Question 1

Why have some individuals had their corpus callosum surgically severed?

Accepted Answer

Severing the corpus callosum is a treatment for severe cases of epilepsy in order to limit the spread of seizures between the two hemispheres of the brain. This procedure is known as corpus callosotomy.

Answer: D
 The corpus callosum has also been severed in individuals for experimental purposes in split-brain research. This research allowed scientists to study the specialized functions of each hemisphere of the brain.

Question 2

In the majority of persons, the hemisphere that handles most of the language functions is the

Accepted Answer

According to research, the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for the majority of the language functions in the majority of individuals. This includes language comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and speech production.

Question 3

After a serious blow to the head, John can no longer plan for the future. What area of his brain appears to be damaged?

Accepted Answer

The frontal lobe plays a critical role in planning and decision-making. Damage to this area of the brain can result in difficulties with executive functioning, including the ability to plan for the future.

Question 4

Split-brain patients are people who

Accepted Answer

Split-brain patients are those who have undergone a surgical procedure in which their corpus callosum, the main pathway that connects the two hemispheres of the brain, has been severed. This is usually done as a treatment for severe epilepsy. As a result of this surgery, the two hemispheres are unable to communicate effectively, which can lead to a range of cognitive and behavioral issues.

Question 5

The left hemisphere specializes in all except which of the following activities?

Accepted Answer

The left hemisphere specializes in analytical and language-related activities, such as analyzing information, reading and writing, and speech. However, communicating emotions is primarily function of the right hemisphere.

Question 6

Phineas Gage changed from a polite, dependable, well-liked railroad foreman to a rude and impulsive person who could no longer plan realistically for the future. In a railroad construction accident, Gage had seriously damaged his

Accepted Answer

Phineas Gage's personality changes and loss of ability to plan for the future are indicative of damage to the frontal lobe of his brain. The frontal lobe is responsible for executive functions such as planning and decision-making, as well as regulating behavior and personality. Damage to the frontal lobe can lead to deficits in these areas, resulting in changes in personality and behavior.

Question 7

Carl is unaware of objects in his left visual field and sometimes even leaves food on the left side of his plate. He may be said to be suffering from

Accepted Answer

Unilateral neglect is a condition in which an individual is unable to attend to or perceive stimuli on one side of their body or environment. In this case, Carl is unaware of objects in his left visual field, which is a symptom of unilateral neglect. Broca's syndrome is a speech disorder characterized by difficulty with the production of speech, while unilateral aphasia refers to difficulty with language processing or understanding. Bilateral neglect, on the other hand, would involve a lack of attention or perception on both sides of the body or environment.

Question 8

As a result of a brain injury, Marc has great difficulty producing any speech sounds. He speaks very slowly, with great effort, and his words are poorly articulated. He has suffered damage to

Accepted Answer

Marc's difficulty producing speech sounds and poorly articulated words suggest damage to Broca's area, which is responsible for the production of speech. Wernicke's area is responsible for language comprehension, the somatosensory cortex is involved in processing touch and sensation, and the primary auditory cortex is responsible for processing auditory information.

Question 9

What is the term for a loss or impairment of the ability to understand or communicate through the written or spoken word, which results from damage to the brain?

Accepted Answer

Aphasia is the term for a loss or impairment of the ability to understand or communicate through the written or spoken word, which results from damage to the brain. Agnosia is a condition where a person's ability to recognize objects, people, or sounds is impaired, but it is not directly related to language. Language impairment syndrome and communication impairment syndrome are not commonly used terms for this condition.

Question 10

If an individual becomes blind due to injury or disease, what change will accompany learning to read using Braille?

Accepted Answer

Learning Braille requires the person to use their fingers to read, which leads to increased activity and changes in the somatosensory cortex responsible for processing touch information from the fingers. This region of the brain may increase in size as a result of the increased demand for tactile processing. The motor cortex controlling eye and face movements (B) would not be directly involved in Braille reading, so it would not be expected to change significantly. The frontal lobes (C) are involved in a wide range of cognitive functions, but there is no evidence to suggest that they develop greater mapping skills in response to learning Braille. The occipital lobes (D) are responsible for visual processing and would likely shrink in size due to lack of use following blindness, but this would not be directly related to learning Braille.

Question 11

Dorothy received a severe blow to her head and can no longer move the fingers on her right hand. The area of her brain that may be damaged is the

Accepted Answer

The motor cortex in the brain is responsible for voluntary movements. Damage to the left motor cortex can affect movement on the right side of the body, which is where Dorothy is experiencing difficulty moving her right hand.

Question 12

As a result of a gunshot wound in his parietal lobes, Charles is having difficulty:

Accepted Answer

The parietal lobes are responsible for processing sensory information, including touch, so damage here can affect sensation in the fingers.

Question 13

As a consequence of damage to the left somatosensory cortex, one might expect to have

Accepted Answer

The somatosensory cortex is responsible for processing sensory information from the body. Since the brain's left hemisphere controls the right side of the body and vice versa, damage to the left somatosensory cortex would likely result in some loss of feeling on the right side of the body.

Question 14

Which of the following statements would be true of Darlene, who suffers from Broca's aphasia?

Accepted Answer

Broca's aphasia is characterized by difficulty in speech production, where individuals struggle to form complete sentences and articulate words, but their comprehension of language is typically intact.

Question 15

If Perry is blindfolded, he cannot distinguish between smooth sandpaper and rough sandpaper with his left hand. He has sustained damage in his:

Accepted Answer

The right parietal lobe is involved in processing sensory information from the left side of the body, including touch. Damage to this area would impair Perry's ability to distinguish textures with his left hand.

Question 16

For most people, which is a specialization of the right hemisphere?

Accepted Answer

The right hemisphere is specialized for visual-spatial skills, such as recognizing and interpreting visual patterns, perceiving distances and spatial relationships, and visualizing objects in three dimensions. This specialization is particularly evident in tasks such as drawing, reading maps, and recognizing faces.

Question 17

Which is not one of the specialized abilities usually associated with the right hemisphere?

Accepted Answer

Mathematics is typically associated with left hemisphere specialization, while the other options are commonly associated with right hemisphere specialization.

Question 18

Research suggests that the left hemisphere of the brain in most people handles all of the following, except

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that the left hemisphere of the brain in most people handles language ability, mathematical ability, and coordinating complex movements. The right hemisphere of the brain typically handles visual-spatial skills.

Question 19

Martha has had a stroke. She has lost the feeling in her left leg. Which of the following sites in the brain might be damaged by the stroke?

Accepted Answer

The right somatosensory cortex is responsible for processing sensory information from the left side of the body, including the left leg. Damage here could result in loss of sensation in the left leg.

Question 20

A split-brain patient is shown a picture of an object so that it stimulates only the right cerebral hemisphere. Which of the following can this patient do?

Accepted Answer

The right hemisphere controls the left side of the body, so the patient can select the object with the left hand. However, the right hemisphere typically does not have language capabilities, so the patient cannot name the object.

Quiz 2: Biology and Behaviour