Chapter 14 : Attention and Higher Cognition

Which of the following research results are likely to imply that individuals have no free will? (Select all that apply.)

- An EEG component that indicates movement preparation was present 200 ms before participants consciously decided to move. - Brain activity related to making a decision was evident a few seconds before participants were consciously aware of making a choice.

Avery has had an accident that damaged both frontal lobes. Which of the following changes in Avery's behavior that might be observed as a result of the damage? (Select all that apply.)

- Avery may exhibit forgetfulness in tasks requiring sustained attention - Avery may show a decline in social skills - Avery may show a persistent strange apathy - Avery may be unable to plan future actions and use foresight

Which of the following are the differences between temporal resolution and spatial resolution? (Select all that apply.)

- Electrophysiological approaches offer the temporal resolution necessary to distinguish the consequences of attention from the mechanisms that direct it, while brain-imaging techniques offer the spatial resolution to figure out where these neural actions are taking place. - Temporal resolution is the ability to track changes in the brain that occur very quickly, whereas spatial resolution is the ability to observe the detailed structure of the brain.

Sam has extensive experience with action video games. Which of the following might be evident in ERPs collected from Sam's scalp? (Select all that apply.)

- Sam's brain activity shows enhancements of longer-latency event-related potential (ERP) components. - Sam's experience is associated with neural changes.

How is a person with lesions to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex likely to perform on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test? (Select all that apply.)

- The person is likely to have errors in sorting. - The person is likely to have problems with consciously switching from one rule for the task to a new one. - The person is likely to perseverate in following the old rule even after the rule changes.

Which of the following are correctly associated with the right temporoparietal network for reflexive shifts of attention? (Select all that apply.)

- The right ventral temporoparietal junction (TPJ) system seems to act as a circuit breaker overriding one's current attentional priority if something unexpected and new occurs. - The right ventral temporoparietal network interacts extensively with the dorsal frontoparietal network.

A child consistently finds it difficult to direct sustained attention to a task, at both school and home. The child also displays a higher level of consistent impulsivity than other children of the same age. The child's parents take the child to a psychologist. Which of the following will the psychologist most likely diagnose?

ADHD

A neuroscientist studies visual effects by collecting event-related potential (ERP) data over occipital cortex while a participant performs a symbolic cuing task. Assuming that this is a valid trial, which of the following results is most likely to occur?

Electrodes over occipital cortex will show a substantial enhancement of the ERP component P1.

Which of the following is most likely to be observed in a person with damage to the orbitofrontal cortex?

Impairment in goal-directed behaviors

Which of the following is closely tied to an effective strategy seen in animals foraging for food or scanning the world for threats?

Inhibition of return prevents reflexive attention from settling on insignificant stimuli for more than an instant.

Which of the following is true of selective attention?

It acts to concentrate cognitive processing resources on a specific target.

Quinn has recently experienced a stroke. When you hold up any two items and ask Quinn, "What am I holding?" Quinn finds it easy to identify one item or the other, but not both together. Which of the following is best inferred about Quinn from this scenario?

Quinn may have a condition called simultagnosia.

Monkeys and lab rats have circuits that are similar to the human default mode network in structure and function. Which of the following is most likely a possibility that can be derived from this statement?

Some nonhuman species may be capable of engaging in introspective mental activities.

A researcher studies the elements of consciousness in humans and other animals. The researcher focuses on the element that helps one gain insight into others' mental lives and finds that this element is seen only in human beings and chimpanzees, so far. Which of the following elements of consciousness is most likely being studied by the researcher?

Theory of Mind

A neuroscientist studying moment-to-moment consequences of attention in the brain chooses to measure event-related potentials (ERPs) for the study. Which of the following is most likely the reason for the neuroscientist's choice?

Using ERPs, the neuroscientist can monitor the regional changes in brain activity that occur too fast to measure with other brain-imaging techniques like fMRI.