Question 1

Which of the following is located in the temporal lobes?

Accepted Answer

The auditory cortex, which is responsible for processing sound information, is located in the temporal lobes.

Question 2

The region of your cerebral cortex that enables you to visually recognize your own mother's face is

Accepted Answer

The region of the cerebral cortex responsible for the recognition of a familiar face, such as your mother's, is an association area. Association areas integrate sensory information to form a meaningful perceptual experience. The other answer choices are not associated with visual recognition of faces.

Question 3

Plasticity refers to the brain's capacity to

Accepted Answer

Plasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections, and this ability is closely linked to learning, memory, and recovery from injury. Therefore, the best choice is C, which states that plasticity enables the brain to build new neural pathways. Choices A, B, and D do not accurately reflect the concept of plasticity.

Question 4

Association areas are located

Accepted Answer

Association areas are located in all four lobes of the brain, including the frontal, temporal, occipital, and parietal lobes. These areas are responsible for processing and integrating sensory information from multiple sources, as well as higher-level cognitive functions such as language, memory, and problem-solving.

Question 5

Master stem cells that can develop into any type of brain cell have been discovered in the human

Accepted Answer

Master stem cells that can develop into any type of brain cell have been discovered in the human embryo.

Question 6

Neurogenesis refers to

Accepted Answer

Neurogenesis specifically refers to the process of forming new neurons in the brain.

Question 7

Most people would not advocate pushing one person in front of a runaway trolley to save five others.But those with damage to the ________ are often untroubled by such an ethical dilemma.

Accepted Answer

The frontal lobe association areas are responsible for decision making, reasoning, and judgment. Damage to this area can result in uninhibited behavior and a lack of consideration for ethical dilemmas. Therefore, individuals with damage to this area may not be troubled by pushing one person in front of a trolley to save five others.

Question 8

Regions of the cerebral cortex involved primarily in higher mental functions such as learning are called

Accepted Answer

The association areas of the cerebral cortex are involved primarily in higher mental functions such as learning, memory, perception, and thought processes. The motor cortex and somatosensory cortex are primarily responsible for motor and sensory functions, respectively, while the corpus callosum is a structure that connects the two hemispheres of the brain.

Question 9

The process of comparing currently experienced visual input with past visual memories takes place in

Accepted Answer

Association areas of the brain are responsible for comparing currently experienced visual input with past visual memories. The thalamus is involved in relaying sensory information to the cortex, the cerebellum is involved in motor coordination, and the corpus callosum is involved in communication between the two hemispheres of the brain.

Question 10

The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres is called the

Accepted Answer

The corpus callosum is a large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres, allowing communication between them. The somatosensory cortex is a region of the brain in the parietal lobe that processes sensory information related to touch, temperature, and pain. The temporal lobe is a region of the brain involved in auditory processing and memory. The hippocampus is a structure located within the temporal lobe that plays a role in forming new memories.

Question 11

The cortical regions that are NOT directly involved in sensory or motor functions are known as

Accepted Answer

Association areas are cortical regions that are not directly involved in sensory or motor functions. The hippocampus is a specific structure within the brain, not a general term for cortical regions. The frontal lobes and parietal lobes do contain association areas, but they are not the only regions that do so.

Question 12

Deaf people's enhanced peripheral and motion-detection vision has been attributed in part to

Accepted Answer

Deaf people's enhanced peripheral and motion-detection vision has been attributed to their brain's ability to adapt and rewire itself, a process known as plasticity.

Question 13

Information is most quickly transmitted from one cerebral hemisphere to the other by the

Accepted Answer

The corpus callosum is a broad band of nerve fibers that connects the two hemispheres of the brain, allowing for the rapid transmission of information between them.

Question 14

The ability to recognize faces with the right hemisphere but not with the left hemisphere best illustrates

Accepted Answer

The inability to recognize faces with the left hemisphere but not with the right hemisphere is an example of lateralization, which refers to the specialization of certain functions in one hemisphere of the brain over the other.

Question 15

Alana suffered a brain disease that destroyed major portions of her temporal lobes.Alana is most likely to suffer some loss of

Accepted Answer

The temporal lobes are responsible for auditory perception, so the destruction of major portions of this area is likely to result in some loss of auditory perception.

Question 16

Damage to the association areas in the prefrontal cortex is most likely to interfere with the ability to

Accepted Answer

The association areas in the prefrontal cortex are responsible for planning and decision making, so damage to these areas would most likely interfere with the ability to formulate plans. Damage to other areas of the brain such as the fusiform gyrus would be more likely to interfere with recognizing faces, while damage to Wernicke's area would affect understanding word meanings and recognizing familiar voices could be impacted by damage to the temporal lobe.

Question 17

After Terry lost a finger in an industrial accident,the area of his somatosensory cortex devoted to receiving input from that finger gradually became very responsive to sensory input from his adjacent fingers.This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Terry's brain is demonstrating neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize and adapt to new experiences, such as lost input from a specific body part. Specifically, the area of the somatosensory cortex originally devoted to the lost finger is now being rewired to receive input from adjacent fingers.

Question 18

Phineas Gage underwent a dramatic personality change after a tamping iron inflicted massive damage to his ________ lobes.

Accepted Answer

Phineas Gage's dramatic personality change is attributed to damage to his prefrontal cortex, which is located in the frontal lobes of the brain.

Question 19

The brain is most likely to compensate for a loss of neurons by

Accepted Answer

The brain can generate new neural cells in certain areas, such as the hippocampus, through a process known as neurogenesis. This is one way the brain compensates for the loss of neurons.

Question 20

When Stoyka was a child,a brain disease required the surgical removal of her left cerebral hemisphere.Stoyka is now a successful college student who lives a normal life.Her success best illustrates the importance of

Accepted Answer

Stoyka's success despite the loss of an entire hemisphere demonstrates brain plasticity, or the brain's ability to reorganize and adapt following injury or illness. It is not related to brain fissures, neurogenesis, or MRI scans.

Quiz 2: The Biology of Behavior