Neuroplasticity and Brain Development Quiz

Which statement regarding brain development is false?

• The brain has largely completed developing by around the age of 6

• The brain can form new connections as a result of learning, injury, or experience

• Both genes and the environment interact to affect brain development

• The human brain continues to change throughout a person's life

Dendritic branching is the process by which...

• Neurons form new connections

• An existing pathway in the brain becomes strengthened through practice

• Unused connections between neurons become weakened over time

• Neurons multiply in number

Which is NOT an example of neuroplasticity?

• Men with enlarged hippocampuses are more likely to become taxi drivers

• Regions of the cerebral cortex (associated with dizziness) shrink in ballet dancers

• Training to become a professional athlete causes outer layers of the brain to thicken

• Rats placed in a stimulating environment develop more neural connections in the cortex

In Rosenzweig and Bennet's research, some rats were placed in an enriched environment. How did their brains change?

• Frontal lobe became thicker, and cortex became heavier

• Frontal lobe became heavier, and developed a thicker cortex

• Posterior of the hippocampus increased in size, anterior decreased in size

• Posterior of the hippocampus decreased in size, anterior increased in size

Maguire's study on taxi drivers is correlational because it compares two groups of people without random assignment. Which finding suggests that the brains of the taxi drivers actually changed?

• A positive correlation was observed between years of taxi driving experience and hippocampus size

• The taxi drivers had a thicker cortex compared to the controls

• Both taxi drivers and the control group were right-handed males of a similar age

• The taxi drivers had a larger posterior of the hippocampus compared to the controls

What is neuroplasticity?

• The brain's ability to remain unchanged throughout life

• The brain's ability to adapt by forming new connections as a result of experience

• The brain's ability to shrink in size over time

• The brain's ability to lose neurons as a person ages

What did the study by Rosenzweig & Bennet conclude about neuroplasticity?

• A stimulating environment has no effect on brain structure

• A stimulating environment causes new connections to form in the brain

• A deprived environment enhances brain development

• Neuroplasticity is not supported by scientific evidence

What was a key finding in Maguire's study on London cab drivers?

• The anterior hippocampus was larger in taxi drivers

• The cortex was thicker in non-taxi drivers

• The posterior hippocampus was larger in taxi drivers

• The frontal lobe was larger in taxi drivers