Chapter 11: Quiz
1. The claim that "we only use 10% of our brains" is:
- A) Supported by modern brain imaging
- B) Based on Albert Einstein's research
- C) Completely debunked — brain imaging shows activity across virtually all regions
- D) Partially true — we use 10% at any given moment
Answer: C. Brain imaging, metabolic evidence, and brain injury data all show that virtually all brain regions are used. The myth has no identifiable scientific origin and is not attributable to Einstein.
2. The brain consumes approximately what percentage of the body's energy?
- A) 2%
- B) 10%
- C) 20%
- D) 50%
Answer: C. The brain is about 2% of body weight but uses approximately 20% of the body's energy — an enormous metabolic cost that evolution would not maintain for a 90% non-functional organ.
3. Nielsen et al. (2013) analyzed fMRI data from 1,011 individuals and found:
- A) Clear evidence that people are either left-brained or right-brained
- B) No evidence for hemispheric dominance — brain activity was broadly bilateral
- C) That left-brained people scored higher on IQ tests
- D) That right-brained people were more creative
Answer: B. The study found no evidence that individuals preferentially use one hemisphere over the other. Both hemispheres contribute to virtually all complex tasks.
4. The "far transfer" question in brain training asks:
- A) Whether brain games are fun
- B) Whether practicing a specific task improves performance on different, untrained tasks
- C) Whether brain games work on distant computers
- D) Whether improvement lasts longer than one day
Answer: B. Far transfer — improvement on untrained tasks from practicing a specific task — is the critical question. Near transfer (getting better at the practiced task) is expected and unremarkable.
5. The FTC fined Lumosity $2 million because:
- A) Their games were too easy
- B) They had deceptive advertising — they hadn't substantiated claims that their games improve general cognition
- C) Their software had bugs
- D) They were too expensive
Answer: B. The FTC found that Lumosity's claims about improving cognition, work/school performance, and reducing cognitive decline were not supported by evidence.
6. The original 1993 Mozart Effect study found:
- A) That babies who listened to Mozart scored higher on IQ tests
- B) That college students performed slightly better on a spatial reasoning task for about 15 minutes after listening to Mozart
- C) That learning to play piano increases intelligence
- D) That classical music permanently enhances brain development
Answer: B. The original finding was modest (college students, spatial reasoning only, ~15 minutes), specific, and unreplicated in its original form. The infant version was never studied.
7. The "seductive allure of neuroscience explanations" refers to:
- A) The fact that neuroscience is always more accurate than other sciences
- B) The finding that adding irrelevant neuroscience language makes explanations seem more credible, even when it adds no information
- C) The beauty of brain imaging technology
- D) The high salaries of neuroscientists
Answer: B. Weisberg et al. (2008) showed that participants rated explanations with irrelevant neuroscience language as more satisfying and credible than identical explanations without it.
8. Which intervention has the strongest evidence for improving cognitive function?
- A) Brain training apps
- B) Listening to classical music
- C) Physical exercise (aerobic)
- D) Nootropic supplements
Answer: C. Physical exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, has the most robust and consistently replicated evidence for improving attention, memory, executive function, and processing speed.
9. Baby Einstein products were:
- A) Strongly supported by research showing cognitive benefits for infants
- B) Never associated with any research on infant cognition
- C) Subject to refunds by Disney after a study suggested they might be associated with smaller vocabularies, not larger ones
- D) Endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics
Answer: C. Disney offered refunds for Baby Einstein products after Zimmerman et al. (2007) found a possible negative association with vocabulary development. No research supported the claimed cognitive benefits.
10. The chapter's overall message about neuromyths is:
- A) All neuroscience is fake
- B) Brain-based explanations sound more scientific than they are; judge claims by evidence quality, not by whether they mention the brain
- C) We should stop studying the brain
- D) Only neuroscientists can evaluate brain claims
Answer: B. The chapter demonstrates that brain language adds apparent credibility without necessarily adding accuracy. The toolkit applies to neuroscience claims just as it applies to all psychology claims.