(1) Normal Language And Cognitive Effects Flashcards
an arbitrary code in which
others may actually identify or retrieve the meaning as well as express themselves
Language
The 3 main mental functions of cognition
Three main mental functions: (1) attention,
(2) perception, (3) memory
T or F: If cognition is identified with information processing, and we think of language use as information processing then it’s consistent to think of language functions as embedded in cognition.
True
umbrella term for all higher mental processes… the collection of mental processes and activities used in perceiving, remembering, thinking, and understanding.
Cognition
we interpret what we get from our senses;
Perceiving
all about recalling past events and information
Remembering
all about imagining and analyzing things
Thinking
Making sense of something new
Understanding
the base level of attention
Arousal
the inability to ignore irrelevant inputs can be an impediment to successful communication.
Cocktail party problem
Cognitive process that concentrates mental e ort on on external stimulus or an internal representation or thought
Attention
In attention we need:
Arousal and vigilance
the basic mechanism for selecting sensory information that can be
used for cognitive processing.
Input attention
reflex towards an unexpected stimulus
orienting reflex
capture with significance
Attention capture
Driven by physical characteristics namely significance, novelty of the item, and social
cues.
Attention capture
Focusing, resisting distraction so that cognition becomes manageable
selective attention
Focusing mechanism that prepares the processor to deal with information based on expectation.
Spotlight Attention
Confront multiple stimuli or processes at the same time, dual tasking
Divided attention
ability to hold information in
our head. It is important to the brain’s ability to perform even the simplest of action.
Memory
retrieving something from your memory.
Recognition
retention of information in the mind beyond the life of an external stimulus
memory
the form of
information represented in our mind
mental representation
the same basic knowledge of objects and actions, living and nonliving things
Semantic memory
has limited capacity for transient representations
Working Memory
limited, so it is challenging to manage inputs from the environment and from LTM
Working memory
Information in STM either decays or more likely is pushed out by incoming stimulation. That is what you call
Interference
have as much to do with the capacity for doing work as they do for storing content. Therefore, the expanded to working memory
Transient Memory
Brain reacts (process) without our conscious control in response to a stimulus
Automatic processing
2 information processing in working memory
Automatic and Controlled Processing
Automatic processing is
- It is subconscious
- It is obligatory in nature
- It takes up little or no room in WM
- Fasts tasks
Also known as the strategic processing
Controlled Processing
Controlled Processing is
Can be conscious
Can be intentional
It is effortful
Slow tasks
The input of WM are
bottom up and top down
Influenced by characteristics of environmental input
bottom-up
Bottom-up WM is
Stimulus and data driven
Directed by what we already know (based on our prior knowledge)
Top-down
Top-down WM is
Concept driven
Elements of an executive system
- Initiation
- Goal maintenance
- Organization
- Self monitoring and modification
Activation of a cognitive system
Initiation
Task persistence
Goal Maintenance
Organization of action sequence
Organization
Self monitoring: awareness
Self monitoring and modification
Cognitive system activates automatically as soon as a sentence is initiated and continues as the sentence is heard or read
Sentence comprehension
More di cult than basic and sentence comprehension
Discourse Processing
It needs a lot of interpretative information from the Long Term Memory (LTM), thus causing constraint in processing
Bottleneck Problem
Studies the mind that participates in conversation
Social Cognition
Studies the mind’s automaticity, as well as its strategies, when presented with real communicative problems
Cognitive pragmatics
When a patient ages, the concept of WM is a ected too. Remember:
ST retention of info
Manipulation of info
WM increases in childhood and declines in late adulthood
- Processing speed
- Neural integrity
- Breakdown in inhibitory functions
WM and EF are believed to be subserved by the prefrontal cortex (Raz, 2005) + nigrostriatal dopamine neurotransmitter system (Arnset, et. al 1995)
○ Both are a ected by aging → a ects WM and EF tasks
○ Loss of brain volume → reduced prefrontal activation
○ Age-related declines in dopamine system → reduced input to frontal cortex
T or F: Older adults are more vulnerable to distractions as a result of a weakening of inhibitory mechanisms with age (Hasher and Zacks, 1988)
True
3 functions of inhibition (Hasher, Zacks, and May, 1999)
Preventing irrelevant info from entering WM
Deleting irrelevant info from WM
Restraining probable responses until their appropriateness can be assessed
Talking a lot, but drifting from topic to topic, weaving many unrelated and irrelevant topics into the conversation
Off-Target Vocabulary
T or F: OA were unable to divide attention between two sources of info (written and visual) (Stine, Wingfield, and Myers, 1990)
TRUE
