In the Landmark Case of Atkins V

question 53

Multiple Choice

In the landmark case of Atkins v. Virginia (2002) , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled-consistent with laws already in effect in many states-that

• A) schizophrenia is a mitigating factor that makes the death penalty unconstitutional.
• B) schizophrenia is not a mitigating factor that makes the death penalty unconstitutional.
• C) mental retardation is a mitigating factor that makes the death penalty unconstitutional.
• D) mental retardation is not a mitigating factor that makes the death penalty unconstitutional.

---

Definitions:

Semantic System

A cognitive system responsible for storing information about words, their meanings, and the relationships between them.

Basal Ganglia

A group of structures in the brain involved in coordinating movement and reward.

Procedural Memory

A skill memory or the memory of a highly practiced behavior.

Interference

A phenomenon in which the learning of new information hampers the retrieval of older information.