Question 1

In old age:
A) neurons in the hippocampus are lost.
B) neurogenesis no longer occurs.
C) LTP may become unstable.
D) neurons in the cerebellum are not lost.

Accepted Answer

C

Question 2

Imagine that a native Spanish speaker tells one, "A dog beat me," when what he means is "A dog bit me." The speaker appears unable to hear the distinction between the two sounds. Based on what one has learned about the development of the ability to distinguish speech sounds in nonnative languages, explain why he would say the wrong word.

Accepted Answer

Discuss the need to hear sound distinctions before one year of age.

Question 3

Men would be expected to outperform women when trying to remember:
A) a list of words.
B) landmarks in a new town.
C) the way to navigate through a maze.
D) pairs of words.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that men perform better than women in spatial tasks, such as navigating through a maze.

Question 4

In Alzheimer's disease:
A) episodic memory starts to decline before other types of memory.
B) patients cannot learn new skills.
C) the cortex shows signs of damage before other brain regions do.
D) the cerebellum shows signs of damage before other brain regions do.

Accepted Answer

Episodic memory, which involves storing and retrieving information about personal experiences, is one of the first types of memory to decline in Alzheimer's disease. This is because the hippocampus, a brain region critical for forming and retrieving episodic memories, is often one of the first areas to be affected by the disease. Patients with Alzheimer's disease can still learn new skills, at least in the early stages of the disease, but they will have difficulty retaining these skills due to the decline in episodic memory. Damage to the cortex is also a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, but it does not necessarily occur before damage to other brain regions. The cerebellum, which is responsible for coordinating movement and balance, is less affected by Alzheimer's disease than other brain regions.

Question 5

In elderly people, skill learning:
A) is as fast as young adults.
B) takes longer than in young adults.
C) declines even for highly practiced skills.
D) is slow but less error-prone than in young adults.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that skill learning in elderly individuals takes longer than in young adults. This is due to age-related declines in cognitive and motor functions. However, with practice, elderly individuals can still improve their skill learning abilities, although it may take more time and effort compared to young adults.

Question 6

Neurofibrillary tangles:
A) may cause damage by stimulating the immune system.
B) are an abnormal byproduct of a common protein.
C) are present in adults with Alzheimer's disease but not in adults with Down syndrome.
D) are collapsed proteins that normally hold neurons in place and transport nutrients.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Neurofibrillary tangles:
A) may cause damage by stimulating...

Question 7

Humans are able to differentiate particular pairs of speech sounds:
A) only if they are exposed to the sounds before they are about 8 months old.
B) if they are exposed to the sounds sometime during their childhood.
C) if they have a great deal of exposure to the sounds as an adult.
D) only if they are exposed to the sounds before they are born.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that infants are able to distinguish and differentiate between speech sounds from all languages around the world, but this ability diminishes after about 8 months of age. Therefore, if humans are exposed to particular pairs of speech sounds before this critical period, they are able to differentiate them throughout their lives. However, if they are exposed to them later in life, it may be more difficult or impossible for them to perceive the difference.

Question 8

Individuals with Down syndrome:
A) may have an enlarged cerebellum.
B) are more likely to be female than male.
C) have visibly smaller brains at birth.
D) usually develop amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles as adults.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Individuals with Down syndrome:
A) may have an...

Question 9

What is one thing a fetus can learn? Describe the research that demonstrates this.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is one thing a fetus can...

Question 10

Which statement is TRUE?
A) Neurogenesis is relatively uniform throughout the brain.
B) Synaptogenesis continues throughout the lifespan.
C) Synaptogenesis is a very slow process.
D) Nearly all of the neurons die during apoptosis in childhood.

Accepted Answer

Synaptogenesis is the formation of new synapses between neurons, and it is a process that continues throughout the lifespan. The rate of synaptogenesis may decrease with age, but it still occurs. Neurogenesis, the process of generating new neurons, is not uniform throughout the brain and is primarily limited to certain regions such as the hippocampus. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, does occur during development but not all neurons die during this process.

Question 11

Twin studies suggest that:
A) genes play a very minor role in determining our learning and memory abilities.
B) genes play a strong role in determining our learning and memory abilities.
C) identical twins are no more similar than are fraternal twins on a variety of learning and memory measures.
D) the environment plays a very minor role in determining our learning and memory abilities.

Accepted Answer

Twin studies have consistently shown that identical twins, who share 100% of their genes, are more similar on measures of learning and memory than fraternal twins, who share only 50% of their genes. This indicates that genes play a strong role in determining our learning and memory abilities.

Question 12

Give an example of a sensitive period for learning.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Give an example of a sensitive period...

Question 13

Give an example of something a young child should be able to learn or remember as well as a young adult, and something a young child should NOT be able to learn or remember as well as a young adult. Identify the memory systems involved in each of these memories.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Give an example of something a young...

Question 14

Give an example of something an elderly person should be able to learn or remember as well as a young adult, and something an elderly person should NOT be able to learn or remember as well as a young adult. Identify the memory systems involved in each of these memories.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Give an example of something an elderly...

Question 15

Learning has been demonstrated to occur in humans beginning:
A) about a week after birth.
B) at birth.
C) at about 25 weeks gestational age.
D) at about 36 weeks gestational age.

Accepted Answer

Learning has been demonstrated to occur as early as about 25 weeks gestational age, with studies showing fetuses can respond to external stimuli and exhibit memory capabilities.

Question 16

Which concept appears to develop the EARLIEST?
A) semantic memory
B) episodic memory
C) working memory
D) operant conditioning

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which concept appears to develop the EARLIEST?
A)...

Question 17

An animal that is raised with a patch over one eye will probably be completely blind in that eye as an adult. This is an example of:
A) synaptogenesis.
B) a sensitive period.
C) imprinting.
D) neurogenesis.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a sensitive period, which is a specific period of time in an animal's development during which it is more sensitive to certain environmental stimuli or experiences. In this case, if an animal is raised with a patch over one eye during a sensitive period, it may develop blindness in that eye as an adult.

Question 18

A person with _____ would perform best on tests of learning and memory.
A) two copies of the Met allele
B) two copies of the Val allele
C) one copy of the Met allele
D) one copy of the Val allele

Accepted Answer

According to research, individuals with two copies of the Val allele on the COMT gene tend to have better performance on tests of learning and memory compared to those with two copies of the Met allele.

Question 19

Which structure is LARGER in men than in women?
A) the lateral frontal cortex
B) the hippocampus
C) the angular gyrus
D) the supramarginal gyrus

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which structure is LARGER in men than...

Question 20

Working memory develops _____ and decays _____ than other memory systems.
A) earlier; earlier
B) earlier; later
C) later; later
D) later; earlier

Accepted Answer

Working memory develops later than other memory systems, but it also decays earlier, meaning that information stored in working memory is more fleeting than information stored in long-term memory systems.

Quiz 12: Development and Aging:learning and Memory Across the Lifespan

In old age:

Men would be expected to outperform women when trying to remember:

In Alzheimer's disease:

In elderly people, skill learning:

Neurofibrillary tangles:

Humans are able to differentiate particular pairs of speech sounds:

Individuals with Down syndrome:

What is one thing a fetus can learn? Describe the research that demonstrates this.

Which statement is TRUE?

Twin studies suggest that:

Give an example of a sensitive period for learning.

Give an example of something a young child should be able to learn or remember as well as a young adult, and something a young child should NOT be able to learn or remember as well as a young adult. Identify the memory systems involved in each of these memories.

Give an example of something an elderly person should be able to learn or remember as well as a young adult, and something an elderly person should NOT be able to learn or remember as well as a young adult. Identify the memory systems involved in each of these memories.

Learning has been demonstrated to occur in humans beginning:

Which concept appears to develop the EARLIEST?

An animal that is raised with a patch over one eye will probably be completely blind in that eye as an adult. This is an example of:

A person with _____ would perform best on tests of learning and memory.

Which structure is LARGER in men than in women?

Working memory develops _ and decays _ than other memory systems.