Deck 4: Selecting an Appropriate Assessment Instrument

Question 1

What does the comparatively long phase of postnatal development in humans imply about the role of experience in neurological development?

Answer 1

Although the basic sequence of prenatal and postnatal brain development in humans is similar to that of other mammals, the prolonged time course involved in cortical specialization suggests that individual experience can greatly influence both functional and structural development of the brain.

Question 2

In brain development, what are "regressive events" and when are they likely to occur?

Answer 2

Regressive events are commonly observed during the development of nerve cells and their connections in the brain, and can involve a decrease in neurons or in synapses from peak levels. Often observed during infancy, such "rise and fall" in synaptic density stabilizes to adult levels during later childhood.

Question 3

Describe, with examples, the two main lines of research designed to investigate the extent to which particular cortical areas are "pre-wired" to support the acquisition of language.

Answer 3

One set of studies examines the extent to which language functions can be subserved by other regions of cortex. For example, this approach has been used to investigate whether children suffering from damage to the typical "language areas" of cortex can acquire language. The second line of research investigates whether other functions can localize in regions that typically support language. For example, this approach has involved testing congenitally deaf children to determine whether non-language functions are present in regions of cortex typically involved in spoken language.

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of a newly emerging research method being utilized by developmental scientists?

A) Molecular genetics
B) Twin studies
C) Gene therapy
D) Behavioral genetics

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a type of cell migration that occurs during prenatal development?

A) Relocation of large groups of cells to a different location
B) Passive displacement of older cells with newer cells
C) Movement of new cells past previously generated cells
D) Cells traveling from proliferative zones to particular brain regions

Question 6

In humans, which of the following processes is complete, for the most part, around the time of birth?

A) The vast majority of cells are in their adult locations in the brain
B) Myelinization of axons, which helps nerve conduction
C) The size and complexity of the dendrites in the brain
D) All of these

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of functional refinement of the visual cortical over the first year?

A) The emergence of brain areas responsive to integrated binocular input around 4 months of age
B) The integration of visual and motor areas contributing to early hand-eye coordination after 10 months
C) The activation of color recognition cells at 2 months of age
D) All of these

Question 8

Which of the following social behaviors begin to appear earliest in development?

A) Face recognition
B) Detecting eye gaze
C) Orienting to name
D) Joint attention

Question 9

Research on infants with early focal injury to the left hemisphere typically find _____ in later language development compared with similar brain damage in adults:

A) Subtle deficits
B) No differences
C) Profound delays
D) Greater cortical involvement

Question 10

Which of the following cortical areas reaches maturity LATEST in human development?

A) Prefrontal cortex
B) Left hemisphere language centers
C) Sensory-motor integration areas
D) Temporal lobe pathways

Question 11

Summarize the controversy in developmental neuroscience concerning the extent to which the differentiation of the cerebral cortex can be shaped by postnatal interactions with the external world.