Question 1

The amygdala is a brain structure that registers _____.

Accepted Answer

The amygdala is known to register and process emotions, especially those related to fear and anxiety.

Question 2

All of the following are potential effects of too much cortisol early in life EXCEPT _____.

Accepted Answer

Too much cortisol early in life can lead to permanent deficits in learning and health, increased risk of major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and increased risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. However, it is not associated with permanent increases in metabolic rate.

Question 3

About 10 percent of adults in Great Britain and the United States are _____.

Accepted Answer

The question is asking for the percentage of adults who are left-handed in Great Britain and the United States. Therefore, the answer is A) left-handed. The other choices - B) right-handed, C) left hemisphere dominant, and D) right hemisphere dominant - are not relevant to the question being asked.

Question 4

As an adult, Ken has a panic attack whenever he must ride in an elevator. He has absolutely no recollection of ever having had a bad experience in an elevator. According to the text, it is possible that his panic reaction is due to _____.

Accepted Answer

The fact that Ken has no recollection of a bad experience suggests that his panic reaction is not due to a recent misadventure (D) and the existence of natural fears of elevators that everyone shares (A) cannot explain why Ken is experiencing a panic attack specifically when riding in elevators. Ken's general fearfulness (C) may be a possibility, but the absence of panic attacks in other situations makes this less likely. Therefore, deep emotional memories from early childhood (B) remain the most plausible explanation for Ken's panic reaction.

Question 5

The specialization of the functioning of the two halves of the brain is called _____.

Accepted Answer

The specialization of the functioning of the two halves of the brain is called lateralization. This means that each half of the brain has specific and distinct functions, such as language processing in the left hemisphere and spatial processing in the right hemisphere.

Question 6

The area of the brain that is crucial in expressing and regulating emotions is the _____.

Accepted Answer

The limbic system, which includes structures such as the amygdala and hippocampus, is responsible for regulating emotions and processing emotional information. The prefrontal cortex is important for decision-making and self-control, but is not as central to emotional expression and regulation. The fusiform face area is involved in facial recognition, and the corpus callosum is a structure that connects the two hemispheres of the brain.

Question 7

Ryan suffered a brain injury as a result of an automobile accident. His abilities to speak and to process language were severely affected. His injury was to the _____.

Accepted Answer

The left side of the brain is responsible for language processing in most people. Therefore, a brain injury to the left side of the brain could severely affect a person's ability to speak and process language.

Question 8

The increased activity of the amygdala is a reason that young children experience _____.

Accepted Answer

The amygdala is the part of the brain responsible for emotions and fear responses. Therefore, increased activity of the amygdala could lead to young children experiencing frightening nightmares.

Question 9

Moderate levels of stress, such as meeting new friends, have been shown to _____.

Accepted Answer

Moderate levels of stress can be beneficial for children's development, as long as they have supportive moderators available to help them cope with the stress.

Question 10

The rates of left-handedness in the United States and Great Britain have ____ since 1900.

Accepted Answer

The rates of left-handedness in the United States and Great Britain have increased since 1900, likely due to reduced societal pressure to conform to right-handedness and better understanding and acceptance of left-handed individuals.

Question 11

Romanian children raised in orphanages demonstrated _____when shown pictures of emotional faces.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that children raised in orphanages have reduced activity in areas of the limbic system responsible for processing emotional information, leading to less reactivity when shown emotional faces.

Question 12

The left side of the brain notices _____, while the right side grasps _____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The left side of the brain notices...

Question 13

Which statement about left-handed people is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that the corpus callosa, which connects the two hemispheres of the brain, tend to be thicker in left-handed people, potentially contributing to their abilities in tasks that require communication and coordination between the two sides of the brain. Myelination is not necessarily related to handedness, and left-handedness does not inherently affect sports performance or the location of language areas in the brain.

Question 14

Today, about _____ percent of people in Great Britain and the United States are left-handed.

Accepted Answer

Studies and surveys consistently find that about 10% of the population in Great Britain and the United States is left-handed.

Question 15

Studies of IQ testing among Romanian orphaned children reveal that there is a sensitive period for brain growth between ____ years of age.

Accepted Answer

Studies of Romanian orphaned children have shown that the sensitive period for brain growth where the brain is most susceptible to environmental influence occurs between the ages of 2 and 4, after which the brain becomes less plastic or adaptable.

Question 16

All of the following are reasons why parents should not try to change their child's handedness, EXCEPT _____.

Accepted Answer

Changing a child's handedness is unlikely to create jealousy in siblings, as handedness is a personal trait and not typically a source of sibling rivalry.

Question 17

Nicoli suffered a stroke in the left hemisphere of his brain. Which of the following skills is most likely to have been affected?

Accepted Answer

The left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for language processing, so a stroke in this area is likely to affect speech. Facial recognition is more associated with the right hemisphere of the brain, emotion processing involves various regions throughout the brain, and spatial processing is also more associated with the right hemisphere.

Question 18

Stress can lead to weight gain since having too much cortisol in one's bloodstream has been associated with increased abdominal fat. Cortisol is the hormone released by the _____ when a person is stressed.

Accepted Answer

The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that releases cortisol in response to stress. This hormone can lead to increased abdominal fat and ultimately weight gain. The hippocampus and amygdala are also involved in the stress response, but do not release cortisol. The thyroid is responsible for regulating metabolism, but is not directly involved in the stress response.

Question 19

Because the amygdala responds to comfort but not logic, which of the following is the best strategy for a parent to adopt when their preschooler has had a scary dream?

Accepted Answer

Asking the child what was scary about the dream allows the parent to understand the specific fear the child is experiencing. Pretending to scare off that content can provide a sense of comfort to the child, as the amygdala responds to comfort rather than logic.

Question 20

The hippocampus is a structure in the brain that processes _____.

Accepted Answer

The hippocampus is primarily responsible for the formation and consolidation of memories.

Quiz 8: Seciton 3: Early Childhood: Biosocial Development