Page 70 - 2024-bfw-MyersAP4e

®
AP Science Practice Check Your Understanding

Examine the Concept Apply the Concept
▶ Explain the functions of the key structures of the limbic ▶ Why do you think our brain evolved into so many
system. interconnected structures with varying functions?
▶ Explain how the pons, hippocampus, and amygdala are
influencing you as you read this text.

Answers to the Examine the Concept questions can be found in Appendix C at the end of the book.

Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Not for redistribution.

Exploring Research
®
Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
AP Science Practice
Methods & Design
As a result of research on traumatic brain injuries, the NFL implemented
new procedures to protect players who experience concussions, including
neuropsychological tests for players before they can return to play after sustaining a
head injury. Research shows that repeated concussions are associated with increased
depression, impaired judgment, memory loss, and, in later life, dementia.
Researchers autopsied the brains of former players and found neurodegeneration
at a much higher rate than in the general population: A study of 111 deceased NFL
players found that 99 percent had neurodegeneration ( Mez et al., 2017 .
)
• Determine which research design was employed in the 2017 study — correlational or
experimental.

• Explain the difference between the sample and the population in this study.
• Explain what conclusions you can and cannot draw from this study.

• What ethical guidelines, if any, would prevent you from using random assignment
when studying this topic?
Remember, you can always revisit Unit 0 to review information related to psychological research.

The Cerebral Cortex

1.4-7 What four lobes make up the cerebral cortex, and what are the func-
1.4-7 What four lobes make up the cer ebral cortex, and what ar e the func-
tions of the motor cortex, somatosensory cortex, and association areas?
tions of the motor cortex, somatosensory cortex, and association areas?
The cerebrum — the two cerebral hemispheres that contribute 85 percent of the brain’s
weight — enables our perceiving, thinking, and speaking. Like other brain structures,
including the thalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala, the cerebral hemispheres come

as a pair. Covering those hemispheres, like bark on a tree, is the cerebral cortex , a
cerebral [seh-REE-bruhl] thin surface layer of interconnected neural cells. (The scholars who first dissected and
cortex the intricate fabric of labeled the brain used Latin and Greek words as graphic descriptions. For example,
interconnected neural cells
covering the forebrain’s cerebral cortex means “bark.”)
hemispheres; the body’s ultimate Mammals’ complex cerebral cortex offers high capacity for learning and thinking,
control and information- enabling them to adapt to ever-changing environments. What makes humans distinct
processing center. is the size and interconnectivity of our cerebral cortex ( Donahue et al., 2018 ). Let’s take
a look at its structure and function.

70 Unit 1 Biological Bases of Behavior

03_myersAPpsychology4e_28116_ch01_002_163.indd 70 15/12/23 9:23 AM