Question 1

Imagine that one's friend is about to give birth to her first child. Explain to that friend why she should not spend her money on classical music CDs that claim to improve babies' intelligence.

Accepted Answer

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Question 2

What is the difference between semantic and episodic memory?
A) Semantic involves factual knowledge, while episodic involves autobiographical events.
B) Semantic involves autobiographical events, while episodic involves factual events.
C) Semantic involves the conditioning of a memory, while episodic is unconditioned.
D) Semantic involves an unconditioned memory, while episodic involves a conditioned memory.

Accepted Answer

Semantic memory refers to general knowledge and facts about the world, such as knowing that the capital of France is Paris. Episodic memory, on the other hand, refers to personal experiences and events, such as remembering the details of a specific birthday party you attended. Therefore, A is the correct answer as it correctly states that semantic memory involves factual knowledge, while episodic involves autobiographical events.

Question 3

A fetus is sufficiently developed to start perceiving and learning about sounds by about _____ week(s) gestational age.
A) 1
B) 2
C) 10
D) 25

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that a fetus is able to perceive and learn about sounds by about 25 weeks gestational age, primarily through the vibrations of the mother's voice and external sounds that penetrate the womb.

Question 4

Summarize the rough order in which each type of learning develops and which brain substrate(s) they coincide with.

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Question 5

What evidence suggests a possible link between Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome?

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Question 6

A physical development that produces gradual improvements in muscle strength and perceptual motor coordination is known as:
A) conditioning.
B) complex motor skills.
C) mental age.
D) gestational age.

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The answer of A physical development that produces gradual improvements...

Question 7

Studies in which infants were conditioned to kick at a mobile to make it move showed that infants:
A) as young as 2 months could learn this response.
B) needed reminders in order to remember the response the next day.
C) maintained the response despite changes in context.
D) could remember the response for several weeks without any reminders.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that infants as young as 2 months old are capable of learning the association between kicking and causing a mobile to move. Option B is incorrect as there is no evidence to suggest that reminders are needed for infants to remember this response. Option C is also incorrect as infants may not maintain the response if the context is significantly altered. Option D is incorrect as there is no evidence to suggest that infants can remember this response for several weeks without any reminders.

Question 8

Describe how sex hormones impact learning and memory in the developing brain.

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Question 9

Research has demonstrated that humans:
A) begin showing habituation to sounds at about 2 months of age.
B) show evidence of working memory abilities before they are born.
C) can demonstrate learning of basic sounds and language before they are born.
D) do not demonstrate operant conditioning until they are about 1 year old.

Accepted Answer

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A) begin showing...

Question 10

Describe the mechanisms by which amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles cause problems for neurons in the brain.

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Question 11

What are two areas of the brain in which neurons die off in old age? What memory systems are affected by this neural loss?

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Question 12

Explain how sensitive periods are beneficial to learning and memory in the brain.

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Question 13

Describe the processes of neurogenesis, apoptosis, synaptogenesis, and pruning of synapses, and how they all impact learning.

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Question 14

Gestational age refers to:
A) time since birth.
B) time since conception.
C) mental age.
D) the age at which learning is particularly effective.

Accepted Answer

Gestational age refers specifically to the amount of time that has passed since conception, not birth or any other developmental milestone. This is important for monitoring fetal development and predicting a baby's due date.

Question 15

Discuss the various ways in which genes have been shown to influence the ability to learn.

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Question 16

Describe the neural changes seen in the brains of adolescents.

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Question 17

Suppose one's grandmother wants to know whether doing crossword puzzles every day will help her avoid developing Alzheimer's disease. What should one tell her?

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Question 18

What kinds of brain abnormalities are seen in children with Down syndrome? Which of these abnormalities seems to result in memory impairment?

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Question 19

What kinds of changes in neural growth are seen in old age? To what extent are these changes useful in replacing lost neurons?

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Question 20

Eyeblink conditioning:
A) can be learned by infants when delay conditioning is used.
B) cannot be learned by infants when delay conditioning is used.
C) can be learned by infants when trace conditioning is used.
D) is learned more slowly by infants when trace conditioning is used.

Accepted Answer

Infants are capable of learning eyeblink conditioning when delay conditioning is used, which involves pairing the conditioned stimulus (e.g. a tone) with the unconditioned stimulus (e.g. a puff of air to the eye) with no time gap between them. Infants may have difficulty with trace conditioning, which involves a time gap between the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli.

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

Imagine that one's friend is about to give birth to her first child. Explain to that friend why she should not spend her money on classical music CDs that claim to improve babies' intelligence.

What is the difference between semantic and episodic memory?

A fetus is sufficiently developed to start perceiving and learning about sounds by about _____ week(s) gestational age.