Question 1

In Gazzaniga's experiment with split-brain patients in which the word HE appeared to the left of a fixation point and the word ART appeared to the right, how did participants respond when asked what they had seen?

Accepted Answer

In Gazzaniga's split-brain experiments, the right hemisphere (which controls the left side of the body and processes information from the left visual field) does not have direct access to the speech centers located in the left hemisphere. When the word "ART" appeared to the right of the fixation point, it was processed by the left hemisphere (which controls speech and language), leading participants to report seeing "ART." The word "HE" presented to the left of the fixation point was processed by the right hemisphere, which could not verbalize this information directly.

Question 2

Microscopic analyses suggest that cortical asymmetry might result from different

Accepted Answer

Cortical asymmetry is believed to result from differences in the rate of proliferation of progenitor cells during development. This can lead to differences in the number, size, and connectivity of neurons in different regions of the brain, contributing to functional specialization.

Answer choices A, C, and D are not considered primary factors in cortical asymmetry as they do not directly relate to the growth and development of cortical cells. Apoptosis refers to programmed cell death, which can be a normal process in development but is not specific to cortical asymmetry. Migration refers to the movement of cells during development, while synaptogenesis refers to the formation of connections between neurons, both of which can be affected by factors such as gene expression and environmental factors. However, these processes are not thought to be the primary determinants of cortical asymmetry.

Question 3

In Gazzaniga's experiment with split-brain patients in which the word HE appeared to the left of a fixation point and the word ART appeared to the right, how did participants respond when asked to point with the left hand to what they had seen?

Accepted Answer

Since the left visual field of split-brain patients is processed by the right hemisphere, which is not connected to the language centers in the left hemisphere, participants were unable to verbally report what they had seen. However, they could point with their left hand to indicate what they had seen. In this experiment, when asked to point to what they had seen, participants pointed to "HE" since it appeared in their left visual field, which is processed by the right hemisphere.

Question 4

You know your friend Ramon has just had a split-brain surgery to treat his uncontrollable epileptic seizures. When Ramon returns to school, it is likely that he will

Accepted Answer

Split-brain surgery typically only affects a few specific abilities, such as the ability of the left and right hemispheres to communicate with each other. Most people who undergo this surgery do not experience significant changes in their daily functioning or cognitive abilities, and any changes that do occur are usually subtle and only evident through detailed testing. Therefore, it is most likely that Ramon will have only very subtle changes that show up in follow-up tests of cognitive functioning.

Question 5

Jill's epilepsy is not responding to medication and is causing life-threatening symptoms. Her doctor has suggested surgery. One of the first steps in preparation for her surgery will be _________ to determine where her language center is located.

Accepted Answer

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is used to determine which areas of the brain are active during different tasks, and can help identify the location of important brain functions like language. Split-brain test, PET scan, and CT scan are not typically used to determine language center location.

Question 6

Information that is intuitive or emotional is processed

Accepted Answer

Research has suggested that the right hemisphere is more involved in processing emotional and intuitive information, while the left hemisphere is more involved in processing logical and analytical information. However, it is important to note that both hemispheres work together in most cognitive processes.

Question 7

(see Figure 13.2)
The structure indicated by the #2 in this illustration is the

Accepted Answer

The answer of (see Figure 13.2)
The structure indicated by the...

Question 8

Michael damaged areas of his right hemisphere in a serious automobile accident. Which of the following types of information processing are likely to cause him problems in the future?

Accepted Answer

The right hemisphere of the brain is often associated with emotional, intuitive processing, as well as spatial abilities, recognition of faces, and processing music. Damage to the right hemisphere can impair these types of cognitive functions.

Question 9

Although the split-brain patients studied by Sperry and Gazzaniga were all right-handed, they showed superior performance when using the left hand to

Accepted Answer

The right hemisphere, which controls the left hand, is better at spatial tasks like drawing three-dimensional figures.

Question 10

Andrew underwent a Wada test, in which one hemisphere is anesthetized at a time, prior to brain surgery. When his right hemisphere was anesthetized, he was unable to speak. How would Andrew's physicians most likely interpret this result?

Accepted Answer

While the majority of people do have language functions managed by the left hemisphere, a minority of people do have language functions managed by the right hemisphere. Andrew's inability to speak when his right hemisphere was anesthetized suggests that this is the case for him.

Question 11

Wade's stroke left him unable to speak or move his right arm and hand. What part of the brain was most likely to be affected by Wade's stroke?

Accepted Answer

The left hemisphere of the brain controls the right side of the body, including the right arm and hand. It also houses the language centers, which would explain Wade's inability to speak after his stroke.

Question 12

Split-brain operations like Bogen's produce

Accepted Answer

Split-brain operations, such as those performed by neurosurgeon Joseph Bogen, typically do not result in changes in personality, intelligence, or speech. These procedures involve severing the corpus callosum to reduce severe epilepsy symptoms, but they leave the patient's cognitive abilities and personality largely intact.

Question 13

Kara, a right-handed patient who has had a split-brain operation, looks at a dot in the center of her computer screen while a word is presented to the left of the dot. Which of the following outcomes is most likely to occur?

Accepted Answer

When a word is presented to the left of the dot, it is processed in the right hemisphere of the brain due to the crossing of the optic nerve fibers. As Kara has had a split-brain operation, the communication between the two hemispheres has been severed, leading to deficits in information transfer. Since language processing predominantly occurs in the left hemisphere of the brain, Kara may not be able to say the word she saw out loud if it was presented to her left visual field (right hemisphere). Therefore, option C is the most likely outcome.

Question 14

Which of the following processes is NOT lateralized?

Accepted Answer

Blood pressure regulation in the torso is a function that is not primarily controlled by either the left or right hemisphere of the brain. It is instead regulated by the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for many vital bodily functions that are not lateralized. Language and motor control, on the other hand, are primarily controlled by the left hemisphere of the brain, while sensing the right visual field is primarily processed by the left hemisphere.

Question 15

Since her auto accident, Maria seems to have problems interacting with people. In fact, she sometimes doesn't seem to understand when people are angry or upset. She also never seems to be able to "get" jokes in spite of the fact that she is very intelligent. Given what you've learned in this chapter, what would you suggest might be going on with her?

Accepted Answer

The inability to understand emotions and difficulties with humor comprehension are symptoms of right hemisphere damage. This could be a result of Maria's auto accident.

Question 16

Contemporary imaging studies have identified a number of lateralization hubs. Which of the following describes the general functions of these hubs?

Accepted Answer

Contemporary imaging studies have identified language and the default mode network as being predominantly located in the left hemisphere hubs, whereas attention and executive function are predominantly located in the right hemisphere hubs. Therefore, the correct option is D.

Question 17

In experiments with split-brain patients where they were shown an image of a spoon in the left visual field, they

Accepted Answer

In split-brain patients, the corpus callosum, which connects the two hemispheres of the brain, is severed. This means that information presented to one hemisphere is not accessible to the other. The left visual field is processed by the right hemisphere, which controls the left hand. These patients could select the object correctly with their left hand (because the right hemisphere could process the visual information), but they were unable to verbally identify what they had seen because the speech centers are typically located in the left hemisphere, which did not receive the visual information.

Question 18

Visual information about an object located to the right of center in the visual field is processed by

Accepted Answer

Visual information from the right side of the visual field is processed by the left cerebral hemisphere due to the crossing of the optic nerves at the optic chiasm. This means that information from the right visual field is transmitted to the left side of the brain for processing.

Question 19

Information that is logical or sequential is processed

Accepted Answer

Logical or sequential information is primarily processed in the left hemisphere in most people. This is because the left hemisphere is responsible for language and analytical processing, which are critical for understanding and processing logical information. While the right hemisphere is important for processing other types of information, such as spatial and visual information, it is not as effective at processing logical or sequential information.

Question 20

Ashley suddenly experienced problems with processing spatial and emotional information. Her physicians suspected that she may have an abnormality in her

Accepted Answer

The right hemisphere of the brain is primarily involved in processing spatial and emotional information. Therefore, if Ashley is experiencing problems in these areas, it suggests there may be an abnormality in her right hemisphere.

Quiz 13: Cognition