Aphasia III

Question 1

Resource Allocation Theory

Answer 1

Accounts for the relationship between attention, arousal and language processing units
Shared attention among cognitive demands; unequally distributed attention, inefficient allocation of attention, threshold of attention

Question 2

Default Mode Network

Answer 2

Responsible for internally focussed attention
Supports internally directed cognitive processing
(wakeful rest, day dreaming)

Question 3

Attention Allocation

Answer 3

Control structure that allocates attention
Amount allocated depends on task demands
Amount of attention needed = degree of effort/energy required

Question 4

Factors affecting attention allocation

Answer 4

Novelty of task
Intent to attend to specific input (reading difficult text, scanning for name on list)
Arousal level - low (fatigue), high (time pressure)

Question 5

Breakdown of Attention Allocation

Answer 5

Insufficient capacity
Misdirected resources
Slow mobilisation of resources

Question 6

Dual tasks

Answer 6

Performance reduction on one/both tasks - only occur if they share the same resources
More overlap = more competition on cognitive load

Question 7

Neurological Structures involved

Answer 7

Frontal lobe, thalamus, reticular activating formation

Widely distributed system = more vulnerable to brain damage

Question 8

Aphasia - Resource Allocation Deficit

Answer 8

Strongest form - spared linguistic representations, impaired mechanisms that activate, select, inhibit language
Weaker form - some aspects vulnerable to attention deficits

Question 9

Neural Multifunctionality

Answer 9

Constant and dynamic interaction between cognitive, affective, praxic function neural networks and those for lexical retrieval, sentence comprehension and discourse processing
Suggests clinicians should integrate language with cognitive and motor functions

Question 10

Application to Levelt

Answer 10

Conceptualiser
- limited capacity to perform work
- inefficient allocation of attentional resources
Impaired self monitoring

Question 11

Assessing Resource Allocation

Answer 11

Test language abilities in variety of conditions/contexts to consider impacts of attentional factors
Rate attention behaviours during task performance

Question 12

Modularity

Answer 12

Decontextualised language tasks to isolate pure process

• phoneme discrimination
• picture naming
• word fluency
• sentence construction

Question 13

Dynamic systems

Answer 13

Discourse analysis to capture relationship between cognitive processes
Sampling across speaking genres/contexts to capture impact of context on performance
Measure of speech timing, fluency and efficiency

Question 14

Treating Resource Allocation

Answer 14

Target attention directly vs indirectly
- Attention Process Training: greater reading speed over time, increased ability to concentrate, better coping with distractions
Consider attention and resource allocation demands in treatment design
- early stages - quiet clinic room, move to noisy cafe

Question 15

Neuroplasticity Principles (Kleim & Jones, 2008)

Answer 15

Best hope of remodelling damaged brain
reorganised damaged brain in absence of rehab
Damage changes the way the brain responds to learning

Question 16

Principle 1 - Use it or lose it

Answer 16

Failure to drive specific brain functions = functional degradation

Question 17

Principle 2 - Use it and improve it

Answer 17

Training that drives specific brain function = enhancement of that function

Question 18

Principle 3 - Specificity

Answer 18

Nature of training experience dictates the nature of the plasticity

Question 19

Principle 4 - Repetition matters

Answer 19

Induction of plasticity requires sufficient repetition

Question 20

Principle 5 - intensity matters

Answer 20

Induction of plasticity requires sufficient training intensity

Question 21

Principle 6 - Time matters

Answer 21

Different forms of plasticity occur at different times during training

Question 22

Principle 7 - salience matters

Answer 22

Must be relevant; motivate and engage

Question 23

Principle 8 - Age matters

Answer 23

more likely to occur in younger brains at a faster rate

Question 24

Principle 9 - Transferencce

Answer 24

Some behaviour generalise; training in one skill = plasticity in related skill

Question 25

Principle 10 - Interference

Answer 25

Plasticity in response to one training can interfere with acquisition of other behaviours