Deck 2: Neuroscience As a Basis for Adult Development

Question 1

In grocery stores and on television there is a trend toward marketing "brain foods" to the general public.These "brain foods" contain , which protect your cells from free radicals.

A)antioxidants
B)omega-3 fats
C)B vitamins
D)hormone replacements

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is associated with neuroscience?

A)brain structures and functioning
B)the effect of reinforcements, such as rewards and punishments, on behavior
C)repressed impulses and their effect on the id, ego, and superego
D)the theory of the mind

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Neuroimaging has allowed us to

A)determine what a healthy brain looks like.
B)see exactly how the brain changes over time.
C)determine which brain changes are normative and which are not.
D)understand that neuroimaging must be used carefully and ethically as we are still figuring out (a) what is normal and what is not and (b) what a "healthy" brain looks like.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The field of neuroscience can be defined as

A)the study of free radicals.
B)the study of the compensatory changes that older adults make in adapting to behavioral decline.
C)the use of stem cells to generate new neurons.
D)the study of the brain, particularly the study of plasticity in the aging brain.

Question 5

changes allow older adults to adapt to the inevitable decline of specific areas of the brain.

A)Compensatory
B)Personality
C)Compromise
D)Collaboration

Question 6

The two neuroimaging techniques that are most often used provide

A)detailed images of the anatomical features of the brain and indications of brain activity.
B)measurements of the diffusion of water molecules in brain tissue.
C)measures of heart beat and respiration changes in older adults.
D)evidence of the positivity effect.

Question 7

Which approach compares the brain functioning of healthy older adults with adults displaying various pathological disorders of the brain?

A)neurobiological
B)bioneurosocial
C)psychological
D)neuropsychological

Question 8

Research methods that focus on understanding age-related changes in the brain can help explain why certain functions are preserved.

A)cognitive
B)muscle
C)physical health
D)sensory

Question 9

Which field of science has revolutionized our understanding of the relationships between the brain and behavior?

A)psychoanalytic theory
B)social cognitive theory
C)neuroscience
D)molecular anatomy

Question 10

Research methods that focus on age-related changes in the brain allow us to better understand why certain cognitive functions, such as well-practiced tasks, vocabulary, and wisdom, can be in old age.

A)lost
B)preserved
C)altered
D)distorted

Question 11

Structural neuroimaging focuses on the of the brain.

A)blood flow
B)structure
C)development
D)function

Question 12

SPECT and PET are examples of

A)structural neuroimaging techniques.
B)functional neuroimaging techniques.
C)Alzheimer's assessments.
D)behavioral tests that assess frontal lobe atrophy.

Question 13

Why are the results from neurocorrelational studies considered speculative?

A)because random sampling is not used
B)because the measures used in these types of studies lack validity
C)because we cannot be certain that the behavioral tests accurately assess the actual anatomical and functional activity of the brain region under investigation
D)because correlational findings are more speculative than those acquired from experimental designs

Question 14

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) produces

A)pictures that represent brain activity as different colors.
B)images of brain activity with low anatomical detail.
C)pictures of healthy brain functioning but not of pathological brain functioning.
D)highly detailed images of the anatomical structures of the brain.

Question 15

Which of the following approaches attempts to link measures of cognitive performance to measures of brain functioning?

A)neurocorrelational
B)psychological
C)neuropsychological
D)neurobiosocial

Question 16

Functional imaging techniques focus on the of the brain.

A)structure
B)anatomical features
C)activity
D)blood flow

Question 17

Neuroscience has brought an important perspective to studying cognitive aging.Specifically, it has

A)allowed us to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease.
B)given us ways to test our theories of brain-behavior relations.
C)showed us how to reverse cognitive decline in elderly individuals.
D)given us ways to eliminate free radicals.

Question 18

Which approach attempts to directly link functional brain activity with cognitive behavioral data?

A)neurobiological
B)correlational
C)activation imaging
D)psychological

Question 19

Neuroimaging has allowed us to

A)solve the nature-nuture controversy.
B)identify the causes of Alzheimer's disease.
C)see inside the brain of a living person to examine the structures of the brain.
D)examine one's genetic structure and predict which individuals will develop chronic diseases with age.

Question 20

X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs are examples of

A)genetic imaging.
B)nonnormative brain development.
C)structural neuroimaging.
D)functional neuroimaging.

Question 21

Research finding correlations between temporal lobe atrophy and cognitive declines in old age have led researchers to wonder if Alzheimer's disease

A)is inevitable for all humans.
B)is an acceleration of the normal aging process.
C)can be eliminated using stem cells.
D)is caused by cardiovascular disease.

Question 22

Most neuroscience research has focused on the

A)right axon.
B)brain stem.
C)cerebral cortex.
D)focal area.

Question 23

Research by Winecoff and colleagues (2011) indicates that as cognitive abilities decline, people may be less able to , a pattern typical in diseases such as dementia.

A)ignore irrelevant information
B)learn new tasks
C)hold as many pieces of information in working memory at one time
D)regulate their emotions

Question 24

The are involved in higher-order executive functions such as the ability to make and carry out plans, switch between tasks, and maintain attention and focus.

A)cerebellum and hippocampus
B)prefrontal and frontal cortex
C)hippocampus and limbic system
D)cerebellum and amygdala

Question 25

Reductions in the of the hippocampus are related to memory decline.

A)volume
B)density
C)dendritic tangles
D)neurotransmitters

Question 26

The areas of the brain related to sensory functions, such as the visual cortex, show relatively little

A)shrinkage.
B)improvement across the life span.
C)white matter.
D)intensity.

Question 27

functioning includes processes such as the ability to control what one is thinking about at any one moment in time and the ability to focus on relevant information and eliminate irrelevant information.

A)Executive
B)Cognitive
C)Psychological
D)Conscious

Question 28

In the past, much research regarding adult development and aging was based upon data.

A)psychosocial
B)behavioral
C)social
D)neuroimaging

Question 29

Processing speed as people age.

A)increases
B)decreases
C)becomes distorted
D)remains the same

Question 30

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are linked to cerebrovascular diseases, which are preventable and can be treated with

A)surgery and medications.
B)medications and lifestyle changes.
C)cognitive behavioral therapy and changes in diet.
D)hypnosis and lifestyle changes.

Question 31

For adult development and aging research, the most important elements of the limbic system are the

A)prefrontal and frontal cortex.
B)corpus callosum and cerebellum.
C)corpus callosum and frontal cortex.
D)amygdala and hippocampus.

Question 32

The white matter area of the brain shows deterioration with increasing age.A neuroimaging method called assesses the rate and direction that water diffuses through the white matter.

A)fMRI
B)white matter hyperintensities
C)CT scan
D)diffusion tensor imaging

Question 33

Neuroscientific methods have shown that brain activity involved in occurs in areas of the brain that are among the first affected by Alzheimer's disease.

A)recognizing faces
B)remembering items on a list
C)emotion regulation
D)executive functioning activities such as planning

Question 34

Executive functioning failures in older adults can be seen when older adults

A)have difficulty factoring out false information in an article they are reading.
B)have trouble recognizing familiar faces.
C)have problems maintaining their balance and coordination.
D)experience visual difficulties such as distinguishing certain colors and reduced night vision.

Question 35

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) may indicate

A)extremely high intelligence.
B)predisposition to Alzheimer's disease.
C)brain pathologies such as neural atrophy.
D)emotional pathology.

Question 36

Across the research, the typical finding is that older adults have reduced brain activity in the areas when compared with younger adults.

A)prefrontal and temporal
B)cerebellum and cortex
C)corpus callosum
D)limbic system

Question 37

Key structural, or anatomical, features of the neuron include all the following except

A)axons.
B)dendrites.
C)terminal branches.
D)synapses.

Question 38

Overall, there is considerable shrinkage that occurs in the aging brain.However, the shrinkage is selective.The prefrontal cortex, the , and the all show profound shrinkage.

A)frontal lobe; left cortex
B)parietal; occipital
C)cerebellum; amygdale
D)hippocampus; cerebellum

Question 39

What are the age-related changes in neurons?

A)There are no age-related changes in neurons, but there are changes in neurotransmitters.
B)The number of neurons increases.
C)Tangles develop in the fibers that make up the axon.
D)The number of connections between neurons, measured as synapses, increases after age 75.

Question 40

Which researcher examined the relationships between brain functioning and emotion?

A)Maslow
B)Winecoff
C)Piaget
D)Bandura

Question 41

The dopaminergic system is associated with high-level cognitive functioning such as inhibiting thoughts, , and planning.

A)attention
B)socialization
C)activity level
D)temperament

Question 42

Which region of the brain is implicated in emotional processing?

A)cerebellum
B)sensorimotor area
C)hippocampus
D)ventromedial prefrontal cortex

Question 43

The effective functioning of the dopaminergic system in normal aging.

A)increases
B)declines
C)stays the same
D)misfires

Question 44

The CRUNCH model suggests that there are two main mechanisms the older brain uses to perform tasks:

A)increased synapses and neurotransmitters.
B)memory aids such as mnemonic devices and brain training exercises.
C)brain training and recruiting friends to help with cognitive tasks.
D)more of the same and supplementary processes.

Question 45

Abnormal processing of which neurotransmitter has been implicated in cognitive decline in normal aging, Alzheimer's disease, and schizophrenia?

A)serotonin
B)dopamine
C)acetylcholine
D)cerebraltonin

Question 46

The P-FIT theory created by Jung and Haier (2007) was based upon

A)a cross-sectional study of 120 Alzheimer's patients.
B)a meta-analysis of 37 research studies.
C)Piaget's theory of cognitive development.
D)a longitudinal study of 500 individuals with dementia.

Question 47

Reduced brain activation or of the prefrontal cortex occurs in the elderly during intentional cognitive processing.

A)over-recruitment
B)decline-recruitment
C)low-recruitment
D)under-recruitment

Question 48

The HAROLD model indicates that older brains recruit additional neural units to increase attentional resources, processing speed, or

A)inhibitory control.
B)long-term memory capacity.
C)facial recognition.
D)intelligence.

Question 49

P-FIT stands for

A)Passive-Frontal Lobe Integration Theory.
B)Parieto-Frontal Integration Theory.
C)Parieto-Fractional Imperative Test.
D)Partial-Frontal Interest Theory.

Question 50

It is now widely accepted that bilateral activation in the aging brain is

A)evidence of compensation for deterioration in certain brain regions.
B)the result of chronic illnesses in the individual.
C)evidence that older brains are inefficient.
D)no different than what is observed in younger brains.

Question 51

Research has found that declines in the dopaminergic system are related to declines in memory and tasks.

A)long-term; speed
B)semantic; attention
C)episodic; thought
D)episodic; speed

Question 52

Reduced frontal recruitment in the aging brain is dependent.

A)recall
B)context
C)recognition
D)thought

Question 53

One of the most significant findings in the neuroscience literature is the observed of neural activation patterns in older adults' brain activity when compared with the brain functioning of younger adults.

A)continuity
B)lateralization
C)bilateralization
D)interruption

Question 54

Older adults sometimes show reduced activation of appropriate prefrontal regions.At other times, they show the same or greater recruitment of these areas, when compared with younger adults, depending on the task they are doing.This indicates that prefrontal recruitment is

A)unpredictable.
B)impossible to measure.
C)predictable in younger adults but unpredictable in older adults.
D)context dependent.

Question 55

is the neurotransmitter that sends messages throughout the brain.

A)Estrogen
B)Insulin
C)Cytosine
D)Dopamine

Question 56

Research findings have shown an association between bilateral activation in older adults and performance in a number of tasks, including memory tasks.

A)higher; long-term
B)lower; working
C)higher; working
D)lower; short-term

Question 57

Structural brain changes have been linked to executive function.For example, age-related declines in may affect white matter structures, which underlie all the areas important to executive functioning.

A)serotonin
B)the functioning of blood vessels
C)cognitive abilities
D)unilateralization

Question 58

To explore brain-related factors that might explain age differences in cognitive functioning, a researcher may use a(n) to examine how changes in brain activity occur in correspondence with changes in task demands.

A)EEG
B)MRI
C)fMRI
D)eMRI

Question 59

Which of the following are older adults more motivated to maintain?

A)social memories
B)positive affect
C)unconscious memories
D)white matter

Question 60

Bilateral activation in older adults may serve a functional and supportive role in their functioning.

A)conscious
B)unconscious
C)cognitive
D)physical

Question 61

Park and Reuter-Lorenz argue that the integrative approach provided by the STAC model embraces a "lifelong potential for plasticity and the ability to age-related changes."

A)resist
B)adapt to
C)ignore
D)modify

Question 62

Evidence has shown that the in frontal activity in older adults may be a response to the efficiency of neural processing related to the perceptual areas of the brain.

A)increase; increased
B)decrease; increased
C)function; increased
D)increase; decreased

Question 63

The National Human Neural Stem Cell Resource supplies researchers with neural stem cells that are obtained from

A)umbilical cords.
B)postnatal, postmortem human brains.
C)mice.
D)living humans.

Question 64

STAC stands for

A)Social Tact and Cognition
B)Specialized Telemeres and Cognitive Functioning
C)Scaffolding Theory of Cognitive Aging
D)Social-Congitive Theory of Adult Competence

Question 65

is a multifaceted concept that involves the changes in structure and function of the brain over time as the result of the interaction of the brain with the environment.

A)Plasticity
B)Neurality
C)Neuroscience
D)Neurofibrillation

Question 66

Why do we say neuroimaging must be used "carefully and ethically"?

Question 67

Given what you have learned about the relationship between nutrition and cognitive functioning over time, what is one piece of advice you could give others?

A)The research on the relationship between nutrition and cognitive functioning is unclear.
B)Maintaining good levels of certain nutrients in blood plasma can reduce structural changes in the brain and cognitive declines.
C)The nutrients important for women's cognitive functioning are different from those required by men.
D)After age 75, nutrition is not an important factor in cognitive functioning.

Question 68

Erikson and colleagues (2009) were interested in whether aerobic exercise had any effect on the volume of the hippocampus, a key brain structure related to memory.To assess this, they had older adults

A)play basketball.
B)take yoga classes.
C)swim laps each day.
D)exercise on a motorized treadmill.

Question 69

The default network of the brain refers to the regions of the brain that are most when an individual is at rest and not involved in a cognitive task.

A)intense
B)inactive
C)active
D)observed

Question 70

Which of the following biomarker patterns was associated with less favorable cognitive functioning and less total cerebral brain volume?

A)high blood plasma levels of B, C, D, and E
B)high blood plasma levels of omega-3 fatty acids
C)the biomarker pattern high in trans fat
D)the biomarker pattern high in EPA

Question 71

Bowman and colleagues (2012) identified three different associated with cognitive functioning and brain volume.

A)biomarker patterns
B)genes
C)personality types
D)types of exercise

Question 72

Research clearly shows that brain plasticity is enhanced as a result of

A)online "brain-training" exercises.
B)aerobic exercise.
C)having parents with high IQs.
D)lack of pollution in one's environment.

Question 73

The emotional processing areas of the brain are over time, whereas higher-order executive cognitive processes seem to __________.

A)preserved; decline
B)conserved; increase
C)preserved; increase
D)conserved; decline

Question 74

The scaffolding theory of cognitive aging (STAC) model suggests that the reason older adults continue to perform at levels despite neuronal deterioration is because of compensatory scaffolding.

A)low
B)high
C)superior
D)unpredictable

Question 75

Contrary to a previously held popular belief, persist in the adult brain and can regenerate throughout the life span.

A)synapses
B)neurons
C)white matter
D)neural stem cells

Question 76

Compensation is the brain's response to .

A)disease
B)deterioration
C)inactivity
D)injury

Question 77

Which part of the brain is preserved from aging?

A)amygdala
B)occipital
C)parietal
D)prefrontal

Question 78

Behavioral perspective research has suggested that basic cognitive processes affected by aging can be improved through and to multiple levels of functioning as long as the basic functions are shared across tasks.

A)practice; repetition
B)writing; reading
C)plasticity; training
D)training; transfer

Question 79

What are structural imaging techniques best at identifying?

Question 80

Which of the following terms provides a way to understand compensatory changes in both observable behavior and in the less observed (or more difficult to observe) reorganization of neural circuitry?

A)neuroimaging
B)gerontology
C)positivity
D)plasticity