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Chapter 1. Chapter

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Scientific American: Psychology

Infographic Activity 2.4: Getting Into the Brain

Getting Into the Brain

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In 1848 an accidental blast drove a 3-foot iron bar through the head of railroad worker Phineas Gage. He survived, but his personality was disastrously affected. Previously reliable and agreeable, post-injury Gage was prone to angry outbursts and become unable to hold down a job.

Using measurements from his fractured skull, modern scientists have been able to connect Gage’s personality changes to frontal lobe damage. Cases like this have helped psychologists understand the role of different structures in the brain.

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1.1 Quiz

1. In 1848, a railroad accident caused one of the most famous cases of brain injury in all of psychology. An explosion caused an iron rod to be blown through the head of Phineas Gage, causing significant brain damage. Which of the following was the most prominent result of this brain injury?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct.
Incorrect.

2. After the accident suffered by Phineas Gage, there were significant lingering effects that stayed with him until the end of his life over a decade later. Damage to which part of the brain was later understood to be responsible for these effects?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct.
Incorrect.

3. If you were go through brain surgery, the doctors performing that procedure would have to cut through several different structures in order to get to your actual brain. Which of the following would represent the correct order of head structures that would be passed before one got to the brain?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct.
Incorrect.

4. Yocheved was playing with her friends in the yard one day, when the girls got the not-so-great idea to try to do backflips like they had seen on television. As one might expect, Yocheved’s first attempt to do a backflip was a spectacular failure, as she landed headfirst on the grass. Thankfully there was no serious damage, but for several moments after the crash she was sure that she was having difficulty hearing her friends as they asked her if she was okay. Which part of her brain was briefly traumatized, leading to these auditory symptoms?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct.
Incorrect.

5. The somatosensory cortex is responsible for receiving sensory information from the body. In which of the lobes of the brain is this important structure located?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct.
Incorrect.

6. Wernicke’s area is to ________ as Broca’s area is to _________.

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct.
Incorrect.

7. Paul and his fraternity brothers are having a lot of fun playing football one warm autumn day. They are only playing “touch” so that nobody gets hurt, but Paul accidentally stumbles and slams the back of his head into one of his friend’s arms. Paul is laying on the ground collecting himself, when he starts having symptoms that would be associated with temporary trauma to his occipital lobes. Which symptom would be most likely at this moment?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct.
Incorrect.

8. Which of the following is the outermost layer of the brain?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct.
Incorrect.