Chapter 19: Language

Question 1

What is language

Answer 1

rule-based system of communication that can be oral, visual, olfactory to convey information

Question 2

What are the core language skills

Answer 2

1. categorizing
2. category labeling
3. sequencing behaviours
4. mimicry

Question 3

Define categorization as a core language skill

Answer 3

necessary to categorize information because of the extreme amounts of sensory information that is received to create a single perception of reality

Question 4

Define labeling categories as a core language skill

Answer 4

this process of categorization can stimulate the production of word forms about that concept/category

includes identifying the category and also organizing information within that category (ex. within category “tools” our brain organizes hammers as a noun)

Question 5

Define sequencing behaviours as a core language skill

Answer 5

transitional larynx movements, LH structures associated with language form, also sequence face, body, arm movements

Question 6

Define mimicry as a core language skill

Answer 6

babies prefer listening to speech then other sounds

mimicking speech, children may adda as many as 60 new words

Question 7

What are the basic theories of the origins of language

Answer 7

1. continuity
2. discontinuity

Question 8

Define continuity theory of language

Answer 8

that language evolved gradually. It began with similarities in the genes and behaviours of our ancestors which changed in unique ways to humans that eventually became language

Question 9

Define discontinuity theory of language

Answer 9

that language evolved rapidly and appeared suddenly in modern humans

Question 10

What is the role of social group size in language

Answer 10

is important in how language develops and how we use it

primates have limits on group sizes, but language can manage larger groups up to 50

Question 11

What is the McGurk effect

Answer 11

“seeing sounds”

That we understand language much better if we can see the face

speaker is mouthing ga, but hearing da, the listener hears ga

Question 12

What can be concluded from studies of language-like processes in apes (Lana)

Answer 12

1. can teach apes to speak, but like humans learn, we need to teach them as a chimp and not an adult
2. ability to learn ASL to communicate ideas
3. apes can learn using tokens - symbolic communication
4. an ape was trained, and her child observed, child did better than the mother - need to start early and abilities can be acquired naturally, not through direct training

Question 13

What is the evidence for localization of language

Answer 13

1. most of the brain takes part in language one way or another

Question 14

What role does the RH play in language

Answer 14

storytelling

Question 15

What is the one important ability that the RH cannot do (in right-handed people)

Answer 15

syntactic language is all in the LH
(rule s and structures to construct sentences - grammar, punctuation, sentence structure)

Question 16

What are the effects of brain stimulation on language

Answer 16

can lead to both disruption and enhancement

electrical stimulation (ex. of broca’s area), can result in speech disruption such as speech arrest, hesitation, distortion

transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) show different areas of Broca’s area are in charge of different aspects of language - anterior = impairs semantic processing, posterior = impairs phonological processing

potential benefit of priming neurons

Question 17

What are the effects of lesions on language

Answer 17

damage to broca’s and wernicke’s area result in chronic aphasia
also result in anomia, cannot name an object

damage to sensory and motor areas of speech result in transient aphasia (temporary language impairment)

Question 18

What do PET and fMRI studies tell us about language that is different from the Wernicke-Geschwind model

Question 19

What do TMS studies show about the two major regions of Broca’s area

Answer 19

distinguishing between roles of anterior and posterior of broca’s area

anterior = stimulation increases reaction time in semantic processing tasks (understand meaning)

posterior = stimulation increases reaction time of phonological tasks (production and recognition of speech sounds)

Question 20

How extensive is the posterior language zone beyond wernicke’s area

Question 21

What are the two broad classes of disorders of language

Answer 21

disorders of comprehension

disorders of production

Question 22

In what ways can the same word be represented in >1 cortical area

Answer 22

semantic, phonological, motor, contextual, emotional, motor-sensory representation

Question 23

Distinguish between the dual language pathways

Answer 23

dorsal language pathway = phonological processing, transforming sound information into motor representations

ventral language pathway = semantic processing, meaning of words. links phonological to semantic

Question 24

What are the two general symptoms of language disorders

Question 25

What are the two general types of aphasias

Answer 25

agraphia = disorder in writing
alexia = disorder in reading

Question 26

Outline the Geschwind-Wernicke model of language. Why can it not be correct?

Answer 26

simplified pathway for how the brain processes language:
speech comprehension in wernicke’s area, then transferred via the arcuate fasciculus to Broca’s area where it is translated into speech production

displays it as linear which is not true, other regions beyond only wernickes and brocas area are involved, does not account for cognitive aspects

Question 27

What is a more modern version of the Geschwind-Wernicke model that includes more than one pathway?
What does each pathway do?

Answer 27

dual language pathway model
dorsal and ventral pathways that operate in parallel
dorsal = phonological processing
ventral = semantic processing

Question 28

Automatic language is believed to be located where

Answer 28

basal ganglia

Question 29

How do we assess aphasia

Answer 29

test batteries = range of subtests of visual, auditory, oral, fluency, repetition, etc.
screening tests = rapid method though not as detailed
speech timing analysis = measuring timing pauses in speech
brain imaging = accurate localization of lesions

Question 30

Summarize the evidence for localization of language

Answer 30

crucial areas of broca’s and wernicke’s
also premotor cortex shows role in semantic and word association
primarily in LH

Question 31

What is the evidence that most of the cortex takes part in language in one way or another

Answer 31

damage to areas aside from brocas and wernickes still show deficits in language
large areas of the cortex are active in fMRI and PET scans
semantic network involves posterior and frontal cortex
semantic representations are distributed among cortex

Question 32

What is the RH contribution to language

Answer 32

storytelling/narrative

Question 33

What are 2 language networks for language

Answer 33

semantic network = contribute meaning of words and sentences. key regions in posterior and frontal cortex

brain dictionary = organizes representation of objects and actions, spreads these concepts across semantic maps in multiple brain regions (PFC, MPC, LTC, AC)

Question 34

What is the story of the role of FOX P2 gene and what regions of the brain are different

Answer 34

identified as linked to language deficits in a family with speech impairments
regulates motor control for speech, grammar, and language processing
mutations affect broca’s area, basal ganglia, and cerebellum

decreased brain matter, motor and face areas are different, angular gyrus is different

Question 35

Distinguish between fluent and nonfluent aphasias

Answer 35

fluent aphasia = produce fluent speech but have difficulty understanding or repeating (posterior cortical damage)

nonfluent = difficulty articulating speech, but has good comprehension (anterior cortical damage)

Question 36

What causes alexia or dyslexia

Answer 36

alexia = reading disorder, result from brain injury, stroke, neurological disorder to LH to angular gyrus