Question 1

A neurolinguist would most likely study
A) the physical organization of the cerebral cortex, including fissures, grooves and the vessels that transport blood and nutrients throughout this system.
B) how a lesion in Wernicke's area might affect language production.
C) the effects of dopamine on depression.
D) the effects of moving to a new school on children's self esteem.

Accepted Answer

A neurolinguist is a specialist who studies the relationship between the brain and language. They may investigate topics such as language processing, language acquisition, and language disorders caused by brain damage. Therefore, studying how a lesion in Wernicke's area might affect language production would be an appropriate topic for a neurolinguist.

Question 2

Which of the following sentences would you expect a patient with Broca's aphasia to have the most difficulty understanding?
A) The dog bit the man.
B) The sorbet that the lady is eating is sour.
C) The girl who the boy is pushing is big.
D) The mail carrier who the dog bit called the police.

Accepted Answer

Patients with Broca's aphasia have difficulty processing complex grammatical sentences with multiple clauses. Sentence C has a relative clause ("who the boy is pushing") which adds more complexity to the sentence, making it more difficult for a patient with Broca's aphasia to understand. The other sentences are simpler and more straightforward.

Question 3

The cerebral cortex is
A) smooth with little or no convolutions.
B) the outermost layer of neurons covering the brain.
C) only used 10% of the time.
D) only found in humans.

Accepted Answer

The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of neurons covering the brain. It is responsible for many advanced functions including sensation, perception, voluntary movement, thought, and consciousness.

Question 4

Scientists in Phineas Gage's time
A) knew a great deal about how the brain is organized and which cerebral areas are responsible for which cognitive abilities.
B) were just beginning to decipher the relationship between the physical components of the brain and their relationship to human behavior.
C) used sophisticated methodologies and techniques to indentify how the physical brain relates to human behavior.
D) had little interest in understanding the relationship between neural components and behavior.

Accepted Answer

During Phineas Gage's time, which was in the mid-19th century, scientists were only beginning to understand the relationship between the physical components of the brain and how they relate to human behavior. While some advances had been made in this area, the field of neuroscience as we know it today did not yet exist.

Question 5

Studies such as those published by Nina Dronkers and her colleagues (2004) indicate that language functioning
A) is contained within specific, independent brain "organs."
B) is affected in similar ways regardless of where in the brain damage occurs.
C) is distributed across several different brain regions.
D) can be restored even in cases of severe brain injury.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that language functioning is not localized in a specific brain region, but rather distributed across several different regions such as the left hemisphere, the Broca's area, and the Wernicke's area.

Question 6

Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) is most useful because it allows researchers to
A) precisely correlate diminished performance with damage to specific parts of the brain.
B) study the impact of brain lateralization.
C) identify and define Brodmann areas.
D) assess language comprehension in aphasic patients.

Accepted Answer

VLSM allows researchers to pinpoint the location of brain damage and correlate it with specific behavioral impairments, such as diminished performance on cognitive tasks. This makes it a valuable tool for identifying the neural basis of behavior and cognitive functions. It is not primarily used for studying brain lateralization, identifying and defining Brodmann areas, or assessing language comprehension in aphasic patients.

Question 7

Broca's aphasia is characterized by a patient's inability to
A) understand spoken language.
B) understand written text.
C) speak fluently.
D) understand the function of objects in their environment.

Accepted Answer

Broca's aphasia is a type of expressive aphasia where the patient has difficulty speaking fluently and forming sentences, but their comprehension of spoken language and object function is generally intact.

Question 8

Which would you expect to be especially difficult for a patient with Broca's aphasia?
A) Understanding a political candidate's speech
B) Delivering a speech without pauses or hesitations
C) Getting the gist of an audiobook
D) Following a movie that has a great deal of dialogue

Accepted Answer

Broca's aphasia is characterized by difficulty in producing language, including slowed speech, difficulty initiating speech, and hesitation. Delivering a speech without pauses or hesitations would be especially difficult for someone with Broca's aphasia.

Question 9

A person with Wernicke's aphasia will demonstrate
A) halting speech.
B) inability to produce speech.
C) nonsensical speech.
D) normal ability to comprehend speech.

Accepted Answer

Wernicke's aphasia is characterized by fluent but nonsensical speech, also known as "word salad." This is because the person with this type of aphasia has difficulty understanding and selecting the correct words to express their thoughts, leading to jumbled and often incomprehensible speech. They may also struggle with language comprehension, leading to difficulty understanding what others are saying to them.

Question 10

A physician asks four patients with aphasia to describe how to make a peanut butter sandwich. Which response most likely came from a patient with Wernicke's aphasia?
A) "Sure, no problem. Open the jar and, uh, uh, uh … peanut, oops, no, no knife …spread and, uh … bread … sprea-ding … jeeelly … wait …"
B) "I'd put a glob of peanut butter from the jar onto a knife, spread it onto one piece of bread, put some jelly on another slice of bread, spread that, and then put the two pieces of bread together."
C) "Me like peanuts. Me spread. Jelly on bread. Put together. Me eat."
D) "Obviously I'd think it's utzkin, though certainly I do want to go when it's vehubative. I would recommend placing a spoon in the bowl. I do wobble and frink."

Accepted Answer

The response given is nonsensical and contains several errors in grammar and syntax, which are characteristic of Wernicke's aphasia.

Question 11

A surgeon conducting an autopsy on a patient who had suffered from Broca's aphasia would most likely find damage in the
A) corpus callosum.
B) right frontal lobe.
C) left occipital lobe.
D) left frontal lobe.

Accepted Answer

Broca's area is located in the left frontal lobe of the brain, specifically in the posterior part of the frontal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere. Damage to this area can result in Broca's aphasia, which impairs a person's ability to produce speech.

Question 12

Wilder Penfield's research on the localization of function in the brain demonstrated that when Broca's area is stimulated in a conscious person,
A) the effect is always the same; namely that the ability to understand language is disrupted.
B) the effect is always the same; namely that the ability to produce language is disrupted.
C) although the effect may be varied, depending on the individual being stimulated, it will likely be related to linguistic abilities.
D) although the effect may be varied, depending on the individual being stimulated, it will likely be related to non-linguistic abilities.

Accepted Answer

Penfield's research showed that stimulating Broca's area affects linguistic abilities, though the specific effects can vary between individuals.

Question 13

You are examining a split-brain patient. After flashing a picture of a bird in the patient's left visual field, which response are you likely to get?
A) The patient says "bird" but is unable to chirp.
B) The patient says "bird" and points to a bird with the left hand.
C) The patient points to a bird with the right hand but is unable to say "bird."
D) The patient points to a bird with the left hand but is unable to say "bird."

Accepted Answer

In split-brain patients, the left visual field is processed by the right hemisphere, which is typically less language-dominant than the left hemisphere. Therefore, when a picture is flashed in the left visual field, the patient is likely to have difficulty verbally identifying it. However, the patient should be able to use their left hand (which is controlled by the right hemisphere) to point to the corresponding object. Thus, choice D is the correct answer - the patient points to a bird with the left hand but is unable to say "bird."

Question 14

A(n) _______ is evident if one patient exhibits a language impairment with normal mathematical abilities and another patient exhibits a mathematical impairment with normal language.
A) hemodynamic change
B) localization
C) double dissociation
D) action potential

Accepted Answer

Double dissociation refers to the phenomenon where two different cognitive functions are dissociated from each other, meaning they can be independently impaired without affecting the other. In this case, language and mathematical abilities are dissociated from each other, so if one patient shows impairment in language and intact mathematical abilities while another patient shows impairment in mathematics and intact language abilities, it would provide evidence for a double dissociation between the two functions. Hemodynamic change and action potential refer to physiological processes related to brain activity, but they are not directly related to the concept of double dissociation. Localization refers to identifying specific brain regions responsible for certain functions, which is related to but not the same as double dissociation.

Question 15

When designing an fMRI study, which would be the best strategy for isolating the neural activity associated with the vocal component of reading a word from other potential actions related to reading?
A) Compare fMRI scans of a subject silently reading a word and of reading the word aloud.
B) Compare fMRI scans of a subject looking at a picture that is related to a word and of reading the word aloud.
C) Compare a PET scan of a subject reading a word aloud to an fMRI scan of a subject reading the same word aloud.
D) Perform an fMRI scan of the participant as he is talking to a friend, noting the level of brain activity when he uses the target word.

Accepted Answer

Comparing fMRI scans of a subject silently reading a word and of reading the word aloud would be the best strategy for isolating the neural activity associated with the vocal component of reading a word from other potential actions related to reading. This approach would allow researchers to directly compare the neural activity associated with the two conditions and identify regions specific to vocal production. Option B involves a visual stimulus, which could confound the results, while option C involves using a PET scan, which has lower spatial resolution than fMRI. Option D is unrelated to the task of reading and would not provide useful information about the neural activity during the vocal component of reading a word.

Question 16

In a 2004 fMRI study of word reading, Olaf Hauk and his colleagues demonstrated that language-specific brain regions
A) are the only regions responsible for interpreting and producing spoken language.
B) are not the only areas activated by certain categories of words related to physical acts, such as kicking, stepping, or walking.
C) are highly localized and respond primarily to written language.
D) rarely interact with regions responsible for action or movement.

Accepted Answer

The study showed that language-specific brain regions are not the only areas activated by words related to physical acts. This implies that other regions responsible for action or movement are also involved in language processing.

Question 17

Wernicke believed that language processing was
A) highly compartmentalized in the brain, with specific modules communicating in pre-set patterns.
B) distributed throughout the brain in a highly coordinated network.
C) localized in one specific brain area.
D) strictly contained in the left hemisphere.

Accepted Answer

Wernicke believed that language processing was distributed throughout the brain in a highly coordinated network.

Question 18

While the dorsal stream is responsible for "_______" information, the ventral stream provides us with a path for knowledge about "_______" information.
A) where; how
B) how; what
C) who; what
D) what; how

Accepted Answer

The dorsal stream is responsible for processing "how" information, such as the location and motion of objects, while the ventral stream is involved in processing "what" information, such as object identification and recognition.

Question 19

During a visit to a coffee shop, a patient who has a lesion along the dorsal stream of information processing would have the most trouble
A) identifying liquid in a mug as coffee.
B) understanding the items on the menu.
C) reaching for his coffee without knocking it over.
D) remembering the name of the server.

Accepted Answer

A lesion along the dorsal stream of information processing affects the ability to process visual information for action, such as reaching for and grasping objects. Thus, the patient would have the most trouble reaching for his coffee without knocking it over.

Question 20

Which of the following is an example of procedural memory?
A) Recalling the author of a favorite poem
B) Remembering the contents of a painting
C) Remembering how to ski
D) Recalling a zip code

Accepted Answer

Procedural memory involves the recall of skills and habits, such as how to ride a bike or play an instrument. Remembering how to ski is an example of procedural memory.

Quiz 2: Language and the Brain

A neurolinguist would most likely study

Which of the following sentences would you expect a patient with Broca's aphasia to have the most difficulty understanding?

The cerebral cortex is

Scientists in Phineas Gage's time

Studies such as those published by Nina Dronkers and her colleagues (2004) indicate that language functioning

Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) is most useful because it allows researchers to

Broca's aphasia is characterized by a patient's inability to

Which would you expect to be especially difficult for a patient with Broca's aphasia?

A person with Wernicke's aphasia will demonstrate

A physician asks four patients with aphasia to describe how to make a peanut butter sandwich. Which response most likely came from a patient with Wernicke's aphasia?

A surgeon conducting an autopsy on a patient who had suffered from Broca's aphasia would most likely find damage in the

Wilder Penfield's research on the localization of function in the brain demonstrated that when Broca's area is stimulated in a conscious person,

You are examining a split-brain patient. After flashing a picture of a bird in the patient's left visual field, which response are you likely to get?

A(n) _______ is evident if one patient exhibits a language impairment with normal mathematical abilities and another patient exhibits a mathematical impairment with normal language.

When designing an fMRI study, which would be the best strategy for isolating the neural activity associated with the vocal component of reading a word from other potential actions related to reading?

In a 2004 fMRI study of word reading, Olaf Hauk and his colleagues demonstrated that language-specific brain regions

Wernicke believed that language processing was

While the dorsal stream is responsible for "_" information, the ventral stream provides us with a path for knowledge about "_" information.

During a visit to a coffee shop, a patient who has a lesion along the dorsal stream of information processing would have the most trouble

Which of the following is an example of procedural memory?