Question 1

Which statement about heritability is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

Heritability is a measure of the proportion of variation in a trait that is due to genetic factors within a population, independent of the environment. It does not determine how individuals will respond to environmental conditions.

Question 2

After his accident,Phineas Gage did NOT suffer from impairments in:

Accepted Answer

Phineas Gage did not suffer from impairments in language comprehension after his accident.

Question 3

As the heritability index for a particular behavior decreases:

Accepted Answer

The heritability index represents the proportion of individual differences in a trait that are attributable to genetic differences. As the heritability index decreases, genes explain less of the individual differences in that behavioral trait. This does not necessarily mean that nature becomes more important than nurture or that epigenetics plays a lesser role in gene expression, although these factors may still contribute to individual differences in the behavior.

Question 4

The heritability index for intelligence is approximately .50,meaning that:

Accepted Answer

The heritability index of .50 means that about half of the variability in intelligence scores in the population can be attributed to environmental factors, while the other half can be attributed to genetic factors. It does not mean that genetic factors are more important than environmental factors or that intelligence is completely the result of genes for 50% of people. Additionally, it does not mean that parents with above-average intelligence have a 50% chance of having a child with above-average intelligence, as heritability is a population-level statistic and not a prediction for an individual child.

Question 5

After a stroke,a patient appears to be unable to understand words spoken to her.The patient can produce speech but cannot seem to comprehend it.What is a likely explanation for these symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Damage to Wernicke's area, located in the left temporal lobe, can result in receptive aphasia where the patient is unable to comprehend spoken or written language, although they can still produce speech.

Question 6

The measure of the variability of behavioral traits among individuals that can be accounted for by genetic factors is called:

Accepted Answer

Heritability refers to the proportion of variability in a trait that can be explained by genetic factors. It is often expressed as a percentage between 0 and 1, with higher values indicating that genetics play a greater role in determining individual differences in the trait. Monozygocity refers to the fact that some individuals are identical twins, who share all of their genetic material. Dianetics is a pseudoscientific set of ideas developed by L. Ron Hubbard, and has no relevance to the study of genetics. Epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression that occur without changes to the underlying DNA sequence, and may be influenced by environmental factors. While epigenetic factors can play a role in behavior, heritability specifically refers to the proportion of variability that can be accounted for by genetic factors.

Question 7

The iron rod that was driven through the head of Phineas Gage did NOT affect the:

Accepted Answer

The iron rod that injured Phineas Gage passed through his frontal lobes, not the medulla. The medulla is located in the brainstem, far from the trajectory of the rod through Gage's skull.

Question 8

After a stroke,a patient appears to understand words spoken to him by nodding or following basic commands,but the patient has lost the ability to produce spoken language.What is a possible explanation for these symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Damage to Broca's area, which is responsible for the production of speech, can result in the loss of the ability to speak but preserved ability to understand spoken language. This condition is called expressive or Broca's aphasia. The patient may be able to follow basic commands and nod in response to questions, but they are unable to produce coherent verbal responses.

Question 9

Recent studies have shown that subjective levels of stress is correlated with DNA:

Accepted Answer

Recent studies have shown that subjective levels of stress are correlated with changes in DNA methylation. Methylation involves adding a methyl group to DNA, which can affect gene expression and potentially lead to health-related outcomes.

Question 10

There are two special regions of the cortex dedicated to language,called Broca's and Wernicke's areas.Broca's area controls _____,and Wernicke's area controls _____.

Accepted Answer

Broca's area controls speech production, specifically the formation of words and sentences, while Wernicke's area is responsible for speech comprehension, specifically understanding written and spoken language.

Question 11

As the heritability index for a particular behavior increases:

Accepted Answer

As heritability index for a particular behavior increases, genes explain more of the individual differences in that behavioral trait.

Question 12

Phineas Gage,a railroad foreman,suffered damage to a large part of the brain responsible for emotion regulation,planning,and decision making-namely,the _____ lobe.

Accepted Answer

The frontal lobe is responsible for emotion regulation, planning, and decision making.

Question 13

In a series of studies by Meaney and colleagues,rat pups were randomly assigned to be raised by surrogate mothers who spent a lot of time licking and grooming (high LG)them or surrogate mothers who spent little time engaging in this behavior (low LG).Rat pups raised by low LG surrogate grow up to be _____ fearful in novel situations,which can be attributed to a(n)_____ in DNA methylation.

Accepted Answer

Rat pups raised by low LG surrogates were observed to be more fearful in novel situations, and this heightened fear response can be attributed to an increase in DNA methylation, which affects gene expression related to stress responses.

Question 14

A split-brain patient is shown the word pen only in her right visual field.That patient will be able to:

Accepted Answer

The answer of A split-brain patient is shown the word...

Question 15

The heritability index for major depressive disorder is approximately .37,meaning that:

Accepted Answer

The heritability index of .37 means that 37% of the variability in major depressive disorder can be attributed to genetics, while the remaining 63% is likely due to environmental factors. Therefore, choice D is the correct answer.

Question 16

Studies of nurses working in high- and low-stress environments found group differences in DNA:

Accepted Answer

The best choice is D, methylation, because studies have found that high-stress environments can cause changes in DNA methylation patterns in nurses. Methylation is the addition of a methyl group to a DNA molecule, which can change the way that genetic information is expressed. The other options (A, B, and C) are less likely to be affected by environmental factors such as stress.

Question 17

In a series of studies by Meaney and colleagues,rat pups were randomly assigned to be raised by surrogate mothers who spent a lot of time licking and grooming (high LG)them or surrogate mothers who spent little time engaging in this behavior (low LG).Rat pups raised by high-LG surrogates grow up to be _____ fearful in novel situations,which can be attributed to a(n)_____ in DNA methylation.

Accepted Answer

Rat pups raised by high-LG surrogates grew up to be less fearful in novel situations, which can be attributed to a decrease in DNA methylation.

Question 18

What is the PRIMARY reason that psychologists study aspects of the damaged brain?

Accepted Answer

Psychologists can learn about normal brain processes by studying what happens when these processes are disrupted. By studying people with damaged brains, psychologists can learn about how different brain regions and processes contribute to normal cognitive and emotional functioning. They can also develop new interventions and treatments for people with brain injuries, disorders, or diseases based on the insights gained from studying the damaged brain.

Question 19

Paul Broca and Carl Wernicke provided some of the earliest evidence that:

Accepted Answer

Paul Broca and Carl Wernicke provided evidence for the localization of language functions in the brain. Broca identified a region in the left frontal lobe that is responsible for speech production, now known as Broca's area. Wernicke identified a region in the left temporal lobe that is responsible for speech comprehension, now known as Wernicke's area. This supports the idea that there are separate areas of the brain for speech production and for speech comprehension.

Question 20

The split-brain procedure involves severing the _____,usually to stop the spread of debilitating seizures.

Accepted Answer

The split-brain procedure involves severing the corpus callosum, which is the main connection between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. This is typically done to stop the spread of seizures that cannot be controlled through medication.

Quiz 3: Neuroscience and Behavior-Part A