This document contains the practice exam questions offered at the end of each lecture of the The Adolescent Brain course and a detailed answer which is composed of the given answer and my own additions based on the articles. The answers are in English (but at the exam they can also be answered in D...
Practice exam questions (English)
Questions
1) Introduction
“Iedereen kan wel aardig doen maar niet iedereen doet dat” (Everyone can be nice
but not everybody is) From the Braintime study
What factors might explain individual diferences between how nice/prosocial
children and adolescents are? Support your answer with knowledge on brain
development across childhood and adolescence.
2) The social brain
Diferent brain regions play a role in social decisionmmaking, for example when you
make decisions related to trust or fairness in interactions.
Describe two brain regions that are involved in such social cognition processes, and
Based on an example from empirical research explain how these brain regions play
a role in age related changes in prosocial behaviour.
3) Hormones
A) Describe the development of white matter structure across adolescence
and name a
possible mechanisms for this structural development.
B) Name and briefly describe a method that helps examine the development
of white
matter network.
4) Emotion regulation
Studies on behavioural inhibition show a slowing in response to fearful faces
compared to neutral or happy ones.
A) Is this response uniform across development?
B) Support your answer with evidence from one empirical study
5) Self concept
Throughout the lectures and in the assigned articles, you have come across various
empirical studies focusing on the role of mPFC in social cognition.
A) Choose two empirical studies to highlight the function of mPFC in social
cognition. In
your answer, explain the study designs (e.g. task/contrast used, study setmup)
and their
findings briefly.
B) Combine the findings of the two studies to illustrate and discuss what we
know about the role of mPFC in social functioning and its development.
6) Peers
Friendships play a significant developmental role, especially across adolescence.
The study by Masten et al. (2010) examines the role of friendships in social
exclusion.
Explain the study design briefly (what is measured in the study and the task
employed in the scanner and the diferent conditions in the task) and the main
, finding regarding the longitudinal role of friendships in brain activation during social
exclusion. Refer in your answer to what these findings signify for the role
friendships in development.
7) Problem behaviours
It has been suggested that there is an increased vulnerability for depression during
adolescence. Davey et al (2008) propose that there are three domains of
development that are crucial for understanding this increased vulnerability.
What are these domains? Explain how each domain might contribute to the onset of
depression. Refer to links between the domains in your answer.
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