Quiz 5: Physical Growth and Brain Development

Question 1

Christoph was maltreated as an infant when he lived in an East European orphanage. Which of the following is not a likely outcome of that experience?

Answer 1

A build-up of fluid on his brain that causes his head to swell. (Hydroencephaly (fluid on the brain) is the result of a congenital birth defect caused by a neural tube defect and not by institutionalization.

Question 2

The dense, fatty sheath that enhances the speed with which electrical messages can be sent between neurons is known as…

Answer 2

myelin

Question 3

Which of the following steps should Anna’s parents take if they want to protect her from SIDS?

Answer 3

put her on her back to sleep, even at nap time.

Question 4

During infancy, the brain grows until it is approximately

Answer 4

80 percent of an adult’s brain by the age of 3 years (by three years of age, the infant brain is now approximately 80% of its adult size, p. 130)

Question 5

All of the following statements about childhood immunizations are accurate except…

Answer 5

only the first of the recommended doses for each vaccine needs to be given.
(boosters are often needed)

Question 6

Infants who are deprived of normal physical and social contract and who grow slowly even if they are fed an adequate diet may have a condition known as

Answer 6

failure to thrive.

failure to thrive is commonly associated with social deprivation

Question 7

Emmerson was born with a cataract in one of her eyes. Knowing what we do about experience expectant processes in brain development, what advice is a pediatrician most likely to give Emmerson’s parents?

Answer 7

“We should operate to remove the cataract as soon as possible, ideally before Jamie is 2 months old.”

(Early removal of a cataract can prevent long-term loss of cells and brain reogranization associated with vision in that eye.)

Question 8

All of the following occur in the infant brain primarily during the prenatal period except…

Answer 8

All of the above brain development process occur prenatally.

generation of neurons, migration of neurons, and neural tube formation

Question 9

Lead poisoning..

Answer 9

commonly causes brain damage leading to poorer cognitive functioning that may be only partly reversible

Question 10

In the United States, which of the following is not among the top three causes of infant deaths …

Answer 10

Shaken Baby Syndrome.
(While Shaken Baby Syndrome can casuse serious injury and even death it is not among the top three causes of premature death in infants.)
Other items: congenital malformations, preterm birth, SIDS