PSC 135 MIDTERM #2 EXAM QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED SOLUTIONS LATEST UPDATE 2026
Cognitive neuroscience is best described as studies of:
a. the etiology and treatment of neurological disorders.
b. philosophical theories of the human mind.
c. mathematical studies of behavior.
d. the biological bases of higher mental function.
e. studies of psychopathology and their effect on life functioning. - Answers d
Cognitive neuroscience research utilizes methodological techniques from:
a. neuroscience.
b. psychology.
c. neurology/neuropsychology.
d. computational modeling.
e. all of the above. - Answers e
The lesion analysis method used in studies of human brain function primarily involves:
a. testing patients with brain damage to identify cognitive brain mechanisms
b. using functional brain imaging to investigate specific mental processes in humans.
c. recording ERPs in patients to pinpoint where their lesion is located
d. producing lesions in animals and observing their activity levels or hunger levels. - Answers a
Phrenologists of the nineteenth century believed that the pattern of bumps on the skull could indicate
the psychological makeup of individuals because:
a. It was believed that the skull conducted electricity better where it was thicker.
b. The brain acted as a single unit to produce behavior that was not localized.
c. Detailed correlations of brain damage with behavior validated phrenology.
d. All of the above.
e. None of the above. - Answers e
Localization of mental functions in the brain is an idea that gained support from:
a. Conditioning study of Pavlov in dogs.
b. Ramon y Cajal's theory of dynamic polarization in neuronal coding.
c. Karl Lashley's studies of spatial learning in rats.
d. Paul Broca's studies of patients with language disorders.
e. All of the above. - Answers d
Korbinian Brodmann used ________ techniques to document 52 regions of the brain that differed in
________.
a. phrenological / cytoarchitectonics
b. phrenological / chronometrics
c. tissue staining / cytoarchitectonics
d. tissue staining / chronometrics - Answers c
The difference between gray matter and white matter is that gray matter refers to ________, whereas
white matter refers to ________.
a. protruding rounded surfaces / fissures and invaginations
b. fissures and invaginations / protruding rounded surfaces
c. regions with lots of cell bodies / axons running together
d. axons / cell bodies - Answers c
The two main divisions of the nervous system are the _____.
a. forebrain and brainstem.
b. white matter and gray matter.
c. central and peripheral nervous systems.
, d. cerebral hemispheres and cerebellum. - Answers c
All of the following are advantages of a folded cerebral cortex EXCEPT:
a.)the need for blood vasculature in the cortex is eliminated.
b.)neural conduction time between areas is reduced.
c.)neurons are brought into closer three-dimensional relationships.
d.)more cortical surface can be packed into the skull. - Answers a
The temporal lobe likely bears this name because
a. it is the brain's center for time processing.
b. its functions are particularly susceptible to the effects of aging.
c. it lies beneath the area of the scalp where hair grays with age.
d. its neurons fire more quickly than neurons in other brain regions. - Answers c
The central sulcus is an anatomical landmark that separates the ________ lobe from the ________
lobe.
a. temporal / frontal
b. frontal / parietal
c. parietal / occipital
d. occipital / temporal - Answers b
Communication between the two hemispheres of the brain occurs mainly through the
a. basal ganglia
b. cingulate gyrus
c. corpus callosum
d. limbic system - Answers c
All of the following terms refer to the same cortical region that processes visual input EXCEPT:
a. striate cortex.
b. area V1.
c. Heschl's gyrus.
d. Brodmann's area 17.
e. None of the above - Answers c
The part of the thalamus that is most important in relaying information to the primary visual cortex is
the _____.
a. lateral geniculate nucleus.
b. superior colliculus.
c. medial geniculate nucleus.
d. inferior colliculus. - Answers a
Following a focal brain injury, a patient shows great difficulty in discriminating tones that differ in
sound frequency (high vs. low). Which area of the cortex is most likely affected?
a. The superior temporal lobe
b. The inferior temporal lobe
c. The anterior parietal lobe
d. The posterior parietal lobe - Answers a
Parts of the brain where neural activity is relatively high are characterized by?
a. elevated regional blood flow
b. increased cerebrospinal fluid production
c. a high degree of myelination
d. greater concentrations of proteins - Answers a
You have are interested in a particular neuron in the occipital lobe that you believe is responsible for
processing information about color. What type of neurophysiological technique would allow you to
assess this hypothesis in a living animal?
Cognitive neuroscience is best described as studies of:
a. the etiology and treatment of neurological disorders.
b. philosophical theories of the human mind.
c. mathematical studies of behavior.
d. the biological bases of higher mental function.
e. studies of psychopathology and their effect on life functioning. - Answers d
Cognitive neuroscience research utilizes methodological techniques from:
a. neuroscience.
b. psychology.
c. neurology/neuropsychology.
d. computational modeling.
e. all of the above. - Answers e
The lesion analysis method used in studies of human brain function primarily involves:
a. testing patients with brain damage to identify cognitive brain mechanisms
b. using functional brain imaging to investigate specific mental processes in humans.
c. recording ERPs in patients to pinpoint where their lesion is located
d. producing lesions in animals and observing their activity levels or hunger levels. - Answers a
Phrenologists of the nineteenth century believed that the pattern of bumps on the skull could indicate
the psychological makeup of individuals because:
a. It was believed that the skull conducted electricity better where it was thicker.
b. The brain acted as a single unit to produce behavior that was not localized.
c. Detailed correlations of brain damage with behavior validated phrenology.
d. All of the above.
e. None of the above. - Answers e
Localization of mental functions in the brain is an idea that gained support from:
a. Conditioning study of Pavlov in dogs.
b. Ramon y Cajal's theory of dynamic polarization in neuronal coding.
c. Karl Lashley's studies of spatial learning in rats.
d. Paul Broca's studies of patients with language disorders.
e. All of the above. - Answers d
Korbinian Brodmann used ________ techniques to document 52 regions of the brain that differed in
________.
a. phrenological / cytoarchitectonics
b. phrenological / chronometrics
c. tissue staining / cytoarchitectonics
d. tissue staining / chronometrics - Answers c
The difference between gray matter and white matter is that gray matter refers to ________, whereas
white matter refers to ________.
a. protruding rounded surfaces / fissures and invaginations
b. fissures and invaginations / protruding rounded surfaces
c. regions with lots of cell bodies / axons running together
d. axons / cell bodies - Answers c
The two main divisions of the nervous system are the _____.
a. forebrain and brainstem.
b. white matter and gray matter.
c. central and peripheral nervous systems.
, d. cerebral hemispheres and cerebellum. - Answers c
All of the following are advantages of a folded cerebral cortex EXCEPT:
a.)the need for blood vasculature in the cortex is eliminated.
b.)neural conduction time between areas is reduced.
c.)neurons are brought into closer three-dimensional relationships.
d.)more cortical surface can be packed into the skull. - Answers a
The temporal lobe likely bears this name because
a. it is the brain's center for time processing.
b. its functions are particularly susceptible to the effects of aging.
c. it lies beneath the area of the scalp where hair grays with age.
d. its neurons fire more quickly than neurons in other brain regions. - Answers c
The central sulcus is an anatomical landmark that separates the ________ lobe from the ________
lobe.
a. temporal / frontal
b. frontal / parietal
c. parietal / occipital
d. occipital / temporal - Answers b
Communication between the two hemispheres of the brain occurs mainly through the
a. basal ganglia
b. cingulate gyrus
c. corpus callosum
d. limbic system - Answers c
All of the following terms refer to the same cortical region that processes visual input EXCEPT:
a. striate cortex.
b. area V1.
c. Heschl's gyrus.
d. Brodmann's area 17.
e. None of the above - Answers c
The part of the thalamus that is most important in relaying information to the primary visual cortex is
the _____.
a. lateral geniculate nucleus.
b. superior colliculus.
c. medial geniculate nucleus.
d. inferior colliculus. - Answers a
Following a focal brain injury, a patient shows great difficulty in discriminating tones that differ in
sound frequency (high vs. low). Which area of the cortex is most likely affected?
a. The superior temporal lobe
b. The inferior temporal lobe
c. The anterior parietal lobe
d. The posterior parietal lobe - Answers a
Parts of the brain where neural activity is relatively high are characterized by?
a. elevated regional blood flow
b. increased cerebrospinal fluid production
c. a high degree of myelination
d. greater concentrations of proteins - Answers a
You have are interested in a particular neuron in the occipital lobe that you believe is responsible for
processing information about color. What type of neurophysiological technique would allow you to
assess this hypothesis in a living animal?
