6. The Neural Basis of Reading

Question 1

what are logographic languages? examples.

Answer 1

based on one-word-one-symbol principle - Japanese Kanji, modern Chinese

Question 2

How can writing systems be classified (2 dimensions)?

Answer 2

• size of the units - large, small

- degree of regularity/transparency

Question 3

What does it mean if a language is opaque on the transparency dimension? Examples of languages that are opaque.

Answer 3

there is irregular mapping between written (graphemes) and spoken phonemes
- English and French

Question 4

Define a grapheme/phoneme

Answer 4

the smallest meaningful unit of language

Question 5

knowledge of a word can inform visual feature analysis in a top down fashion. Preference for words even if some parts hidden.

Answer 5

Word Superiority Effect

Question 6

What are the 4 stages of visual word recognition in the toy model

Answer 6

visual feature detection –> letter recognition –> visual word recognition –> semantic meaning

Question 7

What is the lexical decision task?

Answer 7

Participants have to answer if a letter string is a word or non word

Question 8

How do people perform in a lexical decision task?

Answer 8

faster RT and more accurate for words vs non-words

Question 9

What evidence is there for and against the toy model of visual word recognition?

Answer 9

• ERP latencies correlate with each of the stages

- lexical decision task

Question 10

What phenomenon suggests there might be a storage system for word knowledge in the brain?

Answer 10

the word superiority effect: can read word even if some letters hidden. Better recognition for words for random letter strings.

Question 11

A store of the structure of known written words.

Answer 11

Visual Lexicon

Question 12

• responds to learned letters, not pseudo letters
• e will prime E, not A for example
• activated even through subliminal word presentation
• activated 150-200ms after stimulus onset

Answer 12

Visual Word Form Area (VWFA)

Question 13

What damage did Mr C have that lead to word blindness/alexia. Neurons in which region, carrying info from A to B.

Answer 13

fusiform area (VWFA), specifically neurons carrying info from occipital to frontal regions

Question 14

Condition resulting from damage to left ventral occipito-temporal area (left fusiform)

Answer 14

Word Blindness

Question 15

True or false, the left VWFA responded more to words than non-words in the visual hemifield paradigm, suggesting word form processing is left lateralised

Answer 15

TRUE

Question 16

In split brain patients, in order to see a response in the VWFA for words, the word must be presented in the __ visual hemifield

Answer 16

Right (as word form is left lateralised)

- if presented on left, cannot travel from the right brain to left.

Question 17

T or F, VWFA is just for visual word form and has no other functions (eg reading, naming objects etc)

Answer 17

False - it is involved in other processes but higher sensitivity to visual word form.

Question 18

type of peripheral dyslexia:

• damage to VWFA - word blindness
• reading time proportional to word length
• letter recognition issues

Answer 18

Alexia

Question 19

type of peripheral dyslexia:

• issues recognising letter when in word and word when in sentence
• can’t suppress future word
• damage to parietal lobe

Answer 19

Attentional dyslexia

Question 20

reading WIN FED as FIN FED indicates what type of dyslexia?

Answer 20

Attentional dyslexia

Question 21

Type of peripheral dyslexia:

• misreading letters on the side of the word contralateral to the lesion
• make up a plausible letter there instead
• damage to parietal lobe

Answer 21

Neglect dyslexia

Question 22

Peripheral dyslexia is to do with:

Answer 22

recognising words

Question 23

Central dyslexia is to do with:

Answer 23

damage to storage of pronunciation, motor system, or semantic system

Question 24

Type of central dyslexia:

• issues with irregular words where sound doesnt always match up to letters
• phonological lexicon/pronunciation deficit
• temporal lobe damage

Answer 24

Surface dyslexia

Question 25

Lobe thought to be the site of the phonological/pronunciation lexicon

Answer 25

Temporal lobe

Question 26

type of central dyslexia:

• struggle with non-words (grapheme –> phoneme conversion)
• intact phonological lexicon/pronunciation knowledge, so no issues with real words
• damage to posterior temporal lobe, occipito-parietal junction

Answer 26

Phonological dyslexia

Question 27

posterior temporal lobe in occipito-parietal junction is thought to be involved in

Answer 27

grapheme to phoneme conversion

Question 28

type of central dyslexia:

• may share some issues with phonological dyslexia
• may make semantic errors
• may make derivational errors
• issues with abstract words
• extensive temporal lobe damage, and to memory/semantic region

Answer 28

Deep dyslexia

Question 29

Reading aloud DOG from reading CAT indicates what type of dyslexia and an error in?

Answer 29

• deep dyslexia

- semantic error

Question 30

Reading BEGGAR from seeing word BEG indicates what dyslexia?

Answer 30

Deep dyslexia

Question 31

Patients with this type of dyslexia will often say a real word when presented with non word eg will read NURSE if shown word CHURSE

Answer 31

Phonological dyslexia