Exam 1: Cognitive Neuroscience
What is the large white matter tract that connects the two hemispheres? Select one: a. Corpus callosum b. Optic tract c. Cerebellum d. Cingulate cortex
a. Corpus callosum
Who put forward a dualistic view of brain and mind? Select one: a. Descartes b. Churchland c. Fodor d. Broca
a. Descartes
Why does an EEG signal need to be averaged over many trials to generate an ERP? Select one: a. EEG has a low signal:noise ratio b. To ensure that the ERP is reliable over time c. EEG has a poor spatial resolution d. The scalp potentials from a single EEG trial are too weak to measure
a. EEG has a low signal:noise ratio
Which of the following is a characteristic of tDCS? Select one: a. It is a stimulation method b. It is a hemodynamic method c. It is invasive d. It uses radioactivity
a. It is a stimulation method
A cell's negative potential is restored partially by the outward flow of which ion through voltage-gated channels? Select one: a. K+ b. NA- c. NA+ d. K-
a. K+
Single-cell recordings are typically only carried out in: Select one: a. Non-human animals b. Non-invasive studies c. Serial reaction time tasks d. Prefrontal cortex
a. Non-human animals
Which method is classed as an invasive procedure? Select one: a. PET b. EEG c. TMS d. fMRI
a. PET
Which study demonstrated that cells in the superior temporal sulcus are responsive to gaze direction? Select one: a. Perrett et al. (1992) b. Bayliss et al. (1985) c. Engel, Konig, and Singer (1991) d. Rolls and Deco (2002)
a. Perrett et al. (1992)
What is closely associated with Gall and Spurzheim? Select one: a. Phrenology b. Dualism c. Cognitive neuropsychology d. Electrical brain stimulation
a. Phrenology
The likely reason why the brain uses parallel search (e.g. in word recognition), over serial search, is because of: Select one: a. Slow neural response time b. Sensory bottleneck c. Unlimited cognitive resources d. Poor spatial resolution
a. Slow neural response time
Why do eye movements associated with blinking need to be factored out in ERP studies? Select one: a. The muscle movement generates an electrical signal b. To reduce the signal:noise ratio c. Blinking shifts the timing of ERP peaks d. The participant may miss the stimulus when they blink
a. The muscle movement generates an electrical signal
Why is an ERP signal from the thalamus virtually impossible to detect? Select one: a. The neurons in the region have very different orientations b. It is too deep within the brain c. The neurons generate a weaker signal in this region d. The amplitude of the action potential is lower in this region
a. The neurons in the region have very different orientations
Sternberg's (1969) additive factors method is concerned with which of the following? Select one: a. Using reaction times to divide cognition into a series of stages b. Exploring the influence of drugs on reaction time c. Understanding why some people are faster than others d. Measuring factors that affect mental arithmetic
a. Using reaction times to divide cognition into a series of stages
EEG represents a comparison, between two or more different sites, of which of the following? Select one: a. Voltage b. White matter density c. Phase synchrony d. Euclidean distance
a. Voltage
Which method has the best spatial resolution? Select one: a. fMRI b. EEG c. Reaction-time studies
a. fMRI
Which of the following is NOT one of Fodor's properties of a module? Select one: a. Influenced by top-down processing b. Innateness c. Domain specificity d. Rapid processing
a. influenced by top-down processing
What is a branching structure in a neuron that carries information to other neurons and transmits an action potential? Select one: a. Dendrite b. Axon c. Synapse d. Cell body
b. Axon
Who has argued that functional imaging cannot inform cognitive theory because the latter does not make anatomical predictions? Select one: a. Dehaene et al. (2001) b. Coltheart (2004) c. Raichle (1998) d. Henson (2005)
b. Coltheart
Another term for an ERP component preferred by some researchers is an ERP: Select one: a. Oscillation b. Deflection c. Gap d. Cluster
b. Deflection
What neuroanatomical region is described by the following: "Sub-cortical grey matter structures lying in the center of the brain containing the thalamus and hypothalamus"? Select one: a. Limbic system b. Diencephalon c. Basal ganglia d. Midbrain
b. Diencephalon
What is another term of reference that could also mean "superior"? Select one: a. Ventral b. Dorsal c. Sagittal d. Axial
b. Dorsal
Which method has the best temporal resolution? Select one: a. PET b. EEG c. fMRI d. Brain lesions
b. EEG
Just as reaction times are speeded up by the subliminal presentation of the same visual word beforehand, brain activation in which region is more efficient under the same circumstances? Select one: a. Bilateral hippocampus b. Left fusiform cortex c. Retrosplenial cortex d. Right caudate nucleus
b. Left fusiform cortex
Which of the following is TRUE? Select one: a. Neurogenesis does not occur in the brain b. Men have larger brains than women c. Men have more folded brains than women d. The brain makes up 10% of body weight
b. Men have larger brains than women
The chemical signals released into the synaptic cleft by a neuron are called: Select one: a. Passive electrical currents b. Neurotransmitters c. Active electrical currents d. Depolarizations
b. Neurotransmitters
Mayall et al. (1997) concluded that participants had to transform a mIxEd CaSe wordform into a more standard version, based on differences in which measure? Select one: a. Single-cell recordings b. Reaction time c. Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) d. BOLD activation
b. Reaction time
Which of the following is parallel to a midline section of the brain? Select one: a. Coronal section b. Sagittal section c. Axial section d. Horizontal section
b. Sagittal section
What is the 10-20 system used for? Select one: a. MEG b. Scalp electrode placement c. Collecting reaction times d. Single-cell recording
b. Scalp electrode placement
Which method is rarely used in humans? Select one: a. fMRI b. Single-cell recording c. ERP method d. MEG
b. Single-cell recording
What additional insight into Broca's study of language localization did Wernicke and Lichtheim add? Select one: a. That language is separate from other cognitive domains b. That comprehension and production may be separable processes c. That language may be localized in left frontal lobe d. That speaking and reading are distinct processes
b. That comprehension and production may be separable processes
Brodmann's areas (BA) are defined according to what? Select one: a. The boundaries of sulci and gyri b. The relative distribution of cell types across cortical layers c. The type of information they respond to (e.g. visual, auditory, motoric) d. The regions of the brain to which they send an output
b. The relative distribution of cell types across cortical layers
What is another term of reference that could also mean "inferior"? Select one: a. Sagittal b. Ventral c. Axial d. Dorsal
b. Ventral
The human brain makes up approximately what percentage of bodyweight? Select one: a. 0.1 b. 0.05 c. 0.02 d. 0.15
c. 0.02
There are approximately how many neurons in the human brain? Select one: a. 20 billion b. 100 million c. 100 billion d. 300 billion
c. 100 billion
What is a "grandmother cell"? Select one: a. A neuron that connects to many others in a hierarchical fashion b. A neuron that responds to faces more than other types of stimuli c. A hypothetical neuron that responds only to one's own grandmother d. A neuron that responds to emotionally familiar stimuli
c. A hypothetical neuron that responds only to one's own grandmother
What is meant by a "domain-specific" process? Select one: a. More advanced stages of processing can influence more basic ones b. A process that has a specific location in the brain c. A process that operates on one specific type of information d. Hierarchical processing in which smaller pieces of information combine into bigger ones
c. A process that operates on one specific type of information
What term describes the following situation: reaction times are faster to a stimulus if that stimulus is preceded by a previously related stimulus? Select one: a. Repetition priming b. Inhibition c. Associative priming d. Attentional modulation
c. Associative priming
What name is an attempt to solve the inverse problem in ERP research that involves assuming how many regions of electrical activity contribute to the signal recorded at the scalp? Select one: a. Hemodynamic mapping b. Structural equation modeling c. Dipole modeling d. Statistical parametric mapping
c. Dipole modeling
What type of method is particularly linked to the work of Wilder Penfield? Select one: a. Functional MRI b. Transcranial magnetic stimulation c. Electrical stimulation of the brain d. Phrenology
c. Electrical stimulation of the brain
What aspects of an ERP waveform have traditionally been associated with processing the cognitive demands of a task? Select one: a. The positive peaks b. Exogenous components c. Endogenous components d. The negative troughs
c. Endogenous components
Which of the following is NOT a structure of the basal ganglia? Select one: a. Globus pallidus b. Caudate nucleus c. Fornix d. Putamen
c. Fornix
Which lobe of the brain is the most anterior? Select one: a. Parietal lobe b. Occipital lobe c. Frontal lobe d. Temporal lobe
c. Frontal lobe
What type of brain tissue consists primarily of neuronal cell bodies? Select one: a. White matter b. Spinal cord c. Gray matter d. Glia
c. Gray matter
Which of the following is a structure of the limbic system? Select one: a. Caudate nucleus b. Hypothalamus c. Hippocampus d. Thalamus
c. Hippocampus
Which of the following lies at 90 degrees to both a midline and coronal section? Select one: a. Ventral section b. Dorsal section c. Horizontal section d. Sagittal section
c. Horizontal section
Which brain region do you think is being described here: "Part of hindbrain; regulates vital functions such as breathing, swallowing, heart rate, and the wake/sleep cycle"? Select one: a. Pituitary gland b. Hypothalamus c. Medulla oblongata d. Cerebellum
c. Medulla oblangata
Which of the following statements about the action potential is FALSE? Select one: a. Action potentials travel from the axon hillock towards synaptic terminals b. During depolarization, Na+ ions enter the cell c. Once generated, another action potential can occur immediately afterwards d. There is a resting potential of -70mV across the membrane
c. Once generated, another action potential can occur immediately afterwards
Which method(s) have a spatial resolution at the single neuron level? Select one: a. TMS only b. Single-cell recording only c. Neither single-cell recording nor TMS d. Single-cell recording and TMS
c. Single-cell recording only
What is meant by "temporal coding" of neurons? Select one: a. The firing of neurons becomes more rapid if it codes that information b. The location in the brain is used to code certain types of information c. The synchrony between the firing of different neurons may code information d. The way in which neurons in the temporal lobe code information
c. The synchrony between the firing of different neurons may code information
Which philosopher is associated with a reductionist theory of mind and brain? Select one: a. Velmans b. Descartes c. Spinoza d. Churchland
d. Churchland
The part of the neuron that carries information to other neurons and transmits an action potential can be divided into separate branches, called: Select one: a. Colonnades b. Arches c. Hillocks d. Collaterals
d. Collaterals
What aspects of an ERP waveform have traditionally been associated with perceptual processing of a stimulus? Select one: a. The negative troughs b. The positive peaks c. Endogenous components d. Exogenous components
d. Exogenous components
TMS involves applying which of the following across the skull with a stimulating coil? Select one: a. Saline solution b. Electric fields c. Pulsed light d. Magnetic fields
d. Magnetic Fields
Which event-related potential component has been associated with processing faces relative to other visual stimuli? Select one: a. N250 b. P170 c. P300 d. N170
d. N170
In connectionist models of cognition, what are the information-carrying units called? Select one: a. Neurons b. Weights c. Modules d. Nodes
d. Nodes
Which philosopher is associated with a "dual-aspect theory" of mind and brain? Select one: a. Descartes b. Dennett c. Churchland d. Spinoza
d. Spinoza
What is typically recorded in the method of single-cell recording? Select one: a. The electrical activity at the scalp b. The change in blood flow associated with neural activity c. The amplitude of action potentials d. The number of action potentials per second
d. The number of action potentials per second
Which of the following statements is true about event-related potentials? Select one: a. They are based on blood-oxygen levels b. They give good information about where the neural activity originates from c. They are invasive d. They have a good temporal resolution
d. They have a good temporal resolution
Who has suggested that functional imaging may be a "new phrenology"? Select one: a. Velmans (2000) b. Henson (2005) c. Gross (1998) d. Uttal (2001)
d. Uttal (2001)
