Section: Coach Brain — Emotions, Decisions, and Self-Regulation
This section covers Chapter 2, Lessons 2.1 through 2.4.
Part A — Vocabulary (20 points, 2 points each)
Select the best answer for each question.
1. The amygdala is the brain's:
A) Memory storage center B) Emotional processing center, responding in milliseconds and fully developed in adolescence C) Movement coordinator D) Language area
2. Affect labeling is:
A) Suppressing an emotion entirely B) Naming an emotion to reduce its intensity by shifting processing from amygdala to PFC C) Increasing the intensity of an emotion D) Avoiding emotional situations
3. Emotional regulation is best described as:
A) Suppressing all emotion B) Modulating the intensity and duration of emotion — not suppression C) Showing no emotion in public D) Avoiding emotional triggers
4. Cognitive reappraisal refers to:
A) Memorizing facts B) Reinterpreting a situation's meaning to change the emotional response C) Suppressing emotion D) Distracting yourself
5. The dual-process model of decision-making consists of:
A) Two brain hemispheres working together B) System 1 (fast/automatic/emotional) + System 2 (slow/deliberate/rational) C) Conscious and unconscious memory D) Logic and luck
6. Confirmation bias is the tendency to:
A) Confirm facts before sharing B) Seek, interpret, and remember information that supports existing beliefs while dismissing contradictions C) Believe everything you read D) Disagree with everyone
7. The Dunning-Kruger effect describes:
A) The pattern where low competence leads to overconfidence and high competence leads to humility B) Why some people are smarter than others C) Memory loss with age D) A type of bias only in older adults
8. Pre-commitment is:
A) Making a decision in advance and designing the environment to support it B) Promising not to change C) Always choosing the first option D) Always asking for permission
9. The window of tolerance refers to:
A) How much pain you can endure B) The zone of arousal where you can process emotions and function effectively C) Time available to make a decision D) Tolerance for other people
10. Vagal tone is:
A) Vocal volume B) A measure of vagus nerve activity; higher = better emotional regulation and faster recovery C) Muscle tension D) A medical condition
Part B — Concept Comprehension (20 points, 2 points each)
Select the best answer for each question.
11. According to Damasio's research, patients with damage to emotional processing areas:
A) Made faster and better decisions B) Could reason perfectly but struggled to make decisions because they lacked emotional input C) Became more rational and logical D) Lost the ability to speak
12. During adolescence, the amygdala is:
A) Not yet developed B) Fully developed while the prefrontal cortex is still maturing C) Less active than in adulthood D) Developing at the same rate as the PFC
13. Affect labeling works by:
A) Suppressing the emotion entirely B) Engaging the PFC, which modulates amygdala reactivity C) Increasing amygdala activity D) Replacing the emotion
14. Adolescent risk-taking is primarily driven by:
A) Inability to assess danger B) A hypersensitive dopamine/reward system combined with a still-developing PFC C) Lack of education D) Deliberate rebellion
15. Emotional suppression compared to emotional regulation:
A) Produces better outcomes B) Increases physiological stress, impairs memory, and damages social connection C) Is the recommended teen approach D) Reduces cortisol
16. Pre-commitment is more reliable than in-the-moment willpower because:
A) It requires no effort B) It shifts the decision to a calmer context where System 2 is fully available C) It eliminates all temptation D) It works only for adults
17. Peer presence affects adolescent decision-making by:
A) Always improving decision quality through collaboration B) Activating reward-related brain regions, increasing risk-taking even without verbal pressure C) Having no measurable effect D) Reducing dopamine activity
18. Emotional contagion refers to:
A) An infectious disease B) Emotions spreading between people, mediated by mirror neurons C) Group hysteria D) The same as empathy
19. A person in hyperarousal outside the window of tolerance experiences:
A) Calm clear thinking B) Overwhelming emotion, fight-or-flight responses, difficulty processing C) Sleepiness D) The same as deep meditation
20. Reward sensitivity during adolescence:
A) Is lower than in adulthood B) Peaks in adolescence and contributes to both creativity and risk-taking C) Does not develop until age 25 D) Is the same as cortisol response
Part C — Application (30 points, 6 points each)
Write 2-4 complete sentences for each question. Show your reasoning.
21. Explain why emotions are described as "data, not noise" in this chapter. Use Damasio's research as support.
22. A friend made an impulsive decision they regret. Analyze it using System 1/System 2 and suggest one specific pre-commitment strategy they could use next time.
23. You catch yourself dismissing an article because it contradicts your opinion on nutrition. Which cognitive bias is at work? Describe one de-biasing strategy.
24. Describe the window of tolerance. What happens to a student in hyperarousal versus hypoarousal during a test? Identify one concrete strategy to return to the window of tolerance.
25. Explain why adolescent risk-taking is considered a developmental feature rather than a defect. What evolutionary purpose might heightened reward sensitivity serve at this life stage?
Continue to the next section.