Ch 13 Definitions: Cognitive Neuroscience

Question 1

lateralization

Answer 1

the localization of a function in one hemisphere or the other

Question 2

hemispherectomy

Answer 2

an operation in which the cerebral cortex is removed from one hemisphere

Question 3

split-brain operation

Answer 3

a treatment for seizure disorder in which the commissures linking the two cerebral hemispheres are severed

Question 4

hippocampal commissure

Answer 4

a pathway linking the right and left hippocampal structures

Question 5

massa intermedia

Answer 5

the connection between the right and left thalamic nuclei

Question 6

dichotic listening

Answer 6

a task in which different sounds are presented simultaneously to the right and left ears

Question 7

prosody

Answer 7

the use of pitch and intonation in language to convey emotional tone and meaning

Question 8

planum temporale

Answer 8

an area located posterior to the primary auditory cortex in the temporal lobes

Question 9

savant behavior

Answer 9

exceptional skills and talents found in people whose intellectual functioning otherwise falls within range of intellectual disability

Question 10

language

Answer 10

a system of communicating thoughts and feeling using arbitrary signals, such as sounds, gestures, or written signals

Question 11

bilingual

Answer 11

proficient in two languages

Question 12

aphasia

Answer 12

a condition involving the loss of the ability to speak or to understand language

Question 13

Broca’s aphasia

Answer 13

a condition marked by the production of slow, laborious speech accompanied by good comprehension, poor repetition, and poor naming

Question 14

Wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 14

a condition in which speech is fluent, but comprehension, repetition, and naming are quite poor

Question 15

Wernicke’s area

Answer 15

an area of the cortex adjacent to primary auditory cortex in the left hemisphere
believed to be responsible for decoding speech sounds

Question 16

arcuate fasciculus

Answer 16

a pathway connecting Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area

Question 17

conduction aphasia

Answer 17

a condition characterized by fluent speech and good comprehension but poor repetition and naming;
believed to result from damage to the arcuate fasciculus and underlying structures

Question 18

global aphasia

Answer 18

a condition in which all language functions are lost, including both language production and comprehension

Question 19

transcortical aphasia

Answer 19

a language disorder resulting from damage to the connections and cortical areas associated with the major language centers

Question 20

transcortical motor aphasia

Answer 20

a condition in which language is not fluent, but the ability to repeat is retained

Question 21

transcortical sensory aphasia

Answer 21

a condition in which comprehension is poor, but the ability to repeat is retained

Question 22

alexia

Answer 22

a condition characterized by the ability to speak and understand the spoken word normally
accompanied by an inability to read or to point to words and letters on command

Question 23

agraphia

Answer 23

a condition characterized by the loss of the ability to write

Question 24

dyslexia

Answer 24

a condition characterized by difficulty learning to read in spite of normal intelligence and exposure to standard instruction

Question 25

phonological awareness

Answer 25

the ability to discriminate between rapidly presented speech sounds

Question 26

angular gyrus

Answer 26

a region of the parietal lobe believed to participate in language and cognition

Question 27

stutter

Answer 27

to abnormally repeat or prolong speech sounds when speaking

Question 28

intelligence

Answer 28

an individual’s ability to understand complex ideas, to adapt effectively to the environment, to learn from experience, to engage in various forms of reasoning, and to overcome obstacles

Question 29

general intelligence (g) factor

Answer 29

a hypothesized single trait that predicts intelligent behavior

AKA “Spearman’s g”

Question 30

neuroeconomics

Answer 30

the interdisciplinary approach to
understanding decision making
that incorporates theories and methods from economics, psychology, and neuroscience