Language and Executive Function

Question 1

Language

Answer 1

• Language is found everywhere
• No humans discovered yet without a language
• Organic and environmental factors are important in language development

Question 2

What is a phoneme?

Answer 2

• The smallest unit of speech sound in a language that can signal a difference in meaning
• Humans can produce just over 100 phonemes
• The English language consists of 44 phonemes
  e. g. pley (play), tok (talk), t (ed)

Question 3

What is a morpheme?

Answer 3

• The smallest units of meaning in a language
• Typically consist of one syllable
• Morphemes are combined into words
  e. g. The, play

Question 4

What is syntax?

Answer 4

• Rules and principles which govern the way in which morphemes and words can be combined to communicate meaning in a particular language
• Theory of ‘universal grammar’ widely accepted: that under normal conditions, human beings will develop language with particular properties (e.g. distinguishing nouns from verb

Question 5

Language developement

Answer 5

look at table

Question 6

What happens if children are raised without exposure to language?

Answer 6

• ‘Genie’ – a girl deprived of social interaction from birth until discovered aged thirteen
• She was completely without language
• After seven years of rehabilitation, she still lacked linguistic competence

Question 7

Effect of genetics on language, example of a mutation and its effect

Answer 7

• There is a large genetic component to language development
• Huge individual differences in language ability, some of which depend on genetic factors
• E.g. KE family: across three generations about 50% suffer severe language problems (e.g. difficulties understanding speech, slow ungrammatical speech)
• Associated with mutations of FOXP2 gene, also found in patients with similar language problems

Question 8

Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area - where are they?

Answer 8

Broca’s area is found in the left inferior frontal gyrus and Wernicke’s area is located in the left posterior superior temporal gyrus

Question 9

Lateralisation of language centres

Answer 9

• Hemispheric specialization for language (most language control is lateralised to the left hemisphere)
• 95% of right-handed people have left-hemisphere dominance for language
• 18.8% of left-handed people have right-hemisphere dominance for language function
• Additionally, 19.8% of the left-handed have bilateral language function

Question 10

Broca’s aphasia

Answer 10

• Expressive
• Non-fluent speech
• Impaired repetition
• Poor ability to produce syntactically correct sentences
• Intact comprehension – they can understand the speech but struggle to generate a response
• These patients are at high risk of developing low mood and depression

Question 11

Wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 11

• Receptive
• Problems in comprehending speech (input or reception of language)
• Fluent meaningless speech (contentless) – no problem with speaking
• Paraphasias – errors in producing specific words
• Semantic paraphasias – substituting words similar in meaning (“barn” instead of “house”)
• Phonemic paraphasias – substituting words similar in sound (“house” instead of “mouse”)
• Neologisms – non words (“galump”) – these are nonsense words
• Poor repetition
• Impairment in writing

Question 12

What is the arcuate fasciculus?

Answer 12

Our ability to understand language and then produce it is not confined to different parts of the brain. Language and speech areas of the brain are connected by the arcuate fasciculus. In order to go through a cycle of understanding and response, the Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas need to communicate