Developmental Language Dysfunctions Flashcards

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1
Q

Why are language dysfunctions studied by cognitive psychologists?

A

Can be used to disentangle nature and nurture

To see if a “language module” exists or is independent from other cognitions

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2
Q

What is Williams Syndrome, and what is it characterised by?

A
  • Very rare form of retardation of known genetic etiology
  • 1/20,000 births
  • Genetic mutations on Chromosome 7 from conception –> Reduced protein expression in Cortex

Characterised by:
• Facial, heart and kidney abnormalities
• Mental retardation (IQ = 50-70, Mental age ~7),
Severely impaired planning, problem solving, spatial and numerical reasoning
• Oriented to social world (faces and voices, vs objects); Good social skills and facial recog
• Language acquisition slow, but much better lexical and grammatical development than expected from their intelligence

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3
Q

How does Williams Syndrome affect the adult brain?

A

Abnormalities in adult brains:
• Reduced volume (80%)
• Reduced grey matter
• Abnormal layering, clustering of neurones
• Differences in relative size of many regions
• Abnormal brain chemistry in cerebellum

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4
Q

What is the difference between people with Down syndrome, Williams Syndrome and healthy people?

A
  • Williams Syndrome: Language better than cognition
  • Down Syndrome: Cognition better than language
  • Discrepancy between cognitive capacity and language abilities
  • Supports idea of an innate language module (Pinker, 1999)
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5
Q

What are the diagnostic criteria for Specific Language Impairment?

A
  • Language sig below level expected for age and IQ (i.e. lowest 10%) on standardised testing of expressive and/or receptive language
  • Nonverbal IQ and non-linguistic (e.g. self-help, social) develop in normal range
  • Not caused by hearing loss, physical abnormality of speech organs, envr deprivation or brain damage
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6
Q

What are the presenting features of Specific Language Impairment?

A
  • Delay in talking (e.g. first words at 2 years or later)
  • Immature/deviant speech sound production in early speech
  • Use of simplified grammatical structures (e.g. omit past tense, “is”) past the age when grammatical forms are usually mastered
  • Restricted vocab in both production and comprehension
  • Weaker STM (word or sentence repetition)
  • Poor understanding of complex lang (esp when speaker talks rapidly)
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7
Q

What did studies on the KE family reveal about the heritability of SLI? What evidence is there against their findings?

A

KE family: 50% of children of affected parents diagnosed with SLI

  • Identical genetic abnormality (FoxP2 gene on chromosome 7)
  • Varied in intelligence – often average or above
  • Not associated with general cog deficiency
  • Specific deficits in application of grammatical rules relative to naming of objects

However: Most people with SLI do NOT Have FoxP2 abnormality – may be due to multiple genes/envr risks
In a more tightly selected of SLI children with above average nonverbal IQ, 78% had first degree relative with lang impairment.

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8
Q

Difference between Williams Syndrome and SLI, from Nativist perspective?

A

Nativist view:
• Williams Syndrome: Lang better than expected for cog capacity
• SLI: Lang specifically impaired, compared to other cog capacities
• Double dissociation –> Innate, domain-specific language module that is independent of general “intelligence”

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