Action Applied Questions Flashcards
What is one of the brain structures to modulate motor output but that receives input from more than just the cortex?
cerebellum
Monkeys can learn to press a lever for reward simply by seeing other monkeys do so. What might provide a physiological mechanism for this way of learning skills?
mirror neuron
Damage to what brain structure would most selectively impair the ability of a hockey player to keep track of the spatial locations of his team mates and his opponents, which he would need in order to best decide where to pass the puck?
posterior parietal cortex
When driving, Carl can quickly adjust the speed and direction of his car to compensate for the movements of the cars around him, all while he is concentrating his attention on the radio. What type of action would these driving adjustments be considered?
automatic actions
The famous neuropsychologist, Oliver Sacks, once described a patient he called Witty Ticcy Ray that suffered from excessive tics and involuntary cries of obscenities. Sacks successfully treated him with a dopamine antagonist but Ray found he missed his former spontaneous witicisms. What disorder did Ray suffer from?
Tourette Syndrome
Bill has no problem shaving each day. However, when the day comes that he has to teach his son how to shave, he has a hard time going through the motions of shaving just pretending that he has a razor in his hand. What disorder does he most likely have?
apraxia
In the movie Whiplash, a young drummer is constantly berated by his conductor for struggling to keep up with the tempo of songs. Problems with what brain structure would be most at fault for this inability of the drummer?
cerebellum
What specific cortical motor area would be most active when a professional dancer mentally rehearses her moves?
secondary motor cortex
John is trying to decide when the best time to merge onto the highway is, based on his judgements of safety. What brain structure would play a critical role in these judgements of whether to initiate action?
prefrontal cortex
When Obi-Wan Kenobi uses his Jedi mind powers to make an Imperial Stormtrooper choose to ignore him and have the Stormtrooper focus his attention elsewhere, what area of the Stormtrooper’s brain is he most likely affecting?
posterior parietal cortex
Stimulation of a particular site within what brain structure might most reliably produce climbing behavior in a monkey, involving a sequence of movement of all four limbs?
secondary motor cortex
What is one of the brain structures to modulate motor output but that receives input only from the cortex?
basal ganglia
When you move to a new town, at first it takes you a while to learn the new phone numbers there. However, after a while you find it easier by identifying common area codes and treating them as single units to type into your phone. What sensorimotor learning phenomenon does this best illustrate?
response chunking
Will suffers from repetitive head movements. His doctor is trying to understand the cause of this. One clue is that when Will focuses on the movements, instead of getting worse, he is actually able to reduce them for a period of time. What disorder does Will most likely have?
Tourette syndrome
Jack has become tired of having to use his hands to pick up things, and so has developed a device that can move objects for him just by his thoughts alone. What area of his brain does the device most likely record from in order to produce this telekinetic effect?
primary motor cortex
