Question 1

Jones is studying brain changes during adolescence. In looking at MRIs of people age 12 and people age 18, he should expect that the 12-year-olds will have ______ gray matter and _______ white matter in their brains, compared to the 18-year-olds.

Accepted Answer

MRI studies show that the volume of gray matter increases in childhood, peaking in girls at about age 9½ and in boys at about age 10½. After these peaks, the volume of gray matter decreases up to adulthood, leveling off at about age 25. The volume of white matter increases, perhaps up to age 40.

Question 2

If teenagers marry because of an unintended pregnancy, they are _____ likely to drop out of high school and _____ likely to get a divorce, compared to pregnant teens who don't marry or who marry after the birth of the child.

Accepted Answer

Teenagers who marry because of an unintended pregnancy are more likely to drop out of high school due to the added responsibilities and pressures of marriage and parenthood at a young age. They are also more likely to get a divorce, as marriages initiated by an unintended pregnancy often face significant challenges and may not be based on a strong foundation.

Question 3

If Dr. Matthews were examining brain scan images of healthy people of various ages, she should expect to see the largest volume of white matter in the scans of people who were approximately age:

Accepted Answer

Research has found that white matter increases in adolescence, perhaps up until the age of 40.

Question 4

According to the text, the development of fMRI techniques has allowed developmental researchers to investigate brain development more effectively because this technology allows them to perform which of the following types of research?

Accepted Answer

Because MRIs employ no radioactive tracers or X-rays that can be potentially harmful-a concern especially for children who are still growing- they can be used in longitudinal studies, which involve multiple scans of individuals taken across time.

Question 5

With respect to gray matter in the brain, the period of adolescence is best characterized by the word(s):

Accepted Answer

The period of adolescence is a period in which considerable pruning away of neural tissue occurs. This is particularly the case with gray matter, the volume of which peaks in girls at age 9 ½ and in boys at age 10 ½ .

Question 6

The two words that best describe how the brain changes during adolescence are:

Accepted Answer

White matter, which is composed of the fatty myelin that surrounds and insulates nerve cells, increases in adolescence. After the volume of gray matter peaks at around age 10, its volume decreases up to adulthood, leveling off at about age 25, indicating that adolescence is a period in which serious pruning away of neural tissue occurs.

Question 7

Allison is a 16-year-old who shows an increasing ability to plan and think ahead. She has sent for college information and has made financial plans to help pay for college. She is in which of the following of Piaget's stages of cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

For Piaget, formal operations is the final stage of cognitive development, which begins at about age 12 and is characterized by the ability to reason hypothetically and think about abstract concepts.

Question 8

Brain development during adolescence is LEAST likely to affect processes involved in which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Because complex mental functions that require coordinated thought and judgment are among the last to mature, a person's ability to exercise mature problem solving, to appraise risk, and to make difficult decisions that involve multiple perspectives is most likely not fully elaborated until perhaps as late as early adulthood. Brain development during adolescence may also underlie changes in social cognition and social behavior typically associated with this developmental period. For example, specific regions of the brain that are involved in self-awareness and self-concept undergo considerable remodeling during the teenage years.

Question 9

In Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development that is reached during early adolescence is usually called the:

Accepted Answer

Piaget's theory identifies four stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. The formal operational stage is usually reached during early adolescence and is characterized by the ability to think abstractly, reason logically, and engage in hypothetical and deductive reasoning.

Question 10

Suppose Dr. Markward conducts a study that examines the activity levels of various brain regions while participants are looking at pictures of faces and identifying the emotions being displayed. If your results replicate those reported in the text, you would expect to find that the __________ is most active in young adolescents and the __________ is most active in older adolescents and adults.

Accepted Answer

By examining the activity level of various regions of the brain using functional MRI techniques, researchers were able to determine that children and young adolescents relied more heavily on the amygdala while solving these problems; older adolescents and adults showed greater activity in the frontal lobes, where more formulated, problem-solving activity is centered.

Question 11

The white matter in the brain in composed mostly of:

Accepted Answer

White matter in the brain is composed mostly of nerve cells surrounded by myelin, which gives it its white appearance. Myelin is a fatty substance that covers the axons of nerve cells, allowing for faster transmission of signals throughout the brain. Cell bodies are mostly found in gray matter. Connective tissue including tendons and cartilage and bone are not typically found within the brain.

Question 12

During adolescence, the volume of gray matter in the brain _________ and the volume of white matter _________.

Accepted Answer

During adolescence, the volume of gray matter in the brain decreases due to synaptic pruning, while the volume of white matter increases as a result of myelination, enhancing the brain's connectivity and efficiency.

Question 13

Advances in which of the following fields has been of primary importance in helping researchers understand that brain development during adolescence is much more dramatic than had previously been thought?

Accepted Answer

Recent studies that utilize advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies are providing researchers a much clearer look at how brain cells develop.

Question 14

The volume of gray matter in the brain peaks for girls at about age _____ and for boys at about age _____.

Accepted Answer

The volume of gray matter in the brain typically peaks for girls around age 9½ and for boys around age 10½, reflecting the earlier onset of puberty and brain development in girls compared to boys.

Question 15

Changes in which part of the brain are most closely associated with the advancement in problem-solving abilities that accompanies the development from childhood into adolescence?

Accepted Answer

The prefrontal cortex is responsible for executive functions such as problem-solving, decision-making, and planning. It undergoes significant development during adolescence, leading to improved cognitive abilities in these areas. The thalamus, pituitary gland, and hypothalamus are not as closely associated with problem-solving abilities.

Question 16

By the time a person reaches the age of 6, that person's brain has reached _____ of its full adult size.

Accepted Answer

By the age of 6, a person's brain has reached 95% or more of its full adult size, indicating significant early development.

Question 17

According to the text, thrill-seeking behavior that is characteristic of adolescence is most likely to be related to which of the following regions of the brain?

Accepted Answer

The amygdala is involved in processing emotions and is linked to thrill-seeking behaviors, which are often heightened during adolescence due to the amygdala's development and its interaction with other brain regions.

Question 18

The developmental changes that occur in the brain during adolescence are first seen in the parts of the brain that control __________ and later are seen in the brain regions that control _________.

Accepted Answer

The developmental changes in the adolescent brain first affect areas involved in vision and later impact regions responsible for judgment. This reflects the progression from more basic processing to more complex cognitive functions.

Question 19

Generalizing from the text, you should expect that neuroscientists would be most likely to argue that the volatile emotions that sometimes characterize adolescent behavior can be traced to the effect of hormones on:

Accepted Answer

When the amygdala is activated by the adolescent hormonal rush, emotions become volatile. Activity in this region of the brain is associated with stimulus-seeking behavior, giving rise to the risky thrill-seeking tendencies that often characterize adolescent activities.

Question 20

According to the text

Accepted Answer

The text states that the project is "still underway", so the correct answer is A.

Quiz 10: Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development

Jones is studying brain changes during adolescence. In looking at MRIs of people age 12 and people age 18, he should expect that the 12-year-olds will have gray matter and _ white matter in their brains, compared to the 18-year-olds.

If teenagers marry because of an unintended pregnancy, they are _ likely to drop out of high school and _ likely to get a divorce, compared to pregnant teens who don't marry or who marry after the birth of the child.