Language 2/Hemispheric Specialization Flashcards
What is speech apraxia?
Disorder of motor planning
Specific to planning/coordinating speech sounds
What is dysarthria?
Speech motor disorder affecting muscle control
Poor articulation, slurred speech
What do speech apraxia and dysarthria have in common?
They are both not an aphasia and not a general language disorder
What is alexia?
Inability to read
How does alexia occur?
It is an acquired deficit (neurological damage) usually to VWFA (visual word form area)
What is dyslexia?
Difficulty/Impairment with reading
How does dyslexia occur?
It is a developmental deficit
What is agraphia?
Inability to write
How does agraphia occur?
It is an acquired deficit
What is dysgraphia?
Difficulty/Impairment with writing
How does dysgraphia occur?
It is a developmental impairment
What does left hemisphere damage in adulthood lead to?
Speech and language problems
Where does complex sound become speech?
Heschl’s gyrus (A1)
Speech selective areas
Planum Temporale
What do ECoG electrodes on the STG respond to?
Manner and place of articulation
Evidence for speech selective cortex
What does the ECoG evidence suggest?
- That higher auditory cortex may be coding for phonetic speech features
- Representation or perceptually relevant aspects of speech sounds
What did fMRI studies of reading tell us about the visual word form area (VWFA)?
There was a greater activation for letters than other visual stimuli.
- absent/weaker activation in illiterate adults and dyslexic children
What happens when you disrupt the VWFA?
Leads to deficits in letter and word reading
What did fMRI studies tell us about the development of the visual word form area?
- VWFA doesn’t show preference for words/letter until children learn to read
- It’s already connected to all the language areas
- Connectivity precedes function
What does the vWFA do as far as letters and being engaged in language processing?
It’s robust and specific
Not sensitive to higher-level linguistic features
How is speech engaged in language processing?
Robust and specific
Not sensitive to higher-level linguistic features
How is high-level language engaged in language processing?
Robust and specific
Distributed processing of meaning + structure
What is an N400 response?
ERP response for semantic violations
- prefers incongruent sentences over congruent ones
- Is reduced and delayed in low comprehenders
What is an P600 response?
ERP response for syntactic violations
- EX: The cat will EAT or *The cat will EATING
Where is language typically located?
Left hemisphere
