Popular Media Quiz 1 Flashcards
Einstein’s brain was carefully preserved after his death.
False.
Samples of Einstein’s brain were studied soon after his death and the preservation of his brain.
False.
Lawrence Altman (The New York Times, 1999) reported on research indicating that an area of the brain devoted to “processing mathematical thought, three-dimensional vision, and spatial relationships” was significantly larger in Einstein’s brain in comparison to the brains of “normal” people. In which cerebral lobe was this region located?
Parietal lobe.
Philippa Warr (Wired, 2012) reported on research indicating that an area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex was “extraordinary” when examined in photos. What functions can be ascribed to prefrontal cortex?
Decision making and planning.
“Neuroskeptic” (Discover Magazine, 2014) describes research in which Einstein’s brain was found to have “a higher proportion of glial cells than those of…normal control brains.” One consequence of this finding might be that Einstein’s neurons conducted action potentials faster than the neurons of “normal” people.
True.
“Neuroskeptic” (Discover Magazine, 2014) also describes a paper in which the research on Einstein’s brain is critiqued, with the conclusion that his brain is “nothing special.” One critique of the above work on glial cells is that the researcher did not correct their statistics for…
Multiple comparisons (i.e. a great many brain regions were compared between each group).
“Neuroskeptic” (Discover Magazine, 2014) also discusses the idea that the researchers may be interpreting data in a way that supports their claims, while ignoring data that does not. This is known as “confirmation bias.”
True.
Collectively, the data suggests that the similarities between Einstein’s brain and the brains of “normal” people are numerous, and the differences are few.
True.
A valid critique of the research on Einstein’s brain is that…
The scientific findings are not consistent between researchers.
A valid critique of the research on Einstein’s brain is that there was only one sample in the “genius” group (i.e. Einstein’s brain) in these studies.
True.
