Question 1

René Descartes posited that the mind was separate from the body. However, he implicated a single brain structure, the pineal gland, as having what function?
A)regulating feelings and emotions
B)connecting the mind and the body
C)moderating cognitive processes
D)adjusting behavior

Accepted Answer

Descartes believed that the pineal gland was the point of interaction between the mind and body, serving as a link between the two.

Question 2

Localizationist is to ________ as holistic is to ________.
A)Wernicke; Gall
B)Gall; Flourens
C)Flourens; Broca
D)Broca; Wernicke

Accepted Answer

Localizationist theories, such as those proposed by Gall, suggest that specific areas of the brain are responsible for specific functions. In contrast, holistic theories, like those advocated by Flourens, argue that brain functions are not localized but rather distributed across the brain.

Question 3

In developing phrenology, Gall's main failure was that
A)he did not seek disconfirming evidence.
B)he was not a scientist.
C)his method was correlational.
D)All of the answer options are correct.

Accepted Answer

All of the answer options are correct. Gall did not seek disconfirming evidence, he was not a scientist in the modern sense of the term, and his method was correlational.

Question 4

Giovanni visits his local phrenologist. What is this person likely to tell him?
A)You are a domineering person.
B)Your father was a very domineering person.
C)Your brother is a domineering person.
D)Your mother was a very domineering person.

Accepted Answer

Phrenology is a pseudoscientific practice that claims to determine a person's personality and mental abilities based on the shape of their skull. Many phrenologists believed that certain areas of the brain were responsible for specific traits, such as dominance. Based on this, if Giovanni visited a phrenologist, it is likely that they would tell him that he is a domineering person rather than making assumptions about his family members.

Question 5

Phrenologists believed that the contour of the skull could provide valuable information about an individual's cognitive capacities and personality traits. This approach was based on the assumption that
A)skull protrusions are caused by disproportionate development of the brain areas beneath them, which are responsible for different specific functions.
B)certain traits such as aggressiveness lead to life experiences and injuries that alter the shape of the skull in specific ways.
C)life experiences and injuries that alter the shape of the skull in specific ways lead to certain traits, such as aggressiveness.
D)the development of the skull bones directly influences the configuration of the soft brain areas beneath them, which are responsible for different specific functions.

Accepted Answer

Phrenologists believed that the shape and size of different parts of the skull corresponded to the development and functioning of different parts of the brain responsible for specific cognitive capacities and personality traits. They believed that areas of the brain responsible for language, for example, would be more developed in people with a larger frontal lobe, which would be reflected in a protruding forehead. This idea was based on the assumption that skull contours are caused by the underlying brain anatomy, rather than external factors such as injury or life experiences.

Question 6

The view known as aggregate field theory, which stated that the whole brain participates in behavior, is most associated with
A)Broca.
B)Hughlings Jackson.
C)Brodmann.
D)Flourens.

Accepted Answer

Flourens proposed the aggregate field theory, suggesting that the entire brain works together as a whole in the execution of mental functions, rather than specific areas being responsible for specific functions.

Question 7

________ was one of the first brain scientists to realize that specific cognitive functions can be localized to specific parts of the brain and that many different functional regions can take part in a given behavior.
A)Broca
B)Hughlings Jackson
C)Flourens
D)Brodmann

Accepted Answer

Hughlings Jackson was one of the first to propose that specific cognitive functions could be localized to specific areas of the brain, and he also recognized that multiple regions could be involved in a single behavior.

Question 8

Which stance would most likely hold an assumption that physical elements of the brain are responsible for the conscious mind?
A)monism
B)behaviorism
C)dualism
D)relativism

Accepted Answer

Monism is the belief that everything in the universe can be explained by one fundamental principle or substance. In the context of the mind-body problem, monists believe that the mental and physical are two aspects of the same substance. Therefore, a monist is likely to hold the assumption that the physical elements of the brain are responsible for the conscious mind.

Question 9

The discipline of phrenology was founded by
A)Broca and Wernicke.
B)Fritsch and Hitzig.
C)Ramón y Cajal and Sherrington.
D)Gall and Spurzheim.

Accepted Answer

Phrenology was founded by Franz Joseph Gall and his colleague Johann Spurzheim in the late 18th century. They believed that each mental faculty was localized in a specific area of the brain and could be measured by the shape and size of the bumps on a person's skull. However, this idea was later discredited and is now considered a pseudoscience.

Question 10

Aside from saving Anne Green's life, Thomas Willis and Christopher Wren also
A)created very accurate drawings of the brain.
B)came up with the names of a number of brain structures.
C)took the first steps that led to cognitive neuroscience.
D)All of the answer options are correct.

Accepted Answer

Thomas Willis and Christopher Wren not only saved Anne Green's life, but they also created accurate drawings of the brain and came up with the names of many brain structures. Additionally, their work has been seen as the first steps towards cognitive neuroscience. Therefore, all of the answer options are correct.

Question 11

What term was coined by Thomas Willis as a consequence of the case of Anne Green?
A)psychopathology
B)cognition
C)neurology
D)psychosis

Accepted Answer

Thomas Willis coined the term "neurology" following the case of Anne Green, which significantly influenced his work in the study of the brain and nervous system.

Question 12

Which 19th-century scientist suggested that the frontal lobe contributes to language and speech production?
A)Flourens
B)Wernicke
C)Broca
D)Brodmann

Accepted Answer

Paul Broca, a French physician and anatomist, was the first to propose that damage to a specific region in the left frontal lobe of the brain could cause aphasia or language impairment. This region is now known as Broca's area and is associated with speech production.

Question 13

Considering the perspective recommended for approaching cognitive neuroscience, which of the following would best explain how a cognitive function may have developed?
A)learning and reward
B)integration with technology
C)neurological dysfunction
D)hunting and gathering

Accepted Answer

The perspective recommended for approaching cognitive neuroscience often involves understanding how cognitive functions may have evolved in response to environmental pressures and survival needs, such as those encountered in hunting and gathering.

Question 14

Each of the following are reasons why Willis is considered one of the early figures in cognitive neuroscience EXCEPT:
A)He named many brain parts.
B)He gave frequent lectures on specific brain regions.
C)He was among the first to link behavioral deficits to brain damage.
D)He created very accurate brain images.

Accepted Answer

Willis is known for his contributions to understanding the brain, including naming brain parts and linking behavior to brain damage. However, giving frequent lectures on specific brain regions is not highlighted as a reason for his recognition in cognitive neuroscience.

Question 15

Gall's method for investigating phrenology was flawed because
A)he used the wrong language to explain the characteristics he observed.
B)he did not tell Napoleon Bonaparte that he possessed noble characteristics.
C)he sought only to confirm, not disprove, the correlations he observed.
D)he used his own skull as the base model.

Accepted Answer

Gall's method for investigating phrenology was flawed because he only sought to confirm, not disprove, the correlations he observed. This means that his approach lacked objectivity and scientific rigor, which undermines the validity of his findings. Additionally, his method relied heavily on subjective interpretations of physical features and behavioral traits, which makes it difficult to replicate and verify his results.

Question 16

A central issue of modern cognitive neuroscience is whether specific human cognitive abilities
A)arise from networks of brain areas working together.
B)are determined by the shape and size of the human skull or the brain beneath.
C)are best studied using the scientific method.
D)can be best identified using the Golgi silver method of staining or fMRI.

Accepted Answer

The central issue of modern cognitive neuroscience is how networks of brain areas work together to give rise to specific human cognitive abilities. This approach emphasizes the importance of understanding the interactions between brain regions, rather than focusing solely on individual brain areas or functions.

Question 17

The view developed by Marie Jean Pierre Flourens, based on the idea that processes like language and memory cannot be localized within circumscribed brain regions, was known as
A)the neuron doctrine.
B)aggregate field theory.
C)rationalism.
D)the law of effect.

Accepted Answer

Marie Jean Pierre Flourens' view on brain function was known as aggregate field theory, which denied the existence of localized brain functions and instead proposed that all cognitive processes involve the entire brain as an aggregate field. The neuron doctrine, rationalism, and the law of effect are not relevant to Flourens' view.

Question 18

The key observation leading John Hughlings Jackson to propose a topographical organization in the cerebral cortex was that
A)speech disturbances could be identified by left-hemisphere lesions.
B)the two hemispheres of the brain served different functions.
C)seizures begin in a localized region of the cortex.
D)focal brain damage causes specific behavioral deficits.

Accepted Answer

Jackson observed that seizures often begin in a localized region of the cortex and then spread, leading him to propose that different parts of the brain have specific functions, indicating a topographical organization.

Question 19

While studying brain function, it is often useful to think of development in terms of ____________, which is the perspective of ____________________.
A)cognition; cognitive neuroscience
B)survival; evolution
C)blood flow; magnetic resonance imaging
D)dysfunction; psychopathology

Accepted Answer

Thinking of development in terms of survival and evolution can provide insights into the selection pressures that shaped the brain's structure and function, and how these have changed over time. This perspective can be particularly useful for understanding the mechanisms and strategies underlying complex behaviors and cognitive processes.

Question 20

John Hughlings Jackson proposed a ________organization in the cerebral cortex, based on his work with people with ________.
A)holistic; aphasia
B)topographic; aphasia
C)topographic; epilepsy
D)holistic; epilepsy

Accepted Answer

John Hughlings Jackson proposed a topographic organization in the cerebral cortex based on his work with people with epilepsy. He observed that seizures tended to arise in specific areas of the brain before spreading to other regions, suggesting that different parts of the cortex were responsible for different functions. This led him to develop his theory of hierarchical organization in the brain, which has been influential in the field of neuroscience. While Jackson did study language disorders like aphasia, his focus was primarily on epilepsy and its effects on the brain. Therefore, options A and D are incorrect. Option B is also incorrect because while Jackson's theory did involve a topographic organization in the cortex, it was based on his work with epilepsy, not aphasia.

Quiz 1: A Brief History of Cognitive Neuroscience

René Descartes posited that the mind was separate from the body. However, he implicated a single brain structure, the pineal gland, as having what function?

Localizationist is to as holistic is to .

In developing phrenology, Gall's main failure was that

Giovanni visits his local phrenologist. What is this person likely to tell him?

Phrenologists believed that the contour of the skull could provide valuable information about an individual's cognitive capacities and personality traits. This approach was based on the assumption that

The view known as aggregate field theory, which stated that the whole brain participates in behavior, is most associated with

________ was one of the first brain scientists to realize that specific cognitive functions can be localized to specific parts of the brain and that many different functional regions can take part in a given behavior.

Which stance would most likely hold an assumption that physical elements of the brain are responsible for the conscious mind?

The discipline of phrenology was founded by

Aside from saving Anne Green's life, Thomas Willis and Christopher Wren also

What term was coined by Thomas Willis as a consequence of the case of Anne Green?

Which 19th-century scientist suggested that the frontal lobe contributes to language and speech production?

Considering the perspective recommended for approaching cognitive neuroscience, which of the following would best explain how a cognitive function may have developed?

Each of the following are reasons why Willis is considered one of the early figures in cognitive neuroscience EXCEPT:

Gall's method for investigating phrenology was flawed because

A central issue of modern cognitive neuroscience is whether specific human cognitive abilities

The view developed by Marie Jean Pierre Flourens, based on the idea that processes like language and memory cannot be localized within circumscribed brain regions, was known as

The key observation leading John Hughlings Jackson to propose a topographical organization in the cerebral cortex was that

While studying brain function, it is often useful to think of development in terms of , which is the perspective of ________.

John Hughlings Jackson proposed a organization in the cerebral cortex, based on his work with people with .