File 9.0-9.2: Psycholinguistics (F) Flashcards
psycholinguistics
the study of the acquisition, storage, comprehension, and production of language.
neurolinguistics
The study of language and the physical brain.
The 5 lobes
Temporal lobe, frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, cerebellum
Temporal lobe
Is associated with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli.
frontal lobe
Higher thinking and language production
occipital lobe
Many aspects of vision
parietal lobe
Least involved with language perception and production.
Corpus callosum
the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them
cortex
A membrane covering the brain, it is thought that the cortex makes humans able to use language or math.
Where are the language centers contained?
Most are contained in the cortex
What are the different language regions?
- Inferior frontal gyrus (IFG)
- Superior temporal gyrus (STG)
- Sylvian parietotemporal area (SPT)
- Middle and inferior temporal gyri (MTG/ITG)
(See figure page 599)
What are the bumps and indentations on the cortex called?
Bumps are called gyri (or gyrus singular) and the indentations are called fissures.
The Sylvian Fissure
separates the frontal lobe from the temporal lobe
Auditory cortex
Early processing of sounds is done here in both the left and right hemisphere in the superior temporal gyrus
Middle and inferior temporal gyri
The processing of word meaning and conceptual representations happens here
Sylvian parietotemporal area
is involved in converting auditory and phonological representations into articulatory-motor (sometimes grouped with the posterior STG and called Wernicke’s area)
Wernicke’s area
Sylvian parietotemporal area grouped with the posterior STG is called Wernicke’s area
Inferior frontal gyrus/broca’s area
organizing the articulatory patterns of language and directing the motor cortex, which controls movement, when we want to talk. Broca’s area also seems to control the use of inflectional morphemes, like the plural and past tense markers, and function words, like determiners and prepositions
Angular gyrus
This area, located between the SPT/Wernicke’s area and the visual cortex, converts visual stimuli into linguistic stimuli (and vice versa). The angular gyrus allows us to match the spoken form of a word with the object it describes, as well as with the written form of the word
Visual cortex
Area of the brain located in the posterior occipital lobe of each hemisphere; responsible for receiving and interpreting visual stimuli
White matter
pathways that are composed of bundles of nerve cells
arcuate fasciculus
Path between STG and SPG, phonetic information (broca’s)
Ventral pathway
connecting the STG and MTG/ITG with the IFG runs instead via the extreme capsule
interprets information received from arcuate fasciculus; transmits articulatory information to motor cortex
MTG/ITG path
activated when accessing the lexicon; interprets lexical entry
Motor cortex
directs movement of muscles for articulation
Lateralization
each of the brain’s hemispheres is responsible for different cognitive functions
Neural plasticity
The ability of the brain to adapt to damage and retrain regions
contralateral
the right side of the body is controlled by the left hemisphere, while the left side of the body is controlled by the right hemisphere
Aphasic
Unable to perceive or produce fluent language
dichotic listening task
a task in which participants in an experiment are presented with two messages simultaneously, one to each ear, and are instructed to repeat back the words from only one of them
ipsalaterally
On the same side in the brain
split-brain patients
two hemispheres are connected by the corpus callosum, but for certain kinds of severe epilepsy, the corpus callosum used to be surgically severed, preventing the two hemispheres from transmitting information to each other
Hemispherectomy
an operation in which one hemisphere or part of one hemisphere is removed from the brain
Aphasia
Losing the ability to produce or understand language
Broca’s aphasia
a result of damage to the inferior frontal gyrus, suffer from an inability to plan the motor sequences used in speech
When they attempt to produce language, they speak haltingly and have a difficult time forming complete words. They also tend to use telegraphic speech
They only have problems with understanding with very complex speech
Wernicke’s aphasia
damage to the Sylvian parietotemporal area (SPT) and the posterior superior temporal gyrus (STG)
It is very difficult for a patient with this problem to understand the speech of others. This often results in the Wernicke’s aphasic misinterpreting what others say and responding in an unexpected way. Moreover, because Wernicke’s patients have trouble selecting appropriate words from their mental lexicon, they have a tendency to produce semantically incoherent speech
circumlocutions
round-about descriptions that people use when they are unable to name the word they want
anosognosia
the unawareness of the disturbances in their own language. Patients with anosognosia often seem to believe that their speech is interpretable by others when in fact it is not.
Conduction aphasia
damage in the STG
characterized by an inability to repeat what someone has just said. People with this type of aphasia can understand what is said to them but make characteristic phonological speech errors when speaking spontaneously, especially when attempting to repeat what they are hearing
Alexia
caused by damage to the angular gyrus, the part of the brain that converts visual stimuli to auditory stimuli, and vice versa
characterized by an acquired inability to read and comprehend written words. Often accompanied by agraphia.
Agraphia
caused by damage to the angular gyrus, the part of the brain that converts visual stimuli to auditory stimuli
characterized by an acquired inability to write words. Often accompanied by alexia.
developmental dyslexia
A type of learning disability that makes it difficult for people to learn to read fluently
Specific language impairment (SLI)
A disorder that affects the way people process language and other quickly changing stimuli.
