Language and the Brain

Question 1

The story of Phineas P. Gage

Answer 1

a construction foreman named Phineas P. Gage was at work when he pushed a tamping rod into a blast hole, but the gunpowder exploded and sent the 3.5 foot long tamping rod into his upper left cheek and out his forehead.

Question 2

What does Phineas’ story tell us?

Answer 2

The brain can survive massive damage, different parts of the brain can do different things, the parts of the brain that were damaged don’t have to do with language because his language was still in tact.

Question 3

Localization

Answer 3

the idea that different parts of the brain can do different things

Question 4

How to study the brain

Answer 4

autopsies, CTs, MRIs, etc

Question 5

Language areas of the brain

Answer 5

Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area, motor cortex, Arcuate Fasciculus

Question 6

Broca’s Area

Answer 6

anterior speech cortex, involved in speech production

Question 7

Wernicke’s Area

Answer 7

posterior speech cortex, involved in understanding spoken language

Question 8

Motor Cortex

Answer 8

controls muscle movements

Question 9

Arcuate Fasciculus

Answer 9

bundle of nerve fibers connecting Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas

Question 10

Broca’s Aphasia

Answer 10

damage to Broca’s area results in speaking with great difficulty, they can’t find the right word but usually understand the majority of what is said to them

Question 11

Wernicke’s Aphasia

Answer 11

damage to Wernicke’s area results in the failure to understand the meaning of words and sentences, either spoken or written; people with Wernicke’s aphasia produce sentences that sound fluent with superficially correct grammar, but the content is nonsensical

Question 12

Conduction Aphasia

Answer 12

damage to arcuate fasciculus results in speech production issues and poor speech repetition; often they understand what is said to them and they understand that their own speech is impaired

Question 13

Anomia

Answer 13

the failure to find a word or express the correct word; anomia can be a symptom of all types of aphasias

Question 14

Anomic aphasia

Answer 14

diagnosed in people for whom anomia is the primary language deficit,

Question 15

Anomia Naming Test

Answer 15

diagnostic test for patients with anomia

Question 16

Primarily dominant hemisphere

Answer 16

left hemisphere

Question 17

Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas are located in

Answer 17

the dominant hemisphere

Question 18

Dichotic Listening Test

Answer 18

dominance of left hemisphere in processing language

Question 19

Critical period

Answer 19

most linguists believe there is something like a critical period (sensitive period) for learning a language; most linguists believe this is from birth to puberty. If a child doesn’t acquire language during the critical period, then that child will never be able to fully acquire language.