 
D) the gestational age.

Question 4

The formation of an attachment to the first individual an organism sees after birth is known as:

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

Which of the following does NOT occur in the brain in old age?

Accepted Answer

A) Neurons in the prefrontal cortex are lost. 
B) Neurons in the cerebellum are lost. 
C) Neurons in the cerebral cortex show less connectivity. 
D) Neurons in the hippocampus are lost.

Question 6

In a paired-associate test of memory,elderly adults:

Accepted Answer

A) are better than college students in a directed forgetting test. 
B) experience more problems during retrieval than during encoding. 
C) perform well if items are presented at a slower pace during study. 
D) outperform college students under most conditions.

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 three-four 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

Which gene appears to govern how action potentials propagate down the axon,determining whether the message gets passed on to the next neuron?

Accepted Answer

A) BDNF 
B) SNC1A 
C) WWC1 
D) 5-HT2AR

Question 9

Puberty ____,while adolescence _____.

Accepted Answer

A) is a physical process;has a defined endpoint 
B) is a physical process;involves psychological and social change 
C) does not have precisely defined boundaries;involves psychological and social change 
D) involves psychological and social change;is a physical process

Question 10

Which of the following is true regarding imprinting?

Accepted Answer

A) The time window for imprinting cannot be extended. 
B) Imprinting can be reversed. 
C) It is an example of a critical period. 
D) It does not seem to affect the animal's behavior as an adult.

Question 11

Deficits in working memory in old age may be due to loss of neurons in the:

Accepted Answer

A) basal ganglia. 
B) cerebellum. 
C) prefrontal cortex. 
D) hippocampus.

Question 12

Which of the following is true regarding gender differences in learning and memory?

Accepted Answer

A) Young adult women outperform young adult men in learning the way around a maze. 
B) Most gender differences emerge before adolescence. 
C) At all ages,males are quicker to learn a route on a fictitious map. 
D) Females are better than males at remembering the positions of landmarks on a map,but this advantage does not emerge until puberty.

Question 13

Neurofibrillary tangles:

Accepted Answer

A) may cause damage by stimulating the immune system. 
B) are an abnormal byproduct of a common protein. 
C) are present in adults withAlzheimer's disease but not in adults with Down syndrome. 
D) are collapsed proteins that normally hold neurons in place and transport nutrients.

Question 14

Which of the following is true regarding synaptogenesis?

Accepted Answer

A) It begins immediately before birth. 
B) It continues throughout the lifespan. 
C) It occurs at relatively constant rates across different brain regions. 
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 15

Which of the following 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 Alzheimer's patients. 
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 16

Describe the neural changes seen in the brains of adolescents.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the neural changes seen in the...

Question 17

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 18

The process of physical change during which the body transitions to sexual maturity is known as:

Accepted Answer

A) the sensitive period. 
B) neurogenesis. 
C) puberty. 
D) adolescence.

Question 19

In elderly people,skill learning:

Accepted Answer

A) is as fast as young adults. 
B) takes longer than in young adults. 
C) declines even for highly practiced skills. 
D) is slow but less error-prone than in young adults.

Question 20

People with ____ have a higher risk for developing Alzheimer's disease,while people with _____ have a lower risk.

Accepted Answer

A) two E2 alleles;two E3 alleles 
B) two E4 alleles;two E2 alleles 
C) two E3 alleles;two E4 alleles 
D) two E2 alleles;two E4 alleles

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