As Chalonte reads her science textbook, she encounters the word ecology for the first time and uses the context to figure out what the word means.Given what we know about how the brain functions, we could reasonably assume that:
A)She is thinking primarily in her right hemisphere.
B)Many parts of her brain are involved in this task.
C)Most of her mental "work" is being done by neurons that have little or no myelin.
D)Most of her mental "work" is being done in the occipital lobes, located at the back of her brain.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When encountering a new word and figuring out its meaning, many parts of the brain are involved, including the prefrontal cortex, temporal lobes, and parietal lobes. Additionally, the brain uses both the left and right hemispheres for language processing, so it is unlikely that Chalonte is thinking primarily in her right hemisphere (A). Myelin is a fatty substance that helps neurons transmit signals more efficiently, so neurons with little or no myelin would actually be slower and less efficient (C). The occipital lobes are primarily responsible for processing visual information, so they would not be the main area of the brain involved in understanding the meaning of a new word (D).

As Chalonte Reads Her Science Textbook, She Encounters the Word